Causes of WWII

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Causes of WWII
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• The Great Depression
• The Rise of Fascism
• The Treaty of Versailles
• The Failure of the League of Nations
• The Rise of Fascism
• The Appeasement of Hitler
• The Invasion of Poland

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The Great Depression

• The Depression destabilized economies and
  governments world wide
• People looked for change
• Change often came in radical forms of government
• Military spending and aggressive expansion helped
  countries emerge from economic problems.

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The Rise of Facism

• Dictators of the 1930s
• Hitler Germany
• Mussolini Italy
• Stalin Russia
• Hirohito Japan
• Franco - Spain

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The Treaty of Versailles

• In 1919, Lloyd George of England, Orlando of
  Italy, Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson
  from the U.S. met to discuss the conditions for
  the end of World War I.

The Big Four
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• President Wilson designed a 14 point plan that
  was fair and balanced. Germany, which was not
  invited to process, believed the Treaty would be
  based on Wilsons plan.

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• Wilsons plan was vetoed. The French wanted
  revenge and the Treaty was created to punish
  Germany for the destruction France and other
  countries suffered.

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Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

• There were a total of 440 clauses in the final
  treaty. The first 26 clauses dealt with the
  establishment of the League of Nations. The
  remaining 414 clauses spelled out Germany's
  punishment.

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The League of Nations

• The League was established to ensure that war
  never broke out again. This would be done through
  collective security and preservation of peace
  through arbitration of international disputes.

Forcing one or two countries To work out their
problems peacefully
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• War would be avoided because no one country would
  want to deal with the 65 member countries of the
  League. It was like a big police force.

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War Guilt Clause
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• This clause, more than any other in the entire
  Treaty of Versailles, was to cause lasting
  resentment in Germany The guilt clause resulted
  in German humiliation and rage.

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Reparations

• Germany had to pay for all damages caused by the
  war. The price was set at
• 6 600 000 000 which equalled
• 32 000 000 000
• Today it would be
• approximately
• 400 000 000 000
• The debt would not be paid off until 1988

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500 000 marks
5 million Marks
500 Billion Marks
1 Billion Marks
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Military Clauses

• Army - was to be reduced to 100,000 men and no
  tanks or heavy equipment was allowed

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• Navy - Germany was only allowed
• 6 battleships
• 6 light cruisers
• 12 destroyers
• 12 torpedo boats
• Navy could not have more than 1500 officers 

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• Airforce - Germany was not allowed any airforce

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• Rhineland - The Rhineland area was to be kept
  free of German military personnel and weapons

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Territorial Clauses

• Anschluss - Germany was not allowed to unite with
  Austria.

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• Land - Germany lost valuable land to a number of
  other countries.
• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
• Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium
• North Schleswig was given to Denmark
• German land was also given to Czechoslovakia and
  Poland

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• The League of Nations took control of Germany's
  colonies

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• May the hand wither that signs this treaty.
• Frederick Scheidemann, the German Chancellor
  (June 1919) then he resigned rather than agree to
  the Treaty
• Those who sign this treaty, will sign the death
  sentence of many millions of German men, women
  and children.  
• Count Brockdorff-Rantzau, leader of the German
  delegation to Versailles (15 May 1919).  

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The Failure of the League of Nations

• It was weak from the beginning, and had
  spectacular failures in Manchuria and Abyssinia,
  and in making Hitler keep the Treaty of
  Versailles.   It failed to achieve disarmament.  
  

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Manchuria

• In 1932, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria and 
  threw out the Chinese.    
• China asked the League to help. The League could
  not agree on sanctions or even a ban on weapons
  sales. Britain and France did not want a war,
  so nothing was done.
• The Japanese stayed in Manchuria.
• The League had failed.  

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Abyssinia

• In 1935 Mussolini got ready to invade Abyssinia
  (Ethiopia). He wanted war and glory. He tested
  new weapons of war against tribal people.
  Abyssinia asked the League to help. Italy
  conquered Abyssinia
• The League did nothing.  

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Reasons for Failure

• WAS DUMB
• Weak
• America
• Structure
• Depression
• Unsuccessful
• Members
• Big Bullies

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• Weak It had no army.
• America the strongest nation in the world never
  joined.   Britain and France were not strong
  enough to impose pace on their own.
• Structure the League was muddled, so it took
  ages to do anything. Members couldnt agree
  but decisions had to be unanimous. This
  paralysed the League.

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• Depression the world-wide Depression made
  countries try to get more land and power.
• Unsuccessful the more the League failed, the
  less people trusted it. In the end, everybody
  just ignored it.
• Members the Leagues main members let it down.
  Italy and Japan betrayed the League. France and
  Britain did nothing to help it.
• Big bullies in the 1920s, the League had dealt
  with weak countries. In the 1930s, powerful
  countries like Germany, Italy and Japan attacked
  weaker countries. They were too strong for the
  League to stop them.  

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Appeasement

• Giving in to a bully or pacifying a baby  

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• 1. CONSCRIPTIONRE-ARMAMENT
• Hitler began to build up his armed forces. In
  1935 he introduced conscription (forced military
  enlistment). This broke the Treaty of
  Versailles, but Britain and France let him get
  away with it.  

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• 3. RHINELAND
• Hitler marched into the Rhineland on 7 March 1936
  The Rhineland is an area of German territory on
  the border with France. Germany was not to have
  any soldiers in this area so that the French
  could feel safe. Bringing soldiers in broke the
  Treaty of Versailles. It was a bluff the
  German army had only 22,000 soldiers and had
  orders to retreat if they met any resistance.
  But Britain and France did nothing.

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• 4. AUSTRIA (Anschluss)
• In 1938, Hitler took over Austria. First,
  Hitler encouraged the Austrian Nazis to demand
  union with Germany. Then Hitler invaded Austria
  (11 March 1938). This broke the Treaty of
  Versailles, but once again, Britain and France
  did nothing.  

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• 5. Sudetenland
• In 1938, Hitler tried to take over the
  Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia with a
  large German population). British P.M. Neville
  Chamberlain appeased Hitler. At Munich, on 29
  September 1938, Britain and France gave Hitler
  the Sudetenland.

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Appeasement proves that sensible discussion instead of fighting can produce success - no lives were lost! This deal means fair treatment. Appeasement means we can avoid another terrible war. This is clearly a good idea British Prime Minister Chamberlain
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• 6. CZECHOSLOVAKIA
• On 15 March 1939, Hitlers troops marched into
  the rest of Czechoslovakia. This, for most
  British people, was the time when they realized
  that the only thing that would stop Hitler was a
  war. Britain and France still did nothing.

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• Appeasement makes us look weak, powerless
  and a waste of spaceHitler must be laughing!
  Giving Germany land
• only means they will get more powerful and
  thus less easy to defeat. Hitler has made his
  plans clear - he wants all of Eastern Europe - he
  will NEVER keep to his promise.
• Russia will now look for agreements with Nazi
  Germany rather than with us. This is dangerousA
  terrible policy. Hitler now thinks he can get
  away with whatever he wants!
• Future Prime Minister
• Winston Churchill

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• 7. USSR NAZI PACT
• In summer 1939, Hitler began to unfold his plan
  to take over Poland. Chamberlain promised the
  Poles that Britain would support them if Germany
  attacked Poland. In August 1939, Hitler made a
  secret treaty with Russia. He thought this would
  stop Britain France helping Poland.

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• 8. POLAND
• On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland.
• On 3 September 1939, Chamberlain declared war on
  Germany.
• On May 10, after British forces are defeated by
  Germany in Norway, Chamberlain resigns as Prime
  Minister and is replaced by Winston Churchill.

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