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WWII Causes/ The Gathering storm - Coggle Diagram
WWII Causes/ The Gathering storm
Consequences of the WW1
Germany
November 1918: Kaiser Wilhelm II forced to abdicate
People face starvation
German generals and troops say they hadn't been defeated, but betrayed by their politicians
It had become a democracy
Street battles between extreme nationalists and communists trying to stop them from revolution
1923
Country was devastate by hyperinflation
Ordinary people savings- wiped out
Date: 11.11.1911:WW1 came to an end
Wilson:promised to create a new world
Persuaded to create the League of Nations:no more fighting, only debating
Europeans were sent free
New countries + Germany is reduced in size
Austria
Poland
Hungary
Czechoslovakia
Germans in these countries weren't happy
Yugoslavia
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
Treaty of versailles
treaty of versailles
Reparations of Germany- Germans have pride and they are shamed
Germany greatly reduced in size
Small armies for Germany
Debate in the league of nations- no more conflicts
Germany's invasion on Polan
Date:September 1 1939
German troops enter Poland and win
win swiftly, absolute victory
In Germany
many street fights
inflation
ordinary people's savings wiped out
Adolf Hitler
Born in Austria and battled in the WWI. He got awarded with the Iron Cross
October 1923: Attempt an armed coup against the government- failed
Sentenced to 9 months when he wrote his book "Mine Kampf"
Blame Germans' struggle on Jews
Wants Germany to seek new territories
Hitler's opportunity
Nazis- true mass movement
1932- largest party in Germany's parliament in Reichstag elections
Hitler refused to join a coallition
1933: Hitler became Chancellor
october 1929
stock market crashed
Economic depression: millions of dollars lost
unemployment
1933- head of the government
takes control of the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party
After his release- builds the party into a more proper one
using democratic methods
Communism is Nazist's enemy
His long term desires
want to conquer territory in the east
prepare for massive expansion
His secret treaty with the Soviet Union gave him opportunity to experiment with new mobile tactics
faster tanks
better planes
army increased to 300 000 men
Britain and France protested
wanted to take his homeland Austria
1934- Austrian Nazis attempted to take over power and unite it with Germany
feb 1938: Austrian Chancellor protested against this
made a referendum for Austrians to vote whether they want or not
March 12 1938- before seeing the results, Hitler sent his troops (enthusiastic welcome)
Austria united with Germany
1938
Turned to Czechoslovakia
encouraged Germans there
he's ready to come with force if the government doesn't agree
Czechoslovakia mobilized and was ready to resist
large army
40 fortifications on the German front
Hitler backed off
British minister wanted to act as a peacemaker
September 1938 Munich agreement
Mussolini acted as a mediator
France and Britain signed
The leaders agreed to cede the German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland, to Germany.
In turn, Hitler doesn't have any other territorial ambitions
1939: Eastern part of the Czechoslovakia wanted help from Hitler to achieve independence
Hitler wanted the prime minister to put his country under his protection
first time seizing non German speaking territories
Next wish: Poland
Wanted the port of Danzig so that East Prussia could be linked with the rest of Germany
Poland refused and Hitler was kind of hesitant since he had unfinished business with Czechoslovakia
France and GB will declare war if Hitler attacks Prussia
Hitler didn't care cause they were weak
Stalin also concerned with Hitler's aggression
He proposed an alliance with France and UK, didn't happen
Instead they made a non-aggression act
Poland- split between the 2 countries
Hitler prepared for immediate invasion
the burning of Reichstag 1933 in Berlin
emergency power given to Hitler- banned all other political parties
1934- president died
Hitler became the only in power
next 3 years- rebuild, gave jobs to unemployed
German army was forbidden to have an army- but increased in size in 1935
Brand new air force (2500 planes)
Reoccupied Rhineland; Positioned in Rhineland German troops
Hitler claimed back what was rightfully Germans'
UK and France did nothing
Unemployment plunged, new roads
Nazis became popular
Germans happy
1933- begin the Holocaust
Nationalism: nationalists don't like immigrants
Achtung Juden(go away Jews)
They got better conditions then most because of their jobs (traders, sailing things)
Nationalism- nationalists don't like immigrants
Secret treaty with Soviet Union
Former President: Hindenburg
Japan
At the start of the 20th century- already a military
Japan was acknowledge world power
Signed up to the League of Nations
Politically: a mess of political contradictions
Emperor: living gold, true leader
Major economic problems- no natural resources, population was exploding
Need to invade some land
Chinese Manchuria was perfect
Many resources, fertile land, rich green fields, coals, minerals
Other potential places: colonies of USA, France
1931
Japanese fought in Manchuria and seized its capital
In the League of Nations
Japan is universally condemned
The response was blunt
Japan walked out (nothing league can do about Monchuria)
