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WHY HAD INTERNATIONAL PEACE COLLAPSED BY 1939? - Coggle Diagram
WHY HAD INTERNATIONAL PEACE COLLAPSED BY 1939?
SAAR PLEBISCITE
The Saar region of Germany had been run by the League of Nations since 1919.
1935: The League of Nations organized a plebiscite for people to vote whether the Saar should be returned to German rule.
The vote was an extremely success for Hitler
This was a completely legal vote and so after that Hitler had no further territorial demands.
REMILITARIZATION OF THE RHINELAND
1936
The demilitarization of the Rhineland was one of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
G had accepted it in the Locarno Treaties of 1925 only to respect the western limits with France
If Hitler had been forced to withdraw it would have been a huge humiliation and he would have loosened support among the G army. He was successful.
France had just signed a mutual assistance pact with the USSR to protect each other in case of an attack from Germany. Hitler said that Germany was encircled and under threat so he should be allowed to place troops in his own frontier.
Hitler knew many people in Britain supported his right to put troops in the Rhineland and so he knew Britain would not intervene. The question was what would France do.
WHAT HAPPENED?
German army had orders to retire in case the French advansed.
The LN was focused on the Abyssinian crisis and, although it condemned Hitler’s
actions, he had no power to do anything else.
The French were about to hold elections and none of the leaders was prepared to take responsibility for plunging France into a war.
Finally, France refused to act without British support and Hitler
was successful.
REARMAMENT
Rearmament boosted Nazi support
Britain
Britain thought Germany was a good opposition against communism
Britain sympathised with Germany on this issue: They thought the Treaty of Versailles was too strict with Germany's armed forces.
Germany could not defend itself with the compact forces the Treaty allowed.
In the 1930s, Hitler tried to spend more and more in armaments
They helped to dissolve the Treaty by signing a naval agreement with Hitler. This agreement allowed Germany to increase the navy 35% of the size of the british one.
France was not in agreement with Britain about this, but they couldn't do anything.
In 1933, when Hitler came to power, one of his first movements was to empower the country and to reduce unemployment so he increased Germany's armed forces, giving men a job and strengthening his territory
Although he was making his country a safe and strong place, it would alarm and threaten other countries, so first of all, he made a plan of keeping his rearmament as a secret.
By 1935, he celebrated and showed his army regardless of the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles because he would now support any attack with his tough army
