BALSHAW S HIGH SCHOOL

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1 BALSHAW S HIGH SCHOOL History Department Revision Guide for Paper 1 THE FACTS Fac optimum tuum M J Barrett 1 P a g e

2 GENERAL POINTS This is a BASIC FACTS guide, intended to give the key points on our 3 topic areas on PAPER 1. To gain a top grade you must try to enhance your knowledge of these areas by reference to your own notes, textbooks, other revision guides and websites. On websites remember that the BBC Bitesize website is excellent and the johndclare site is SUPERB covers each topic in real detail. REMEMBER learning facts is only one key step toward success. You must be able to explain the SIGNFICANCE of events and try to LINK issues together. Exam technique and sample questions/answers are covered in the Exam technique and sample answers guide. 2 P a g e

3 TOPIC 1 The Origins of World War I Development of Triple Alliance, Entente Cordiale, Anglo Russian agreement, British emergence from splendid isolation Triple Alliance created by Bismark in involved alliance between Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy. NB. In Germany had defeated France in war and taken Alsace Lorraine from France. Germany worried the French might want revenge so signed the defensive Triple Alliance. Franco-Russian Alliance French hatred of Gemany meant they signed an alliance with Russia in It was a reluctant alliance but was a success for France. The terms of the alliance were defensive. The Franco-Russian alliance added to German fears of ENCIRCLEMENT they felt threatened by strong powers to the west (France) and east (Russia). Britain had a policy before 1900 of splendid isolation, happy to stay out of European alliances and concentrate on the navy and empire. In 1898 Germany began to build a navy and the Kaiser sided with the Boers in the Boer War in South Africa. This angered Britain and began to push her out of splendid isolation. Fears about Germany pushed Britain into the Entente Cordiale (friendly agreement with France in ). This friendly agreement was largely about Britain allowing France to control Morocco and about the British role in Egypt. Although just a friendly agreement it was thought that Britain was now siding with the French. Anglo-Russian Agreement 1907 After the first Moroccan crisis the French used their influence to improve relations between Russia and Britain. This led to the 1907 Anglo Russian Agreement, which solved colonial problems between Russia and Britain. The 1893/ and 1907 agreements meant that the Triple Entente had been created. 3 P a g e

4 Significance Europe was divided into two power blocs. Germany was angry at what they saw as a policy of encirclement by the Triple Entente. Because the terms of the alliances were clouded in secrecy there was rising tension and distrust. Countries became dragged into disputes by the alliance systems. The rising tension during this period contributed to rising militarism, the build-up of armies and navies. 4 P a g e

5 Wilhelm II became Emperor of Germany in 1888 (The Kaiser). He enjoyed the limelight, wanted to bring Germany to the forefront of world affairs. WELTPOLITIK -world policy wanted to make Germany great. Jealous of Great Britain s empire wanted A PLACE IN THE SUN for Germany. Often described as aggressive and expansionist. As grandson of Queen Victoria he was sometimes affectionate towards Britain, but often hostile and aggressive. He once described the British as mad as March hares in a Daily Telegraph interview of In 1898 and 1900 he passed the German Navy Laws. Admiral Von Tirpitz began the naval building programme. This programme worried the British government. Wilhelms aims in Foreign policy: Weltpolitik: a place in the sun, attitude towards Great Britain; development of the navy. Moroccan Crisis 1905 and 1911 and effects on the Alliances. Britain and France had large empires across the world. France had a sphere of influence in North Africa and wanted to gain control of Morocco. Germany decided to oppose any French effort to gain control Crisis In 1905 Kaiser Wilhelm visited Tangier in Morocco, riding through the city dressed in military uniform and on a white horse. In a speech he said Morocco should be independent. This dramatic event created a crisis and tested the strength of the Entente Cordiale (Great Britain and France). The 1906 Algeciras conference in Spain saw the British and Russians backing France. France and Spain were given joint control of the Moroccan police (so France had a foothold in Morocco). Germany was forced to back down, although it was supported by Austria Hungary. The real significance was that these events strengthened the Entente Cordiale as Britain was becoming more suspicious of Germany. Later France encouraged the British to sign the 1907 Anglo-Russian Agreement. Germany later supported Austria-Hungary in the Bosnian Crisis, after the support Austria had given to Germany at Algeciras. 5 P a g e

