The Road to WWII Appeasement 1933-1939

Hitler’s Goals Overturn the Versailles settlement Create a new European order around race Wanted to regain lands lost at Versailles Wanted to subdue France and bring Britain to friendly terms Wanted to conquer Slavic Europe Wished to eliminate cultural destroyers

Appeasement To avoid another war, the western democracies engaged in appeasement Driven by several concerns: Lack of preparation for war A fear of Soviet communism General feeling that the horrors of WWI should not be repeated

Chronology 1931- Japan invaded Manchuria. The League of Nations protests and Japan withdraws for the League 1933 – Hitler withdraws Germany for the League of Nations and the Geneva disarmament conference 1934 – an attempted Nazi overthrow of the Austria government fails

1935 Hitler repudiates the Versailles provisions to demilitarize Great Britain allows Hitler to build up his navy Mussolini invaded Ethiopia Britain and France put half hearted economic and military sanctions on Italy

1936 Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland General Francisco Franco aided by Fascists attempts to overthrow the Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War begins Became a “warm up” for WWII Hitler and Mussolini sign the Rome-Berlin Axis Sign the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan

1937 – Hitler outlines his plans for the absorption of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland into the German Reich Japan launches and all out invasion of China

1938 Hitler marches into Austria, directly incorporating it into the German Reich (Anschluss) Hitler demands the incorporation of 3 million Germans in the Czech Sudentenland Munich Conference is held between France, Britain, Germany and Italy

1939 Hitler marches into the Czech portion of Czechoslovakia, creating a protectorate Mussolini moves into Albania Shift in public opinion about appeasement France and Great Britain are unable to win over the Soviet Union into an alliance

Hitler and Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact Hitler wants to invade the Polish Corridor Secret protocol divides Poland, the Baltic States and Finland between Germany and the USSR