The Road to War

1. The Road to War

2. 1923 – Germany defaults on reparation payment to France • France uses this as a opportunity to send troops into Germany to enforce the Treaty of Versailles. The French call this a police action, the Germans call it an invasion. • 1932-1934 Disarmament Conference held by world powers to limit military spending and arms. • Germany wants France and Poland to reduce their armies to 100 000. They refuse and Germany leaves the Conference. • Germany and France are ancient enemies – very distrustful of each other • When Hitler comes into power he stops payment of reparations • Hitler identifies ‘race’ and ‘nation’ as the same thing • October 1933 – Germany leaves the League of Nations • 1935 – Hitler announces that Germany would no longer adhere to disarmament treaties. He begins to rearm Germany and reintroduces conscription.

3. 1936 – Germany remilitarizes the Rhineland. France wants to prevent this but needs British support. • Britain is unwilling and incapable of preventing Germany’s reoccupation of Rhineland, so the Brit’s do nothing. • 1938 – Munich conference – Germany given the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia). • Termed appeasement due to the fact that France and Britain were willing to give Germany what Hitler wanted to save the world from war. • September 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland. Poland surrenders 5 weeks later. • October 1939 – April 1940 called the “Phoney War”. • In September of ’39 most of the world had rushed to declare war however, after the fall of Poland, all hostilities ceased for 6 months.