6 1911 Crisis: The Agadir Crisis. A rebellion broke out against the Sultan of Morocco in the capital city Fez. The Sultan asked for French help and the French army entered Morocco. Germany sent a gunboat the Panther to the port of Agadir to protect German interests and German citizens. The French and British saw this German action as an act of war and a diplomatic crisis began. Given that the Dreadnought naval race was taking place, Britain was worried that Germany was looking to gain territory in Morocco to create an Atlantic naval base. There were preparations for war in 1911 but eventually Germany backed down and agreed to take some marshland in the French Congo as compensation. Significance brought rising tension, the possibility of war was real. Germany felt humiliated and wouldn t back down in future. The British became more anti German and the Germans more anti British. Britain reached a naval agreement with France. The Triple Alliance was weakened to an extent since Italy opposed Germany over the Agadir crisis. Bosnia small Balkan state, formerly ruled by a now weak Turkish empire. In 1908 Austria Hungary ANNEXED Bosnia (took over). The Bosnian Crisis and its effect on the alliances. The leading state in the Balkans was Serbia, they were angry at the take over of their neighbour by Austria but were not strong enough to challenge Austria. Serbia appealed to Russia who supported the Slavic people of the Balkans. Russia demanded an international conference to discuss the issue. The Kaiser was not happy with Austria but promised Austria his full support against Russia (he knew that Austria was the only country that had backed him at Algeciras in 1906 Moroccan Crisis). Faced with German opposition, Russia under Tsar Nicholas II had to back off. Significance Triple Alliance stronger, Austria believed Germany would back up its actions (which explains the events of 1914). But Italy didn t support Austria and was less keen on the Triple Alliance. Russia was determined not to back off in the future and built her army up. In Serbia there was a rising tide of nationalism and hatred of Austria Hungary. The Bosnian Crisis of was a critical factor in the road towards WWI. 6 P a g e

7 The arms race military and naval: why did countries increase the size of their armies? Anglo-German naval race. As tensions rose the countries in the Alliances built up the size of their armies and increased their spending on the military. By 1914 for example there were approximately 1.5 million men in the Russian army. Many countries claimed they were building their armies as a defensive measure because of the fear of attack. Naval rivalry began between Great Britain and Germany by The Naval Race became more serious in In 1906 Britain built the first Dreadnought fast, well armed, with long range guns. They were supposed to guarantee Great Britain naval supremacy. Old ships were reduced to funf minuten ships (would only last 5 minutes against a Dreadnought). In 1908 the German navy began their own version of the Dreadnought and a race began. By 1914 the British had built 29 Dreadnoughts, the Germans 17. Significance The naval race destroyed the relationship between Great Britain and Germany. Britain feared Germany s aims and was pushed closer to France and Russia in the Triple Entente. It meant that if war came, Britain was much more likely to fight against Germany. 7 P a g e

8 The Balkans were a troubled area of South East Europe. In 1908 Austria had annexed Bosnia. Russia had built up its forces and Serbia was more powerful by Serbia won the Balkan War of (also involving Greece and Bulgaria). Austria Hungary was worried about the growth of Serbian power and feared the creation of a Greater Serbia. Bosnia was seen by many Serbs as their next target for creating a Greater Serbia. In 1911 the Black Hand was set up in Serbia secret terrorist group 2,500 members by They hated Austria Hungary and their control of Bosnia. Many members of the Austrian government and military wanted to crush Serbia before the country became stronger. Aims of Austria Hungary and Serbia in the Balkans; The role of the Black Hand. Assassination at Sarajevo; Gavrilo Princip; response of Austria Hungary; ultimatum and Serbia s response. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, on 28 th June 1914 (a national Festival day). Poor security measures were put in place (only 120 police). A number of members of the Black Hand were there to kill Franz Ferdinand. Cabrinovic threw a grenade at the car which bounced off. The visit continued and the driver took a wrong turn down a street which brought him outside a sandwich shop and a 19 year old Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip. Princip shot the Archduke and his wife Sophie. Significance Austria Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination because the weapons for the attack had come from the Black Hand in Serbia. Austria Hungary wanted revenge (von Hotzendorf leader of the Austrian army had proposed a war against Serbia 25 times before the assassination). 8 P a g e

