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GRADUAL BUILDUP TO WAR (1930’S)
The Failure of Collective Security
Responses to Hitler
 Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland were rightfully nervous
 All had German minority populations
 And Poland’s “corridor” divided Germany in 2
 Russia uncomfortable as Nazi’s expressed desire to annihilate Bolshevism
 Mussolini had mixed feelings
 Breakup of Versailles would be an advantage
 Development of power in Mediterranean region
 Threat to Austria (saw it as in Italian sphere of influence and wanted to keep it
that way)
France’s Response
 Trust issues with Germany anyway
 Very aware that demilitarized Rhineland was only buffer b/w France and an
aggressive Germany
 Had begun constructing the Maginot Line, 1929
 A series of concrete forts and tunnels along Frances border with Germany
 Problems: 1) not built along border with Belgium; 2) built for static warfare, like
in WWI
 But it was unfinished
 Reliance on Britain for backup
Britain’s Thoughts
 Wanted to avoid getting involved in another Great War
 But many thought gov’t should lead international action preventing a war
 4 possibilities:
1) Hit Germany in a “preventative war”, before Germany could attack
 Poland attack from east, France from west
 Problem was Hitler came to power legally; war would still leave them with an
angry Germany
2) Massive rearmament
 Too expensive
3) International Disarmament
 Already trying this with meetings in Geneva beginning 1932
 Germany demanded equality of armed forces and withdrew from conference in
1933
4) Settle disputes and rely on Collective Security through League of Nations
 Locarno Pacts, 1925; agreeing to respect borders
 Brit and Italy promise to aid any country against the power who broke
agreement
 Relied on good will and support of members
 League was weak/spineless in face of aggression (Japanese invasion of
Manchuria, 1931)
 Japan left League in Feb. 1933, Germany followed in October
5)
International Aggression – Manchuria, 1931
 Japan suffering from depression (exports dropped and prices plummeted)
 Focused on imperialism and war as way to end economic problems
 Invaded Manchuria
 Chinese territory
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 Chinese territory
 China appealed to the LoN
 LoN condemned Japan’s actions, ordered them to withdraw
 Japan ignored LoN
International Aggression – Abyssinia, 1935
 What was the situation that occurred in Abyssinia?
 Who was involved?
 What was the outcome?

Germany Sees an Opening
 Obvious that LoN didn’t have a leg to stand on
 Couldn’t do anything
 Signed a non-aggression pact with Poland
 To undermine French influence in Eastern Europe
 Poland nervous about giving Hitler reason to say Poland had broken the pact
 Next move was to weaken Austrian independence.
 Had already been re-arming in private
 1935 Goering announced existence of Luftwaffe
 Hitler announced compulsory military service a week later
Foreign Policy of Nazi Germany
 Dismantle Versailles Treaty
 Regain lost territory
 Polish Corridor
 Demilitarized Rhineland
 Bring all Germans under German control
 1 million in Poland, 3 million in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, 7 million in Austria
 Lebensraum (“living space”), through conquest
 Inferior races like Poles and Russians cleared from fertile land (Ukrainian wheat
fields, oilfields in Caucasus)
 Resettled, or used as slave labour
Schizophrenic Behaviour
 Hitler withdrew Germany from World Disarmament Conference and League of
Nations, 1933
 Hitler then declared Germany was more than happy to disarm as long as everyone
else did so too
 Hitler followed this tactic repeatedly – make aggressive move, then make peaceful
statements
 Britain (France following) allowed themselves to believe Hitler.
Austria
 How many Germans in Austria?
