Year Nine

NMG 2006

1. Hitler’s Foreign Policy

Banned union with Austria

Cut Germany’s armed forces

Demilitarised the Rhineland

Treaty of Versailles

RearmamentTroops into the Rhineland 1936

Anschluss 1938

Claimed the Sudetenland

Took rest of Czechoslovakia

Deal made with Russia

Invasion of Poland

The failure of The League of Nations

League of Nations set up to prevent conflict

Limited success with preventing trouble in 1920s – all involving minor powers

Responsibility for world peace left to GB & France

Disarmament Conference

achieved nothing

Problems caused by Great Depression

Japanese attack on China

Sanctions

applied

Italian invasion of Ethiopia

The Great Depression

World wide trade depression affected many countries causing widespread unemployment

Brought Hitler to power in Germany

Some countries like Japan turned to aggression to get

raw materials

Some countries eg Britain felt that they could not afford to build up their armed forces

What did Britain and France do?Hitler announced re-

armament programmeNo reaction from Britain or

France

German troops into the Rhineland

No reaction from Britain or France

Hitler took over Austria No reaction from Britain or France

Hitler demanded the Sudetenland

Concessions from Allies

Appeasement

War in Spain• In 1936 the Spanish Army under Franco

rebelled against the left wing government

• Italy & Germany sent help to Franco

• Russia helped the left wing government

• Volunteers from Britain and France went to fight too

• The war helped to bring Italy and Germany together – they became allies

Could Britain and France have done more to stop Hitler?

France• Decided that defence

was best policy• Made separate

alliances with Poland and Czechs

• Built the Maginot Line along German frontier

Britain• Weakened by 1st WW• Empire, not Europe,

was first consideration• Along with France

became responsible for maintaining League of Nations

What about Russia?

• Poor relationship between Russia & western powers

• Stalin was very suspicious of France & Britain

• Was convinced they would support Hitler in struggle between Russia and Germany

• Made agreement with Germans to divide up Poland

What about the USA?

• The US government refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles so the USA never joined the League of Nations

• Many Americans felt that Europe should sort out its own problems

• Japan seemed to be a bigger problem than Germany

Causes of

The Second

World War?

Treaty of Versailles

The Great Depression

Failure of the

League of Nations

German foreign policy

Spanish Civil

WarBritain and France

Russia & the USA