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Most of the aggressions, leading step by step to open war in September 1939, were the outcome of the deliberate policy of Hitler. S Reed Brett, European History 1900-1960 (1967)
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LinksReed Brett on Germany's foreign affairs Frank E Smitha - online book HARD
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1
The Treaty if Versailles had put the Saar under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years. In 1935 the inhabitants of the Saar voted to return to Germany. The Saar plebiscite is cited by many historians as the first step to war.
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2 CONSCRIPTION
& RE-ARMAMENT
Hitler began to build up his armed forces. In 1935 he introduced conscription (calling up men to
the army). This broke
the Treaty of Versailles, but Britain and France let him get away with it.
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History Learning - very clear Rearmament: The British Reaction - documents Axis Militarism - sets Nazi re-armament in its wider setting.
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3 RHINELAND
Hitler invaded the Rhineland on 7 March 1936.
This 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 once again, Britain and France did nothing.
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History Learning - very clear Wiesenthal Centre - good Britain's reaction to the Rhineland - Learning Curve exercise Rhineland Crisis: British Reaction Rhineland Crisis: French Reaction - documents
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4 AUSTRIA
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 Britain and France did nothing.
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History Learning - very clear Anschluss: The British Reaction - documents
Audio
YouTube Spanish Civil War and Anschluss - old educational video |
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Source A
This British cartoon from 1938 shows Hitler as a poacher, stealing Austria. Mussolini is shown as a bad game-keeper. ‘I never heard a shot, Adolf’’, he is saying.
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5 MUNICHIn 1938, Hitler tried to take over the Sudetenland.
First, Hitler encouraged the Sudeten Nazis to demand union with
Germany. Then, Hitler
made plans to invade Czechoslovakia. Neville
Chamberlain appeased Hitler. At
Munich, on 29 September 1938, Britain and France gave Hitler the
Sudetenland.
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YouTube Hitler and Czechoslovakia - old educational video (a bit too simple)
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Source B
The caption read: 'Europe can look forward to a Christmas of peace' (Hitler).
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6
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
On 15 March 1939, Hitler’s troops marched into the rest of
Czechoslovakia. This,
for most British people, was the time when they realised that the only
thing that would stop Hitler was a war.
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History Learning - very clear Page on Britain's decision to go to war
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7 USSR/NAZI PACTIn summer 1939, Hitler began to unfold his plan to take over Poland. First, the Germans in Danzig demanded union with
Germany. Then, Hitler
threatened war. 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
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Eight reasons Hitler invaded Poland
YouTube Invasion of Poland - old educational video
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What is the meaning of this cartoon? • In 1938, Hitler marched into and took over Austria. This event is shown in picture (allegory) form by the cartoonist by showing Hitler as a poacher, who has stolen (killed) a deer labelled 'Austrian Integrity' (the word integrity means 'wholeness', ie independence). The cartoonist represented Austria as a lovely, fragile and vulnerable deer - so Hitler is shown as, by destroying Austrian independence, having done a cruel and bad thing to a fledgeling nation. (In fact, Austria was not a free country, and not even a democracy; it was a corporative state similar to Italy's fascist government.) • Hitler had tried in 1934 to take over Austria ... but on that occasion he had been foiled by Mussolini, whose had moved three divisions of the Italian army to the border, and forced him to give up the attempt at Anschluss. In 1938, however, Hitler and Mussolini were allies, and Mussolini did nothing to stop Hitler. The cartoonist shows this by showing Mussolini as a game-keeper, whose proper job was to stop poachers, but who on this occasion is 'turning a blind eye'. • Thus the cartoon is an anti-appeasement cartoon - the message behind the picture is something like: 'Why didn't someone do something to STOP Hitler doing this - it's wrong'. • The picture is set in a mountainous area that is clearly the Alps, so we straight away realise that the cartoon is commenting on Austria and Anschluss. |
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What is the meaning of this cartoon? • The meaning of this cartoon is obvious - it is a criticism of the Munich Agreement. • Along the bed-head runs a list of countries. Hitler is shown as a 'bad Santa', taking the countries of Europe one by one. By October 1938, Austria was already 'in the sack'. Czechoslovakia Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia etc. are lined up, looking worried - the cartoonist makes it quite clear that he expects Hitler to take the rest. The words on Hitler's sack - 'Germany ruling all' - reinforce the cartoonist's opinion of what Hitler was about. Notice the smug satisfaction on Hitler's face. • The words on the bed-head read: 'Ex French-British Family', suggest the cartoonist's opinion that - by abandoning Czechoslovakia - Britain and France had lost the trust of the countries of eastern Europe. • Thus the cartoon is an anti-Munich Agreement/ anti-appeasement cartoon - the message behind the picture is something like: 'All we have done is lose friends, and Hitler will go on seizing other countries'.
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The inclusion of Hitler's statement
that ' |
