CAUSES OF WWII

1. CAUSES OF WWII F.A.R.T: THE FAILURE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, APPEASEMENT and NON-INTERVENTION, THE RISE OF HITLER AND SPREAD OF NAZISM & FASCISM, AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

2. What was happening around the world before ww2? Worldwide Economic Depression • After WWI many European economies were unstable. • The boom in the U.S. throughout the 1920s helped sustain worldwide trade. • The 1929 stock market crash in the U.S. and the resulting Great Depression spread throughout the world. U.S. restrictive tariff policies worsened the depression. • As economies plummeted and unemployment rose, many people turned to powerful leaders and governments who promised success through military buildup and the conquest of territory. German breadlines Japanese children eating radish roots during famine

3. Causes of World War 2 F: Failure of the league of nations

4. The Failure of the League of Nations The League of Nations had been the idea of American President Woodrow Wilson as one of his “Fourteen Points”, used to form the basis of the Treaty of Versailles.

5. MAIN AIMS • To maintain world peace by discouraging aggression from any nation; • To promote disarmament; • To encourage co-operation among nations; • To improve the living and working conditions of people across the world; • To uphold and enforce postwar treaties.

6. In order to achieve these aims, the following would have to take place: • All countries would have to join and all countries would have to disarm; • Nations would take disputes to the League and accept the League’s decision on the dispute; • Nations would uphold the principle of “collective security”, that if one country invaded another, all other countries would act together against the country considered the aggressor. This would, hopefully, prevent any future wars.

7. Strengths of the League • MOST of the powerful nations joined, including Britain, France, Italy and Japan; • People thought the League was a good thing (it had support); • It could impose MORAL sanctions (condemn the action of the aggressor), ECONOMIC sanctions (limit the trading links of the aggressor), and MILITARY sanctions (take military action against the aggressor); • All members were represented in the assembly and most powerful nations met regularly in the council, which also came together in times of emergency to resolve crises.

9. Weaknesses of the League – why did it fail? • NOT ALL COUNTRIES JOINED • The United States did NOT join (isolationism), and they had the most powerful economy in the world. • Without them, the authority of a moral sanction was diminished, and economic sanctions were harder to impose and were less effective; • Germany was excluded because of the “War Guilt” clause of the Treaty of Versailles, but later became a permanent member (1926); • The USSR was excluded because it had a communist government, which was not considered legitimate by member states;

10. THE LEAGUE HAD NO POWER • Countries did not want to get involved in other nation’s wars; • The main weapon of the League was to ask member countries to stop trading with an aggressive country. • This did not work because countries could still trade with non-member countries.

11. THE LEAGUE HAD NO ARMY • The League had no army of its own and member states were not required to provide forces to the League; • Britain and France were the main military powers, but both had been exhausted but WWI and reluctant to get involved in disputes, especially those outside Europe (non-intervention);

12. THE LEAGUE WAS UNABLE TO ACT QUICKLY • It took too long for the League to reach decisions and those made were not binding; • All decisions required UNANIMOUS support by the council members.

13. Japan and Manchuria; Italy and Abyssinia; Hitler and Germany How did Dictatorships Respond to the Demands of the League?

14. Japan and Manchuria

15. Japan and Manchuria • Japan wanted to expand their empire. They wanted an empire in the Pacific for their population growth and resources, extending into China and Australia • The army invaded Manchuria in China, an area rich in minerals and resources. China appealed to the League for help. • The League called for countries to stop trading with Japan but because of the depression many countries did not want to risk losing trade (they were preoccupied with their own economic problems) and did not agree to the request. • The League then made a further call for Japan to withdraw from Manchuria but Japan's response was to leave the League of Nations.

17. Italy and Ethiopia (Abyssinia)

18. Italy and Ethiopia • Italy was disappointed with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. • They expected more land as a reward for changing sides during the war (to the Allies). • were also experiencing a depressed economy following the war, with high unemployment.

19. Italians turned to Benito Mussolini, who appealed to the needs and emotions of Italians. Mussolini promised jobs, prosperity, and that he would make Italy a great world power. Mussolini wanted a Fascist-Roman empire in the Mediterranean and Africa, so he invaded Ethiopia, Africa, in 1935.

