Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Road to War 1933-1939
This unit is about why the Second World War started.
In this unit you will learn:
 Why Germany wanted revenge after World War One.
 How Hitler increased the power of Germany in the 1930s.
 Why Britain and France did so little to stop Hitler in the 1930s.
 What is meant by the policy of appeasement.
 Why the Second World War broke out.
1914-1918
The First World War – the biggest and most horrible war the world had
seen. Known as the Great War because so many people died.
10,000,000
Number of people who died in WWI (“ the war to end all wars”).
700,000
British people killed during the First World War.
1933
Hitler became the leader of Germany.
1939-1945
The Second World War.
45,000,000
Number of people who died in the Second World War.
Therefore, there was only
21 years between the two world wars.
Historians still debate what happened in those 21 years. Some blame
Hitler and his attempts to bully other countries for the outbreak of the
war; some believe the governments of Britain and France are also
responsible as their policy of appeasement let Hitler carry out his aims.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Appeasement
Appeasement was the foreign policy followed by Britain in the 1930s.
Two British Prime Ministers followed this policy.
Stanley Baldwin
1935-1937
Neville Chamberlain
1937-1940
There are lots of different ideas about what the policy of appeasement
meant.
Collins Dictionary
“An act of pacifying…making
substantial concessions to preserve
peace.”
Dr E Ranson
“A policy where you buy off your
enemies by selling off your friends.”
Appeasement means negotiating with an enemy to find out their problems
so you can solve them without going to war.
Even at the time politicians disagreed about whether or not appeasement
was the correct policy to use.
I felt it was my duty to try everything I could to save my people and
my country from the horrors of another war. Talking is better than
warring. I believed that appeasement would stop a war from breaking
out. Neville Chamberlain, 1938.
Appeasement is just surrendering to a bully. It is a sign of cowardice.
Each time Hitler breaks a promise Britain and France let him away with
it. Is it any surprise that Hitler keeps taking more and more?
Appeasement is a failure. How long do we have to wait until he attacks
us? Winston Churchill, 1938.
Every time you sacrifice one of your friends to this
pathetic desire to appease Hitler you only bring nearer
the war you are trying to avoid.
Josiah Wedgewood, MP, 1938.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity
1. What was the policy of appeasement in the 1930s?
2. Read Sources A and B carefully.
Read the following sentences and write down the two correct
statements.
 Chamberlain supported the policy of appeasement.
 Chamberlain did not support the policy of appeasement.
 Churchill supported the policy of appeasement.
 Churchill did not support the policy of appeasement.
3. Explain why you chose each of the sentences for question 2.
4. Is Source C for or against appeasement? Copy some of the words
from the source to support your answer.
The First World War
The Great War ended in 1918 when Germany surrendered.
The war had lasted 4 years and involved countries from across the globe.
The main countries involved in the fighting are shown on the map below.
Triple Alliance = Germany, AustriaHungary and Italy.
Triple Entente (the Allies) = UK, France
and Russia.
By the end of the war these six countries were not the only ones fighting.
Russia had pulled out of the war and Italy had changed sides. America
joined the conflict in 1917 on the side of the Allies.
The war stopped when the armistice was called at 11am on 11 November
1918. Britain and France, as the winning countries, met in Paris in 1919 to
decide how to punish Germany.
Activity
1. Which countries were the winners and losers in the First World
War?
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Treaty of Versailles
The victorious allies met at the Palace of
Versailles, just outside Paris, in January 1919.
Over thirty countries attended but three
dominated the talks – Britain, France and the USA.
The Germans were not invited to the discussions
until the day they had to sign the treaty – 28 June
1919.
How did the Big Three feel?


Had been attacked twice by the Germans in 50 years.
The population had lost a lot due to the German invasion:
o 300,000 houses were destroyed.
o 1000 bridges were blown up.
o 500,000 cows and sheep were taken.
o 250,000,000 cubic metres of trench to fill in.

Had suffered during the 4 year war – rationing, deaths…
Needed Germany to be strong to help build up the economy.



Had only been involved in war for just over a year so losses
were smaller than the other countries.
Wanted to make sure Europe stayed peaceful so it did not
have to get involved in any more wars.
Activity
1. Where and when did the Allies meet to discuss the peace?
2. Which three countries were in charge of the discussions?
3. Read the information about how the Big Three countries felt. Try
and sum up how each country felt in one word. Use the evidence to
back up your choice.
Country
France
Britain
USA
Feeling
Revenge?
Evidence
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Treaty of Versailles
Territorial terms
 Germany lost land to Poland, Belgium and France.
 Germany was split because the Polish Corridor was created.
 An area called the Rhineland was to be demilitarised. This meant it was
to remain part of Germany but the German government was not allowed to
station troops there.
 Germany and Austria were not allowed to join.
 Germany lost all her colonies (overseas lands she controlled).
 Germany lost thousands of people who were now living in other countries
such as Czechoslovakia.
Military terms
 The German army was reduced to 100,000 men.
 The German army was not allowed to have tanks.
 Germany was to have no air force.
 The German navy was only allowed 6 warships and no submarines.
Financial terms:
 Germany had to accept to pay reparations of £6 600 000 000.
 Germany lost coal mines and iron works.
The War Guilt Clause:
 Germany had no choice but to sign Article 231 of the Treaty which said
Germany alone accepted the blame for having caused the war.
How did the German people react to the Treaty?
Many Germans were angry.
They called the treaty a DIKTAT – a dictated or forced peace.
Source A is an extract from a German newspaper sold on June 28, 1919.
VENGEANCE!
Today at Versailles a disgraceful treaty is being signed.
NEVER FORGET IT!
Today German honour is dragged to the grave.
NEVER FORGET IT!
The German people will push forward to regain their pride.
We will have revenge for the shame
5 of 1919.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Source B : The ex-Kaiser Wilheim after reading the Treaty of Versailles.
The war to end all wars had resulted in the peace to end all peace.
Source C: Adolf Hitler, 1933
I will make Germany great again but before that happens the Treaty of
Versailles must be destroyed.
Make Germany
Pay
Activity

Put the heading How did Germany react to the Treaty of Versailles

Get a copy of the map showing the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles. Colour in the areas which Germany lost. Stick this into
your jotter.
Get a copy of the cartoon symbols about the treaty. Match each
cartoon with the description and cut and stick them into your
jotter.

