-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
1/25
French Security Collapsesp. 149-160 (Keylor)
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
2/25
French Security At Last When last we left France
April, 1935- issuance of the Stresa declaration Agreement to strengthen the Locarno treaties among the
Brits, French, and Italians (Stresa front)
Alsoto insure Austrias independence May, 1935- Franco-Soviet Pact
June, 1935- advent of Franco-Italian military talks
Alliances with Belgium, Poland, and Czechoslovakia
Treaties of friendship with Romania and Yugoslavia Visions of resurrecting the old wartime coalition of
Great Britain, Russia, and Italy to prevent furtherGerman transgressions of the peace treaty
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
3/25
French Security Collapses Britain Betrays France-
June, 1935- Brits and Germans sign a bilateral navalagreement that was secretly negotiated behindFrances back
Permitted Germany to exceed the naval limitations of theTreaty of Versailles as long as they didnt increase its totaltonnage beyond 35% of that of the combined fleets of theBritish Commonwealth
RESULT- damaged the Stresa front by allowing Germany tobreak yet another Versailles stipulation
Side Note- Germany had no intentions of limiting theirnaval production and looked to rival Britains global navalpower in the long run
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
4/25
French Security Collapses Italy Betrays France-
1930s- Italy eyed Ethiopia with the idea to recreate a RomanEmpire in and around the Mediterranean World
Britain and France had no colonial interests in that part ofAfrica and immediately attempted to create an atmosphere of
appeasement January, 1935- French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval had
formally renounced Frances minor economic interests inEthiopia and gave assurance of Italys free hand in the region
Purpose- attempt at keeping Italy as a friend
August, 1935- Britain and France allowed Italy a privilegedeconomic position in Ethiopia and the right to appoint Italianadvisers to the countrys civil service, army, and police
Essentially allowing Italy to establish a protectorate in Ethiopia
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
5/25
French Security Collapses Italy Betrays France-
October, 1935- Even with all of the concessions givenby Britain and France, Mussolini invaded Ethiopiawith a full-scale military attack
Military victory was easy, but diplomaticallyMussolini took a hit
Ethiopia was a member of the League of Nations andpublic outcry throughout Europe was noticeable
Britain and France urged the League intocondemning the Italian offensive as a act ofaggression and voting for economic sanctions
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
6/25
French Security Collapses Italy Betrays France-
Hypocritical stance by Britain and France left a lastingnegative impression on Il Duce
December, 1935- Hoare-Laval Pact
A secret Anglo-French agreement providing for the cession ofmost of Ethiopia to Italy and the reduction of the remainder tothe status of an Italian client state
Embarrassingly, the pact had to be disavowed by both Europowers when contents of the agreement were leaked to thepress
Britain and France werent really abiding by the economicsanctions either
Especially for oil, which Italy needed for its mechanized army andair force
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
7/25
Germany Seizes its Chance The instability of the Stresa front became an
advantage for Hitlers schemes Hitler remained neutral through the Italo-Ethiopian
struggle Expressed his willingness to supply Italy with scarce
resources such as iron, coal, and steel
Created closer ties between the two fascist dictators
Hitler then warned that he would regard the Franco-Soviet alliance as a violation of Locarno and a grave
threat to Germanys security Returned the threat by breaking the Locarno agreement
and reintroducing German military forces and fortificationsinto the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
8/25
Germany Seizes its Chance Germany also used the Franco-Soviet Pact to
create anti-communist propaganda
Red Menace literature intensified the fear of
communism in Western Europe
February, 1936- the French ratified the treaty
with the Soviet Union
March, 1936- three battalions of Germaninfantry, accompanied by antiaircraft guns and
air for squadrons moved into the Rhineland
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
9/25
FranceDoesNothing!?
