THE DEEPENING CRISIS: WORLD WAR II

 Failure of collective security in the 1920’s 1. League of Nations  fails 2. Attempts at disarmament  fails 3. Pacts and treaties  fails

1. Britain and France = anything to avoid war 2. Soviet Union = communist/outcast of Europe 3. United States = isolationism/ignore Europe 4. Eastern Europe = too weak/turn to authoritarianism

 Hitler’s ideas based on – 1. ARYANS – the superior race 2. LEBENSRAUM – living space in East 3. Power depends on amount of land 4. Slavic peoples inferior, to be used as slaves 5. Conquest of Eastern Europe and Russia 6. Belief that only he could create the Aryan racial empire – THE THOUSAND YEARS REICH 7. Impatience – had to be done immediately

 Hitler’s plan – Ignore/scrap the Treaty of Versailles Restore Germany’s strength Rebuild the military Prepare for war and conquest Pose as a man of peace who only wants fairness for Germany

 Oct – Hitler w/draws from League of Nations  Oct – Mussolini invades Ethiopia  March 1935 – Hitler announces German military rearmament  Oct – Hitler and Mussolini form Rome-Berlin Axis  Hitler and Mussolini support Franco in Spanish Civil War  Nov – Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis formed  March 1936 – Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland

1. Fear of another war/memories of WWI 2. Focus on domestic problems  the Great Depression 3. Cutbacks in military spending 4. Nazi Germany would provide protection against Soviet communism 5. Belief that Hitler was reasonable and peaceful 6. APPEASEMENT

 Give Hitler what he wants and there will be peace and stability in Europe  NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN 1. PM of England in 1930’s 2. Main advocate of appeasement

Austria – Mar The Czech Crisis – Sept Danzig and the Polish Corridor – Summer 1939 Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact – Aug Germany invades Poland – Sept. 1, 1939 WW II begins

THE ANSCHLUSS = THE NAZI TAKEOVER OF AUSTRIA GERMAN TROOPS MARCH INTO AUSTRIA MARCH 12,  Hitler threatens the Austrians  March 1938 – the government “invites Hitler to send in an army  Hitler announces he will annex Austria  Britain and France do nothing

 The SUDETENLAND = area of Northwest Czechoslovakia w/large # of ethnic Germans  Sept – Hitler demands Sudetenland be allowed to leave Czechoslovakia and join Germany  Hitler threatens war to achieve  This leads to the MUNICH CONFERENCE

 The following is the wording of the statement that Neville Chamberlain waved when he stepped off the plane after the conference in Berlin had ended on 30 September, "We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for two countries and for Europe. "We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo- German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. "We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe." Chamberlain read this statement to a cheering crowd in front of 10 Downing St. and said; "My good friends this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time."

 The Czech crisis leads to the Munich conference in Sept Hitler gets what he wants 2. War is avoided 3. Chamberlain says “peace for our time” 4. Munich shows Hitler how weak Britain and France are 5. Hitler secretly plans to take all Czech lands

 Hitler demands the return of the German city of Danzig in Poland  Hitler demand a “land corridor” to give Germany access to Danzig  Britain signs a security treaty with Poland  Hitler prepares to invade Poland  To prevent a 2 front war Hitler signs a nonaggression treaty with Stalin

1. The Ribbentrop- Molotov treaty 2. Germany and Soviet Union agree not to fight 3. They secretly agree to divide up Poland 4. This gives Hitler the green light to invade Poland