WWII Notes 2: Appeasement and Hitler’s Rise to Power

World Wars – Ms. HamerNovember 1, 2010

The 1920’s

Continental Europe

• France felt it would have to deal with Germany on its own because England had basically bailed when America refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles

• France began to ally itself with Eastern European countries that it felt would help it against Germany, because the Soviet Union was out too– Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, and

Belgium in the West– But none of these had real power.

Hyperinflation in Germany – Early 1920’s

"On 1st November 1923 1 pound of bread cost 3 billion, 1 pound of meat: 36 billion, 1 glass of beer: 4 billion."

German Policy of Fulfillment - 1924

• If Germany made the best possible attempt to fulfill the reparation payments, then this would show the Allies how unfair it was.

• Previously Germany was arguing the Treaty and refusing to pay.– 1923 France and Belgium had invaded the Ruhr

Valley to demand payments in goods like coal

1925 Locarno Treaties

• Made “Spirit of Locarno” – idea that peace would remain after WWI…

• Guaranteed the common boundaries of Belgium, France, and Germany as specified in the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.

• Germany signed treaties with Poland and Czechoslovakia, agreeing to change the eastern borders of Germany by arbitration only.

1926 – Germany joins League of Nations

• Isn’t this nice?

1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact• All signers of the Pact

promised not to use war to settle disputes

• Showed the delusions of the time period– Lulled many into a false

sense of security• Most major countries

signed

Dawes Plan – 1924 and Young Plan – 1929

• Plan for Allies to get their reparation money after WWI– Allies would leave the Ruhr Valley– Cycle of money from U.S. loans to Germany, which then

made reparations to other European nations, which then used the money to pay off their debts to America, locked the western world's economy on that of the U.S

– Young Plan would further lessen the strain of the Dawes Plan

Dawes Plan – 1924 and Young Plan – 1929

Stock Market Crash of 1929• Terribly hurt Germany– Had private loans from US

withdrawn– 1932 – 1/3 of German

workforce was unemployed or working drastically reduced hours

– Many business failures• Economic problems fed

an anti-republic sentiment in Germany

1930’s

Hitler Comes to Power

• Hitler appointed Chancellor January 1933

• Relentlessly attacked the failures of the other parties and the republic

• Promised to restore Germany’s place in the world – promised to make it work

• Would break the Treaty of Versailles

Domestic Issues

• From 1933-1934 Hitler worked on consolidating Nazi power and establishing his totalitarian regime

Hitler’s Goals for Germany

• Lebensraum: Living Space–Hitler wanted the German population to

increase and would need more room and farmland– This would also make Germany

economically self sufficient–Room would come from the East (successor

states created by WWI)

Hitler’s Goals for Germany cont.• Greater German Empire would be racially

pure for Germans– Hitler felt that Germany was the last great

hope of the best race– Germany would be free of Slavs, Polish, Jews– Hitler discussed the threat of Judeo-

Bolshevism with its home in the Soviet Union• The whole world was threatened by Judeo-

Bolshevism• Third Reich would crusade against this

Hitler’s Goals for Germany cont.

• Knew these goals could not be achieved peacefully– Life was struggle – war was necessary to meet

these goals– War for Lebensraum and then war against Judeo-

Bolshevism• Would require destroying the Treaty of

Versailles

Hitler’s Early Foreign Policy

• Hitler believed that the world would be divided into 4 power blocks:– Germany would dominate the European continent– British would maintain their international empire– Japanese would dominate Asia (Hitler called them

the Aryans of the East)– US would dominate the western hemisphere

(even though the US was doomed from too much racial mixing)

Hitler’s Early Foreign Policy cont.• 1932 Germany was in an international disarmament

conference – so they still were when Hitler came to power

• Hitler’s reps proposed: Germany would completely disarm if everyone else would– Duh – no.– So Hitler’s reps left the Disarmament Conference

• Used this as propaganda at home “world wants to keep Germany oppressed”

– Also withdrew from the League of Nations• Hitler played on the fact that Germany should always

be treated equally

Hitler’s Early Foreign Policy cont.

• 1934 signs 10-year nonaggression pact with Poland – though of course it wouldn’t stick – Poland was a part of lebensraum

• Germany made this pact to strike a blow at the French alliance system

Hitler Fights the Treaty of Versailles

• 1935 Hitler stronger politically– Assumed position of Reich President

and became chief of the armed forces

• Said withdrawing from Disarmament Conf meant that Germany didn’t have to follow the disarmament clause of the Treaty of Versailles

Hitler Fights the Treaty of Versailles cont.

• March 1935 – Hitler announced that Germany was going to rebuild its Luftwaffe - air force

• Only minor outcry from the League of Nations, so one week later Hitler announced conscription to build up an army as well– League protested like with the Luftwaffe, but no

one took action

Appeasement Begins

• Appeasement: giving into a bully so that you hope he will be satisfied and stop

• France and GB were still seen as enforcers of the Treaty

• June 1935 GB entered into the Anglo-German Naval Agreement without consulting anyone– Recognized Germany’s right to build:• A navy up to 35% of GB’s surface tonnage• Submarine force of 60% of GB’s force

• England cut a deal with Hitler on what mattered most to GB – the navy

Hitler Remilitarizes the Rhineland – March 1936

• France’s ability to influence events in Germany and its ability to protect itself and its allies in the East was gone– League did nothing again even though France asked it

too• Germany made a gamble because France had such

a larger army at the time– But the gamble worked because France did not send any

troops into the Rhineland

Hitler Remilitarizes the Rhineland – March 1936 cont.

• Remilitarization of the Rhineland was part of Hitler’s relentless pressure on the Treaty of Versailles– Hitler’s prestige in

the international community soared

1936 Olympic Games in Berlin

• Americans remember Jesse Owens’ victory and Hitler having to acknowledge the success of an African American

1936 Olympic Games in Berlin cont.

• World had come to Berlin – Germany was back

• Germany also won the Olympics on points

End of the Treaty of Versailles

• It was basically dead by 1936

Propaganda Used by Hitler

• Propaganda Clip