Causes of WWII in Europe Causes, Practices and Effects of Wars

Hitler’s rise to power Jan Hitler is Chancellor of Germany totalitarian Military conscription/rearmament Nov Hitler fails at coup d’etat Munich Beer Hall PutschHitler jailed (Mein Kampf) 1921 Hitler leader of Nazi Party 25 point programmeRally against Treaty

Short term causes of WWII ( ) Hitler attacks reparations (reparations suspended earlier, 1933 Hitler claims repayments will not resume) The world has already accepted this, so no big deal Hitler begins to rearm , military spending increases five-fold

Compulsory military Admits to army and airforce RearmamentAttack treaty

How does the world react? Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 Allows Germany to have a much larger military than allowed in Treaty of V. Shows that Hitler is intimidating Europe and that Europe has no interest in stopping him

So, what does Hitler do? March 1936 Germany sends 10,000 troops and 23,000 police to Rhineland (DMZ to protect France) France and Britain do nothing Winston Churchill later states this was the essential time Hitler could have been stopped

Germany sends troops to Spanish Civil War 1936 Tests Germany’s new armed forces Hitler prepping his forces for realities of war Hitler’s Condor Legion tests its aerial bombs in Guernica Foreshadowing

Rome-Berlin Axis 1936 Anti-Comintern Pact 1937 (Japan) 1937 Italy joins pact Hope is that Japan distracts the world (esp. Russia) in Asia so that Hitler gets less resistance

Hossbach Memorandum (Hitler’s last will and testament) -Aug “Four Year Plan”—prep German economy for war -Secure and preserve racial purity -Rearmament is almost complete-any delay makes them obsolete -Distract France

Anschluss March 1938 Hitler sends troops to Austria with no resistance (violating Treaty) Chamberlain says it was wrong of Treaty to separate Germany and Austria Austria votes—Germany gains gold and iron ore Germany gains land, military, gold, iron ore

Czechoslovakia Germany wanted to regain Sudetenland France bound by treaty to protect Czech, Britain agreed to defend too 1938 Hitler says he will fight for Sudetenland World worried a war is coming

15 Sept Chamberlain negotiates- Hitler agrees to part of area 22 Sept Hitler increases demands- wants all of Sudetenland Britain mobilizes navy 29 Sept Britain, France, Italy give in (known as Munich Agreement) Hitler is successful with no force

Chamberlain declares “peace in our time” Arms race begins in Europe 15 March 1939 Germany takes over all of Czech

Immediate causes of war Aug 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact (won’t attack each other) Invasion of Poland 1 Sept o Britain and France must become involved now

What was the role of appeasement in the war?