9 The assassination was a good excuse to deal with Serbia. Austria Hungary sent a 10 point ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia accepted all but one point to allow Austrian police and justices into Serbia to investigate. Most nations believed the matter would end but on the 6 th July Germany assured Austria they would support them in whatever they did (THE BLANK CHEQUE). This was a critical step on the road to WWI. Austria then declared war on Serbia on 28 th July Significance The assassination and the Austrian declaration of war triggered off the alliances and meant a local war was to become a WORLD WAR. The alliance between Serbia and Russia meant Russia MOBILISED its army on 30 July. On 30 th July Russia mobilised its army (Russia was a strong ally of Serbia and didn t want to back off as it did in the 1908 crisis). Events leading to war, role of alliances. On 1 st August Germany declared war on Russia. On 3 rd August Germany declared war on France and activated the Schlieffen Plan, with German troops entering Belgium. On 4 th August Britain declared war on Germany. On 5 th August France declared war on Germany. On 6 th August Austria Hungary declared war on Russia. 9 P a g e

10 The Schlieffen Plan: its effects on the outbreak of war; entry of Britain to the war against Germany In 1905 head of the German army von Schlieffen drew up the German war plan. To win a war on two fronts (France in the West and Russia in the East) Germany had to act quickly. In the West against France, instead of the expected attack over the border at Alsace Lorraine the troops would come from the north via neutral Holland and Belgium. The aim was to take the French by surprise, encircle Paris and have a French surrender in 6 weeks. Since Russia was a huge, peasant based society von Schlieffen felt it would take weeks for them to be ready to fight. After beating France the German armies could travel quickly East to defeat the Russians and win the war. According to Kaiser Wilhem it would be lunch in Paris, dinner St Petersberg. Significance of the SCHLIEFFEN PLAN: on 3 rd August when Germany attacked via Belgium Britain was dragged into the war. Britain had a treaty from 1839 with Belgium promising to protect its neutrality. On 4 th August Britain declared war on Germany. The Kaiser believed Britain was going to war over a scrap of paper (the Treaty of London 1839). Some historians suggest that if Germany had attacked through Alsace Lorraine Britain may have stayed out of the war. This is questionable given British concerns for her security and rising German power. 10 P a g e

11 Peacemaking (The Treaty of Versailles) and The League of Nations TOPIC 2 Paris Peace Conference; aims of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson; the 14 points. WWI ended in November The Peace discussion began in January The conference in Paris was dominated by Georges Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George, of Great Britain and President Woodrow Wilson of the USA. None of the defeated powers were allowed to take part in the discussions (which angered the Germans they felt it was a diktat ). Clemenceau: The Tiger (he was a tough man) wanted revenge for the devastation in the war (France lost 1.4 million men). He hated the fact that Germany had invaded France in both 1870 and The French public wanted him to destroy Germany, gain revenge and compensation. His main aim was security for France by keeping Germany weak. He wanted territory and compensation. Lloyd George: his main aim was to strengthen British naval power and to have a settlement that punished Germany but not too far. (He worried Germany might turn Communist). He also wanted to see a Germany economy which could trade with Britain a market for British exports. However, in public speeches Lloyd George and some members of his Liberal Government talked of revenge and squeezing Germany to gain popular support. Woodrow Wilson: USA President elected in He drew up his list of 14 points about world peace in January Wilson was an idealist who wanted a new start for world politics. He wanted Europe to be reorganised on the principle of self determination (the right of people to decide who ruled over them). The USA entered the war in April 1917 and hadn t suffered the damage the French and British had. Wilson wanted to treat Germany fairly and didn t want them to be harshly punished. 11 P a g e