1. Why would German officers be angry about the treaty?
2. Why would people in East Prussia be angry about the treaty?
3. Why would German businessmen who needed iron and coal supplies
be angry about the treaty?
4. Why would German shipbuilders be angry about the treaty?
5. Why would Germans overseas be angry about the treaty?
6. Why would people in Rhineland feel unprotected?
7. Which of the restrictions do you think would be most hated?
8. Why did the German people refer to the Treaty as a diktat?
9. Read Source A again. Why is this so useful for finding out what
ordinary Germans thought?
10. Read Source B again. What is the ex-Kaiser predicting will happen
in the future?
11. Read Source C again. Would this policy make Hitler popular in
Germany? Explain your answer.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Did everyone in Britain think the Treaty of Versailles was fair?
When the treaty was signed people in Britain were angry and
wanted revenge on the country that had killed their loved
ones. The popular slogan at the time is shown on the right
hand side of the page.
HANG
THE
KAISER
However, as time passed, most British people realised that the
treaty was too hard on Germany. Even at the time some British people
thought that the treaty would lead to trouble. One reason why Britain
was willing to appease Germany in the 1930s was because many people
thought Germany had been unfairly treated at the end of the Great War.
British people were said to have “Versailles Guilt”.
Source A:
Harold Nicholson one of the British representatives at Versailles.
We came to Versailles to make a peace treaty that would work. When we
left Versailles we knew that the treaty forced on Germany was foolish
and would lead to trouble in the future.
Source B is a British cartoon drawn the day the Treaty of Versailles was
signed.
Woodrow Wilson,
US President
Lloyd George
UK Prime Minister
Clemenceau
French President
(Nickname = the Tiger)
Small child
with 1940 class
written above.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity
1. Why are sources A and B useful for finding out how people in
Britain felt about the Treaty of Versailles? Think about who wrote
them and when they were written.
2. What was “Versailles Guilt”?
3. In Source B why does the child have “1940 class” written above
them?
4. What is Source B predicting will happen?
Hitler’s beliefs
Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German
Workers Party (or Nazis for short) in 1920. By 1923, Hitler
thought he had enough support to overthrow the German
government however when he launched an uprising in Munich it was
unsuccessful. Hitler was caught, put on trial, found guilty of
treason and put into prison.
Hitler in prison, 1923/4.
Hitler used his time in prison to write a book called “Mein Kampf” or “My
Struggle”. The book is partly Hitler’s autobiography and partly an
explanation of his beliefs. In the book Hitler outlined his foreign policy
aims.
1.
We must have
revenge for the
humiliation of
Versailles.
4.
We Germans are the
master race. We
have the right to
make other races our
servants (the
untermenschen).
They are not our
equals.
2.
We must make
Germany strong by
bringing together all
German speaking
people in one large
country.
8
3.
As Germany grows
more powerful we must
have land and
resources so that
Germans can have
space to live in and
grow strong.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Put the heading Hitler’s foreign policy ideas.
1. Read the following sentences and decide which of them are true.
Copy the true statements into your jotter. There should be 6!
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
Mein Kampf was a book written for Hitler.
Mein Kampf was a book written by Hitler.
Hitler’s foreign policy means the way he dealt with other countries.
Hitler’s foreign policy means the way other countries dealt with
Hitler.
Hitler believed that all races should cooperate equally.
Hitler believed that Germans were the master race.
Hitler believed that Germans should live peacefully with its
neighbours.
Hitler believed that all Germans should be joined together into one
nation.
Hitler believed that Germany should become more powerful.
Hitler believed that Germany should share its land and other
resources with other people.
Hitler believed that Germany must have revenge for the Treaty of
Versailles.
Hitler’s foreign policy was to be:
AGGRESSIVE
EXPANSIONIST
RACIST
and to DESTROY THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
2. Copy the box above into your notes making sure it stands out
clearly.
3. Using the words from the box complete the following four
sentences.

By using force to get what he wanted Hitler was being _________.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39



When Hitler took over a country’s land and resources he was being
___________.
When Hitler invaded a country created by the peace treaties he
was keeping his promise to ___ ___ ______ __ ________.
Once he took over a country Hitler treated the local people badly
and almost turned them into slaves to work for the Nazis so this
policy was _____.
How did
Germany fall
into the hands
of Hitler?
Hitler rearms Germany – 1935
Germany had been forced to disarm by the
Treaty of Versailles. The German army
and navy were reduced and Germany was
not allowed to have an air force. If
Germany broke the treaty the Allies had
pledged to restart the war.
Disarmament means reducing the number
of military forces within a country.
Rearmament means building up the
number of weapons within a country.
Hitler planned to make Germany powerful again and began a secret
programme of rearmament. Hitler began rearming almost as soon as he
came to power in 1933 and demanded the army grew to 300,000. He also
wanted 1000 planes to be built and barracks to be constructed across the
country.
By March 1935 Hitler felt confident enough to announce to
the world that Germany was rearming. He also stated that he
was introducing conscription to increase the army to 550,000.
The graphs below show the scale of the rearmament.
Conscription
means being
forced to join
the army for a
period of time.
60
40
Luftwaffe
The Army
20
5000
0
4000
1933
1939
Planes
Fully trained
divisions
The Army
Years
3000
Luftwaffe
2000
1000
0
10
1933
1939
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Submarines
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Submarines
1933
1939
Hitler thought that Britain and France might try to stop him if he
rearmed so he needed a reason, or justification, for rearming Germany.
Hitler thought that if he had a good enough reason, or even a good
excuse, then Britain and France might let him get away with it.
Source A: Adolf Hitler.
In 1919 Germany was disarmed and we were given a promise that other
countries would also disarm in a few years. How long do we have to wait?
Sixteen years have passed since we were made to disarm. Other
countries have done nothing. Today I say to the world that once again
Germany will be strong, but only so that we can defend ourselves and also
give our people jobs making weapons we need for our defences.
Source B: Adolf Hitler on the day he announced that Germany would
rearm
I say this to the leaders of Europe. Yes, we are breaking the treaty but
we will get rid of our weapons immediately if other countries do the same.
If we are allowed to defend ourselves then we offer a future of peace
where all our differences can be discussed peacefully without using force.
But if you attack us we will resist to the last man.
Source C: Kurt Adler, a German who was 19 years old in 1935.
He promised us work and pride. By 1935 I was taken into the army along
with many of my friends. We were aware that Hitler did break a treaty
but now no other country could bully us. We were happy that Hitler was
making us strong. We had a strong army and we had jobs. I was proud to
be a soldier but I was also happy to get wages.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Put the heading Hitler rearms.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Copy down the 3 definitions on page 10.
Why was Germany disarmed?
When did Hitler begin rearming? Why?
Use the three graphs to record some evidence about Hitler’s
rearmament programme.
Why did Hitler think he needed an excuse for his rearmament?
Read Source A. What evidence is there in the source that Hitler
was speaking in 1935?
Read Sources A and B. What two reasons is Hitler using to explain
his rearmament?
Read Source C. Why did rearmament please the German people?
Do you think Hitler’s reasons are justified? Give reasons for your
answer.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The British and French reaction
Both Britain and France were alarmed by Hitler’s rearmament and
the fact he had openly broken the Treaty of Versailles.
However, they did not take any direct action against Hitler.
The only action they did take was to hold a meeting with Italy
where the three countries formed the Stresa Front and
promised to work together to monitor Hitler.
Stresa
Stresa Front =
+
+
Not long after the meeting the British and French began to disagree
about what to do next. Britain felt that the French were being too
stubborn by insisting that Germany was kept disarmed and they became
worried that it might led to a war. Therefore, totally out of self-interest
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
and without consulting France, Britain began secret negotiations with
Germany about a controlled rate of rearmament.
On 18 June 1935 Britain and Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval
deal. It stated:
 Germany could have “parity in the air”. (The same size of air force
as Britain.)
 Germany could have naval forces 35% of Britain’s.
 Germany could have an equal number of submarines to Britain.
Most people in Britain did not see any danger in German rearmament and
because of “Versailles Guilt” they felt it was justifiable.
Source A: Anthony Eden MP, 1935
Who are we to complain? We have failed to disarm. France refuses to
disarm despite promised made sixteen years ago. Germany has a right to
defend herself. Are we really going to bully Germany again? We all know
the Treaty of Versailles was stupid. Let Germany rearm and give its
people work!
However, a small minority of people were against the British policy of
letting Germany rearm.
Source B: Winston Churchill MP, 1935
There is no mistaking what Germany is doing. At the end of the Great
War we said that there must be no more war, yet Germany is now moving
along the path of war again. What will this new army be used for? Are
submarines and bombers to be used for defence? Hitler must be made to
stop his aggressive actions.
Activity

