Why Had International Peace Collapsed by 1939?

Created by: Conrad Will
Created on: 07-04-14 17:03

View mindmap

Why Had International Peace Collapsed by 1939?
- How Far Was Hitler's Foreign Policy to Blame for the Outbreak of War in 1939?
  - Abolition of TTOV
  - Rearmament
  - All German Speaking People's to be United in a German Reich
  - Expand German Territory
  - Defeat Communism
  - Hitler's Preparations for German Expansion
    - 1933 - withdraws Germany from the League
    - 1934 - agreed a 10 year friendship with Poland
    - March 1935 - reintroduced conscription in Germany
      - Violation of TTOV
    - June 1935 - naval agreement with Britain
      - Allowed Germany to build up to 35% of Britain's naval strength and 45% of submarine strength
        Implied Germany had a right to rearm
        Violation of TTOV
    - Hitler began rearming Germany in 1933
      - Thousands of unemployed drafted into armed forces
      - 1935 - massive military rally
- Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified?
  - For
    - Hitler was standing up to Communism
    - Attitude of British Empire
    - Dread of WWI repeat
    - Britain was not ready for war
    - Economic problems
    - Hitler was right - TTOV was unfair
    - The USA would not have supported
  - Against
    - It allowed Germany to grow too strong
    - It sacred the USSR
    - Put too much trust in Hitler's promises
    - Encouraged Hitler to be aggressive
- How Important Was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
  - Signed August 1939
    - USSR would get Latvia, Estonia, Finland and East Poland
      - Germany never really intended for this to happen
    - 1st September 1939 - Germany invades Poland, knowing that Russia would not attack
      - 3rd September - Britain declares war
- Why Did Britain and France Declare War on Germany in September 1939?
  - Czechoslovakia
    - March 1939 - Germany takes the rest of Czechoslovakia
      - Chaos after loss of Sudetenland - Slovakia demanded independence
        German troops sent in to 'restore order'
        May 1939 - Germany signs 'Pact of Steel' with Italy
        Britain agrees to help Poland if invaded
        3rd September - Britain declares war
  - The Saar Plebiscite
    - January 1925 - 90% vote to join Germany after 15 years under the control of the League from 1920, as part of TTOV
  - The Spanish Civil War
    - Gave Hitler an opportunity to fight Communism and test out his new military capability
      - Hitler and Mussolini saw they had much in common
        1936-37 - Anti-Comintern Pact
        1934 - Nazi revolt fails. Stopped by Mussolini sending troops to Austrian border
        
        Axis Alliance: Germany, Italy & Japan
        
        Schuschnigg calls plebiscite
        Hitler cannot be sure so sends in troops
        99.75% vote for Anschluss
  - Austria
    - 1934 - Nazi revolt fails. Stopped by Mussolini sending troops to Austrian border
  - The Sudetenland
    - 3 million Germans lived in the region of Czechoslovakia
      - Britain and France would support Benes, who was ready to fight
        Brink of war
        Mussolini puts forward plan (formulated by German Foreign Office)
        Munich Agreement
        Germany gets the Sudetenland
    - Czechoslovakia
      - March 1939 - Germany takes the rest of Czechoslovakia
        Chaos after loss of Sudetenland - Slovakia demanded independence
        German troops sent in to 'restore order'
        May 1939 - Germany signs 'Pact of Steel' with Italy
        Britain agrees to help Poland if invaded

Get Revising

Why Had International Peace Collapsed by 1939?

Comments

Similar History resources: