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    Prelude To World War 2 and The Cold War

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    Paul Filzer
    The document summarizes the aftermath of World War 1 and the seeds planted for World War 2 and the Cold War. It discusses the harsh terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles which humiliated Germany. It also discusses the rise of Hitler and how he was able to consolidate power in Germany. Finally, it discusses the appeasement of Hitler at the Munich Agreement in 1938 and how this led to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 which divided Eastern Europe between the two countries and set the stage for World War 2.

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    Prelude To World War 2 and The Cold War

    Uploaded by

    Paul Filzer
    34 views21 pages
    The document summarizes the aftermath of World War 1 and the seeds planted for World War 2 and the Cold War. It discusses the harsh terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles which humiliated Germany. It also discusses the rise of Hitler and how he was able to consolidate power in Germany. Finally, it discusses the appeasement of Hitler at the Munich Agreement in 1938 and how this led to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 which divided Eastern Europe between the two countries and set the stage for World War 2.

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    Europe from 1919 to 1939

    Original Title

    PRELUDE TO WORLD WAR 2 AND THE COLD WAR (1)

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    The document summarizes the aftermath of World War 1 and the seeds planted for World War 2 and the Cold War. It discusses the harsh terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles which humiliated Germany. It also discusses the rise of Hitler and how he was able to consolidate power in Germany. Finally, it discusses the appeasement of Hitler at the Munich Agreement in 1938 and how this led to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 which divided Eastern Europe between the two countries and set the stage for World War 2.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    34 views21 pages

    Prelude To World War 2 and The Cold War

    Uploaded by

    Paul Filzer
    The document summarizes the aftermath of World War 1 and the seeds planted for World War 2 and the Cold War. It discusses the harsh terms imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles which humiliated Germany. It also discusses the rise of Hitler and how he was able to consolidate power in Germany. Finally, it discusses the appeasement of Hitler at the Munich Agreement in 1938 and how this led to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 which divided Eastern Europe between the two countries and set the stage for World War 2.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 21

    PRELUDE TO WORLD WAR 2 AND THE COLD

    WAR
    SEEDS OF WORLD WAR 2 AND COLD WAR PLANTED
    WITH THE END OF WORLD WAR I
    AFTERMATH OF VERSAILLE
    1. German War Guilt – Article 231 of Treaty of Versaille
    "The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of
    Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated
    Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed
    upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."
    German people feel humiliated. Army fought heroically and was not defeated
    2. Reparation: In 1921 the total cost of these reparations was assessed at 132 billion gold
    marks (then $31.4 billion or £6.6 billion, roughly equivalent to US$442 billion or UK£284 billion in
    2023).

    3. Disarmament: Army of only 100,000. No tanks, submarines, aircraft. Only 6 ship navy.
    AFTERMATH OF VERSAILLE: LAND CESSATIONS
    Land Cessations:
    Alsace-Lorraine – France
    Saar Region (Coal) – League of Nations Protectorate for 15 years
    Rhineland – Demilitarized (occupied by French and Belgians)
    Independent Countries
    No unification with Austria
    Poland: Danzig corridor
    Czechoslavakia: Sudentenalnd
    Russian Civil War and War with Poland
    American and British Troops in Russia 1919-1922

    Protect war supplies sent to Russia before Russian Revolution

    Propaganda

    Soviet leaders, V.I. Lenin, use Anglo-Saxon intervention as evidence of global


    hostility to Russian Revolution and Communism.

    Soviet invasion of Poland in 1920.

    Poland will be an issue for both Germany and U.S.S.R.


    LEAGUE OF NATIONS
    Aims of the League of Nations
    1. Maintain Peace
    Disarmament: All nations reduce military forces
    Washington Naval Conference 1922
    Arbitration of International Disputes
    Collective Security: What is it ?
    Article 5 of NATO Treaty
    2. Encourage International Cooperation on economic and social issues
    LEAGUE OF NATIONS
    Membership:
    U.K. and France major members among first 42 countries (60 by 1930)
    U.S. does not join (concern of collective security)
    German: defeated and not invited to join (1926)
    U.S.S.R. hatred of communism leads to exclusion
    The Covenant: Moral guidelines for members to follow.
    Permanent Court of International Justice: bring sanctions when moral guidance
    failed.
    LEAGUE OF NATIONS: WHY WAS IT DOOMED
    Membership: Lack of 3 largest countries (U.S., Germany and U.S.S.R.)
    France & U.K. dominate Council: an extension of Versaille and colonialism
    PCIJ: sanctions only work if Nations agree. Major economies weren’t members and smaller
    countries in post-War period couldn’t afford to impose sanctions.
    Collective Security: no actual obligation to commit troops to the League.
    Organization: all actions by Council and PCIJ required unanimity.
    Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928: 65 countries agree not to use “aggression”
    What was “aggression” ?
    What would happen in case of aggression ?
    LEAGUE OF NATIONS MAJOR FAILURES
    1931: Japan invades Manchuria
    League Report faults Japan, but does nothing.
    Japanese economic ties to extensive to support economic sanctions
    U.K. and France wouldn’t commit troops. More concerned with Hitler and
    Mussolini.
    1935: Italy invades Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia)
    Hoare-Laval Pact: France and U.K. agree Italy can have Abyssinia.
    Manchuria and Abyssinia show dictators League cannot check aggression.
    Rise of National Socialism: Adolf Hitler
    Hitler: Iron Cross winning Austrian Corporeal during WW I
    Beer Hall Putsch: Munich 8-9 November 1923
    Imprisoned: Mein Kampf
    3 Pillars of National Socialism Ideology
    1. Uniting all German speaking people in 1 Empire (Austria, parts of Poland
    and Czechoslovakia taken from Germany)
    2. Purification of Germanic Empire
    3. Lebenstraum (slavik peoples of the east)
    Hitler’s democratic rise to power
    1928 and 1932 German Federal Elections