12 The 14 Points : Wilsons ideas included the creation of the League of Nations; the principle of self determination; the move to disarmament; the end of secret treaties; the creation of an independent Poland; the return of Alsace Lorraine to France. He wanted to preserve a lasting peace in Europe. The conference was held in Paris, and the treaty was signed in Versailles Palace on 28 th June Terms of The Treaty of Versailles (German Losses) Main terms of the Treaty of Versailles; Diktat; territorial changes; military restrictions; war guilt; reparations. Land: Germany lost Alsace Lorraine to France. Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium. Northern Schleswig went to Denmark. The Saar coalfield was put under League of Nations control for 15 years. Posen and the Polish Corridor went to Poland. This meant East Prussia was effectively split from the main part of Germany. German colonies were given away to the victors. The port of Danzig became a League of Nations city with free access for Polish trade. Anschluss (union) between Germany and Austria was banned. Military restrictions: Germany s army limited to 100,000. No tanks, no aircraft, no conscription. Navy to be limited to 15,000 men, 6 battleships, no submarines. The Rhineland to be demilitarised, with no German troops within 50km of the river Rhone. War Guilt: Article 231 of the treaty forced Germany to accept guilt for causing the war. Reparations: A reparations commission was set up to look into the costs/damages caused by Germany. By 1921 the reparation payments were set at 6,600 million to compensate the Allies. 12 P a g e

13 Diktat : A dictated peace. The Germans were not allowed to negotiate the treaty and the German people called it a diktat, believing it was forced upon them. Strengths and weaknesses of the treaty; why Germany objected to it. The significance of the terms of the Treaty: German people hated many aspects of the Treaty They felt it was DIKTAT (see earlier points). The loss of land was a massive blow. Germany lost 72,500 km 2 (10% of total land) and 12.5% of its population. 1.5 million Germans were now in Poland (they often called themselves Ausland Deutschen Foreign Germans ). The Polish Corridor was hated by most Germans. The military restrictions made Germans feel threatened, the army was too small to defend the nation properly. The reparations were too expensive for Germany to afford. The war had crippled the German economy and France wanted reparations to destroy the German economy so they never had the strength to attack France again. Germans hated the war guilt clause. They felt the Kaiser was to blame as were other leaders in other nations. They felt disgraced and humiliated by the war guilt clause. Strengths and weakness of Versailles: Strengths: brought peace, set up the League of Nations. Some felt the treaty was a reasonable settlement. Weaknesses: left Germany with grievances and many terms contradicted Woodrow Wilsons 14 points. Germany was antagonised and wanted to right the wrongs of Versailles. Historians regard the treaty as a significant cause of the rise of Adolf Hitler and eventually the outbreak of WW2. With the benefit of hindsight Versailles was too harsh on Germany. 13 P a g e

14 Membership: key problems were that the USA did not join the League. Germany was not allowed to join (until 1926). Russia was not invited to join until Of the major powers Great Britain and France were the main permanent members but they had many issues to face. Why did the USA not join?: Woodrow Wilson could not persuade US congress to join. By 1920 the Republican President Warren Harding replaced the now ill Wilson. The USA became more isolationist, less interested in events in the rest of the world. Significance the keystone was missing from the League. The presence of the USA as the world s leading nation economically could have given the League strength. Without it the League was much weaker and powerless to deal with issues such as the Manchurian crisis. The absence of Communist Russia also became a key weakness. League of Nations: membership ; how membership changed; implications for the League. 14 P a g e

15 League organisation, powers, peacekeeping role, the Assembly, the Council, Permanent Court of Justice, military and economic sanctions. The basic aims of the League were to preserve peace and settle disputes between nations. Organisation: each member of the League sent a representative to the ASSEMBLY which met once a year to discuss general issues. The League had a COUNCIL with 4 permanent members Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. They met usually 5 times a year to settle only disputes between states, hopefully by negotiating. They hoped to act against aggressive countries by taking actions against them. Powers of the League: 1. Moral Force /condemnation: it was hoped to shame aggressive countries to stop their actions. 2. Economic sanctions members of the League would stop trading with the aggressive country. 3. Military force: countries could contribute to an armed force to take action. The Permanent Court of Justice: Based in the Hague (Holland) had 15 judges to deal with disputes between countries about international law. Significance the league did gain some success in the 1920 s (for example preventing war between Sweden and Finland in 1921 and solving a problem between Greece and Bulgaria in 1925). However the league was seen as weak by strong states. There was no standing army. It was often impossible to get agreement in the council between the members. Britain and France were reluctant to take the lead. Without the USA, Russia and Germany the league had fundamental weaknesses. After the 1929 Wall Street Crash and the 1930 s world depression these weaknesses became clear. 15 P a g e

