What Events Led Up To Ww2

Timeline of Events leading up to World War Two
Taken from the Pearson Baccalaureate History Companion
Causes of World War II in Europe: Failure of Collective Security
Time
Event
Significance
1919

Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of St Germain

1920

Establishment of the
League of Nations
Treaty of Rapallo between
Germany and the USSR

1922
1923

French occupation of the
Ruhr

1924

Introduction of the Dawes plan Locarno Treaties

1925
1926
1928
1929

1932
1933

Germany admitted to the
League of Nations
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Introduction of the Young
Plan
Wall Street Crash
Lausanne Conference of reparations payments
Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany

Pinned the blame for the damage incurred on Germany
Included an anti-Anschluss clause later violated by Austria and
Germany
Attempted to be a mechanism for world peace; had problems enforcing its actions against aggressive leaders
Secretly violated Germany’s restrictions to re-build and train its armed forces; USSR gov’t achieved recognition by an ideological “enemy”
Punishment for Germany’s inability to pay reparations; France tried to take in kind what was owed; German miners went on strike; German gov’t continued paying them by over printing bills; caused hyperinflation;
Reduced reparations for Germany; allowed Germany to take their time repaying;
Guaranteed boundaries of France, Belgium, and Germany;
France more relieved; did not need to override the League by attacking Germany herself
Assured that France will not invade her anymore; France can subject Germany to international pressure
Renounced war as an instrument of national policy; was broken almost a decade later
Reduced the reparations bill of Germany further;
Started a worldwide economic depression; USA economy collapsed, unemployment in Germany increased; radical groups increased riots
Germany was give a further reprieve in repaying its debts in the light of the Great Depression
Hitler decides that the Nazis were not to resume repayment of debts. Questions to consider:
1. Was Germany being antagonized by her neighbors?
2. Was Germany sincerely trying to mend its relations with her neighbors?
1933
Feb
Oct
1934
1935
Jan
March

Hitler introduces rearmament
Hitler leaves the
Disarmament Conference;
Germany signs a Pact of
Non-Aggression with
Poland
Germans in the Saar vote to remain as a part of
Germany
Conscription re-introduced;
Stresa Fronts with Britain,
France, Italy

Oct

Italian invasion of
Abyssinia

1936
March
June

Germany remilitarizes the
Rhineland
Sends support to Franco’s nationalists in Spain

Starts a series of actions that violate the conditions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles
Later announced his intention to withdraw Germany from the
League of Nations;
Violates this in 1939

Important area for Germany’s industrial development; rich in minerals Germany appears to be aggressive; Britain, France and Italy agree to affirm Austrian independence as a preventive measure against possible anschluss with Germany. Initially
Italy was
Showed the inability of the League of Nations to prevent
Mussolini’s aggressive actions; highlights the failure of using limited economic sanctions
Again, violates the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles
Wanted to test his latest war equipment, strategies and troops

Nov
1937
May
July
1938
March
Sept
1939
March
April
May
Aug

Sept

Anti-Comintern Pact with
Japan; Rome-Berlin Axis signed Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime
Minister
Sino-Japanese War begins
Anschluss declared
Munich Crisis,
Sudetenland Crisis
Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia;
Lithuania gives up Memel to Germany
Britain starts conscription
Pact of Steel with
Germany and Italy
Anglo-French military mission to Moscow; NaziSoviet Pact signed between Germany and the
USSR; Anglo-Polish Treaty signed Germany invades Poland;
Britain and France declare war on Germany

Supposed to be the base in which other countries would gather around; Japan saw it as way to counter British and
Soviet presecld
A pacifist, accedes to public pressure against any hints of peace yet concedes that Germany and Italy are becoming more militant
All members of the Axis powers have examples of imperial aggression With Italy as an ally, Germany’s move sent shock waves of fear Efforts were made to give Germany an ultimatum without the affected victim countries; Britain starts an arms build-up
Munich agreement shattered; Germany becomes more emboldened; Britain and France guarantee support for Poland and at the same time, threatens Germany of invoking USSR to stand down
Britain realizes war is inevitable
Declaration of trust and cooperation between these 2 countries
French and British representatives attempt to secure Soviet support against Germany but gets no response; instead, the
USSR forms a 10-year non-aggression pact with Germany;
Britain guarantees Poland’s independence

Germany launches a blitzkrieg from the west; violates its earlier pact with Poland; USSR invades from the east; before the month ends, Poland was divided; Britain and France unable to guarantee Poland’s independence

1. Cite events that illustrate the failure of appeasement.
2. Explain how Hitler systematically violated the provisions imposed by the
Treaty of Versailles on Germany
Reasons why Germany concluded a pact with the USSR, an ideological enemy Reasons why the USSR concluded a pact with Germany, an ideological enemy 1. Hitler wanted to avoid war on two fronts
(remember WW1?).