International Paraiah (consequences be bad)
1936
Japanese signed a pact with Hitler
July 1937
Japanese provoked an incident with China
Chinese were taken by surprise, but fought back fearlessly
Japanese by 1937 have overrun much of the northern china and the coast
japan fought with brutality, westerners evacuated, widespread damage for the native population
widespread damage
no pity/ concern for the native population
Attack on Chinese capital December 1937
300 000 civilians killed, raped
the forgotten Holocaust
Japanese attacked British/ USA Warships
bomb by Japan 50 crewmen died
Reactions from USA, EU, League of Nations
Roosevelt wants naval blockade of Japan
British feared they'll make war
Russia didn't participate that much
China had to fight on its own
All promises of the League of Nations to prevent wars- nothing
America
Jazz age
increasing the pursue of pleasures and distraction
concentrating on exploiting its various resources
fortunes of stocks and resources
economic boom
Japan seemed very far away
Agreed on naval reduction with Britain, France, and Japan- superiority in the sea to the Japanese
The Great Depression
Many homeless
Unemployment
America is distracted by pain, not pleasure anymore
perfect for Japan to make their move
The great depression
1/4 of people lost their jobs, no pleasures, distracted by pain (time for japan to make their moves)
China - Civil war that made the country very weak
Italy
Mussolini (posturing)
assumed dictatorial powers
by 1928- position is secure, parliament elected, all power in the hands of fascists
mussolini wanted to recreate the new roman empire
Mussolini became a source of inspiration (fascism- purposeful strong)
In contrast to the weak democracies of France and Great Britain
Target Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
Ethiopia's president response
want league of nations to live up to his ideals; what league of nations- they did nothing
Already had colonies near Ethiopia
December 1934
Italian forces provoked a clash and came into Ethiopian territory
Mussolini sent reinforcements
Early October 1935
Ethiopia has primitive forces
Mussolini- equipped with air force, and tanks
Italian air force had total command (drop gas bombs even though in the Treaty of Versailles it was outlawed)
after 6 months- Ethiopia was overrun
emperor fled into exile in Britain
League of nations imposed sanctions with no effect
2 new things the world learnt: League didn't provide peace + the democracies of France and GB feared greatly of war
organized right-wing nationalists- fascists
1922: ordered his followers to march on the road
first acts- programmes for employment, corruption was out, more or less limited mafia, advanced air force, mussolini launched powerful navy
Huge navy (bigger than British and French)
When great depression came- Italy was better than most
Back then.. (before Mussolini)
many strikes
democratic government- powerless
Britain and France
New French military method: Maginola in 1930 began + war methods
Series of fortifications
along the frontier of Germany
linked with fortifications planned by the Belgians
capable of only fighting a defensive war
didn't have ability to launch an attack on it even with British troops
GB and French naval armies were outnumbered from Italy and Germany --> didn't want to intervene in foreign conflicts
both many strikes and unrest
in both Massive unemployment
Britain realize the cost of controlling empires
both traumatized by the casualties of WW1
All British politicians' goal is to keep it out of conflicts
Britain ended WW1 with a large army
Great depression struck
Idea of developing the army was abandoned
Economically and military weak
France experience many more casualties than GB during the first war
France's birth rate declined
it could never compete with Germany on the size of its army alone
solution: adopt defensive mentality
Spain
1936- Civil War
family against family, communists against fascists
1931- left winged gov got rid of the monarchy
King was forced into exile
Many strikes
General Francisco Franco: former chief exiled
July 17 1936
proclaimed new nationalist movement that will save Spain from communism
Turned for help towards Adolf Hitler
Still republic had advantage (control of the East of the country) . Franco took most of the northwest
Everything changed when Hitler and Mussolini started to pull in troops to help Franco
Opportunity for them to test their new equipment
Mussolini sent so called "volunteer call" - 50 000 men
Stalin agreed to help the republic
Many volunteers from foreign countries came to help
With new fascist support nationalists could open 2 new fronts
slaughtered anyone accused of being a communist
Intense fighting and using atrocities against civilians
republicans hunted down and killed catholic priests
German and Italian air power was used against civilians
Madrid- heavily bombed
Worst incident 1937
6000 civilian deaths
Republican forces (untrained, unprepared) couldn't compare to the forces led by Franco and technologies of Italy and Germany
Republican alliance was falling apart
Communists and socialists focus on winning victory
but the more idealists saw this as an opportunity for workers' strikes
1937 in Barcelona
fatal weakening of the Republican force
more and more nations recognized Franco's government
After 3 years of fighting- Franco formally declared hostilities