Put the heading British and French Reactions.
1. What did the British and French do in response to German
rearmament?
2. Why did the British and French disagree?
3. What was the Anglo-German Naval deal?
4. Read Source A. Why does Eden feel Germany should be allowed to
rearm? Try and give 4 reasons.
5. Read Source B. Why does Churchill think that German rearmament
is a danger to Britain?
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
6. Compare Source A and B. What are the views of the two men
towards appeasement?
7. Study the table below carefully and answer the questions that
follow in sentences.
Army 1939
Air force 1939
Battleships 1939
Small ships 1939
Submarines 1939
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Germany
1,720,000 men
4,000 planes
19
50
54
Britain
630,000 men
2,150 planes
82
173
58
In which areas was Hitler’s military stronger than Britain
by 1939?
In which areas was Britain stronger?
Why were Britain strong in these particular areas?
Had Germany kept its promises from the Anglo-German
Naval Pact?
Do these figures support the view of Eden or Churchill?
Hitler’s first big step
The re-militarisation of the Rhineland
Russia
Rhineland
France
Under the Treaty of Versailles the
area of Germany known as the
Rhineland was demilitarised. This
meant that no German soldiers or
military bases were allowed within the
area but it remained part of Germany.
The reason for this was to make France
feel safer. Germany would not be able
to launch a surprise attack on France if
it had no troops near the border
between the countries.
In 1919 these terms had been imposed on Germany by the Treaty of
Versailles but in 1925 Germany agreed to them freely when the
Locarno Pact was signed. The Locarno Pact said that Germany would
respect her western borders if France left her to decide her own eastern
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
borders. However, in 1935 France began negotiations with Russia about
becoming friends. This went against the Locarno Pact which stated
France should not interfere in Eastern Europe. This gave Hitler an
excuse to break the agreement.
On Saturday 7 March 1936 22,000
fully armed German troops marched
into Rhineland remilitarising the
area. This action broke both the
Treaty of Versailles and the
Locarno Pact.
The photograph shows the soldiers
marching over the Hohenzollern
Bridge and the crowds
enthusiastically welcoming them.
Hitler chose a Saturday deliberately because he knew British and French
politicians would not be in a good position to react over the weekend. He
was also careful to offer peaceful promises to go along with his move:
 A non-aggression pact with everyone for 25 years.
 A new equal demilitarised zone with the French.
 To rejoin the League of Nations (the organisation meant to keep
the peace in the world)
Activity

Put the heading The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland – March 1936
1. Write a definition for the word demilitarised.
2. Why was Rhineland demilitarised?
3. What was the Locarno Pact? How was it different from the
Treaty of Versailles?
4. What was Hitler’s excuse for the remilitarisation?
5. What happened 7 March 1936?
6. Why did Hitler choose a Saturday for this event?
7. Were the German population happy about this? Can you
think of the reasons for this?
8. What were Hitler’s peaceful promises?
9. Why did Hitler offer these promises?
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The British and French reaction
Hitler had taken a gamble. Britain and France had more military power
than him in 1936. By breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno
Pact, Hitler was risking war. In
“The 48 hours after the march into the Rhineland
fact, Hitler himself was nervous
were the most nerve wracking of my life. If the
French had reacted we would have had to retreat.
about it and commented after:
We were not strong enough to have fought France.”
Hitler’s gamble paid off.
Neither Britain nor France took any action to
force Hitler to remove his troops from the
Rhineland.
WHY?
1. By Monday 9 March the remilitarisation was already completed and
would have taken a lot of effort to reverse.
2. The French had found out about the Anglo-German Naval deal and
no longer trusted the British so they did not work together.
3. The French military was too defensive. All of their money had
been put into creating the Maginot Line which made it difficult for
them to attack Hitler.
4. The two countries over-estimated the size of the German military
and were worried about the prospect of war.
5. “Versailles Guilt” was growing in Britain.
6. The British felt Hitler’s excuse about the Franco-Soviet Pact was
a good point.
Public Opinion in Britain
The majority of British people did not see any problem with Hitler
remilitarising the Rhineland. After all, it was part of Germany.
Source A: The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Anthony Eden, March 1936
The Treaty of Versailles was far too hard on Germany. Germany is
attacking nobody. They are not threatening anyone…How can we possibly
punish the Germans for moving soldiers in their own country? Has
Germany attacked anyone? No. Has Germany invaded anyone? No.
Hitler had simply taken steps to protect Germany’s borders. By allowing
Hitler to alter the treaty slightly we remove another cause of argument
between us and the Germans.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Source B: Lord Lothian, British politician
They are only going into their own back garden.
However, there was a minority of people who expressed concern about
Hitler’s actions.
Source C: The East Lothian News, March 1936
Hitler is on the warpath. Last year he rearmed, and broke the treaty.
This year he has moved troops into the Rhineland, and broken the treaty.
What next? How long will we hide from the reality that this man is a
threat to European peace. We must do something to stop him now!
Source D: A cartoon by David Low, Evening Standard, 11 March 1936.
“ACH! SO YOU WON’T BE PEACEFUL, HEY? YOU BIG BULLIES!”
Source E: A British cartoon from Punch, 1936
“Peace Germany” and an olive branch, a symbol of peace.
The goose is shown as heavily armed.
Locarno Pact – ripped up on the ground.
Goosey, goosey gander, where are you marching, with soldier,
gun and lorry?
Only through Rhineland sir, if we’ve angered you we’re sorry!
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Put the heading British and French reactions.
1. Why was Hitler taking a gamble when he remilitarised the
Rhineland?
2. Make a list under the following heading:
Why Britain and France did not take any action in March 1936
 Aim for 6 points
3. Were the majority of the British public for or against the
appeasement of Hitler? Use evidence from Source A and B to back
up your decision.
4. Why is Source C saying that the British government should have
taken action?
5. Carefully study Source D.
a. Why is Hitler drawn with angel wings?
b. Why is France shown looking shocked?
c. What do the signs Hitler is carrying mean?
d. Is the source for or against appeasement? Explain
your answer.
6. Carefully study Source E.
a. What is the goose carrying in its beak? Why?
b. Why has the Locarno Pact been drawn as ripped up?
c. What does the song at the bottom mean?
d. Is the source for or against appeasement? Explain
your answer.
7. Copy the following summary note into your jotter.
Changing fortunes after Rhineland
GOING UP
1.
2.
Hitler’s standing in Germany. He was
delivering his promises and giving the
German people what they wanted.
Hitler’s confidence. He had now got
away with breaking the treaty twice.
GOING DOWN
1.
2.
18
The power of France. They had been
made to look weak by Hitler.
The power of Britain. They had given
into Hitler’s demands again.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Summary Activity




Create a poster to summarise the events in Rhineland.
Try not to use words but explain the event with
pictures.
Ideas of images to include:
o A map to show Rhineland.
o Flags to demonstrate what each country did.
o A calendar showing the date of the event.
Make sure it is bright and colourful.
Hitler’s foreign policy ideas – Part II
The world first heard of the word lebensraum in “Mein
Kampf”. Lebensraum became one of the main parts of
Nazi ideology.
Ideology
means a set of
beliefs.
Lebensraum literally means living space.
Hitler’s idea was that if he united all
Germans they would require a bigger country
to live in and more resources to survive.
Therefore, other countries would have to be
taken over to allow the Germans to spread
out and gain enough resources.
Hitler knew that one reason Germany had lost the Great War was because
it ran out of resources, especially oil and food. So Hitler planned to
expand Germany eastwards to take land from countries such as Poland
and Russia to gain more food and industrial supplies.
Source A: Hitler, writing in “Mein Kampf”
The German population grows by nearly 1 million people every year. The
problem of feeding these extra mouths grows bigger every year.
Germany will face disaster unless we can make sure Germany had a supply
of food in the future.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Source B: cartoon from a British newspaper, 1940.
Source C: Hitler, writing in “Mein Kampf”
When we speak of land in Europe we mean Russia and the lands bordering
it. Clearly we must control the states between us and Russia. If they
chose to fight against our wishes then we must deal with them.
However, if German was to take over these other countries it was not
just German people Hitler would be ruling over.
Source B
Number of Germans living outside Germany in the 1930s
Number of Germans
Total Population
Czechoslovakia
3,000,000
15,000,000
Poland
1,000,000
32,000,000
Lithuania
100,000
2,500,000
Latvia
60,000
2,000,000
Estonia
17,000
2,000,000
German people were only minorities of the population in the countries
Hitler was targeting and so Hitler also needed to plan how to rule the
rest of the people in these countries. For this reason, lebensraum was
also about Nazi racist beliefs.
Hitler had very clear beliefs on race. Hitler called the
Germans the Aryan race and believed they were a master
race. As a result of this, all other races were inferior to
the Aryans. In particular, Hitler disliked the Jews and the
Slavs. Hitler referred to these groups as sub-humans or
untermenschen. The untermenschen were to work for the
Aryans (as their slaves) or be wiped out.
20
The Slavs are a
group of people who
live in Eastern
Europe. The term
includes Czechs,
Poles and Russians.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Aryan Master Race
Western European countries – Britain, France..
Untermenschen - Jews, Slavs..
The triangle on the left shows
the racist ideology of the
Nazis. The Aryan race make
up the smallest portion as
there is only a limited number
of superior people. The other
two sections are larger and
these people were to work for
the benefit of the Aryan race.
Activity

