World War II 1st lecture

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. It
officially ended
World War One.
It was a treaty of economic unreality and had a twofold purpose:
to confine defeated Germany territorially and to lay down the frontiers of new states.
The treaty gave Germany two lasting grievances with regard to her frontiers: the French were allowed to garrison the Rhineland;
and the Danzig corridor
Immense financial reparations were imposed on Germany.
They could not realistically be paid in full. Germany couldn’t build war materials.
Germany was humiliated and, given the right conditions, would seek revenge.



The new states of Europe and smaller minorities within them had scores to settle. Poland had claims against Russia,Italy
against Austria etc..
The Treaty of Versailles was doomed it could not bring peace to Europe.



In the Locarno Treaty of 1925 the Allies agreed to evacuate the Rhineland in exchange for a German guarantee not to remilitarize it.
When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he declared that he would abide by the terms of the treaty, but he was waiting for an excuse to take the Rhineland.
The small German army of 1936 was no match for the French army alone and German generals believed that the British
army also would fight.
The Germans were to pull back immediately if the French opposed them. The Germans met no opposition. Hitler’s gamble was successful 3/7/36.
Hitler had gained an important moral victory over his cautious
generals. He saw the apathy and hesitation displayed by France and Great Britain.
A Nazi takeover of Austria had always been an essential part of Hitler’s plan. At first, he had much support in Austria but a Nazi coup
attempt damaged this.
Hitler bullied the Austrians into legalizing the Nazi movement in Austria and giving it a major role in the government.

Hitler threatened to invade if the Austrian Chancellor wasn’t replaced. He was replaced by the Austrian Nazi leader.

The German army was asked into Austria which became part of the “Greater German Reich” 3/13/38.


Hitler wanted to destroy Czechoslovakia.
He based his initial claims on Czech territory on the idea that Sudeten Germans
were being mistreated.
At first, Britain, France and the Soviet Union
said that a German attack on Czechoslovakia would
elicit an immediate military response.
Hitler continued to agitate for Sudeten unification with Germany.
Chamberlain agreed to negotiations on the topic.
On September 29, 1938
Hitler, Mussolini,
French PM Daladier and British PM Chamberlain
met in Munich. The democratic leaders effectively gave Czechoslovakia to Hitler
Hitler said that his demand for the Sudetenland would be his “last territorial demand in Europe”.



Britain and France betrayed Czechoslovakia for an empty promise which they thought would bring
“peace in our time”.

On November 7, 1938
a young Jew named
Herschel Grynszpan
assassinated a German
official. Hideous reprisals were taken against German Jews.

“Kristallnacht”, often called the “week of broken glass” saw Jewish shops destroyed
and this behavior was encouraged by the German government.

The Nazi regime encouraged the most brutal excesses against
the Jews by the German populace.



This brutal pogrom left a deep impression on every sector of British public opinion. Chamberlain’s opponents grew louder;
his supporters were quieted.
Hitler’s troops occupy the
capital of Czechoslovakia,Prague,
in March,1939.
It is the second capital to fall to him without firing a shot.
Hitler’s next victim would be Poland. The Germans kept on repeating that Danzig was a German city and wanted to return home to Germany.

Once again, Hitler alleged that Germans were being mistreated in a foreign country.
The Poles wouldn’t give in to German pressure. Hitler sought an alliance
with the Soviet Union.
On March 31,1939 the
funeral speech for appeasement was given by Chamberlain. He stated that Britain would
come to Poland’s aid if
she was attacked.

France had long ago agreed to help Poland in the event of an attack.
On May 22,1939,
the Pact of Steel is born
between Germany and Italy.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August,1939,
gave Hitler a free hand to deal with Poland.
Germany invades Poland September 1, 1939. W.W. II begins.
If the Soviet Union, France, Britain and Poland had been allies, they could have unleashed 270 divisions
against Germany’s 108.


Britain and France made a terrible mistake in not trying to do more to create an alliance with the Soviet Union.