 Nazi Party believed in Anschluss (“union”) with the Reich
 Hitler dreamed of this union
 1934, Austrian Nazis (on Hitler’s orders) attempt to replace conservative gov’t with
one loyal to Berlin
 Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was murdered
International Response
 Mussolini moved Italian troops to Austrian Border
 Vowed to protect Austria’s independence
 Dollfuss family were his guests at the time
 Referred to Nazism as “savage barbarism”
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 Referred to Nazism as “savage barbarism”
 France and Britain found common cause with Italy over keeping Nazi Germany out of
Austria
 Met in Stresa and declared they would uphold Austria’s independence
 Known as the “Stresa Front”
 In following month:
 France and Russia sign alliance of mutual assistance against aggression
 Czech-French alliance also made
 Similar Czech-Russian alliance would activate once Czech-French alliance became
active
Breakdown of Stresa
 Britain and Italy decide to look out for themselves
 June 1935 - Anglo-German Naval Agreement; b/w Britain and Germany
 Done without consulting France or Italy
 Directly contradicted Versailles Treaty
 Mussolini’s dream of a rebuilt Roman Empire
 Invaded Abyssinia, 1935 (one of 2 independent countries in Africa; Libya was the
other) – planes and tanks vs. cavalry (Italy won by 1936, longer than expected)
 Emperor Haile Selassie appealed to LoN for help
 Economic sanctions imposed
 Britain and France publically supported sanctions
 Privately gave Mussolini much of what he wanted
 Arrangement discovered by press, met by much public anger
 Sir Samuel Hoare, Brit. Foreign Minister forced to resign

Situation in Spain
 Controlled by landowning grandees, Catholic church, and the army for centuries
 Land hungry and oppressed peasants, joined by workers (organizing trade unions),
anarchists wanting to overthrow gov’t and calls for self-gov’t by people from
Catalonia and the Basque region
 Spain became a republic in 1931, after king abdicated
 Socialists and liberals ran new gov’t
 Limited churches control of education, gave provinces some self-gov’t power, and
promised land redistribution to peasants
 Angered landowners and Catholic Church
Problems Arise;
Big Surprise
 Anarchists, extreme trade unionists, communists wanted more change
 Led series of violent strikes, riots and church burnings
 Public opinion swung against left-wing and brought right wing gov’t to power.
 Left-wing tried to bring down new gov’t
 4 general strikes
 Strike of coal-miners
 Strikes put down by troops from Spanish Morocco, led by Francisco Franco
Another Change in Gov’t
 Savagery with which the strikes were put down aroused sympathy for the left
 February 1936 election
 Socialist brought back into power
 The Popular Front Alliance – consisting of anarchists and communists
 New gov’t determined to carry out new programme of reforms
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 New gov’t determined to carry out new programme of reforms
 Resulted in pushing right wing opposition closer together
 Right wing alliance called themselves “Nationalists”
 Composed of Church leaders, the army, and members of the Falange (Spain’s
fascist Party)
The Falange Party
 Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive – official
name of the party
 Established 1933, by José Antonio Primo de Rivera
 Son of former Spanish dictator
 Received overt support of the army led by Franco
 became controlled by army very quickly
Civil War (July 1936 - April 1939) Begins
 Francisco Franco led Nationalists
 Not a fascist
 Rather narrow-minded and conservative
 Used fascists to his own advantage
 Aim was to defend privileges of the army, the church, and landowners
 July 1936 army took lead in revolt against gov’t
 Began in Morocco, then extended to town on Spanish Mainland
 Civil War developed from this
 Nationalist army vs. Republican forces
International Stance on Civil War
 Hitler and Mussolini were beside themselves with joy
 Saw right wing revolt against elected gov’t as crusade against communism
 Both Italy and Germany sent troops and airplanes
 Luftwaffe given chance to hone skills (destroyed Guernica) – test blanket bombing
strategy
 Psychological impact on nations witnessing bombing raids (France and Britain)
 Preliminary testing of ground troop techniques (blitzkreig)
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International Stance on Civil War
 Britain and France took non-intervention stance
 Main advocate was French PM, Leon Blum
 Favoured Republicans, but feared involvement would set off French fascist parties
 Britain didn’t want to ruin relations with Italy
 USSR was only non-fascist power to send aid to Republicans
 Communists and socialists from all European countries volunteered in international
brigades of Republican army
 Illegal for Britons and French to participate
 Would take underground routes – many died in Spain
Nationalist Victory, 1939
 Over after 3 years
 Cost over 500,000 lives
 Civilian and military casualties
 Biggest losers were the Spanish people
 Atrocities committed by both sides
 Had to live under Franco’s dictatorship from 1939-1975
 Restricted freedoms
 Repression of political opponents
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 Repression of political opponents
 Traditions considered non-Spanish repressed
 Bullfighting and flamenco promoted
 On bright side, Franco kept Spain out of WWII
What was learned?
 If you are Hitler?
 Western democracies not ready to oppose aggressive actions
 If you are USSR?
 If Germany began war, Britain and France might follow non-intervention
 If you are Britain?
 Either non-intervention prevented full scale war or made acts of aggression more
likely
 Many liberals and socialists began thinking that future war could be justifiable
 Mussolini became even more delusional
 Convinced himself Italy could take total control of Mediterranean, and Hitler’s
expansion would only be into Northern Europe
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