Put the heading Hitler’s foreign policy
1. Copy the note in the oblong on page 19. Make sure it stands out in
your notes.
2. Write a definition of the phrase Nazi ideology.
3. What was Lebensraum about getting for Germany? (2 things).
4. According to Hitler, why did Germany lose the First World War?
5. Which countries were targets for Hitler?
6. What two things did Hitler want from these countries?
7. In Source A what reason does Hitler give for the policy of
Lebensraum?
8. Look carefully at Source B. Why do Stalin’s trousers say Caucasus
Oil and Ukraine Wheat and why is Hitler drawn with no trousers
on?
9. What does Source B suggest about the way in which Hitler went
about achieving his foreign policy aims?
10. Copy the table on page 20. Why would Hitler be interested in
these countries?
11. What did Hitler call the Germans and what did he believe them to
be?
12. What were untermenschen? Who were they?
13. What were the untermenschen supposed to do?
14. Copy the triangle on page 21 under the heading Hitler’s racist
beliefs.
21
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
What did people in Britain think of Hitler?
By 1937 most British people had heard of Adolf Hitler. He had been the
leader of Germany for four years and his actions were breaking treaties
and making headlines.
However, the politicians and public were unsure just what to make of him.
Source A is a short description of Hitler written by the British embassy
in Berlin in January 1937.
Source B is a report written by Mr Law, a British businessman working in
Berlin in 1937.
22
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Put the heading What did Britain think of Hitler?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who would have written Source A?
According to Source A what are Hitler’s strengths?
Does Source A see Hitler as a threat?
What is the opinion of Source B about Hitler? Use evidence to
back up your answer.
5. What is Source B predicting will happen?
6. Which of the two sources would the British government have
access to?
Hitler’s timetable for war
During the rest of 1936 and 1937 Hitler began organising Germany for
war. He made important agreements with other countries to make sure
Nazi Germany had friends in Europe.
July 1936
November 1936
Austro-German Agreement
Austria and Germany agreed to work together over
foreign policy.
Rome-Berlin Axis
Italy and Germany agreed to work together over
common policy.
By the end of 1937 Hitler felt safe from attack by Britain and France
because they had let him get away with the remilitarisation of the
Rhineland so he decided to go one step further.
In November 1937 Hitler invited all his generals to his headquarters. At
this secret meeting Hitler told the generals he had six aims that had to
be achieved by 1943.
The generals were amazed. One of them, called Hossbach, was so
shocked he secretly wrote down what Hitler said. These notes are called
the Hossbach Memorandum. Unfortunately, there are no other records
of the meeting so this is the nearest thing historians have to prove that
Hitler had a timetable for war.
23
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Hossbach Memorandum
Hitler’s foreign policy demands:
1. Take over Austria. (CASE OTTO)
2. Take over Czechoslovakia. (CASE GREEN)
3. Take over Russia.
4. Take over Poland. (CASE WHITE)
5. Defeat Britain and France.
6. “Germany must be ready for war by 1938 and
at the latest by 1943-45”.
The Hossbach Memorandum was found in the ruins of Berlin at the end of
the war in 1945 by the American army. It is the only evidence we have
that Hitler had precise plans for war.
Activity

Put the heading Hitler’s timetable for war.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What two important agreements did Hitler sign 1936-1937?
Why did Hitler organise these two agreements?
What happened in November 1937?
Why do you think Hitler’s generals were shocked?
Copy out Hitler’s six demands under the heading The Hossbach
Memorandum.
6. How do each of the demands fit in with Hitler’s foreign policy
aims? (Aims are on page 9).
7. Does the evidence about the discovery of the Memorandum make
you question the evidence? Explain your answer.
Anschluss, March 1938
Anschluss means the union of Germany and Austria. Anschluss had been
banned by the Treaty of Versailles because Germany and Austria had
worked together in the First World War.
Hitler wanted Austria for a number of reasons. Firstly, Hitler wanted o
unite all Germans. Secondly, it would allow him to surround
Czechoslovakia, his next target. Thirdly, he was Austrian.
24
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Hitler made it clear he wanted Austria when he took power in 1933 but he
decided to take an evolutionary approach. This means he decided to wait
for an opportunity to act.
While Hitler was waiting for the perfect moment he set up a Nazi party
in Austria to cause problems for the government. This party was led by
Arthur Seyss-Inquhart. From 1936-38 Seyss-Inquhart acted like a
mole, burrowing inside Austria and undermining the government.
Hitler’s opportunity came in early 1938. On 12 February 1938
Hitler invited the Austrian leader Kurt von Schuschnigg to meet
him at Berchtesgaden, his mountain home. Schuschnigg was
happy to go as he wanted to complain that Hitler was stirring up
trouble in Austria. However, Hitler threw a tantrum and raged
at Schuschnigg, threatening to take Austria by force.
Hitler said:
“I only have to give the order and your defences will be destroyed. You don’t really
think you can stop me now do you? You have no friends. Britain and France will not lift
one finger to help you. They could have stopped me in Rhineland but now it’s too late.
Think it over Schuschnigg. You have until this afternoon to decide.”
Hitler’s bullying worked and Schuschnigg went back to
Austria to obey his orders. Schuschnigg tried to get Britain
and France to help him but they were not interested.
However, on the 9 March 1938 Schuschnigg made a brave
decision and changed his mind. He announced a plebiscite to
find out what the Austrian people thought.
Plebiscite = a vote
on a single issue.
Also known as a
referendum.
Schuschnigg was attempting to go against what Hitler had told him to do
and Hitler reacted badly (one of his generals later commented,“Hitler
reacted as though someone had trodden on a painful corn”). Hitler
threatened to invade Austria if Schuschnigg did not call off the vote.
Schuschnigg was forced to resign.
On 12 March 1938 the German army marched into
Austria at the invitation of Hitler’s mole SeyssInquhart. The invasion itself was a bit of disaster –
70% of the tanks broke down and many had to fill up
their petrol at roadside pumps. The tank commander
had to plan his route using a tourist guide, not a map!
25
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
On 10 April 1938 Hitler decided to hold his own plebiscite to justify his
take over of Austria. The results showed 99% of Austrians were in
favour of the Anschluss.
Activity

