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Policy of Appeasement
Appeasment, the policy of making concessions to the dictorial powers in order to avoid conflict, governed Anglo-French foreign policy during the 1930s. It became indelibly associted with Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Although the roots of appeasment lay primarily in the weakness of posr world war I collective security arrangements, the policy was motivated by several other factors -
German Rearmament
the German re-armament, German pronunciation was a massive effortt led by the NSDAP in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. During its struggle for the power the National Socialist party promised to recover Germany's lost national pride. It proposed military rearmament claiming that the Treay of Versailles and the acquiescence of the Weimar Republic were an embarrassment for all Germans. -
Germany's Withdrawl from the League of Nations
In 1933 Germany withdrawled from the League of Nations. Hitker used the meeting with the League of Nations about disarmament because he knew that France would refuse. He was manipulative and stormed out making it seem like he wanted peace but France was the problem. He also wanted to rebuild his army and if he was in the League he wouldn't be able to do that. -
Itlay's invasion of Ethiopia
Italy invaded the nation of Abyssina, also known as Ethiopia. The Abyssina Crisis was a diplomatic crisis during the interwar period originating in the "walwal incident". This incident resulted from the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia. Its effects were to undermine the credibility of the League of Nations and to encourage Fascist Italy to ally itself with Nazi Germany. The crisis brought an end to peace in Europe and it was clear by 1937 two dominated -
The Rhineland
In March 1936, Hitler took what for him was a huge gamble- he ordered that his troops should openly re-enter the Rhineland ths breaking the term of Versailies once again. He did order his generals that the military should retreat out of the Rhineland if the french showed the slightest hint of making a military stand against him. This did not occur. Over 32,000 soliders and armed policemen crossed into the Rhineland. -
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Spanish Civili War
The political and emotional reverberations of the war far transcended those of a national conflict, for many in other countries saw the Spanish Civil War as part of an international conflict between--depending on their point of view--tyranny and democracy, or Fascism and freedom, or Communism and civilization. For Germany and Italy, Spain was a testing ground for new methods of tank and air warfare. For Britain and France, the conflict represented a new threat to the international. -
Czechoslovakia
On September 29, 1938, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy signed the Munich Pact, This effectively gave Germany "permission" to invade the Sudeten territories of Czechoslovakia
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Sudetenland
Once Austria had been annexed to Germany in 1938, German leader Adolf Hitler began to enthusiastically support and encourage Sudeten German ideas of joining his Third Reich to escape perceived oppression by the ruling Czech majority. Support turned to demands; armed uprisings and invasions threatened, and in 1938 a meeting was called between Western European leaders to discuss “the Sudeten Question”. -
Hitler's Foreign Policy Goal
- To destroy the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany after her defeat in World War One. Hitler felt the Treaty was unfair and most Germans supported this view.
- To unite all German speakers together in one country. After World War One there were Germans living in many countries in Europe e.g. Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland. Hitler hoped that by uniting them together in one country he would create a powerful Germany or Grossdeutschland.
- To expand eastwards into the East (Poland, Russ
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Austria
Demands for the union of Austria and Germany increased after Hitler became German Chancellor. In February 1938, Hitler invited Kurt von Schushnigg, the Austrian chancellor, to meet him at Berchtesgarden. Hitler demanded concessions for the Austrian Nazi Party. Schushnigg refused and after resigning was replaced by Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the leader of the Austrian Naiz Party. On the 13th of March, Seyss-inquart invited the German Army to occupy the Austria and proclaimed union with Germany -
Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact
This agreement stated that the two countries, Germany and The Soviet Union, would not attack each other. If there were ever a problem between the two countries, it was to be handled amiciably. The pact was supposed to last for ten years; it lasted less than two -
Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. From East Prussia and Germany in the north and Silesia and Slovakia in the south, German units, with more than 2000 tanks and over 1000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirlement attack. -
Declaration of War on Germany by Great Britain and France
Britian and France had sworn to defend Poland. Honoring these obligations, the two countries sent ultimatums to hitler demanding his withdrawl from Poland. Hitler declined to respond. On September 3rd, Prime Minister Chamberlain went to the airwaves to announce to the British people that a state of war existed between their country and Germany. World War II had begun
