Causes of World War II 1933 to June 1940 By Mr. Woodmansee Good Shepherd Catholic School

Causes of WWII ANTI Appeasement Nationalism Totalitarianism Imperialism

The Flag Bearer Hubert Lanzigner after 1933 The Fuhrer Commander-in-Chief Conrad Hommel 1940

Two Men Looking at the Moon Casper David Frederick The Baby Fritz Markensen Men Looking Out

Workers Soldiers Farmers by Hans Schmitz-Wiednbruck

Plowing by Julius Paul Junghanns

Harvest by Karl Alexander, 1938

Youth Volunteers in the Reich Labor Service

1936 Berlin Olympics Promoted the Nazi State Only Aryan participated –Anti-Semitic posters were removed –Gypsies were arrested

Nazi Germany Keeping Control: Terror State

“Terror is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death.”

The Terror State Both the Gestapo (Secret Police) and the SS (Storm Troopers – Hitler’s private soldiers) were run by Heinrich Himmler The Gestapo employed an army of spies who would inform on people

Enemies of the State Communists Social Democrats Jews Trade Unionists. Work Shy Homosexuals Gypsies Germans who bought from Jews Pacifists Radical Christian Organisation Anyone who criticised Hitler or the Nazi Party.

Enemies of the State Scare tactics were used to ensure Germans did as they were told A list of German women who were still purchasing goods from Jewish shops

How did the Terror State Work? Gestapo Spies inform on you You are woken up by the Gestapo at 1 am in the morning and told that you have 5 minutes to pack your bags. You are arrested and thrown into a cell at the police station Days or maybe weeks later you are interviewed and asked to sign form D11 By signing this form you are giving your consent to be put into a concentration camp. You are handed over to the SS who run the concentration camps. You are imprisoned for up to six months doing hard physical labor. When you are released you tell everybody what has happened to you Fear

Key Quote: Martin Niemollen, 1945 When the Nazis came for the Communists I was silent, I was not a Communist. When the Nazis came for the Social Democrats I was silent, I was not a Social Democrat. When the Nazis came for the Jews I was silent, I was not a Jew. When the Nazis came for me there was nobody left to protest.

Totalitarian State The government control the population by fear The NAZIs removed opposition Used citizens to spy on each other –especially the youth –Hitler Jugen (Hitler Youth)

A Weak League of Nations

German Foreign Policy Presentation by Mr Young

Your Task  You are an expert in foreign policy  It is your job to advise the new leaders of Germany  You will be told about various problems and given a choice of three policies to follow.  Choose wisely. Your success will be rewarded. Failure will be punished!

Mein Kampf  Your policy has very clear aims:  Destroy the Treaty of Versailles  Gain ‘Lebensraum’ (living space) in the east  Bring all Germans into one Reich  Make Germany strong again

Crisis: Austria 1934  The Depression has made Austria weak  Taking over Austria will be very popular in Germany  It will bring many Germans into the Reich  However other countries might oppose you

Crisis: Austria 1934 Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Crisis: Austria Points 20 Points 10 Points

Crisis: Rhineland 1936  Italy has invaded Ethiopia  The league of Nations is divided  While the League is divided you could send troops to the Rhineland  Be careful! Any opposition and you’ll have to withdraw

Crisis: Rhineland 1936 Send in the troops. France is divided and Britain wants peace Do nothing, you can’t risk war with France. Germany is too weak Ask permission from the Allies before doing anything

Crisis: Rhineland Points 30 Points 20 Points

Crisis: Austria 1938  Austria is even weaker than in 1934  Italy is now your ally  You have many supporters in Austria, who can help you  Union with Austria is forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles

Crisis: Austria 1938 Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Crisis: Austria Points 30 Points 10 Points

Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938  Three million German speakers live in Czechoslovakia  Czechoslovakia has a strong army and alliances with Britain, France and the Soviet Union  Victory over the Czechs will finally destroy the Treaty of Versailles  The army is unwilling to fight over the Sudetenland

Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938 Invade Czechoslovakia and hope the army follows your orders Threaten the Czechs and make a deal with Britain and France Make a deal with Russia and hope Britain and France ignore your actions

Crisis: Czechoslovakia Points 10 Points 20 Points

Crisis: Poland 1939  After victory over the Czechs you can’t do wrong  Poland splits German land and holds the German city of Danzig  Poland has an alliance with Britain and France  The Soviet Union could be a threat, the Red Army could easily help the Poles

