The Road to World War II

 Hitler’s Foreign Policy

 British Policy of
Appeasement
Mein Kampf: an outline of Hitler’s
foreign policy

 His book Mein Kampf had set out his beliefs about the
foreign policy which he thought Germany should
follow. This can be summarised in three basic points:

 ABOLISH THE TREATY OF

VERSAILLES
 EXPAND GERMAN TERRITORY
 DEFEAT COMMUNISM
Abolish the ToV – Step 1: REARMAMENT

 After Hitler took Germany out of the League

of Nations, rearmament began.
 Thousands of unemployed workers
(consequence of the Great Depression) were
drafted into the army.
 In 1935 Hitler openly staged a massive
military rally celebrating the German armed
forces.
 In 1936, conscription was reintroduced in
Germany
Why did Hitler get away with REARMAMENT?

 The British had some sympathy with

Germany as they thought that a strong
Germany would reduce the possibility of the
spread of Communism (led by Stalin’s USSR).
 The British even encouraged German
rearmament, by signing in 1935 the Anglo-
German Naval Agreement, which allowed
Hitler to increase the German navy to up to 35
per cent of the size of the British navy.
Search for lebensraum (I): the SAAR
PLEBISCITE

 The Saar region of Germany had been run by

the League of Nations since 1919.
 In 1935 the promised plebiscite was held for
people to vote on whether their region should
return to German rule. Around 90 per cent of
the population voted to return to German rule.
 This was entirely legal, within the terms of the
Treaty and definitely a real morale booster for
Hitler.
Abolish the ToV – Step 2:
REMILITARISATION of the RHINELAND

 In March 1936, Hitler took his first really big risk

by moving troops into the Rhineland area of
Germany.
 He was confident that neither Britain nor France
or the international community would take
action, having as reference what had happened
in Manchuria (1931) and Abyssinia (1935)
 France had just signed a treaty with the USSR;
with the excuse of being under threat, Hitler
claim that he should be allowed to place troops
back in the Rhineland.
German propaganda - The map is titled "Demilitarized Germany." The
shaded areas are regions demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles.
Why did Hitler get away with the RE-
OCCUPATION OF THE RHINELAND?

 Even though the German army wasn’t really prepa-

red to face up to a French attack, Hitler took the risk
and sent the troops. His calculations were right.
 Many people in Britain, and in the British govern-
ment, believed that as the Rhineland was German
territory, the German army had a right to be there.
 The League condemned Hitler's action but had no
power to do anything else.
 The French, who were most directly threatened by
the move, were divided over what to do. They were
about to hold an election and none of the French
leaders was prepared to take responsibility for
plunging France into a war.
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

 In 1936 a civil war broke out in Spain.

 General Francisco Franco led the
Nationalists, who wanted to overthrow the
elected government of the Spanish Republic.
 Franco was supported by the army, leaders of
the Catholic Church and landowners.
 The Republic was backed by socialists, trade
unionists and Spain’s Communist Party.
German intervention in the SPANISH
CIVIL WAR (I)

 On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War the leaders

of the military uprising immediately asked the
German government for help.
 Hitler told General Franco on 26th July 1936 that
Germany would support his rebellion.
 Among his reasons, Hitler justified his decision of
intervention by arguing that he was attempting to
save Europe from "communist barbarism".
 Another reason was that it brought Germany closer
to Italy, a country that was also supporting the
military uprising in Spain.
German intervention in the SPANISH
CIVIL WAR (II)

 In September 1936 a Non-Intervention

Agreement was drawn-up and signed by 27
countries including Germany, Britain, France,
the Soviet Union and Italy. Hitler continued to
give aid but attempted to disguise this by
sending the men, planes, tanks, and munitions
via Portugal.
 The Internatinal Brigades and the Soviet Union
were helping the Republicans, providing them
with men, aircrafts and tanks.
International significance of the
Spanish Civil War

 On 27th February, 1939, the British prime minister, Neville

Chamberlain recognized the Nationalist government headed
by General Francisco Franco. Later that day Manuel Azaña
resigned from office, declaring that the war was lost and that
he did not want Spaniards to make anymore useless
sacrifices.
 The Spanish Civil War had been a “dress rehearsal” for
World War Two: it was a clash between the forces of reform
(the socialism of the USSR, the democracy of France and
Britain) and reaction (the fascist dictatorships of Italy and
Germany)
The Rome-Berlin-Tokio Axis

 The military cooperation during the Spanish Civil War

brought Germany and Italy closer together and, in
October 1936, they signed the Rome-Berlin Axis.
 In November, Germany signed an Anti-Comintern
Pact with Japan. Anti-Comintern means ‘Anti-
Communist International’. The aim of the pact was to
limit Communist influence around the world. It was
particularly aimed at the USSR.
 Italy joined the latter in October 1937, these three
aggressive countries were joined together in what was
known as the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.
Abolish the ToV – Step 3: Anschluss

 The Treaty of Versailles didn’t allow Germany to join with

Austria.
 In Mein Kampf, Hitler had made it clear that he felt that the
two states belonged together as one German nation.
 Nazi Party in Austria staged demonstrations calling for
union.
 A plebiscite was called by the Austrian leader to see
wether it was the will of the majority of the Austrians or just
the Nazis.
 Hitler sent his troops in March 1938, and the plebiscite was
held under the watchful eye of the Nazis.
 99,75 per cent voted for Anschluss (political union)
Why did Hitler get away with Anschluss?