    Party Votes(28) Votes (32) Reichstag(28) Reichstag(32)

    Social Democrats 9,152,000 7,595,000 153 133

    German Nat’l People 4,381,000 2,178,000 73 37

    Centre Part 3,712,000 4,589,000 61 75

    Communist 3,264,000 5,282,000 54 89

    Nazi 810,000 13,746,000 12 230


    Hitler Becomes The Fuhrer–The Leader
    30 January 1933: Appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg

    27 February 1933: Reichstag Fire

    28 February 1933: Reichstag Fire Decree (curtails civil liberties)

    21 June 1933: Political parties banned (Nazi Party becomes official party 14 July)

    30 June 1934: Night of the Long Knives ( S.A. leader Ernst Röhm former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher)

    2 August 1934: President Hindenburg dies; Hitler become Head of State

    8 August 1934: Military swears allegiance to Hitler


    Reversing Versailles
    July 34: Dollfuss Affair in Austria

    Italian Intervention

    7 January 35: Saar Plebiscite– votes to return to Germany

    March 1935: Germany reintroduces conscription

    April 1935: Stressa Conference: Italy, France and U.K. oppose German militarization

    18 June 35: British German Naval Treaty: 35% of surface vessels, 45% submarines. Acknowledges rt to rearm.

    15 September 35: Nuremberg Laws

    7 March 36: Remilitarization of the Rhineland

    13 March 38: Anschluss unification with Austria

    30 September 38: Munich Conference


    Munich Agreement – 30 September 1938
    “Peace in our time” = APPEASEMENT

    14 March 1939

    Slovak Republic

    War with Hungary

    Carpatho-Ukraine

    15 March 1939

    German “Protectorate”

    17 March 1939

    Stalin speech in Moscow: Tripartite Alliance

    Why did Britain and France choose appeasement in Sept. 38 ?


    HUNGARIAN INTEREST IN CZECHOSLAVAKIAN CRISIS
    1930s: Hungary wants redress from concessions of Trianon

    Little Entente: Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia

    1938: Germany wants Hungarian support in any military action against Czechs.

    Aug. 1938: Bled Agreement. Hungarian right to rearm, but renouncing war.

    Hungarian support for Hitler eliminated.

    Munich Agreement provides for mediation of Hungarian claims to Upper Hungary.

    Mediation fails and Hungary seeks German military assistance against Czechs.
    HUNGARIAN INTEREST IN CZECHOSLAVAKIAN CRISIS
    Germany rejects Hungarian requests for military assistance. Offers mediation.
    First Vienna Award: 11,927 sq. km and almost 1,000,000 returned to Hungary
    Excluded Bratislava and eastern Upper Hungary (Ruthenia).
    March 1939: German troops complete annexation of Czechoslavakia.
    Hungarian forces invade Ruthenia and deploy along Polish border.
    August 1939: German requests for Hungarian assistance in Poland campaign are
    rejected. Would be incompatible with Hungarian honor.
    Post Munich Treaty Negotiations
    “Aggressor states are waging a war, violating the interests of non-aggressive states, particularly England,
    France and the U.S… We support nations who fell victims to aggression and fight for the independence of
    their homelands,” Stalin, March 1939

    18 April 1939: U.S.S.R. proposes tripartite alliance with Britain and France.

    April-August 1939: Negotiations fail to produce alliance. Why ?

    “I must confess to the most profound distrust of Russia. I have no belief whatever in her ability to maintain an effective
    offensive, even if she wanted to. And I distrust her motives, which seem to me to have little connection with our ideas of liberty,”

    There was no direct border between Germany and the USSR in spring 1939: in case the Red Army had had to fight Nazi Germany,
    either Poland or Romania would have to let them through their territory – something they were very unwilling to do.

    Low Level bureaucrats sent to Moscow antagonized Stalin and Molotov.


    Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: August 1939
    Molotov-Ribbentrop Agreement
    Non-Aggression Treaty between U.S.S.R. and Nazi Germany
    Eliminates possibility of 2 front war for Nazi Germany
    Sets stage for German invasion of Poland a week later.
    Secret Agreement between Germany and U.S.S.R.
    Division of Poland
    Soviet sphere of influence: Estonia, Latvia, Finland, 80% Lithuania and
    Bessarabia
    Nazi sphere of influence: 20% of Lithuania

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