Origins of WWII - Mr. Udesen Notes (Origins Book)

Pre-1933:

• Hitler rise in Germany
• Ism-fest - militarism, nationalism, industrialism, imperialism (post-WWI Division of land)
• Economic Crisis - inflation, depression, reparation
• 3 evils - German government conundrum - Dictator, Weimar disfunction, Nazi
• Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
  

1933:

• Hitler consolidates and builds - book burnings, laws against civil rights and Jewish, no opposition parties or trade unions, first concentration camps (prison), swastika made national flag, brownshirt secret police
• Communism to the east (hate hate hate)
• Opposition builds outside of Germany - Hitler cautious with foreign policy up to October
  
• October - Germany out of the League of Nations

1934:

• Nazi/Polish peace treaty (non-aggression pact)
• Beginning of Anschluss talk - annexing of Austria, leader of Austria says no way...eventually assassinated
  
• "Night of Long Knives" - massacres of opposition
• After NoLK - abolishes presidency/republic, ends Weimar Constitution, Fuhrer (new title meaning "leader")

1935:

• Re-armament - military was 400,000; supposed to be 100,000 according to the Treaty of Versailles
• "Stresa Front" - France, Italy, and Britain - reprimanding Germany, but really did nothing
• Italy attacks Ethiopia (non-colonized, African republic) - publicly reprimanded by Britain/France
  

1936:

• Hitler takes Rhineland - small reprimanding, but no consequences
  
• Spanish Civil War happening - Germans & Italians use as a testing ground - Britain, France, Italy, & US remain neutral
• Success in Germany - Austria under influence, but respect sovereignty
• Hitler's 4 year plan - economic focus on rearmament
• Rome-Berlin Alliance
• German-Japan Alliance
• Unemployment in Germany eradicated
  
• US uninterested - neutral or looking for a profit?, able to remain isolated
• Japan defense spending increase (31 to 47% in 4 years) and increasing sphere of influence
• 1937 - Japan invade Manchuria, China ask the LoN for help, but only reprimanded Japan

1937 - 1938 Appeasement:

• Why appeasment?

1. horrors of war
2. lack of faith in the League of Nations
3. felt the Germans were punished too harshly in the Treaty of Versailles
4. did not want to spend money going into the economy on rearmament
5. French-British Alliance strained
6. British had virtually no military strength
   

• Hitler looking for a reason to go to war, no reprimands, go all out

1937:

• Hossbach Memorandum (Hitler's goals) - conquest of the east (Lebensraum), take over Ausria and Czechoslovakia

1938:

• Anschluss - annexation of Austria - no shots fired upon entering Vienna
• End of the Treaty of Versailles - just dominated
• Czech Crisis - Germany want Sudaten land (previously theirs before Treaty of Versailles)
• Sept. Munich Agreement- Hitler, Musselini, France, and Chamberlain meet and give Sudatenland to Germany - rest of Czech supposed to remain autonomous
• German-Russian pact to not fight each other
• Nov. Kristalnocht - pillaged Jewish businesses and synagogues

1939:

• Feb. - British-French Alliance
• March - Germany takes Czechoslovakia defying Munich Agreement
• Musselini go after Albania
• Aug. 23 - Nazi-Soviet Pact in secret
• Sept. 1 - Hitler invade Poland
• Sept. 3 - Britain and France declare war