16 Manchurian Crisis Japan Manchuria was a province of China. In September 1931 the Japanese army invaded Manchuria. Why? The Japanese claimed there had been an explosion at Mukden on a railway line run by the Japanese, so the Japanese army went in. Real reasons? The army dominated Japanese politicians. Japan was suffering economic depression. The Japanese felt Manchuria could provide a market and a supply of cheap raw materials. League response: China asked for help from the League and the Lytton Commission was set up. Lord Lytton wrote a report condemning Japans invasion of Manchuria as an act of aggression. The report had taken one year to produce and did nothing to stop Japan. By 1933 Japan was in full control of Manchuria and occupied another Chinese province Jehol. Japan left the League. Significance the League was proved weak against a strong country. The economic depression meant Britain and France had other problems. The absence of the USA meant little could be done in the Pacific against Japan, and the nearest country, the USSR was not in the League. At the time many thought the blow was not too large, but Italy and Germany realised the league was a TOOTHLESS DOG. It set a precedent for other strong nations to challenge the League. Manchurian Crisis ; events; action taken by League; effects on League. 16 P a g e

17 Abyssinian Crisis ; events, actions by the League, effects on the League. Italy and Abyssinia: Abyssinia East African state (modern day Ethiopia). The leader of Abyssinia was Emperor Haile Selassie. Why did Italy want to take over Abyssinia? Mussolini (leader of Italy) was a fascist dictator who wanted to increase Italian power. Abyssinia was next door to Eritrea and Somalia which were already Italian colonies. In 1896 Italy tried to take over but had been stopped at the battle of Adowa. Mussolini wanted to avenge this defeat and gain the farmland and good raw materials for Italy s use. The depression of the 30 s meant this was even more important for Mussolini Key Events December 1934 Italian soldiers clashed with Abyssinians at Wal-Wal. Despite a warning speech by the British Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare the Italians ignored the League and invaded Abyssinia in October Response of the League: Britain and France were in a difficult position they wanted Mussolini and Italy as a friend in case of trouble with Hitler s Germany. The League condemned Italy and put sanctions in place. Arms trading (weapons) to Italy was banned as were Italian imported goods. However, there were no sanctions on trading vital goods to Italy such as coal, oil, iron and steel. This was because Great Britain and France didn t want to upset Mussolini, and they didn t want to hurt their own industries (e.g. Great Britain coal mines were struggling in the Depression). The Suez Canal, the vital link from the Mediterranean to East Africa was controlled by Britain and France but they kept it open to Italian shipping! Britain and France allowed their own self interest to affect their policies. In December 1935 Sir Samuel Hoare and the French Prime Minister Pierre Laval made a secret agreement to allow Italy to control 2/3 of Abyssinia but when this leaked to the press the public turned against the policy. In May 1936 the Italian army finally captured Addis Ababa capital of Abyssinia and it became part of Italy s empire. The Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassie made a speech to the League in Geneva, but his pleas for help were ignored. Significance The Abyssinian crisis marked the end of the League as a real force. Italy and Japan had left. The League had proved powerless against aggressive dictatorship. As the 17 P a g e

18 Abyssinian crisis went on Hitler took advantage and remilitarised the Rhineland on 7 th March Mussolini and Hitler became allies by 1936 (Rome Berlin Axis). Key reasons for failure of the League Membership lack of USA. Great Britain and France weak leadership of League. Lack of military back up no army. Self interest of the key countries s Depression countries had their own problems with unemployment to worry about far flung places. Slow decision making (e.g. Lytton Commission) Manchurian Crisis Abyssinian Crisis Dictators who were opportunistic/risk takers. 18 P a g e

19 TOPIC 3 Hitler s Foreign Policy and The Origins of WWII Hitler s aims in Foreign policy. These were made clear in his book Mein Kampf written in He became Chancellor of Germany in He wanted to: Make Germany a GREAT POWER Unite German speaking people. Gain living space LEBENSRAUM in the East. This would mean: Destroying the hated Versailles settlement and its territorial terms (this was important for Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland). Building up the German military. Expanding in the East, possibly against Communist Russia. NB. Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles. He came to power just as the League proved weak in dealing with Japan in Manchuria. Hitler s aims are very significant in the events of the 1930 s. 19 P a g e