20. The Invasion of Abyssinia • Again, appeals to the League were made. • The League condemned the attack and called on member states to impose trade restrictions with Italy. • However, the trade restrictions were not carried out because they would have little effect. • Italy would be able to trade with non-member states, particularly America. • Furthermore, Britain and France did not want to risk Italy making an attack on them; nations were afraid of starting another major war.

21. Hitler in Germany

22. Hitler in germany • Disgusted by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler withdrew Germany from the League in 1933. • In 1935, Hitler violated the Versailles treaty when he introduced conscription and began to increase the size of the Germany military forces. • Once again, the League did nothing.

23. In 1936, Hitler ordered a small German army to march into the Rhineland – another violation of the Treaty of Versailles. • And again, the League did nothing.

24. The Rhineland Polish Corridor Belgium Poland France Still legally part of Germany, but Germany was not allowed to have any military stationed there to protect France from another German attack. Switz.

25. Hitler also made two important alliances after his march into the Rhineland in 1936. • The first was called the Rome-Berlin Axis(Oct. 1936). It allied Hitler’s Germany with Mussolini’s Italy. • The second was called the Anti-Comintern Pact and allied Germany with Japan (Italy joined in Nov. 1937).

26. Sooooo…… • It was clear that the organization that was set up to preserve world peace was unwilling and unable to take any action on aggressor nations. • The League’s member nations were all taking isolationist approaches and would not risk starting another world war. • By 1936, three countries had successfully defied the League of Nations and got away with it: Japan, Italy and Germany.

27. How did the League fail? • Read pages 131-132 of your text. Create a chart with the following headings and complete the chart as best you can with your text, and the internet at home if needed.

28. A: Appeasement and non-intervention

29. APPEASEMENT From W. Robson, “Twentieth-Century History”, 1973. There had been nothing weak or foolish about the attitude of the Western leaders. They tried to settle differences by discussion and conciliation, methods that had been highly successful in the 1920s. Their failure was due to the fact that Hitler took consolation for weakness and found that he could get his own way. He could have been stopped earlier but only at the risk of war. Discussion was the method of gentlemen, which explains why Chamberlain and the Western leaders favoured it and Hitler did not…

30. Policy of Appeasement Appeasement • willingness to surrender to an aggressors’ demands to avoid war • reduction of international tensions through removal of causes of friction; • concessions to disgruntled nations to lessen their tendency to take aggressive actions WHY? To avoid any type of conflict, especially war.

31. During the 1930s, many politicians in both Britain and France came to see that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles had placed restrictions on Germany that were unfair. • Hitler's actions were seen as understandable and justifiable! • When Germany began re-arming in 1934, many politicians felt that Germany had a right to re-arm in order to protect herself. • It was also argued that a stronger Germany would prevent the spread of Communism to the west.

32. Fear of communism leads to… • In 1936, Hitler argued that because France had signed a new treaty with Russia, Germany was under threat from both countries and it was essential to German security that troops were stationed in the Rhineland. • The fear of communism was greater than the fear of fascism, so Hitler’s attack on communist opposition was welcomed by many; • France was not strong enough to fight Germany without British help and Britain was not prepared to go to war at this point. • Many believed that since the Rhineland was a part of Germany it was reasonable that German troops should be stationed there.

33. In May 1937, Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Britain. • He believed that the Treaty of Versailles had treated Germany badly and felt that giving in to Hitler's demands would prevent another war. • This policy, adopted by Chamberlain's government became known as the policy of Appeasement.

34. High Hopes, Broken Promises • After WWI, leaders of the Western world chose different approaches on how to handle conflict: through isolationism and appeasement; • Both Canada and the United States took the isolationist approach – not to get involved in anyone else’s business. They remained isolated from the rest of the world; • Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement and non-intervention – do whatever necessary to avoid war and the spread of communism at all costs, even if it meant agreeing to the demands of a dictator; and in the event that conflict arises, don’t get involved.

