WORLD WAR II BEGINS
What was the Treaty Of
Versailles?
What did it say?
Appeasement
Appeasement
• Giving into an aggressor to keep peace.
1.THE AXIS POWERS
Hitler
Mussollini
Hirohito
Why Appeasement?
Reasons why
1) Wanted to avoid horrors of WWI at all
costs
2) Hitler (fascism) was better than
communism
3) Greatest fear – USA wouldn’t support
U.K. standing up to Hitler
4) Britain’s armed forces were not ready
for war
5) Domestic economy & depression
higher priority
Why did Britain and France follow a policy
of Appeasement in the 1930s?
Great Britain
• Followed a policy of
appeasement
• – 1935: Signed naval
agreement
• – 1935-1938: gave Hitler
what Hitler wanted
• – Neville Chamberlain (P.M.
1937-40) most associated w/
appeasement
• Many British, including
politicians, favored policy
Munich
Agreement
APPEASEMENT
1. Britain France and Germany met in Munich to work out a
compromise
2. Hitler demanded the Sudetenland from Czech
3. Britain and France gave Hitler the land and in return he
agreed not to take any more land
4. Appeasement is giving into the aggressor
5. Chamberlain the Prime Minister of Great Britain promised
the world “Peace in our time”
6. Do you think he will stop here? Why?
APPEASEMENT
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact and War
• Historians have argued that the Nazi-Soviet Pact
was instrumental in causing the Second World
War, inasmuch as it:
• Freed up Hitler to invade Poland - he knew that
Britain couldn't do anything to defend Poland
(he invaded 9 days later).
• Ended Britain's hopes of an alliance with Russia
to stop Hitler - people in Britain realised that
nothing would stop Hitler now but war.
• Improved morale of British people for war showed Hitler as an opportunist and a trickster,
who could never be trusted
• Less than 6 months after
The Munich Conference
Hitler took ALL of
Czechoslovakia
• Mussolini takes Albania
• Hitler demands Danzig
from Poland—France
and Britain don’t help
Poland. Appeasement
=Hitler wins.
What was wrong with Appeasement?
1. Allowed Germany to
grow too strong
2. It scared USSR –
Germany’s eastward
expansion was no
secret (READ Mein
Kampf!)
3. Appeasement sent
clear message to
Stalin: Uncle Joe,
you’re on your own!
A Nazi-Soviet Pact
Poland Split
August 23 1939, the world was shocked when, suddenly, Russia and
Germany signed a 'Non-aggression Pact'.
. Hitler and Russia
In August 1939, Hitler sent Ribbentrop, a senior Nazi, to Russia. He
offered a Nazi-Soviet alliance – Russia and Germany would not go to
war, but would divide Poland between them. Germany would allow
Russia to annex Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Stalin knew Hitler was lying, but he did not trust the British either – the
Munich Agreement had convinced him that Britain and France would
never dare to go to war with Hitler.
Stalin had two choices:
1- if he made an alliance with Britain, he would end up fighting a war
with Hitler over Poland.
2-if he made an alliance with Germany, he would get half of Poland, and
time to prepare for the coming war with Germany.
He chose the latter. On 23 August 1939, he signed the Pact with Hitler.
NON AGRESSION PACT
• Non-Aggression
Pact- 10 year
agreement signed
by Hitler and
Stalin splitting
Poland
• Germany wanted
to prevent a two
front war
….FOR NOW……
APPEASEMENT
Hitler Defies Versailles Treaty
• 1935 increased …military-League of Nations did nothing
• March 7th 1936 Hitler invaded Rhineland; France afraid of war
did nothing
• The fact that no one stopped him furthered his desire and
marked the “march towards war”
Axis
Powers
•The fact no one stopped hitler made him even
more bold!
•Mussolini see Hitler's gains and the Rome- Berlin
Alliance is formed.
•Japan joins and they become known as the AXIS
POWERS
Isolationi sm
Belief that political ties
to other countries
should be avoided.
USA FOLLOWED THIS
POLICY
• 1935 USA passes
Neutrality Acts
banning loans and
the sale of arms to
nations at war.
Historians have said that appeasement:
1.let Hitler grow stronger.
2.gave Britain time to re-arm.
3.humiliated Britain – no country in central Europe ever trusted Britain again.
4.abandoned millions of people to the Nazis.
5.caused the war, by encouraging Hitler to think he could do anything.
6.gave Britain the morale high ground – when war came, Brittan's knew they
had done everything possible to keep the peace.
7would never have stopped Hitler, who was determined to go to war.
8. was a fine attempt to prevent the deaths of millions of people in a war.