Put the heading Anschluss, March 1938
1. What does Anschluss mean?
2. Why would the Anschluss please Hitler? Give 3 reasons.
3. What kind of approach did Hitler take to gaining control in
Austria?
4. Who was Arthur Seyss-Inquhart?
5. How did Hitler keep up the pressure on Austria 1936-38?
6. Who was Kurt von Schuschnigg?
7. What happened in February 1938?
8. Who did Schuschnigg turn to for help and what did he then plan?
9. How did Hitler react and what did he force Schuschnigg to do?
10. What happened on 12 March 1938?
11. Was the German invasion of Austria successful? Explain.
12. What happened on 10 April 1938?
13. Get a copy of the crossword from your teacher. Complete it then
stick it into your jotter.
14. The Anschluss was the first time Hitler had attacked a country
outwith his borders. Do you think this should have changed the
British government’s attitude towards him? Explain your answer.
As a result of the Anschluss the
German state increased dramatically.
Unfortunately for Czechoslovakia it was
now partially surrounded.
Poland also looked vulnerable as it still
cut off East Prussia from the rest of
Germany.
Hitler’s friendship with Mussolini of
Italy meant they now had a block of
power right down the centre of Europe.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
How did Britain react to the Anschluss?
Once again Britain was divided about how the government should react.
Source A Lord Tweedsmuir, March 15th 1938
I don’t see what the problem is. Austria will be much happier as part of
Germany. The Treaty of Versailles said that Germany and Austria must
never unite but that treaty was foolish. Some people say that if Germany
gets Austria then Czechoslovakia will be Hitler’s next target but that’s
not our problem.
Source B Andrew Cuthbert MP, March 17th 1938
I disagree most strongly with those people who say Austria is nothing to
us. Our honour, our power and our safety is being worn away. In 1935
and again in 1936 Hitler broke the rules. We did nothing to stop him. It
is no surprise that the bully has come back to take more and he will keep
on coming back to take more until he is stopped. In Austria there are
resources, factories and men of military age. All these things are now
Hitler’s. Czechoslovakia now has its head in the lion’s mouth. How long
will it be before Czechoslovakia is swallowed?
Source C Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister, March 1938
Austria must face reality. They will become part of Germany whether we
like it or not. There is no sense in threatening war over a far away
country that has nothing to do with us.
Activity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Put the heading The British reaction to Anschluss.
Is Source A for or against appeasement? Explain your answer.
Is Source B for or against appeasement? Explain your answer.
Is Source C for or against appeasement? Explain your answer.
Look at the map on page 26. Why does Source B say
Czechoslovakia “has its head in the lion’s mouth”?
Sources A and C illustrate the majority view at the time. Explain
what this view was.
Why do you think Source B would be a minority view? What does
Source B think Britain should do?
27
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Cartoons
The cartoon below is the work of a man named David Low. Low drew lots
of cartoons for newspapers during the 1930s and he supported the
minority viewpoint that was against appeasement. He can be described as
an anti-appeaser.
The figure at the end is meant to be Sir Anthony Eden who was Foreign
Secretary at this time. Eden is saying:
“why should we take a stand about someone pushing someone else
when it’s all so far away…”
But the cartoonist, Low, doesn’t agree with what Eden said.
Low is using irony in the cartoon. Irony often means a cartoonist will
make a character say things which are the opposite of what the
cartoonist really means.
Activity

Look at the cartoon carefully.
8. What is the big soldier meant to represent?
9. Why are Austria and Czechoslovakia being crushed?
10. Why has Low drawn the countries in this specific order?
11. Does the Low think the Anschluss affects Britain? Explain.
12. What is Low’s opinion of Eden’s statement?
13. What is the cartoonist saying about the policy of appeasement?
28
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was still a new country in 1938. It was created by the
peace treaties at the end of the Great War.
Before the Great War Austria had a big empire in central
Europe. The peace treaty at the end of the war broke up
the Austrian empire and Czechs and Slovak people got
their own country called Czechoslovakia. The Treaty
that applied to the Austrian empire was called the
Treaty of Saint-Germain.
Hitler hated the Treaty of
Saint-Germain just as much
as the Treaty of Versailles.
He used to call it “that
bastard child of Versailles.”
Not all the people in Czechoslovakia were happy about being part of the
new country. There were Polish people, Hungarian people and there were
three million Germans, all living in Czechoslovakia.
The German people lived in an area called the Sudetenland. These
Sudeten Germans were the excuse that Hitler used to destabilise
Czechoslovakia and in 1938 Europe was close to war because of a crisis
over the Sudetenland. By 1938 the western half of Czechoslovakia was
“surrounded” by German territory.
Source A: Andrew Cuthbert MP, March 17th, 1938
Czechoslovakia now has its head in the lion’s mouth. How long will it be
before Czechoslovakia is swallowed.
29
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Put the heading The Czech Crisis, 1938.
1.
2.
3.
4.
When had Czechoslovakia been created?
Czechoslovakia used to be part of which empire?
Which treaty created Czechoslovakia?
Which groups of people were not happy about being part of
Czechoslovakia? Why?
In which area did the German speaking people live?
What did Hitler use these Germans as an excuse to do?
By 1938, why was Czechoslovakia in such danger?
How would an attack on Czechoslovakia help Hitler to achieve his
foreign policy aims?
5.
6.
7.
8.
Why did Hitler want to break up Czechoslovakia and control the
Sudetenland?
In August 1938, “The Weekly View” newspaper tried to calm fears in
Britain about the Czech crisis. However, “The Weekly View”, also
highlighted some of the reasons why Hitler wanted control of the
Sudetenland.
The Weekly View
September 13 1938
What is Czechoslovakia?
Czechoslovakia is a new
country born in 1919. It
is a strong democracy
with many races living
happily together.
The country is rich in
natural resources with
copper, iron and coal in
the Sudeten area.
Czechoslovakia also
earns much money from
its high quality Skoda
Weapons factory, which
is near the Sudeten area
and would be an easy
target for any invader
who got into the
Sudetenland.
Czechoslovakia is a large
country and sits between
Europe to the west and
Russia to the east. Some
travellers say that
Czechoslovakia is the
“doorway to Russia”.
Czechoslovakia is a well
defended country with
the natural defence of
mountains added to by
strong military defences
along its border with
Germany and Austria.
From its airports bombers
could if necessary reach
most main cities in
central Europe including
Germany.
Despite fears about what
Mr Hitler is up to, our
readers can sleep easy in
30
their beds. The Weekly
View feels that
Czechoslovakia is not
under any real threat from
Germany and that if any
crisis arose then Britain
and France would be sure
to help Czechoslovakia
live happily ever after.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

Use “The Weekly News” special edition to complete the following
table.
Reason Hitler wanted the area
Rich in natural resources – cooper,
iron and coal.
How it linked to Hitler’s aims
The Sudetenland Crisis, 1938
Hitler’s campaign against the Sudetenland followed a similar pattern to
his pressure on Austria before Anschluss.
1.
2.
Hitler claimed that Germans in Sudetenland were
Persecuted – being
being persecuted by the Czech government and that
treated cruelly
because of your race
they needed to be protected by Germany.
or religion.
Hitler set up a Nazi party called the Sudeten
German party to spread discontent in the area.
Conrad Henlein was the leader of this party but he got all of his
instructions from Hilter.
By September 1938 the crisis over Czechoslovakia had reached its peak.
Hitler made a speech on September 12th stating:
“The Sudeten Germans are being bullied by the Czech
government. They must be allowed to live in peace. The
German nation will not stand by and watch other Germans
suffering. The Sudeten Germans are not alone. They are
not defenceless!”
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Hitler ordered his army to be ready to attack Czechoslovakia on October
1st 1938. This plan was called Operation Green. The plan was supposed
to be secret but Britain knew about it and the government realised they
had less than a month to prevent a war. The British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain decided to meet Hitler three times in September
1938 in a last effort to avoid war.
Activity

Answer the following questions in sentences.
9. What was Hitler’s first move?
10. What did Hitler set up in Sudetenland? Why?
11. Who was Conrad Henlein and how did Hitler treat him?
12. Copy Hitler’s speech of September 12th into a speech bubble and
comment on what he was suggesting.
13. What was Operation Green?
14. Which other country knew about Operation Green?
15. What did Chamberlain do three times in September 1938?
32
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Three Meetings – September 1938
MEETING
1
When?
Who?
Where?
15 September 1938
Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain
Berchtesgaden, Hitler’s holiday home in the Alps.
Hitler wanted Britain and France to agree to Germany getting
Sudetenland “some time” in the future.
Chamberlain returned to Britain to persuade the other
countries to accept this demand.



