1. *Chapter Five: The Road to War The underlying and immediate causes of the war in Europe

2. 1. Long term cause: the Treaty of Versailles
The humiliating terms of the Versailles Treaty left many Germans bitter
The Versailles Treaty created smaller countries on the eastern borders of Germany – Poland, Czechoslovakia – which were too weak to defend themselves from a united and resurgent Germany

3. 2. The Great Depression. Its effect on Germany

4. Great Depression: Its effect on Britain and France
The British and French governments became too weak to deal with international problems. They were unwilling to use collective action to check the expansion of Japan, Italy and Germany

5. Great Depression: Its effect on US Foreign Policy
Neutrality Acts of the 1930s: US cannot supply war materials to any country at war.

6. The Weakness of the League of Nations
Great Depression b. No collective army
c. US not a member of the League d. Useless economic sanctions

7. The Abysinnian crisis: Italy’s invasion of Abysinnia

8. Ethiopian emperor Haile Salessie

9. Abysinnian Crisis: The Hoare Laval Pact
Give Mussolini what he wants in exchange for Italy’s support against German territorial expansion.

10. 4. Hitler’s Aggressive Foreign Policy: Rearmament
Conscription – 600,000 men
Navy + Air Force + Armored Panzers (tanks)

11. Occupation of the Rhineland (former Demilitarized zone) in March 1936

12. New Deal with other expansionist countries – Italy and Japan
November 1936: Rome-Berlin Axis Non-aggression Pact
November 1936: Anti-Comintern Pact (Germany and Japan)
November 1937: Italy joins Anti-Comintern Pact

13. Spanish Civil War
Germany supports General Franco and the Spanish Loyalists and assists militarily in the Spanish Civil War. A fascist dictatorship is set up

14. Anschluss (Union) with Austria
Seyss-Inquart, a pro-Nazi Austrian Chancellor, takes power after Germany threatens to invade Austria.

15. The Sudetenland Crisis

16. The Munich Agreement: Appeasement policy

17. The annexation of Czechoslovakia

18. Immediate Cause: The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression pact
(Ribbentrop, German ambassador), Stalin, Molotiv)

19. The Invasion of Poland