ORIGINS OF WWII IN EUROPE 1938-1939

1. ORIGINS OF WWII IN EUROPE1938-1939

2. What you will learn • How Hitler took over Austria • How Germany demanded land from Czechoslovakia in 1938 & the reactions of other countries • How Hitler took over the rest of Czechoslovakia in Mar 1939 • How Hitler’s attack on Poland in 1939 led to the outbreak of WWII in Europe • Why appeasement came to an end

3. Chronology of Events • Austria and the Anschluss, March 1938 • The Sudeten Crisis, Sep 1938 • German invasion of Czechoslovakia, Mar 1939 • The end of appeasement • Hitler and Poland • The Nazi-Soviet Pact, 1939 • Hitler invades Poland, 1 Sep 1939 • Britain and France declare war on Germany, 3 Sep 1939

4. Austria and the Anschluss, March 1938 • Hitler – an Austrian • Wanted Austria to be part of Third Reich • Austrian empire broke up at the end of WWI – a small independent Austria republic was set up • Treaty – no union (or Anschluss in German) between these two countries

5. Austria and the Anschluss, March 1938 • Hitler made a number of attempts to take over Austria in 1930s • The most serious, in 1934, was stopped by Italy • Mussolini didn’t want a powerful Germany at its border • Showed support for Austrian govt by sending his troops to Austrian-Italian border

6. Austria and the Anschluss, March 1938 • By 1938, Hitler was stronger & more friendly with Mussolini • Mar 1938 – Germany marched across the border into Austria • Austrian govt protests were ignored • Anschluss (union of the two countries) completed without any resistance • Many Austrians welcomed the German takeover but not the Austrian Jews

7. I have only to give an order, and in one single night all your ridiculous defences will be blown to bits. You don’t seriously believe that you can stop me… do you? … I give you for the last time the chance to come to terms. Hitler to Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg in 1938

8. Austria and the Anschluss, March 1938 • Hitler was right when he calculated that Britain and France would not stop him • They protested but took no action • Many Britons had felt the ban on union of Germany and Austria unfair • Hitler once again took the law into his own hands

9. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • With Austria part of Germany, Czech was surrounded by German territory • Czech – one of the richest countries in eastern Europe • Had a strong army but was no match for the German troops • Wanted to avoid war with Germany • Knew they could not stand up against Hitler on their own • Hope that Britain, France and USSR would help them

10. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • One Czech problem : many different peoples lived there • Czechs and Slovaks – 2 main groups • Germans, Hungarians, Poles and Ruthenes • Some smaller groups wanted to join up with neighbouring countries Germany, Hungary, Poland • Hitler took advantage of this It (Czechoslovakia) is the last territorial claim which I have to make in Europe

11. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Encouraged different racial groups to complain about Czech rule • Esp the Germans living in Sudetenland in western Czech • Got the Sudeten Nazi party to make trouble for the Czech govt • Didn’t have much idea about what he hoped to gain • Only wanted to stir things up and see what he could grab ..villages (in Sudetenland) are burned down, attempts are made to smoke out the Germans with hand grenades and gas…

13. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Britain and France could see a crisis developing over the Sudetenland • Feared that it might lead to war • Tried to persuade Czech govt to give way to Hitler • Hoped that this would stop him from causing more trouble • Exactly the appeasement that we were talking about previously

14. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Chamberlain was so anxious to avoid conflict that he made three trips to Germany in Sep 1938 to speak to Hitler • First visit : Hitler’s mountain home in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Southern Germany • Hitler threatened to go to war with Czech if the Sudetenland was not allowed to rule itself • Chamberlain was so keen to avoid war that he agreed to see what concessions he could persuade the Czech govt to make

15. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Second visit : Godesberg in the Rhineland • Offered to transfer to Germany all those parts of Sudetenland where more than 50% of inhabitants were German • Hitler decided to push for more • Threatened to go to war again if Sudetenland was not transferred to Germany immediately

16. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • At the same time, he encouraged Czech’s other neighbours, Poland and Hungary, to press their claims around Czech’s borders • Chamberlain went home dismayed but still determined to avoid war • Czech govt meanwhile tried to persuade Britain and France to stand up to Hitler with no success • France and USSR had an agreement with Czech to go to their aid if it was attacked

17. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Third visit : 29 Sep 1938 • Conference at Munich, the main city of Bavaria in southern Germany • Held at the suggestion of Mussolini • Reps from Britain, France, Italy and Germany • BUT NO CZECH REPS PRESENT!!!!!

18. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • Almost everything that Hitler asked for was given • Within days, Germany was in control of the whole Sudetenland • At the same time, it was agreed that border areas would be transferred from Czech to Hungary and Poland • Czech lost a lot of territory and some of its main industries

20. The Sudeten CrisisSep 1938 • All sides were fairly happy except one • For Hitler – a great triumph • He made important gains without fighting • Chamberlain – proof that appeasement worked • Britons and French happy that war was avoided • Czech – a great disaster and the first step towards their annihilation

21. The real triumph is that it has shown that representatives of four great powers can find it possible to agree on a way of carrying out a difficult and delicate operation by discussion instead of by force of arms………..

