Transcript 29.1: From Appeasement to War

29.1: From Appeasement to War
Aggression Goes Unchecked
• Mussolini, Hitler and
Japanese leaders
– All took aggressive action
– Actions only caused
VERBAL protest, pleas for
peace
– Viewed western
democracies as weak
• Post WWI: 1930’s,
Western democracies
tried to preserve peace
– Ignored many signs of
aggression & empire
building
Pre-War Moves by Japan & Italy
• Japan: many wanted an
empire to rival Western
powers
– Seized Manchuria, in
China, in 1931
– Condemned by LON,
simply withdrew
– 1937: Japan overran much
of eastern China
• Italy: 1935, invades
Ethiopia
– LON votes to impose
sanctions on Italy
– LON had no power to
enforce those sanctions
Hitler Violates the Treaty of Versailles
• 1st offense: Builds up German
military machine
• 2nd offense1936: Sends troops
into the Rhineland
• Results: Made him more popular
in Germany
– Germans hated the Treaty of
Versailles
• Response by Western
Democracies:
– Verbal protest, but no real
action
– Adopted a policy of
APPEASEMENT = giving in to
demands in order to
maintain peace
Appeasement: Attempting to
Keep the Peace
• Why did this policy develop?
– 1. France suffered political
division @ home, could not
defeat Germany w/o British
help
– 2. British had no desire to
confront Hitler
– 3. Many saw Hitler’s actions
as a defense against the
spread of Communism
– 4. The Great Depression
– 5. Pacifism = opposition to all
war, prompted by destruction
during WWI
The Neutrality Acts
Passed by U.S. Congress:
• Forbade sale of arms to
any nation at war
• Outlawed loans to
warring nations
• Americans could not
travel on ships of
warring powers
Goal of these Acts: Avoid
involvement in a
European Conflict
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
• Japan, Italy and
Germany form the
AXIS Powers
– All agreed to fight
Soviet Communism
– Agreed not to
interfere with each
other’s plans for
expansion
– Cleared the way for
these nations to
take very bold steps
to expand
Hitler Invades Rhineland
“The German question can be solved only
by means of force”
• Video
• Austria
– Most Austrians favored
unification
– Appeasement!
• The Sudetenland
–
–
–
–
Western Czechoslovakia
Natural resources
“Last Territorial Demand”
The Munich Agreement
• Appeasement again!
Neville Chamberlain & Winston
Churchill
• Chamberlain: British
Prime Minister on
appeasement:
– “Peace for our time.”
• Churchill: Political rival
in Britain:
– “Britain and France had
to choose between war
and dishonor. They
chose dishonor. They will
have war.”
Hitler & Stalin
• Stalin: declared the USSR
would remain neutral
• Hitler: began to use
propaganda to justify an
invasion of Poland
• Nonagression Pact:
– Commitment never to
attack each other
– Hitler now can avoid a 2front war in Europe
– Seals the fate of Poland
• The “Secret Agreement”
– Poland is split in 1/2
•
Hitler Imposes BLITZKRIEG Against
Poland
September 1, 1939
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=eQ9AC7GH9Sc
• Blitzkrieg Components:
– Air Force clears obstacles using
bombing raids
– Tanks follow, intimidate and
destroy remaining targets
– *Present enemy with an
overwhelming force
• Poland conquered in 3 weeks
• Allies have no time to mobilize
• September 3, 1939: France &
Great Britain declare war on
Germany