35. Because of appeasement: • Hitler and Germany were able to acquire new territory between 1936-1939 without facing any opposition from any other world powers, including Britain and France (non-intervention); • Governments ignored or tolerated the German attacks on Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and other minorities. • In short, the democracies were too passive • USA and Canada – isolationist • France – would not do anything without Britain’s support • Britain – sympathetic towards Germany

36. The Spanish Civil War and Non-Intervention • In 1936, Spain was at war with itself. The Republican government was under attack by its right-wing fascist opposition, led by Francisco Franco. • Initially, the world powers agreed to a policy of non-intervention, but soon Germany and Italy gave their support to the Fascists. • Germany used this as an opportunity to test its new air force and weapons of war, AND to test how the world powers would respond to enforce the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. THE POWERS DID NOTHING! • After 3 years of war, Franco defeated the Republican government and became dictator of Spain. • Hitler was led to believe that he could do whatever he wanted and no one would stop him.

37. R: The rise of hitler and the expansion of nazi control

38. Hitler’s rise to power • Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany’s army and weapons. Hitler’s Aims: • To unite German speaking people • He wanted lebensraum (living space) in order to gain self-sufficiency • He wanted to dominate Europe and the World

39. In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German airforce. Compulsory military service was also introduced • Although Britain and France were aware of Hitler’s actions, they were also concerned about the rise of Communism and believed that a stronger Germany might help to prevent the spread of Communism to the West. • In 1936 Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland. • At this point the German army was not very strong and could have been easily defeated - yet neither France nor Britain was prepared to start another war.

40. Hitler makes some alliances…sharing an opposition to communism • Hitler made two important alliances during 1936. • The first was called the Rome-Berlin Axis Pact and allied Hitler’s Germany with Mussolini’s Italy. • The second was called the Anti-Comintern Pact and allied Germany with Japan (Italy joined in 1937) • The aggression of Hitler’s Allies: • Italy – Mussolini wanted a Fascist-Roman empire in the Mediterranean and Africa (e.g. Abyssinian invasion in 1935.) • Japan – Japan wanted a Nipponese empire in the Pacific, extending into China and Australia (e.g. Manchurian invasion in 1931) • Germany, Italy and Japan were also against Communism (USSR), something that the democracies appreciated due to their fear of it.

41. Hitler’s greatest enemy was not democracies, but the communists!!!

42. ANSCHLUSS (unification) with Austria in 1938. Remilitarized the Rhineland in 1935/36. German takeover of the SUDETENLAND in 1938. Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. The Appeasement of Hitler Allowed:

43. Despite the Treaty of Versailles forbidding Germany to do so, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland (the territory bordering France and Germany) with no opposition in 1936. • Despite Hitler’s promise to respect the independence of Austria, German troops marched into Austria in 1938. • Consequently, Austria ceased to be an independent country; Germany’s population increased by 6 million, and the world did nothing. • Hitler was only able to do this because in 1936 he and Mussolini (Italy) had signed the Rome-Berlin Axis, an agreement to work together to expand the German and Italian Empires.

44. Seeing the lack of reaction by other countries, Hitler focused on Czechoslovakia, particularly, the Sudetenland region, in 1938. • 3 million Germans lived in the Sudetenland; • France and Russia had promised to protect Czech. from any German attack, so Czech. was confident that Hitler would not attack, even though he was demanding the Sudetenland territory;

45. The Munich Agreement, Sept. 1938 • With his demands in Europe increasing, under the urging of Benito Mussolini, Hitler invited the Prime Ministers of Britain (Chamberlain) and France (Daladier), to visit him in Munich to discuss them; • At Munich, Hitler promised that in return for the Sudetenland he would not make any more demands; • Britain and France agreed without consulting Russia and Czech.

46. The Sudetenland was Czech’s protection buffer: once it was in the hands of Germany, Hitler would be able to invade and take over the rest of Czechoslovakia with no problems; • In March 1939, Hitler invaded, after he had PROMISED not to in Munich “On towards the east!”

47. Stalin was very upset with the Munich Agreement • He believed the Soviets should have been consulted as a major power; • Stalin concluded that the West had actively colluded with Hitler to hand over a country to the Nazis, causing reasonable concern that they might do the same to the Soviet Union in the future, allowing the partition of the USSR between the western betrayal powers and the fascist powers.

48. This caused Stalin to sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Germany in 1939 • Hitler and Stalin became allies instead of enemies; • Both men wanted to expand their empires; • In secret, they had agreed to divide up Poland and the rest of Europe • The Nazi-Soviet Pact would allow Hitler to invade France without fighting on 2 fronts (hmm, does this sound familiar?)

49. Even Dr. Seuss had an opinion…