Conflict and Tension - 1919-1939

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28th, 1919
• Treaty of Versailles - Article 231


  Germany must accept that they are totally for blame for the stating of WWI
• Treaty of Versailles

  Germany must pay £6.6bn in war reparations (they only finished paying in 2010)
• Treaty of Versailles


  Saarland to be given to France for 15 years
• Treaty of Versailles

  Germany is only allowed 100000 soldiers (down from height of 2.3m)
• Treaty of Versailles

  Germany was unable to build war machines such as tanks, planes or warships
• Treaty of Versailles

  The Rhineland must be demilitarised
• Treaty of Versailles

  German land loss:

  Alsace-Lorraine given to France

  Sudetenland given to Czechoslovakia (3m Germans live here)

  Parts of Eastern Germany and some parts of Russia become Poland

  African colonies to be taken away from them
• Treaty of Versailles

  No Anschluss
• Treaty of Versailles

  Freedom of the Seas: all seas and oceans are free and not owned by one country
• Treaty of Versailles

  A league of Nations created
• Germany were allowed:

  100000 soldiers

  6 battleships

  0 tanks

  0 submarines

  0 military aircraft
• Germany were allowed to join the League of Nations in

  1926
• USSR were allowed to join the League of Nations in 1934
• Locarno Treaties- 1925


  Most peaceful point between 1919 & 1939

  France, Belgium and Germany promised not to invade each other

  Germany accepted all the western territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• The Kellogg-Briand Pact - 1928


  61 countries sign promising not to use war to settle disputes

  HOWEVER this was a reliance on collective security and no sanctions were agreed
• Manchurian Crisis - September 1931 - February 1933


  Mukden incident used as excuse

  Feb 1932 - Japan conquer Manchuria

  Jan-March 1932 - Japan Capture Shanghai and China appeals the League

  8 weeks later Lord Lytton arrives

  A report is drawn up not putting Japan at fault

  Japan leave the League in Feb 33

  Jul 37 - Japan conquer China
• Abyssinia Crisis

  Mussolini invaded in 1935 (failed attempt in 1896 was an embarrassment)

  Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassíe appeals to League

  League never acts and sanctions are never decided.

  Secret dealings proposing giving 2/3 of Abyssinia to Italy bypassing the League -> Hoare - Laval pact. Italian military leaders said yes but Mussolini refuses

  Hitler remilitarises the Rhineland meaning Mussolini gets away with it
• German Foreign Policy

  Make Germany Great Again - geographically

  Große Deutschland - Unite all German speakers

  Lebensraum - Living space and food
• German Rearmament and Conscription

  1933 - Hitler begins rebuilding military

  1935 - Introduction of conscription

  1930s Aircraft eg "Stuka" bombers and ships such as Type II U-boats are illegally made
• Dollfuss Affair - Jul 1934


  Dollfuss became Austrian chancellor in 1932

  He banned all other political parties

  10 Austrian Nazis assassinated him

  Hitler talks of invading however Italy says they support Austria so he does not
• Anglo-German naval agreement - June 1935


  Germany allowed up to 35% of British Navy

  Set a precedent that Germany could go against the Treaty of Versailles
• German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact 1934


  Hitler fears Polish attack so wants time to build up military. Not ready for attack
• Stresa Front - April 1935


  Alliance between Britain, France & Italy promising to stand up to Germany

  Breaks down due to Anglo-German Naval Agreement
• March 1936

  Re-militarisation of the Rhineland

  Hitler is scared so promises a 25-year non-aggression pact straight away

  
  

  In response, French establish the Maginot line - 900 mile long super-strong defence. But not at the border with Belgium even though this is how Germany got through in WWI
• July 1936 - Spanish Civil War

  Allows Germany to test out air force and military and practice fighting alongside Italy
• October 1936 - Rome-Berlin Axis

  Germany and Italy promise to fight future wars together

  Upgraded to The Pact of Steel in 1939
• September - October 1938


  Sudetenland Crisis

  Benes - Leader of Czechoslovakia at the time

  15th Sept Chamberlain meets with Hitler. He and Daladier thought they had prevented war by letting Germany have a small bit of the Sudetenland

  3 days later, Hitler changes his mind and wants all of it

  29th Sept - Munich conference. Britain, France, Germany and Italy met to sort it all out. Decided to give all of Sudetenland to Germany

  USSR and Czechoslovakia not invited

  
  

  March 1939 - There is rioting in Czechoslovakia. This is all the excuse Hitler needs to invade
• March 1939 - Hitler invades Czechoslovakia
• British response to invasion of Czechoslovakia

  31st March - Parliament pledges support for Poland

  April - conscription begins and rearmament increases pace

  25th August - Agreement of Mutual Assistance - Formal treaty with Poland
• Soviet treaties etc of 30's

  1935 - France agree to protect the USSR from Hitler but USSR sceptical due to lack of action over Rhineland

  1938 Munich Agreement - USSR not consulted. Stalin makes the conclusion that Britain and France don't care about The East

  March 1939 - USSR, Britain and France in talks over alliance but Britain doesn't want to commit

  Talks continue until as late as 18th August but USSR in talks with Nazi foreign minister: Ribbentrop

  24th August - Nazi-Soviet (Ribbentrop-Molotov) pact signed
• 1st Sept 39 - Germany invade Poland

  3rd Sept - Britain and France declares war on Germany

  17th Sept - USSR invades Poland
• Conscription - 1935


  Meant that everyone got 2 years army training
• Anschluss


  British/ French action:

  Took no armed action

  Supported Germany saying they had a right to union
• In response to Hitler saying that 'he will fight Czechoslovakia to get the Sudetenland if that is what it takes', Europe is put on full alert and in Britain they started building air raid shelters and acquiring gas masks
• In response to Hitler invading Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain pledges support for Poland if Germany were to invade. Chamberlain also begins conscription
• The Nazi-Soviet pact was so shocking as:

  Talks of a pact between Stalin and the west had only come to an end days prior

  
  

  Hitler hated Bolsheviks

  
  

  Stalin trusted no one (e.g. Great Purge- 1m dead + 3 top generals)
• After German invasion of Poland, Britain and France give Germany 3 days to leave Poland, otherwise they will declare war on Germany
• Successes of the League of Nations


  • 1921 - Aaland islands - should go to Finland; Sweden accepts
  • 1921 - Upper Silesian Settlement - German or Polish? League decided Polish and Germany accepted
  • 1923 - Corfu crisis - Italy invade Corfu but leave on the League's orders. Corfu ordered to pay compensation
  • 1925 - Prevention of war between Bulgaria and Greece - Greece invade Bulgaria, League orders Greece to leave and they accept. Accusations that the League always sides with the strongest country
• Spanish Civil War - July 1936


  • General Franco starts and wins civil war
  • Allows Hitler and Mussolini to test out their weapons and to practice fighting with each other