Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Reasons for WWII - Coggle Diagram
Reasons for WWII
Hitler's expansionist policy
Hitler taking advantage of events and used the threat of violence to achieve his aims
Hitler set about abolishing the Treaty of Versailles
Emboldened to go further with each successful step he took
Hitler's aims
Establish a Greater Germany
Achieved by acquiring lands such as Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland
Uniting all ethnic Germans living in these countries
Create Lebensraum
facilitate further German expansion
Large areas in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union must be conquered
Establish the superior Aryan race
Done by rebuilding Germany's once-proud armed forces exterminating 'inferior races'
Withdrawal from the LoN and the Geneva Disarmament Conference
Nazi party came to power
Began to take systematic steps to abolish the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler proposed that the French diarm to the level of armaments that the Treaty
Germany allowed to rearm to the level of the French
French naturally objected to this
Hitler used this objection as an excuse to withdraw from both the conference and the League of Nations
After withdrawing from the league
He took action to increase Germany's military capabilities towards achieving his expansionist aims
Conscription and rearmament
Hitler wanted to restore Germany's pride and strength after the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles
He planned a massive rearmament stepped up their secret rearmament and conscription programme
Hitler did not announce his remilitarisation programme to the world until March 1935
Complete power over Germany by merging the offices of Chancellor and President in 1934
Building up the German army until he felt confident to do so
Terms of Treaty of Versailles
Germany's army and navy were severely limited
Not allowed to have an air force
March 1935
Germany owned 2,500-plane Luftwaffe and a 300,000 strong army
Instituted compulsory conscription and planned for an army of 550,000
Parts of Hitler's full remilitarisation plans
Hitler kept emphasising that he is committed to peace to allay the Allies' fears
Allies had a stronger army than Germany even though they were weakened by WWI
Pacifist mood in countries such as Britain and the weakness of the LoN , the Allies only made verbal protests instead of imposing sanctions on Germany
Allows Hitler to be free to transform Germany into a formidable and dangerous military power
Signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Hitler in June 1935, allowing Germany a limited build-up of its navy
1936 onwards, Hitler spend great amounts on military production
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
Hitler complained about the permanent demilitarisation of the Rhineland
Demilitarisation had also been accepted by the Weimar Government under the Locarno Treaties in 1925
7 March 1936
Hitler ordered German troops to cross the Hohenzollern Bridge and remilitarise the Rhineland
Used the Franco-Soviet Alliance as an excuse, saying that Germany was now under threat from France and the Soviet Union, and should be allowed to defend its own frontiers
Although Hitler was fairly sure that many in Britain would sympathise with Germany, he was not sure about France's response
Hitler did not send a strong force into Rhineland
Troops lacked essential equipment and they had no air support
Ordered to withdraw if attacked
The French, however, did not respond with force. With France about to hold elections at that time, no French politician wanted to be seen as wanting to start a war
French also knew that the British were unlikely to support them against Hitler
The League of Nations condemned Hitler's actions, but did nothing else
The League was unable to respond to Hitler's second violation of the Treaty of Versailles with a show of force as they have to respond to the Abyssinian
Spanish Civil war
1937
Hitler send soldiers , equipment and warplanes to support the Spanish Nationalist forces
German planes made devastating raids on several Spanish cities
Designed in part to divert British and French attention from his plans for expansion into Eastern Europe
Opportunity to test his army and air force while fighting against alleged communists
League of Nations did not take action against Germany for its intervention in Spain
He pointed out to Britain and France the perils of communist involvement on the Republican side of the conflict
Resonated with Britain and France's disdain and fear of communism
Hitler portrayed himself as the defender of civilisation against communism
He hated communism, and made it public by signing the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in 1936
Added the perception that the western powers could trust Hitler, and made British and French intervention in Spain seen even more remote
Weakness of the League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
Aims to have the nations strive together in peace
Achieved in resolving conflicts in 1920s
Weakness in structure and organisation
Failure of disarment
The League did not manage to achieve much success in this area
The success is the result of individual major European powers and not the league
The failure of disbarment did not mean only that powerful countries still had the military capacity for war, buy also that there was nothing to stop them from engaging in conflicts
Attempts at disarmament during the 1920s and 1930s
The Washington Naval Conference (1921)
Negotiated outside the league
Organised by the USA, who was not a league member
Ratios set for tonnage of capital ships
Britain: USA: Japan: France: Italy
5:5:3:1.67:1.67
Major European powers were not cooperative
League Commission to prepare for World Disarmament Conference(1926)
Britain and France refused to cooperate
The 1925 Locarno Treaties were also negotiated by the major powers themselves, rather than the league
Locarno Treaties(1925)
Negotiated outside the League between Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia
Guaranteed Belgian and French borders with Germany
Demilitarisation of the Rhineland accepted by Weimar Government
Weimar Government agreed to settle any disputes with the above countries through the League
Attempted to organise a disarmament conference in 1926 and in 1930 but the major powers refuse to cooperate
A general that was unwilling to disarm as it would make the country defenseless
Major powers did not trust each other and wanted to protect their own country
World Disarmament Conference(1932-1934)
Held at Geneva, Switzerland
Germany insisted on matching the other powers' armament level
France refused to limit their own armaments
Britain and the USA refused to commit at a level requested by France
Hitler withdrew Germany from both conference and the League of Nations
Kellogg-Briand pact(1928)
Initiated by American Secretary of State Frank Kellog, and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand
Negotiated outside the League between 15 countries including USA, France, Germany, Britian, Italy and Japan
Agreement that all conflicts should only be resolved by pacifist means
No clear way to enforce the pact
Abyssinian Crisis
League's failure to intervene in the Abyssinian in 1935
The League suffered many blows to its credibility
Failure to intervene in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931
Abyssinia had common borders with the British colonies
Britain and France had to intervene when Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935
However, they were allies with Italy under the Stresa Front at the time and they did not want to make an enemy of Italy and its leader
Fearful of an embargo on oil would drive Mussolini into an alliance with Hitler, the League imposed limited economic sanctions on Italy
The League's failure to impose meaningful sanctions not only signalled its demise
Italian takeover of Abyssinia in May 1936
Dec 1934
Dispute at Wal-Wal Oasis in Abyssinian territory and Italian soldiers
Due to Italian interests in Somalia, next to Abyssinia
Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassie appealed to the League for help
Mussolini wanted to make Italy a great power, revenge for Italy's defeat to Abyssinia in 1896 and exploit Abyssinia's mineral wealth
Jan - Oct 1935
While negotiating with the League. Mussolini prepared his army to invade Abyssinia, using the dispute at Wal-Wal Oasis as a pretext
League of Nations absolved both the Abyssinia and Italy of all guilt in the dispute
The League, along with Britain and France, did not discourage Italy's military buildup
Italy's invading Abyssinia
Measures taken by the League
Imposed bans on arms sales, loans and exports of rubber, tin and metals to Italy, while allowing arms to be sold to Abyssinia
Delayed ban on sale of oil to Italy
Measures taken by Britain and France
Britain and France, who owned the Suez Canal, did not close it to Italian ships and Italy could ship war supplies to Abyssinia unhindered
Foreign ministers Hoare(British) and Laval(French) proposed a secret plan to give mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in return for stopping the Invasion
France was convinced of the need for Italy's support against Hitler, who remilitarize the Rhineland during the time
9 May 1936
Italy conquered Abyssinia
Nov 1936
Mussolini and Hitler signed a treaty of friendship, establishing the Rome-Berlin Axis