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International response to Japanese, German, and Italian aggression…

- - - - Remilitarising the rhineland was a key aim of the nazi party as it linked to there rearmament plans and helped Germany on its way to great power status.
      - By 1936, the Stresa Front had been abandoned following the Abyssinian invasion and Anglo-German naval agreement and due to Italy's pursuit of Abyssinia, the league was distracted and focusing its efforts on that.
      - Therefore, on the 7th March 1936, 32,000 German soldiers marched into the Rhineland, with the instructions to retreat if met with French resistance.
      - Hitler was expecting to have to defend his actions, so would use the excuse of the new Franco-Soviet alliance (the treaty of mutual assistance) which was ratified in 1936. Hitler therefore felt it was necessary to remilitarise this area to defend his borders.
      - It was a major gamble for Hitler as a retreat would have been humiliating.
    - - France
        
        French reaction was very different, the Government was troubled so they struggled to agree on a effective response. March 1936, Government was deeply divided, and with a general election looming, no party wanted to advocate intervention, through fear of loosing votes. Also, the French military underestimated the German army, as France could successfully used force to make the Germans retreat. the international response was weakened as a whole, as France felt unable to act alone, without Britain, although the threat to France was greater. French security would later prove disastrous, as the French military would take a defensive rather than offensive strategy. This was later worsened by the Belgium declaration of neutrality in 1937.
      - USSR
        
        In September 1934, the USSR had finally been accepted as a member of the League, so when the League's council met to discuss the militarisation of the Rhineland, the soviet delegate was the only one to advocate sanctions against Germany. This was despite the general acceptance that Germany's actions went against Versailles and Locarno Treaties.
      - Britain
        
        Indifferent because Lord Lothian (critic of the Treaty of Versailles) argued that the Germans had the right to re-militarise, as it was already their own land. "A walk into their own back garden". It was seen as a welcomed solution to a outdated problem.
  - - - Schuschnigg summoned to meet Hitler (Feb 1938) to discuss the worsening rioting.
      - Schussnig given an ultimatum - appoint the Nazi Seyss-Inquart as minister and coordinate economic/ foreign policy with Germany, or be invaded. Schuschnigg agrees.
      - Schuschnigg more defiant in Austria - plans plebiscite.
      - Hitler now demands that the plebiscite be postponed, Seyss-Inquart replace Schuschnigg as Chancellor and ordered his army to prepare for invasion. Schuschnigg agrees again.
      - The New Chancellor requests German intervention to 'restore order' and the Nazis invade (11 March), proclaim Anschluss (14 March) and with the Nazi influence the Austrians unsurprisingly vote 99.75% in favour of Anschluss in the plebiscite.
    - - Hitler now controls 70 million people and borders with Italy, Yugoslavia and Hungary
      - Czechoslovakia dangerously exposed to German aggression.
      - Again, little response to Hitler's actions.
    - - Britain
        
        Vicount Halifax, foreign minister, after visiting Germany on a 'goodwill mission', privately sympathised with Hitler's aims of overturning Versailles and advocated appeasement providing Germany fulfilled their aims peacefully.
      - France
        
        Incapacitated by government crisis, with Leon Blum yet to take up office, too caught up in this to oppose Germany.
      - Italy
    - - Rearmament and the success of the German economy
        meant Italy was less likely to interfere.
      - Collapse of the Stresa Front and the League's reputation made opposition unlikely.
      - Austrian Nazis stirred up agitation and opposition to Kurt Schuschnigg, who was suspicious of Nazi German and committed to Austrian independence.
- - - - Two months after this event Britain set up the Non-Intervention committee, this was made to try and stop other foreign powers aid countries in civil- wars. 24 countries joined the NIC (Italy and German included). Britain, USA and France stayed loyal to the agreements and actively discouraged citizens fitting wars in there countries on their own initiative.
      - International brigade was launched to travel to Spain to defeat the republicans - left wing sympathisers ignored the rules or the NIC and joined this. As non of the other liberal democracies were available to help support the Republicans they turned to the USSR for assistance. However Stalin was reluctant to support the cause as he didn't want to leave the western borders open to German aggression.
      - This lead to the nationalists having a distinct advantage despite the support from western democracies for the Republicans.
- - - - Increased Chinese resistance to Japanese aggression.
      - Chinese were suddenly depicted as stronger in their military resistance
    - - Western Powers
        
        Propaganda 'The Rape of Nanjing' was used to turn Western Liberal opinion against Japan.
        
        Britain, France, and the USA offered financial assistance to China, though they couldn't directly provide military assistance.
        
        Western Powers recognised the significance of Chinese resistance
        
        The USA, due to isolationism and trade with Japan, would not intervene.
      - USSR
        
        USSR catalysed the Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan on November 25th 1926. This meant that the Japanese were distracted from desire to control Siberia.
        
        In Operation Zet, the USSR provided air force support for Chinese.
  - - - Britain, France and the USA were also against communism so didn't respond to this act of aggression
        
        This resulted in a further separation between the Western powers and the USSR
        
        This made Britain and France reconsider their allegiances
        
        Hitler was seen as a lesser threat than the threat of communism so appeasement was justified
        
        France was worried about their weak government and the growing popularity of their communist party
        
        Therefore supported the treaty as it was anti-communist
  - - - Western Powers
        
        Britain had commercial interests in China and a former alliance with Japan so didn't want to oppose either power.
        
        British Lytton chaired the commission set up by the League to investigate the claims in Manchuria.
        
        Great Depression and subsequent economic crisis meant powers were reluctant to send a peacekeeping force to Manchuria.
        
        USA was Japan's main trading partner and so refused to implement economic sanctions.
        
        British Foreign Secretary John Simon made a speech in Geneva in December 1932 which failed to criticise the actions of Japan.
        
        USA Stimtson Doctrine meant that America refused to recognise any agreement between China and Japan that would threaten America, or any territorial changes that came about as a result of aggression. Japan became alienated.
        
        Lytton report published on October 10th 1931. This condemned Japan as they had contravened self-determination.
      - Japan
        
        Japan, following the Western Power's lack of strong response, continued to expand in China.
        
        After the Lytton report was published, Japan walked out of the League.