This meeting was the first time 69 year old Chamberlain had flown.
Chamberlain took two advisors with him but met Hitler alone.
Chamberlain refused to use a translator although he spoke no
German and Hitler did not speak English!
MEETING
2
When?
Who?
Where?
22 September 1938
Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain
Godesberg on the River Rhine.
Hitler changed his mind and demanded control of the
Sudetenland by September 28th.
Chamberlain was shocked by the new demands and returned to
Britain convinced Hitler was looking for a war.


Chamberlain was probably flattered that Hitler agreed to meet him
at Godesberg as it was a shorter flight.
Chamberlain spoke to the British public on the radio and stated:
“How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging
trenches and trying on gas masks here because of a quarrel in a far
away country between people of whom we know nothing.”
33
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
MEETING
3
When?
Who?
Where?
29 September 1938
Neville Chamberlain, Daladier
(France), Adolf Hitler and Mussolini
(Italy). The Czechs were not invited.
Munich.
Hitler repeated his demands for Sudentenland.
Chamberlain agreed to the terms with one small change.
Instead of getting Sudetenland immediately, Czechoslovakia was
given 12 hours to accept the proposals and ten days to
implement them.


The four countries had decided to break up Czechoslovakia
without even asking the Czech government!
Chamberlain felt relieved to avoid war and returned to
Britain with a “piece of paper” that Hitler had signed saying
he would work to keep the peace with Britain.
OUTCOME OF THE THREE MEETINGS



Hitler got what he wanted – Czechoslovakia was broken up and he
got control of Sudetenland.
Britain and France had failed to stand up for a smaller democratic
country and had given in to Hitler (again).
Chamberlain felt he had achieved his main aim – to avoid war – and
he had the “piece of paper” to apparently guarantee this.
Activity
1. In your jotter make a brief note on each of the meetings under the
following headings:
i. Who?
ii. When?
iii. Where?
iv. What happened?
2. Design a leaflet explaining what the Sudetenland crisis was about
and what happened in the three meetings.
34
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
How did people in Britain react to the Munich Agreement?
Public opinion in Britain was divided over the Munich Agreement.
The majority of people were in favour of the agreement as they believed
it had avoided another war in Europe. However, a growing minority of
people considered it a disgraceful treaty in which Britain had betrayed
Czechoslovakia.
The public sent Chamberlain a
large number of fishing rods
as gifts. (They knew his
hobby was fly fishing.)
King George VI sent
Chamberlain a telegram to
congratulate him saying, “Come
straight to Buckingham Palace.”
15000 people turned out at
Trafalgar Square to take part
in a demonstration against the
agreement.
5000 people turned out
in Downing Street to
welcome Chamberlain
back from Munich.
After the debate about
the agreement in the
House of Commons, a
majority of 222 MPs voted
in favour of Munich.
Clement Attlee, the Labour
leader, said “The events of
the last few days are one of
the greatest political defeats
that this country and France
have ever suffered.”
Supporters sang “For
he’s a jolly good fellow”
and the National
Anthem before the
Spurs vs. Man Utd,
match.
Duff Cooper resigned from the
Cabinet as a protest about Munich.
At Ibrox and
Tynecastle football
supporters gave
three cheers for
Chamberlain
before the
matches kicked
off.
Winston Churchill
stated, “…we have
suffered a total and
unmitigated defeat.”
The Kilmarnock Review
wrote, “Britain has decided
to surrender and has
thrown Czechoslovakia to
the wolves.”
Sir Alan Freeman MP stated, “We should all
congratulate Mr Chamberlain for saving us from
a war that would have destroyed civilisation.”
35
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity



Read the 12 pieces of evidence of public opinion on the previous
page carefully.
Decide whether each one indicates the British public were for or
against the Munich agreement.
Copy and complete the following table using the evidence:
Evidence the public supported the
Munich agreement.
Evidence the public were against
the Munich agreement.
Cartoons about the Munich Agreement
This cartoon was drawn in 1938
by the cartoonist David Low.
The man in the deck chair is
meant to represent ordinary
British people.
He is supposed to be reading
about the Munich Agreement.
The rope tied around the rocks
is meant to be held by Hitler.
The cartoonist is trying to make
people think what would happen
if the Czechoslovakia rock fell.
Activity


Get your own copy of the cartoon and stick it in your jotter.
Copy and complete the following sentences.
1. The cartoon is a primary/secondary source because _______.
2. The cartoon shows the man in the deck chair doe/does not care
about Czechoslovakia.
3. Czechoslovakia was in danger of attack from Britain/Germany in
1936/1938.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
4. If the rope is pulled away the man will/will not be hurt. This means
_____.
5. The cartoon is predicting that _________.
6. The cartoon does/does not support appeasement.
7. What do you think this cartoon is referring to as “Our New
Defence”?
8. Why do you think Chamberlain is drawn with some sheep?
9. What does this cartoon think of “Our New Defence”?
Group Activity
o With a partner discuss what you
think about the Munich agreement
and whether or not Chamberlain
did the right thing.
o Use the evidence to offer arguments to
back up your decision.
o Put these arguments into a poster or a
PowerPoint presentation.
EXAM
PRACTICE
Intermediate 1 question – page 67 textbook.
Intermediate 2 questions – page 68 textbook.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The end of Czechoslovakia – and of appeasement,
March 1939
After Hitler had gained the Sudetenland the rest of Czechoslovakia was
left defenceless. After Munich Hitler had said “Europe can look forward
to a Christmas or Peace” but some people, including the famous cartoonist
David Low, did not believe Hitler.
This cartoon was published
in late October 1938. The
words on the sack
“Deutschland Uber Alles”
mean “Germany above all”
suggesting that Germany was
the most powerful country in
Europe.
What is Low predicting will
happen next?
Hitler’s promise that he had “no more territorial demands in Europe” only
lasted six months. In March 1939 Hitler marched troops into the
western part of Czechoslovakia called Bohemia and Moravia. This time
there were no Germans living there that Hitler could claim to be
“protecting”. Hitler had simply torn up the promises he had made at
Munich. Czechoslovakia had ceased to exist.
Census of 1930:
Nationality
Czechoslovak
German
Hungarian
Ruthenian (Ukranian)
Jewish
Polish
other
TOTAL
Population
9,688,770
3,231,688
691,923
549,169
186,642
81,737
49,636
14,479,565
38
Percentage
66.91
22.32 (in Sudentenland)
4.78
3.79
1.29
0.57
0.34
100
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity
1. Why has David Low drawn Hitler as Santa in the cartoon?
2. How long did Hitler’s promise of “no more territorial demands”
last?
3. What happened in March 1939?
4. Use the 1930 census to state why Hitler taking over
Czechoslovakia was different from taking Sudetenland.
“Have we now to accept that Hitler will not stop and that he cannot be trusted to keep
his promises? Must we now face the real possibility that only war will stop the spread of
Nazi power? If that is true then at least we can say that we have not caused the war.
We have done all we could to prevent war. We have also gained some time to prepare
ourselves. We are stronger now than we were last year. I now accept that our previous
policy towards Hitler has not given us the peace that had hoped for. Europe now
trembles in fear of what Hitler will do next. We can see from the map that his next
target may be Poland. Let me say now that Britain will help Poland if they are attacked
by Germany.”
RIP
Appeasement
Activity
Carefully read the speech above which Neville Chamberlain gave in late
March 1939.
5. According to the speech what two benefits had the policy of
appeasement given to Britain?
6. How can we tell from this speech that appeasement was “dead”?
7. Which country is now the key to the future of European peace?
39
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
EXAM PRACTICE