22. Germans in Sudetenland thanking Hitler!

23. GERMAN INVASION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

25. German invasion of Czechoslovakia, Mar 1939 • Hitler had no intention of keeping his promise when he took over the Sudetenland in Sep 1938 • Britain and France had given way too easily over it • He thought that they were unlikely to oppose him if he took over the rest of the country It (Czechoslovakia) is the last territorial claim which I have to make in Europe

26. German invasion of Czechoslovakia, Mar 1939 • Czech was much weaker than before – unlikely to be much resistance • Had already sowed the seeds of discontentment between the Czechs and the Slovaks • He promised the Slovaks living in eastern Czech their own state if they joined him

27. German invasion of Czechoslovakia, Mar 1939 • German soldiers poured into Czech in Mar 1939 • For the first time, Hitler had taken over lands where non-German lived • Unlike previously, he could not hide his evil intentions under the pretense of uniting the Germans • In the same month, he also seized Memel, a German town which is part of Lituania

28. The End of Appeasement • Britain and France had been rearming for some time in the event that appeasement failed • The German invasion of Czech finally convinced them that Hitler could not be trusted • More aggressive action was needed • Poland looked likely to be the next victim • In Mar 1939, Britain and France signed an agreement with Poland promising to go to its aid in the event of a German invasion • But still desperate to avoid war

29. Hitler & Poland • Hitler was annoyed about Britain and France’s support for Poland • But he didn’t take it too seriously • After all, France had made similar promises to Czech but failed to keep them • Did not stop him from making demands on the Polish govt to hand over the Polish Corridor

30. Hitler & Poland • This was an area on the German-Polish border which had been given to Poland at the end of WWI and which contained many Germans and Poles • This was to allow Poland access to the Baltic Sea • The city of Danzig had also come under the control of the League of Nations

31. Hitler & Poland • He also demanded Danzig, which had been placed under the control of the League of nations – mostly inhabited by Germans • Hitler probably expected to get his own way without fighting as in Czech • Expected Britain and France to give in at the last moment • But he was ready to risk a war to achieve his aim

32. THE NAZI-SOVIET PACT 1939 • This pact came as a great surprise to the world • The two leaders were known to be arch enemies • For years, Hitler had attacked communism and Stalin had done his best to prevent growth of German power • It was simply unthinkable for them to sign an agreement – and they did! • Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939 • USSR to stay neutral in any war between Germany and Poland • Secret clause : Both agreed to divide Poland between them • Germany took the west; USSR eastern Poland that it lost at the end of WWI

33. Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov signs the Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact while German Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop and Soviet leader Stalin look on under a portrait of Lenin, August 23, 1939.

34. THE NAZI-SOVIET PACT 1939 • The pact allowed Hitler to risk a war with Britain and France, knowing that he did not have to fight the Russians as well • Britain and France had tried to get Stalin to join them at the last moments to support Poland • It was too late as Stalin doubted their sincerity to support Poland after his many overtures to them and after Czechslovakia • To Britain, the pact was a big blow as war with Germany became more likely.

35. German troops in Warsaw, Poland in Sep 1939 HITLER INVADES POLAND

36. Map of Europe on the eve of WWII

37. HITLER INVADES POLAND • The Nazi-Soviet Pact gave Hitler confidence to force Poland to give in to his demands • USSR will not fight him; Britain and France unlikely to go to war • Even if they did, they were so far away that they couldn’t do much • However, the Polish govt did not behave like the Czech govt “The whole people will fight with determination for Polish freedom and independence. Nothing will be given up without a fight…. The danger from the air will not daunt Poland.” Printed in a Polish newspaper, Aug 1939

38. HITLER INVADES POLAND • The Polish government refused to grant any of Hitler’s demands • Hitler decided that an invasion was inevitable • 5 am, 1 Sep 1939 : the Luftwaffe started bombing targets all over Poland. • 6 am, 1 Sep 1939 : German forces crossed the Polish border

39. BRITAIN AND FRANCE DECLARE WAR • Even at the last minute, Chamberlain was still hoping to come to some agreement with Hitler • However, the British parliament exerted great pressure on him to declare war • Message to Hitler condemning his action : handed over in Berlin – 9 am 3 Sep 1939 • Gave Germany two hours to withdraw its troops from Poland • Otherwise Britain would declare war on Germany • No reply from Hitler – war was declared • Later the same day, France followed

40. WORLD WAR II HAD BEGUN

41. BLITZKRIEG The Germans used the technique of “blitzkrieg” which means “lightning war”. It began with the airforce bombing important sites behind Polish lines. Then tanks with infantry followed this up. It relied on strong armoured divisions and airforce.

42. AFTERNOTE Britain and France were unable to act quickly enough to help Poland. Although the Polish army fought hard, their men and horses were no match for tanks and aircraft. Within a month, Poland had been defeated.