Account for the Outbreak of War in Europe in 1939
Account for the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939
The outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 did not arise as a result of any one single event, but rather as a product of interconnected long term and short term issues. Early Nazi propaganda, the German policy of ‘Brinkmanship’ and the British policy of ‘appeasement’ resulted in a situation in which war was inevitable. Historians differ in opinions as to whether the outbreak of war in September 1939 was planned by the Nazi party, earlier than expected or contrary to their idea of gaining control in Europe.
From 1933 to 1934, during the consolidation of Nazi party and the process of Gleichschaltung, the Nazi party presented themselves as a less aggressive force than they would later prove to be. The Nazi party had considerable popular support in Germany from 1933 due to their strong opposition to the Treaty of Versailles. When Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference in October 1933, this was eagerly accepted in Germany due to its association with the Treaty. A Non-Agression Pact was signed with Poland in 1934 and this significantly bolstered the Nazi party’s image in the international scene. Hitler reinforced this new image of a peaceful Germany in a speech in May 1933 stating “The French, the Poles etc. are our neighbours, and we know that through no possible development of history can this reality be altered.” In June of 1935, Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval Treaty with Britain in which Germany agreed to have only 35% of the size of the British Army. For the Germans, this signified the end of the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles and was used as propaganda to promote the Nazi party in Britain. With the rest of Europe lulled into a false sense of security about Hitler’s foreign policy aims, a policy of ‘brinkmanship’ was employed. ‘Brinkmanship’ is the policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster in order to make the opposition concede. In
The outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 did not arise as a result of any one single event, but rather as a product of interconnected long term and short term issues. Early Nazi propaganda, the German policy of ‘Brinkmanship’ and the British policy of ‘appeasement’ resulted in a situation in which war was inevitable. Historians differ in opinions as to whether the outbreak of war in September 1939 was planned by the Nazi party, earlier than expected or contrary to their idea of gaining control in Europe.
From 1933 to 1934, during the consolidation of Nazi party and the process of Gleichschaltung, the Nazi party presented themselves as a less aggressive force than they would later prove to be. The Nazi party had considerable popular support in Germany from 1933 due to their strong opposition to the Treaty of Versailles. When Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference in October 1933, this was eagerly accepted in Germany due to its association with the Treaty. A Non-Agression Pact was signed with Poland in 1934 and this significantly bolstered the Nazi party’s image in the international scene. Hitler reinforced this new image of a peaceful Germany in a speech in May 1933 stating “The French, the Poles etc. are our neighbours, and we know that through no possible development of history can this reality be altered.” In June of 1935, Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval Treaty with Britain in which Germany agreed to have only 35% of the size of the British Army. For the Germans, this signified the end of the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles and was used as propaganda to promote the Nazi party in Britain. With the rest of Europe lulled into a false sense of security about Hitler’s foreign policy aims, a policy of ‘brinkmanship’ was employed. ‘Brinkmanship’ is the policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster in order to make the opposition concede. In