In the Intermediate 2 exam there is one 8 mark essay to be
answered.
The marks are allocated as follows:
o 3 marks = STRUCTURE (writing in paragraphs, having a
proper introduction and conclusion)
o 5 marks = CONTENT (at least 5 relevant and developed
points of information)
Q: Do you agree that events involving Nazi foreign policy between March
1936 and October 1938 showed appeasement in action?
Introduction
Development
Conclusion
 should be at least 2 sentences.
 should make it clear you understand the question.
Include:
 a definition of APPEASEMENT (what does it mean?)
 which events you are going to include (March 1937October 1938)
You should include paragraphs on 3 events.
1. Remilitarisation of Rhineland – March 1936
2. Anschluss – March 1938
3. Czech Crisis – September 1938
For each of the three events you need to do 2 things:
1. Say what happened.
2. Decide whether or not it “showed appeasement in
action”.
 should be at least 2 sentences.
 should answer the question – YES or NO.
 should sum up your main points.
Example introduction:
Appeasement was the foreign policy of the British government in the
1930s. Appeasement means trying to address problems with negotiation
rather than violence. This essay will look at three important events
between March 1936 and October 1938 – the remilitarisation of the
Rhineland, the Anschluss and the Czech Crisis – and decide whether or
not the response of the British government showed appeasement in
action.
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Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Poland, the final steps to war
By the end of March 1939 Hitler was up to his old tricks again. This time
his target was Poland.
Poland had been created by the Treaty of Versailles out
of land taken away from Russia and Germany. Hitler
complained about the Polish Corridor - a strip of land
which separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany.
The Polish Corridor had been created to give Poland
access to a coastline and a port for trading purposes.
However, many Germans lived in the area and it contained
the port of Danzig which had previously been German.
After he had taken Czechoslovakia Hitler increasingly began to mention
Poland in his speeches.
Source A: Hitler speaking on radio
to the German people, March 1939.
“Our requests are reasonable and
threaten nobody. All we ask is
another slight change in the Treaty
of Versailles. We ask for the return
of the old German seaport of Danzig
which was unfairly taken from us in
1919. We also ask for greater use of
road and rail links across Poland so
that we can move freely between
both parts of Germany. Are our
requests so unfair?”
Source B: Hitler speaking to his
generals, March 1939.
“Do you really think that I care about
Danzig and the Polish corridor? I hate
all of Poland! And the real prize is
Russia and the Lebensraum that it
offers. Poland is merely a temporary
barrier to be removed. However, before
we move me must know what the
Russians will do. I do not want a war
with them just yet.”
Activity
1. What were Hitler’s three main complaints about Poland?
2. How would an attack on Poland fit in with Hitler’s main foreign
policy aims?
3. Why do you think Hitler tries to sound reasonable in Source A?
4. Why do you think Hitler sounds more aggressive in Source B?
5. Explain how A and B are different in content (what Hitler says) and
tone (the way Hitler speaks).
41
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The leader of Russia was called Josef Stalin and he was worried. He
knew that Hitler had plans for lebensraum. If Poland was taken over
by Germany then the way was open for an attack on Russia. Stalin
knew Russia was not ready to fight Nazi Germany
GERMANY
POLAND
RUSSIA
(called the
Soviet Union
at the time)
Source A: Stalin speaking to friends, June 1939
“We are still too weak to fight Germany – and why should we?
We owe the Polish people nothing. Russia hates Poland as
much as Germany does! Britain and France want us to bleed
for Poland! Why should we? Far better to look after our own
interests. Of course the Germans will attack us, but not yet.
If we can buy some time then I say we should do it, even if it
does mean doing a deal with our bitter enemies! Russian
interests come first!
In April Russia had asked Britain and France for an
alliance but there were problems. Poland did not trust
Russia and would not allow Russian soldiers into Poland.
The British government hated Communism and Russia was
communist. By the summer of 1939 no deal between
Poland, Britain and Russia had been made.
42
Communism: A system
where the government
controls all the
industry in a country to
try and make sure all
people get a fair share
of the wealth.
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity
6. Why was Stalin so worried about a Nazi attack on Poland?
7. Read Source A. Give three reasons why Stalin was prepared to do
a deal with Germany.
8. Why did the Russian attempt to make a deal with Britain and
France fail?
Hitler hated Communists. Hitler and the Nazis believed
in Fascism. Fascism includes many ideas which are the
opposite of Communism. Stalin hated Fascists because
Communism disagreed with many of its ideas. Therefore,
in 1939 it looked very likely that the two countries would
go to war over Poland.
Fascism: A system of
government where there
is usually one person in
control (a dictator).
Belief in the “survival of
the fittest” and that
everyone should take
care of themselves.
However, on August 23 1939 the world was shocked.
Hitler and Stalin signed an agreement. It was called the
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Agreement. The
agreement stated that Germany and Russia would not
fight each other. Therefore, Russia would not fight to
protect Poland if Germany attacked.
The agreement also contained a secret pact. In private, Stalin and Hitler
had agreed to divide Poland between their two countries.
This is how cartoonist David
Low saw the Nazi/Soviet
Agreement. It is called
“Rendezvous” and was published
on 20 September 1939.
Hitler is saying “The scum of
the earth I believe?”.
Stalin is replying “The bloody
assassin of the workers I
presume?”
A dead body lies between them.
43
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity
9. Explain why Hitler and Stalin hated each other. Use the words
Communism and Fascism.
10. What was signed on 23 August 1939? What did it state?
11. What was the secret pact?
12. Look carefully at the cartoon “Rendezvous”.
Read the following sentences and copy down the true statements.
You should be able to find 4.
 David Low thinks Hitler and Stalin like each other.
 David Low thinks that Hitler and Stalin and pretending to
like each other.
 The dead body between them is just a decoration in the
cartoon.
 The dead body between the men represents Poland.
 Low believes the Germans and Russians are now friends.
 Low believes the deal between them will mean the death of
Poland.
 Low believes the deal is just a short term agreement that
will soon break down.
The war begins
On September 1st 1939 Nazi forces attacked Poland. A few days later
Russian troops invaded Poland from the east. Hitler believed he would
have a short, easy war. Hitler assumed that although Britain had
promised to fight to protect Poland they would give in. After all, he felt
they had given in to him before.
However, this time there was no
appeasement. Britain ordered
Germany to stop the attack on
Poland. Hitler was surprised when
Britain said it would declare war on
Germany if German troops did not
retreat from Poland. On September
3rd 1939 at 11.15am Chamberlain
spoke on the radio to the British
people.
Nazi troops in Warsaw, Sept. 1939
44
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
The Daily Telegraph
Monday, September 4th 1939
Historic announcement by Prime Minister
COUNTRY AT WAR WITH GERMANY
The Prime Minister broadcast to the nation at 11.15am yeaterday the
announcement that 15 minutes earlier Britain had entered into a state of war with
Germany.
He said:
“I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. This morning
the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the Germany Government a final note
stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o’clock that they were prepared at
once to withdraw their troops from Poland a state of war would exist between us. I
have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received, and that
consequently this country is at war with Germany.”
Listen to the famous
speech by Chamberlain:
http://www.historychannel.com
/speeches/archive/speech_47.
html
Activity
13. When did the Germans attack Poland?
14. How did the Russians react?
15. What did Hitler expect Britain to do? Why?
16. What was the British reaction?
17. When did Britain declare war on Germany?
GROUP ACTIVITY
Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in
September 1939?
Ideas: to protect Poland? to stop Hitler? to protect themselves?
Road to War – Summary Timeline
Appeasement was used throughout the 1930s until the British government
realised that Hitler could not be trusted. The declaration of war over
the invasion of Poland marked the beginning of a six year conflict which
brought pain and suffering to millions.
The following timeline contains the important dates covered in this unit.
These are the dates you will need to know to pass your assessment for
this part of the course. Use the wordbox at the bottom of page 46 to
help you copy and complete it into your jotter.
45
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
11 Nov. 1918
28 June 1919
1924
30 Jan 1933
9 March 1935
16 March 1935
7 March 1936
November 1937
February 1938
12 March 1938
10 April 1938
13 Sept. 1938
15 Sept. 1938
22 Sept. 1938
29 Sept. 1938
15 March 1939
31 March 1939
23 August 1939
1 Sept.
3 Sept.
1939
1939
GENERALS
KAMPF
CONSCRIPTION
ARMISTICE
LUFTWAFFE
MUNICH
BRITAIN
The a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ended the First World War.
The Treaty of V_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was signed.
Hitler writes “Mein K _ _ _ _ “ in prison.
Hitler becomes C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of Germany.
Hitler admits the existence of the German L _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _.
Hitler introduces C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the army.
22,000 German troops re-militarised the R _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _.
H_ _ _ _ _ _ _ memorandum is written at a meeting
between Hitler and his G_ _ _ _ _ _ _.
Austrian leader S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ visits Hitler in
Germany.
German troops entered A _ _ _ _ _ _.
Hitler’s p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in Austria shows 99.75% of
the population want to be part of Germany.
Hitler makes a speech in Nuremberg threatening
C_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
Meeting at B_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ between Hitler
and Chamberlain.
The second meeting at G _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
M_ _ _ _ _ conference. Italy, F_ _ _ _ _, UK and
Germany present. Gave Hitler the S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_.
Hitler invades the rest of Czechoslovakia.
B_ _ _ _ _ _ promises to help defend Poland.
Pact signed between Germany and R _ _ _ _ _ - they
decide to divide Poland up.
Hitler invades P _ _ _ _ _ .
Britain declares war on Germany and the Second World
War begins.
WORDBOX
FRANCE
PLEBISCITE
SCHUSCHNIGG
HOSSBACH
AUSTRIA
SUDETENLAND
BERCHTESGADEN
46
RUSSIA
GODESBERG
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
VERSAILLES
CHANCELLOR
POLAND
RHINELAND
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Why did Britain follow a policy of appeasement in
the 1930s?
Since the end of the Second World War the policy of appeasement
had been a cause of debate and argument among historians.
Some historians believe that appeasement was a policy of cowardice
and that the politicians were “Guilty Men” for leading Britain into war.
More recently, historians have changed their ideas and believe the
appeasers like Chamberlain were doing their best in difficult
circumstances.
The following evidence is often used to explain why Britain followed
the policy of appeasement.
British politician, 1937.
“There is no defence
against the bomber. The
bomber will always get
through. Our cities, our
women and our children
are now in the front line
of any future war.”
Chamberlain, 1938.
“When I think of those four horrible
years (The Great War) and I think of
seven million young men who died and
the thirteen million who were maimed
or crippled I feel it is my duty to do
all I can to avoid a future war.”
A
British public opinion survey,
March 1938.
Should Britain promise to help
Czechoslovakia is Germany invades?
YES
33%
NO
43%
C
DON’T KNOW 24%
The Prime Minister of South E
Africa, 1937.
“If Britain persists in its foolish
attempt to help Czechoslovakia
and ends up involved in a war
then South Africa, and I suspect
many other parts of the British
Empire will not help. Britain
might have to face the might of
Germany without the help of
Canada, India or Australia.
D
B
Advice to Chamberlain from Chiefs of
Navy and Air Force, Sept ’38.
“If we must fight Germany then let us
do it in 12 months time. We are not yet
ready. Our navy and airforce must have
time to organise and re-equip with new
weapons.
Politicians in charge of looking after the
British Empire, 1937.
F
“The British Empire is our vital interest.
Czechoslovakia is not. If we get involved in a
war in Europe our Empire may be under threat
from other countries such as Japan in the Far
East and Italy in the Middle East.
George Bernard Shaw interviewed in the 1930s.
“If Britain had been defeated in the Great War and
Germany had made us sign a terrible peace treaty then
we would have ignored it and changed it just like
Germany is doing now. What’s wrong with trying to
change a foolish treaty? Any self respecting country
would do what Germany is doing.”
G
47
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Chamberlain, in a letter to his sister, June 1938
“I ask myself, do we have friends in this world? The
French hide behind their line of defences, afraid to do
anything. Our defences are not yet ready, and our army
is too small. The only power strong enough to defeat
the menace of Hitler is America but you can expect
nothing but words from America.
H
Chamberlain, August 1938
I
“I became a politician to help my
people. I want better homes,
schools and hospitals. Must all these
good things be destroyed by the
madness of more and more weapons.”
J
Chamberlain, speaking in Parliament,
September 1938
“I still believe that Hitler is a reasonable
man who if he is spoken to face to face will
respond to reasonable discussion. He is not
a monster. He is not from outer space, he is
a European politician.”
Activity