1. The pact meant that the USSR would not have to get involved in a war in the
West. This was important as it faced a threat in the East from Japan, and the
Soviet Army had been weakened through
Stalin’s purges.

2. He did not believe that Britain and
France would intervene to defend Poland once he had a pact with Stalin (correct instinct). 3. The economic aid which the USSR would give Germany as a part of the pact would negate the impact of any AngloFrench blockade.
4. Hitler still intended to invade the USSR at a later date – this agreement gave him time to deal with the West first.

2. It gave Stalin time to prepare for war, and there was always the hope that
Germany and the West would weaken each other in the war and the USSR would be left as the strongest nation.
3. As part of the deal, Stalin got half of
Poland and the opportunity to take over
Finland and the Baltic States. (All these states used to be part of Imperial Russia which were lost because of World War 1)

German Military Expenditure
Fiscal Period

Million Marks (German currency)

1933-1934

750

1934-1935

4,093

1935-1936

5,492

1936-1937

10,271

1937-1938

10,963

1938-1939

17,247

Views of various historians
AJP Taylor in his 1961 book, The Origins of the Second World War:
World War II was not Hitler’s war; it was at least as much due to the failures of the
European statesmen. Hitler’s speeches about his expansionist aims were more of reactions to the actions of other European leaders. The other nations can be faulted for not containing Germany as it successfully dismantled the Treaty of Versailles when they had the chance to. Appeasement actually encouraged Hitler to be more confident and aggressive. James Sheehan, The Monopoly of Violence: Why Europeans Hate Going to War, 2008
“Whatever the merits of [Neville] Chamberlain’s policy in 1938, it is well to remember that, in itself, appeasement is not necessarily a bad thing. In their efforts to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, diplomats often must appease their opponents. It is also important to recognize that the alternative to appeasing Hitler in 1938 was fighting him. He was not bluffing, and the threat of war alone would not have stopped him.” Richard Overy
Chamberlain’s policy [of appeasing Hitler] was the right one for Britain at the time, and to a certain extent the policy paid off in that Britain forced Germany into a war sooner than it wanted and at a time when Britain stood a chance of not losing. Hitler’s economic and military planning would have led to Germany being a military
‘superpower’ by the mid 1940s if they had continued without challenge.
Winston Churchill
World War II was an ‘unnecessary war’ as it would have been prevented by opposing
Hitler before he re-armed.

Causes of War-Not all Germany’s Fault:
What Other Countries were Responsible for
Britain
• Signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement; undermined the Stresa Front
• Did not attempt to use the League of Nations in response to the series of crises in the late 1930s – the League then became obsolete and with it the possibility of
‘collective security
• Failed to encourage a firmer stance from France over the Rhineland
• Failed to support the Czechs at Munich
• Committed itself to support Poland after it had pursued a policy of appeasement; so it could be argued, Hitler did not believe that Britain would go to war over
Poland
• The Poland guarantee made war inevitable.
France
• Like Britain, did not attempt to use the League of Nations in response to the series of crises in the late 1930s, undermining the principle of ‘collective security’
• Failed to support the Czechs in 1938
• Followed a defensive strategy focused on the Maginot line
• Did not work hard enough for an agreement with the USSR
USSR
• Stalin had purged his armies in the 1930s and was militarily weakened; it was in the Soviet interest to work for a delay in a war with Germany
• Stalin believed that the Western powers’ policy of appeasement was predominantly anti-communist
• As the USSR was not invited to the Munich Conference and attempts to find an agreement in 1939 by Britain and France appeared half-hearted, Stalin saw that his interests were best served by an agreement with Germany
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact unleashed World War II by allowing Hitler to invade
Poland
• The secret clauses in the agreement were cynical and expansionist; Stalin would recoup territories lost after World War I
Italy
• Dealt a fatal blow to the possibility of collective security when it invaded
Abyssinia and undermined the League of Nations. Italy then moved away from the Stresa Front towards Germany
• Italy encourage the political polarization of Europe by intervening in the Spanish
Civil War