 David Low’s cartoon. Anthony Eden, British Foreign Secretary at

that moment says: “Why should we take a stand about someone
pushing someone else when it’s all so far away...”
Why did Hitler get away with Anschluss?

 Hitler and Mussolini were now allies (Rome-

Berlin Axis of 1936 & Anti-Comintern Pact of
1937)
 Once more, the British felt sympathy for the
German and believed that the term of the
Treaty of Versailles that forbade anschluss
was unfair.
 Neither Britain nor France were prepared to
fight and not particularly to defend the ToV
terms that nobody thought fair.
Illustration showing giant Austrian figure wearing lederhosen bridging or uniting the
Austrians and Germans with a brick labelled Anschluss . Political union of
Austria and Germany . Austrians greeting Germany with Heil Hitler salute .
Search for lebensraum (II): SUDETENLAND

 After WWI, the new state of Czechoslovakia was

given an area known as Sudetenland.
 This was previously part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, and now formed the Czech border with
Austria and Germany. It contained over 3 million
German speakers.
 Hitler demanded the annexation of the
Sudetenland and threatened to invade the country
by the 1st October 1938 under the excuse that
Sudeten Germans were mistreated by the Czech
authorities.
 Britain and France were determined to avoid war
over Czechoslovakia…
German territory by 1938 before
the annexation of the Sudetenland
The Policy of Appeasement: MUNICH
AGREEMENT (I)

 Even though France had signed the Little

Entente with Czechoslovakia and the other
successor states in 1925, by 1938 the French
were not willing to risk their people to save the
Czechs.
 Britain had no treaty with Czechoslovakia and
Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister,
made it clear that they would not send troops to
defend it.
 Both governments decided to follow the policy of
appeasement: to give Hitler what he wanted in order to
avoid another World War.
The Policy of Appeasement: MUNICH
AGREEMENT (II)

 On 29 September 1938, the Munich Conference began between

the leaders of Britain (Chamberlain), France (Daladier), Italy
(Mussolini) and Germany (Hitler) in order to reach an agreement.
 The Czech government was not invited. The Soviet Union,
which had said it would defend Czechoslovakia if Britain
and France acted as well, was also excluded.
 It was agreed that Germany would annex the Sudetenland
without aggression: on 1st October, German troops
occupied the Sudetenland.
 Edward Beneš, the leader of Czechoslovakia, resigned.
 Neville Chamberlain in
a press conference  Germans entering the
holding in his hand the Sudetenland.
Munich Agreement as
a sign of triumph.

 Hitler had achieved, again, one of his aims in foreign

policy.
 War was avoided once more… but at a very high
cost.
Looking for lebensraum (III): the
INVASION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

 Once in control of the Sudetenland, Hitler

concentrated on destroying the rest of
Czechoslovakia.
 On 15 March 1939, Nazi Germany finally
invaded Czechoslovakia.
 Though Daladier (French Prime Minister) did
put France on a war footing, no action was
taken by Britain and France.
The END OF APPEASEMENT

 After Czechoslovakia had been taken, it

became clear for most people that Poland
was Hitler’s next target.
 At the end of March 1939, Britain and France
made a significant policy change, and
guaranteed to protect Polish independence.
 It was the ende of the policy of
appeasement.
Looking for lebensraum (IV): the NAZI-
SOVIET PACT and the Polish Corridor

 On 24 August 1939 the USSR signed a Non-Aggression

Pact with Nazi Germany.
 The world was shocked as two arch enemies promised
not to attack each other.
 The pact was supposed to last for 10 years and included
secret clauses for the splitting of Poland and a Soviet
takeover of the Baltic States.
 The Nazi-Soviet Pact was perhaps the pinnacle of Hitler’s
triumphs. He cleared the way for Germany’s invasion of
Poland.
 THE OUTBREAK OF WWII
 On 29 August 1939, Hitler ‘offered’ Poland
the choice of peaceful dismemberment (by
negotiation) or war.
 Poland refused, and, on 1 September,
Germany invaded Poland.
 Two days later, on 3 September, Britain and
France declared war on Germany: it was the
beginning of the Second World War.