Put the heading Why appeasement?
Copy and complete the following table using sources A to J. Read each
source carefully and then match the source to the motive for
appeasement.
Motive
Britain needed time to build up its
strength.
Hitler could be talked out of war and
made to see sense.
Most of the British public did not want
to fight to help far away places.
Britain should spend money on its own
people, not on weapons.
Germany is just trying to build itself
up after the Great War. We have
nothing to worry about.
Britain cannot fight a war against
three enemies at once.
Britain would be much weaker if the
British Empire refused to help.
Britain could not expect help from any
other country.
New technology means that war will
destroy our homes and families.
We must never have another war like
the Great War.
Source
48
Reason
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
Activity

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Why
appeasement?
Watch the Why Appeasement? video and answer the
following questions in sentences.
What was Chamberlain’s chief task as Prime Minister?
Which three countries were threats to the peace of Europe?
Which of the two armed services did Britain give priority to
rebuilding?
What was the aim of the League of Nations?
What happened to Abyssinia in 1935?
Why was Clement Attlee against rearmament?
What scared British people on the newsreels?
What happened in May 1937?
How did the Austrian people react to the Anschluss?
What benefits could Hitler get from taking over western
Czechoslovakia?
What was the Maginot Line?
After the meeting at Godesberg what began to happen in Britain?
What was the “Piece of Paper”?
What was introduced in Britain in June 1939?
What technique did Hitler use to attack Poland?
What was the main achievement of appeasement?
How were the British people preparing for war by 1939?
Who or what caused the Second World War?
There are many different answers to this question. The main opinions
are:
1. France was to blame.
2. Germany was to blame.
3. Britain was to blame.
4. Russia was to blame.
5. The USA was to blame.
6. Appeasement was to blame as it only made things worse.
7. Appeasement was a sensible policy at the time.
Get a copy of the cut and paste sheet from your teacher.
Write the seven main opinions as headings in your jotter and
stick the appropriate evidence under each one.
49
3.
Name of the memorandum found
4. Hitler’s foreign policy aims were…
Mearns Castle High School, Intermediate History – Road to War 1933-39
by the US army after the war?



E
R
2. German word
meaning “living
space”?
5. When did Hitler move
troops into Rhineland?


6. Word used to describe the
joining of Austria and
Germany?

1. Name used for the British
foreign policy towards
Germany in the 1930s?
7. British Prime
Minister in
1938?


11. Piece of land that
separated East Prussia
from the rest of
Germany?

10. Name Hitler gave
to races other
than Germans?


13. Part of Czechoslovakia
where 3 million Germans
lived?
12. Autobiographical book
written by Hitler?


16.
17. British cartoonist
famous for his antiAppeasement
cartoons?
8. Word Germans used to
describe the Treaty of
Versailles?
Under Hitler the result
of this, in Austria, was
99.75% in favour of him!

9. Under the Treaty of
Versailles, German
armed forces were
banned from having…


14. Hitler wanted
Czechoslovakia for
this factory…

15. Hitler’s nationality?


FINAL
SCORE
50
19