The Road To World War II

The Third Reich

The Early Moves

A Policy of Appeasement

The Third Reich Hitler had promised the

German people a return to glory through the “Third Reich”

He promised to “rip up the Treaty of Versailles” which Blamed Germany for WWI Reduced the German military Forced Germany to give up land Forced Germany to pay

reparations for cost of war

The Third Reich The Third Reich was a way to

connect to Germany’s past glories and empires

Hitler alluded that Nazi Germany, would usher in the a new age for Germany one of prosperity and military dominance

Through grandiose ceremony and constant use of propaganda the German population followed

The Third Reich

The Third Reich 1934 the German military

begins it’s build up of the Heer, Kreigsmarine and Luftwaffe

Research and development of German weapons will be done under many guises

Volkswagen, BMW, Krupps, Mercedes Benz and many corporations will construct German machines of war

The Early Moves Spanish Civil War, 1931-

1939, was a struggle for control of Spain based on different ideas about government

Nationalist Francisco Franco will take advantage of the incompetence of his opponents the Spanish Republicans

Germany and Italy will supply Franco with weapons, supplies, men (Italians) and aircraft (Germans)

The Early Moves Plagued with

disillusionment, poor leadership and infighting the Republicans are defeated by Franco

Britain and France avoid entering the conflict. Russia supports the Republicans with tanks

Germany’s role in the Civil War will provide her Luftwaffe with experience

The Early Moves In 1936 Hitler moves troops

on bicycles into the Rhineland a buffer zone between Germany and France

Britian and France failed to remove Germany from the region for fear of starting a war

Hitler forms an alliance with Italy in the 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis Pact

Europe 1933

The Early Moves March 1938, German troops

are sent into Austria and force the Austrians to have an election deciding the country’s fate

99% of the Austrians want Anschluss (be a part of Germany)

Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg seeks aid from Britian and France but…

Hitler has promised that this will be the last time German moves into another country

The Early Moves March 1938 Germany demands that

the Sudetenland be returned to Germany because German nationals are being abused by the Czech government

Sept 1938, Prime Minster Neville Chamberlain and Hitler agree on the Munich Agreement which gives the land to Germany

Czechoslovakia was not invited to the Munich Agreement. March 1939 Germany annexes the rest of Czechoslovakia

A Policy of Appeasement

British Prime Minster Neville Chamberlain felt that Treaty of Versailles was to harsh to the German people

He believed that Hitler was acting to right the wrongs of the treaty

Chamberlain adopts a Policy of Appeasement, giving into demands so long as they are reasonable and fair

A Policy of Appeasement

Chamberlain also believed that a strong Germany would counter the growing influence of communist Russia in Europe

Chamberlain considered the Munich Agreement a high point in diplomacy declaring it a “Peace in our time”

When Hitler annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Chamberlain responded that it was,"..a quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing about"

Europe 1939

A Policy of Appeasement The League of Nations

formed in 1919 purpose to prevent war, in event of possible hostilities member nations were to end trade with the aggressor and if that failed all nations would deal with the aggressor nation

It failed to stop Japanese aggression in Manchuria and a Italian invasion in Abyssinia

A Policy of Appeasement The League of Nations

lacked the following A standing army to

enforce rulings The League meet four

times a year to address problems

Not all nation members followed the League’s rulings

The September Campaign Facing no military resistance

Hitler next invades Poland in 1939

Germany claims that Poland had launched an attack and Germany was only responding to their aggression

To avoid Russian intervention, Germany had signed the German-Soviet Pact,1939 which stated that Poland would be split between the two nations

The September Campaign

Europe 1942