20 In January 1935 the people of the Saarland 1935 the return of the Saar. voted in a PLEBISCITE whether to rejoin German control, stay under League of Nations control or go under French control. 90 per cent voted to re-join German control. Significance it was seen as a great victory for Hitler and Nazi Germany, and made Hitler more popular within Germany. NB. This was legal The Treaty of Versailles said a plebiscite should be held after 15 years. Rearmament; withdrawal from disarmament conference 1933; nonaggression pact with Poland 1934; Conscription 1935; Anglo German Naval Agreement Germany attended the 1933 League Disarmament conference. When France refused to disarm, Germany left the conference and the League (the Germans had been allowed to join the League in 1926). Hitler then began to rearm Germany and by 1935 conscription was introduced breaking the terms of Versailles. Britain and France did very little: they were preoccupied with Italy and Abyssinia and the Depression was hurting their economies. Many British politicians were happy to see a stronger Germany. Britain and France were divided. In 1934 Hitler signed a NON AGGRESSION PACT with Poland, guaranteeing Polish boundaries for 10 years. This pleased those in Britain who saw Hitler s aims as peaceful. Hitler was actually buying time. In 1935 Britain and Germany signed the ANGLO-GERMAN NAVAL AGREEMENT the British allowed Germany to build their navy up to 35 per cent of the size of Britain s fleet, with no restrictions on submarines. Significance Britain was openly allowing Hitler to break the terms of Versailles, and the Naval Agreement was signed without consulting the French. It damaged British-French relations. By 1938 the German army had 800,000 men, the navy had 47 Uboats and the airforce had 2,000 aircraft. 20 P a g e

21 7 th March 1936, 30,000 German troops marched into the Rhineland (demilitarised zone under Versailles treaty). They had been given orders to retreat if faced with opposition from France. Remilitarisation of the Rhineland March The German troops were welcomed by the public. The League of Nations condemned the actions of Germany but no action was taken. Why no action? Events in Abyssinia preoccupied Great Britain and France. Great Britain and France were divided after the 1935 Naval Agreement. Many in Britain argued that Hitler was simply going into his own backyard. No one wanted to provoke a war. Significance Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland against the advice of generals and got away with it, Hitler gained great confidence and self belief in his ability to read the situation and right the other territorial wrongs of Versailles. Events of drew Germany and Italy into friendship. France began to increase spending on its defensive Maginot Line on the border. Anschluss with Austria NB. Hitler was born in Austria and felt Germany and Austria should be unified. Austrians were German speaking people. In 1934 Austrian Nazis had tried but failed to take power in Austria. In 1938 there were plots against the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg by Nazis in Austria. Hitler pressurised Schuschnigg to appoint the Austrian Nazi Seyss Inquart as head of the police force. Many riots broke out across Austria which were encouraged by Hitler. Schuschnigg called for a plebiscite (vote) on who should rule Austria. This worried Hitler and he sent German troops to the border ready to invade. Schuschnigg hoped for some help from Britain and France but none came. Schuschnigg 21 P a g e

22 was forced to resign to avoid bloodshed. Seyss Inquart replaced him as Chancellor. He then invited German soldiers in to restore order on 12 th March Seyss Inquart then handed power to Hitler. NB. Millions of Austrians were in favour of the Nazi takeover. A plebiscite in April 1938 showed 99% agreed with Anschluss. Britain and France protested but did nothing. Again many in Britain felt the union of Austria and Germany was natural there was also a feeling that a stronger Germany might be a good defence against Communist USSR (Russia). Significance Hitler now had the resources of Austria added to the REICH(German empire). This made him stronger. The lack of response from Britain and France convinced him of their weakness. The next aim was nearby on the border of Austria and Germany, the Czech region known as the Sudetenland. Hitler began a campaign for a return of the Sudeten Germans to the REICH. Appeasement = a policy of using negotiation rather than force to preserve peace between nations. The Great Britain Prime Minister from 1937 to May 1940 was Neville Chamberlain. Appeasement. Reasons for and against appeasement. Chamberlain believed he could negotiate and reason with Hitler if Hitler s aims were reasonable. After the failure of the League of Nations by 1936, appeasement became a key policy. Why appeasement? Reasons for: Solve German grievances about territory. Avoid another costly war (the events of the Spanish Civil War in 1937 showed the horror of bombing). Strengthen Germany in case of problems with the Communist USSR. Arguments against? 22 P a g e

