Transcript The Road To World War II

The Road To World War II
The Third Reich
The Early Moves
A Policy of Appeasement
The Third Reich
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Hitler had promised the
German people a return to glory
through the “Third Reich”
He promised to “rip up the
Treaty of Versailles” which
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Blamed Germany for WWI
Reduced the German military
Forced Germany to give up land
Forced Germany to pay
reparations for cost of war
The Third Reich
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The Third Reich was a way to
connect to Germany’s past
glories and empires
Hitler alluded that Nazi
Germany, would usher in the a
new age for Germany one of
prosperity and military
dominance
Through grandiose ceremony
and constant use of propaganda
the German population
followed
The Third Reich
The Third Reich
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1934 the German military
begins it’s build up of the
Heer, Kreigsmarine and
Luftwaffe
Research and development
of German weapons will
be done under many
guises
Volkswagen, BMW,
Krupps, Mercedes Benz
and many corporations
will construct German
machines of war
The Early Moves
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Spanish Civil War, 19311939, was a struggle for
control of Spain based on
different ideas about
government
Nationalist Francisco
Franco will take advantage
of the incompetence of his
opponents the Spanish
Republicans
Germany and Italy will
supply Franco with
weapons, supplies, men
(Italians) and aircraft
(Germans)
The Early Moves
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Plagued with
disillusionment, poor
leadership and infighting
the Republicans are
defeated by Franco
Britain and France avoid
entering the conflict.
Russia supports the
Republicans with tanks
Germany’s role in the Civil
War will provide her
Luftwaffe with experience
The Early Moves
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In 1936 Hitler moves troops
on bicycles into the
Rhineland a buffer zone
between Germany and
France
Britian and France failed to
remove Germany from the
region for fear of starting a
war
Hitler forms an alliance
with Italy in the 1936
Rome-Berlin Axis Pact
Europe 1933
The Early Moves
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March 1938, German troops
are sent into Austria and
force the Austrians to have
an election deciding the
country’s fate
99% of the Austrians want
Anschluss (be a part of
Germany)
Austrian Chancellor Kurt
Schuschnigg seeks aid from
Britian and France but…
Hitler has promised that this
will be the last time German
moves into another country
The Early Moves
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March 1938 Germany demands
that the Sudetenland be returned
to Germany because German
nationals are being abused by the
Czech government
Sept 1938, Prime Minster Neville
Chamberlain and Hitler agree on
the Munich Agreement which
gives the land to Germany
Czechoslovakia was not invited to
the Munich Agreement. March
1939 Germany annexes the rest of
Czechoslovakia
A Policy of Appeasement
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British Prime Minster
Neville Chamberlain felt
that Treaty of Versailles was
to harsh to the German
people
He believed that Hitler was
acting to right the wrongs of
the treaty
Chamberlain adopts a Policy
of Appeasement, giving into
demands so long as they are
reasonable and fair
A Policy of Appeasement
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Chamberlain also believed that a strong Germany would
counter the growing influence of communist Russia in
Europe
Chamberlain considered the Munich Agreement a high
point in diplomacy declaring it a “Peace in our time”
When Hitler annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939,
Chamberlain responded that it was,"..a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing
about"
Europe 1939
A Policy of Appeasement
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The League of Nations
formed in 1919 purpose to
prevent war, in event of
possible hostilities member
nations were to end trade
with the aggressor and if
that failed all nations would
deal with the aggressor
nation
It failed to stop Japanese
aggression in Manchuria
and a Italian invasion in
Abyssinia
A Policy of Appeasement
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The League of Nations
lacked the following
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A standing army to
enforce rulings
The League meet four
times a year to address
problems
Not all nation members
followed the League’s
rulings
The September Campaign
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Facing no military resistance
Hitler next invades Poland in
1939
Germany claims that Poland
had launched an attack and
Germany was only responding
to their aggression
To avoid Russian intervention,
Germany had signed the
German-Soviet Pact,1939
which stated that Poland would
be split between the two nations
The September Campaign
Europe 1942