Transcript papertwoanschlussgoodhunting_tcm4-123414

Source B : a Cartoon from
Punch - March 1938
2. Explain the significance of
the cartoon (Source B) in the
context of events at the time.
5
In reaching a conclusion, you
should refer to:
•the origin and possible
purpose of the source
•the content of the source and
•recalled knowledge
Caption –
Mussolini-
GOOD HUNTING
"All right, Adolf- I never heard a shot"
Step 1 -Immediate context
•Source refers to the Anschluss i.e. the
annexation of Austria by Germany
Feb/March 1938
Source B - a cartoon from
Punch March 1938
•Strictly forbidden under Versailles this
action should have brought resistance
from Britain/Prance as guarantor powers
of the treaty
•As it turned out, they accepted the act
despite criticism that this only
encouraged Hitler and indeed
strengthened his position in that he now
out-flanked the Czech state
Step 1 -Immediate context
•Austrian freedom was sacrificed to
maintain peace
•For reasons which are now in debate,
Britain condemned but did not resist the
annexation
Source B - a cartoon from
Punch March 1938
•The popular view was that the Nazis
had saved Austria from a Communist
plot
•Popular view in UK was that the
Austrians welcomed the event and that
it was not worth a war over principle of
Versailles
Step 2 - Big picture
•The source offers a critical view of
Hitler's actions and makes the
impression that Hitler has got away
with an illegal act.
Source B - a cartoon from
Punch March 1938
•It very much opposes British
Government opinion at the time
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point one from
source
Recall evaluating point
from source
Figure of Hitler
as a poacher
Reflects minority view
that Hitler had
'poached' Austria.
Most people in UK saw
the German/Austrian
union as a practical
solution for both states
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point two from
source
Recall evaluating point
from source
Strictly
Preserved
Reflects Versailles
terms which had
forbidden the ‘union’.
Yet the view in UK
was that this term
was outdated.
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point three from
source
Austrian Integrity
Recall evaluating point from source
Reflects apparent loss of
freedoms of Austrian people
under the proposed Anschluss. A
minority view at the time. The
Austrian goat/deer representing
the nation 'poached' or
controlled by Hitler was believed
by some to have been 'shot' by
Hitler - a metaphor for the
type of Government the Nazis
represented
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point four
from source
Mussolini
Recall evaluating point from source
This is a key point. The gamekeeper figure
as he is represented is shown encouraging
and accepting Hitler's actions and, as he
says, ‘I never heard a shot’. This is in
contrast to 1934 during the failed Anschluss
when Mussolini threatened to put 10,000
troops into the Brenner Pass to prevent the
threat of Nazis expansion. However by
1938, it was, as the source suggests,
Mussolini’s key role which allowed Hitler to
complete the Anschluss. By 1938, events
over Abyssinia, the collapse of the Stresa
Front and the Spanish Civil War had
undermined the Italian position.
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point five from
source
Recall evaluating point from
source
Caption:
‘I never heard
a shot’
There was no shooting!
The Germans appeared to
have been welcomed
(flags, crowds) -so much
so that Hitler decided to
absorb Austria into
Germany rather than put
in a puppet Government.
Step 3 – Select relevant points from the
source and use recall to evaluate each point
Point six from
source
Recall evaluating point
from source
‘Good Hunting’
Ironic, sarcastic view
of the event.
Step 4 - Link back to the question
Explain the significance of the cartoon (Source B) in
the context of events at the time.
Source B highlights a critical view of the Anschluss
and warns about German actions.
Step 5 -Additional recall
•At the time however, the majority view was to accept
Hitler's actions. Few people knew the actual details of the
events leading up to the Anschluss i.e. the actions of
Schuschnigg; the bullying by Hitler at Berchtesgaden and the
plebiscite and then forced playing of Hitler's hand
(Communist plot etc.)
•Most people accepted the view that the Austrian people
wanted the union and accepted it. In letters to newspapers,
George Bernard Shaw and Lord Lothian spoke out in favour
of a common sense view of the matter.
•While Chamberlain did not 'like' the way the Anschluss had
been carried out, he nevertheless had no intention of using
force to stop it. The risks/gains were weighed out and the
balance was to accept it and move on. It was another of the
wrongs of Versailles resolved.
Step 6 – Conclusion
In conclusion, the source offers a critical view of the
Anschluss -one which was not reflected at the time.