23 Hitler clearly couldn t be trusted. Appeasement made Chamberlain look weak and made Hitler think Britain wouldn t stand up to him. It allowed Hitler to strengthen his position. The Sudetenland Crisis; the Munich Agreement The Sudetenland was part of Western Czechoslovakia. The area contained approximately 3 million German speakers. After Anschluss with Austria in March 1938 Hitler claimed his last demand was the Sudetenland. There were Nazis in the Sudetenland and riots broke out there. On 15 th September 1938 Chamberlain flew to Germany and met Hitler at Berchtesgaden. Chamberlain and Hitler agreed that plebiscites should take place in the Sudetenland and eventually Chamberlain persuaded France and the Czech President Benes to accept the deal. On 22 nd September Chamberlain again met Hitler at Godesberg. Hitler now asked for the immediate return of the Sudetenland to Germany (no plebiscites). Chamberlain returned to Britain and it seemed a war was to begin. On 30 th September Hitler then met Chamberlain, Mussolini and Daladier (French minister) in MUNICH. They agreed the Sudetenland would go to Germany (this was all done without the agreement of Stalin, leader of the USSR). The Czech government were forced to accept this agreement. Chamberlain returned to Britain claiming a war had been prevented and was regarded as a hero by many. Peace in our time. Some in Britain (Churchill) warned it was like a policy of feeding a tiger raw meat! SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MUNICH AGREEMENT : Hitler gained the Sudetenland by threat. Czechoslovakia was betrayed by Britain and France. Germany gained resources. The agreement spelt disaster for the Czech government who couldn t control their nation. The USSR felt betrayed by Britain and France, some Russians felt they were directing Hitler towards the East. 23 P a g e

24 The loss of the Sudetenland encouraged other ethnic groups to gain independence from the Czechs. Much of the strength of Czechoslovakia was gone and the President Emile Hacha couldn t control his nation. In March 1939 the Czech government handed control over to Hitler and German troops marched in. Britain and France protested but could do nothing to stop these events. Significance March 1939 was the end of appeasement. Hitler had proved he couldn t be trusted, breaking his promise of September 1938 at Munich. Britain and France signed an agreement promising to help if Poland was invaded. Britain speeded up rearmament and introduced peace time conscription. Chamberlain was discredited in the eyes of many. Collapse of Czechoslovakia March Role of the USSR; Nazi, Soviet Pact August Appeasement policies. The USSR was a Communist state. The USSR under Joseph Stalin feared Germany. The USSR feared that Britain and France were directing Hitler to the East with their In August 1939 the world was shocked at the signing of the NAZI-SOVIET PACT (despite the fact that Hitler and Stalin hated each other). The USSR and Germany agreed not to go to war. They also secretly agreed to divide up Poland between them. Historians believe that Stalin was buying time to prepare the USSR for attack by Germany in the future and to gain the east of Poland as a buffer zone against Hitler. Significance Hitler s attack on Poland was now inevitable. Hitler hoped Britain would back down from defending Poland. Britain and France had lost the chance to ally with Stalin. 24 P a g e

25 Hitler began to demand the return of DANZIG (the free city on the Baltic ) to Germany from Poland. Poland refused to give in to Hitler s demands. Poland and the outbreak of war. In Spring 1939 Hitler hoped Britain and France would not honour the agreement to protect Poland. The British made it clear they would declare war if Germany invaded Poland. On 1 st September 1939 German troops invaded Poland. On 3 rd September 1939 Britain declared war on Germany. World War 2 had begun. Contributing factors to the outbreak of WW2. Treaty of Versailles Hitler s aims and policies 1930 s Depression Failures of the League of Nations Appeasement Policy Role of the USSR 25 P a g e