Crisis: Poland 1939 Do a Deal with Russia to split Poland between you Stop now, you’ve already achieved most of your aims Invade Poland without any agreements no-one can stop you now

Crisis: Poland Points 20 Points 30 Points

Add up your scores

How did you do?  Points  Your advice has been superb for the outside world as war has been avoided  However, your advice has not been good for you. The Gestapo have arrested you and you are never seen again

How did you do?  90 – 110 Points  You’re not the expert the Nazi party thought you were. You’ve missed many opportunities to expand Germany’s population and resources  You have been demoted but you still have a comfortable life in Berlin

How did you do?  50 – 80 Points  Fantastic! you have made Germany strong again, the Treaty is a thing of the past and Germany is well prepared in case war comes.  You have been rewarded with promotion in the Nazi party and all the privileges of power

What did Hitler do?  Austria 1934  Rhineland 1936  Austria 1938  Czechoslovakia 1938  Poland 1939

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Austria 1934 Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy Try to take over Austria by political pressure

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Rhineland 1936 Sent troops in the Rhineland. France was divided and Britain wants peace Do nothing, you can’t risk war with France. Germany is too weak Ask permission from the Allies before doing anything

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Austria 1938 Took over Austria by sending troops to Vienna Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy Try to take over Austria by political pressure

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938 Invaded Czechoslovakia Threaten the Czechs and make a deal with Britain and France Make a deal with Russia and hope Britain and France ignore your actions

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Poland 1939 Made a non – aggression pact with Russia to divided Poland Stop now, you’ve already achieved most of your aims Invade Poland without any agreements no-one can stop you now

Appeasement March 1938 Ger. took control of Austria –GB and Fr took no serious action September 1938 Ger. demanded Czechoslovakia cede (give) the Sudetenland –Munich Conference – Chamberlin gave in Hitler agreed not to take any more European land...

Sudetenland

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain Now we have “peace in our time!” Herr Hitler is a man we can do business with.

Czech woman “welcoming a German army division, 1938

German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact August 23, 1938 by foreign ministers von Ribbentop (Germany) and Molotov (USSR) signed a non-Aggression Pact Both countries publicly agreed not to attack each other Shhhh! Secretly they agreed to invade Poland

On September 1, 1939 Germany unleashed a blitzkrieg (lightning war) against Poland. The goal was to destroy communication, transportation and shock the enemy into submission. It worked.

Poland (cont’d) Wehrmarcht (main German Army) easily defeated Polish forces in days The Soviets invaded Sept. 17, 1939 –The Poles ran to the Russian Army who they thought were there to protect them

Poland (cont’d) Totenkoph (Death’s Head) Squadrons hunted down and executed “racially inferior” people Many Jews were rounded up and forced into the Warsaw Ghetto

Sitzkrieg September 3, 1939 GB and France declared war on Germany GB evacuated some Poles but offered no military resistance to Ger. –“Confetti War” Allies waited for Ger. to attack Belgium and France

Western Front April 9, 1940 Germany attacked Copenhagen and landed in Norway –Denmark fell –Oslo, Norway fell but with British supplies the Norwegians resistance held the mountains

Western Front May 10, 1940 Germany attacked France, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands By May 13 The Allied forces were trapped in northern France May 14 the Netherlands surrendered

Miracle at Dunkirk May 27 the BEF evacuated across the English Channel from France at Dunkirk –“Operation Dynamo” Churchill became fully committed to the war

Fall of France – June 22, 1940

Vichy France A puppet French state was organized to administer southern France Marshall Henri Petain Pres. Vichy France

Free French Forces Charles DeGaulle used guerilla tactics to fight the Germans "France has lost a battle; she has not lost the war"

Fall of France Examined It is a mistake to believe that French forces were weak, in fact they were more advanced and larger in number then German forces –Many German leaders were apprehensive about war with France The quick fall of France is attributed to Germany’s unexpected attack though the Ardennes Forest

Causes of WWII Examined World War II started with the rise of a totalitarian German state under the leadership of Adolf Hitler who sought to create a new continental empire for the German people at the expense of their neighbors The invasion of Poland revealed Hitler’s sinister plans and preludes what will happen in Russia With the fall of France only Great Britain stands to oppose Nazi Germany and Italy