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Ideas of the Nazis

• After conquering Czechoslovakia it was evident that Hitler´s next target was Poland.He had convinced himself that neither Britain nor France would risk themselves to protect Poland, but he was not so sure about the USSR.Hitler had openly stated his interest in conquering Russian land, he denounced Communism and punished communists in Germany. His aim was to sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact to conquer Poland freely and then conquer Russia more easily.

Stalin was worried about the German threat

POWERLESS TO STOP HITLER OR HAPPY FOR HIM TO TAKE OVER EASTERN EUROPE

Britain and France =

He had wanted to makean agreement with

Britan & France in the 1930s.

He signed a treatywith France. France

would help the USSR if it attacked by theGermans. USSR did

not really trust France.

After the MunichAgreement (a pact

betweem Britain, France, Germany and Italy) Stalin

was more concerned.

A poweless league:

- Invasion of Abyssinia

- The intervention of Hiltler and Mussolini in the Spanish Civil War.

1934

The USSR joined the League of Nations

Stalin continued with the idea of signing a pact against Hitler

In 1939 the three countries met (France, Britain and USSR)

•Chamberlain was reluctant to commit Britain.

He thought Britain and France made thingsworse by giving Polandthe guarantee thatthey could defend Herif invasion happened.

Chamberlain meant by this a warningto Hitler. = Stalin saw it as a supportfor one of the most importantenemies the Soviet Union had.

•Negotiations between Britain, France and the USSR continuedthrough the spring and summer of 1939.

Nazi-Soviet Pact• By the summer of 1939, Hitler had plans to invade Poland.

He realized that to invade Poland migh cause Britain to attack him from the West but he was more concerned to avoid a Russian attack from the east. Therefore to avoid a war on two fronts, he arranged the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which said that if either country went to war the other would remain neutral.

• Hitler gained the chance to invade Poland with a war on one front, if Britain supported Poland.

• Stalin of USSR gained time to rearm in case Hitler attacked him later, and the chance to gain the eastern half of Poland. This would provide the USSR with a bufferzone.

Why did Hitler and Stalin join forces if they were

arch enemies?

Stalin did’t trust thatBritain and France would resist Gremany.

Hitler thought itwould be easier toattack Poland with the USSR’s help.

The response of Britain and France

They had not resisted German rearmament in the 30s. They were very concerned about the incredible progress of

Hitler. France signed a treaty with the USSR, that said that France

should defend the Soviet Union from any attacked from Germany.

The League became less strong with the great progress and power of Hitler’s and Mussolini’s invasions.

Their great threat and concerned was Communism, but in same way they like the idea of a strong Germany as a force to fight Communism.

They were not able to stop Hitler, even worse, they did not want, because they had other higher priorities = ECONOMIC PROBLEMS that they were still suffering from the effects of the Depression.

France & Britain gave Poland a guarantee that they would defend it if it was invaded.

The Pact was perhaps the pinnacle of Hitler’s triumphs

Germany’s army invadedPoland from the west.

Soviet forces invadedPoland from the east.

Britain & France did keeptheir pledge, they defended Poland.

They declaredwar on Germany.

The Soviet Union infantry into Poland

Group members:• Tear, María Paula• Matienzo, Greta• Balbiani, Violeta• Serra, Eugenio• Stankiewic h, Iván