German occupation of the Rhineland shouldhave brought the full wrath of France, but French military strategy as developed over the past
several years dictated just such a posture of passivity
By constructing the Maginot Line France had in effectwritten off the Rhineland as indefensible
The French army possessed no mobile force thatcould be dispatched to the Rhineland to expel theGermans The French had devised no advance plan for such an
operation because it would have been incompatible withthe defensive strategy so tenaciously pursued by theFrench general staff
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
10/25
France Maybe Does Something? The government leaders in Paris desired an
offensive against German troops in theRhineland even if the militarys general staffdidnt
April, 1936- French Foreign Minister Pierre-Etienne Flandin flew to London to discuss thepossibility of a joint Anglo-French countermove OBSTACLE- Brits did not see German reoccupation of
the Rhineland as a flagrant violation of the treatyof Locarno because it was not accompanied bymenacing German moves toward the French frontier
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
11/25
Britain Bends
Britain would neither participate in any militaryresponse nor approve of a unilateral Frenchaction
Britain desired to avoid at all costs the Euro warthat it believed would inevitably result from aFrench or Anglo-French advance into theRhineland Brits were quite correct because even though the
German commanders in the Rhineland were told towithdraw in the event of military opposition, thatwithdrawal was to be only a tactical retreatpreparatory to a renewed offensive
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
12/25
Britain Bends Hitlers brinkmanship made war unnecessary by
paralyzing the Western powers Brits and French were only left with the ability to
issue strong protests, garner a condemnation against
Germany in the League of Nations, and authorizejoint Anglo-French military conversations
Britains remilitarization after Germanoccupation of the Rhineland did little to comfort
France since it concentrated on upgrading navaland air forces for home and imperial defenseinstead of on establishing a land army that couldbe dispatched to the continent
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
13/25
Central and Eastern Europe Reassess
Hitlers unilateral repudiation of the Locarno Pact had adevastating psychological impact on all of the smallercountries on the continent They all thought France would take the lead in restraining
Germany
June, 1936- meeting of the chiefs of staff of the LittleEntente CONCLUSION-their countries future security might well
require a choice between subservience to Germany or toRussia
Poland, in particular, beefed up diplomacy with Germany tofurther their previous pact
Central and Eastern European nations still had some hope thatFrench protection would be afforded them
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
14/25
Belgium Breaks from France
October, 1936- the Belgian government formally
renounced its military alliance with France
Reverted to its prewar status of neutrality
Military ramifications of the Belgian defection werecritical
Anglo-French forces were no longer guaranteed transit
rights across Belgian territory in case of war with Germany
Franco-Belgian military coordination, a key element inFrances strategy for the defense of its unfortified
northeastern frontier, was abruptly terminated
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
15/25
German Security is Increased
Fall, 1936- Germany had obtained geographicalprotective screens on its western and eastern bordersthat effectively insulated it from the threat of militaryintervention from the great powers in alliance against
it West- neutralized Belgium and a remilitarized Rhineland
East- an increasingly cooperative Poland served as aformidable barrier against the Soviet Union
South- the nations of the Little Entente were driven toseek improved relations with Germany in the hope ofstabilizing the political situation in that region
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
16/25
Spanish Civil War Provides a
Smokescreen Failure of the Western powers to recognize the
implications of German security was in large part dueto the fixation of world attention on the civil war thaterupted in Spain in the summer of 1936
General Francisco Franco looked for military assistancefrom abroad
Both Italy and Germany were much obliged to help out
For Germanys part they would get to test out theirnew weapons, military techniques (terror bombing of
civilian population centers), and access to Spanishnatural resources
For Italy it meant greater ties to Germany
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
17/25
Germany Prepares for War
October, 1936- Hitler unveiled his Four-Year
Plan
Under the supervision of Hermann Goring
Aimed at establishing Germanys absolute
independence from foreign trade by fostering the
production of synthetic materials as substitutes
for the natural resources unobtainabledomestically
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
18/25
Germany Prepares for War
World War I was a war of attrition as
remembered by the new Nazi leadership,
so
The Nazis adopted a warfare method known as
blitzkrieg (aka- lightning wars)
A series of short, swift engagements against isolated
opponents
The principal weapons to be used were tanks and
airplanes
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
19/25
Germany Prepares for War
October, 1936- Rome-Berlin Axis
Signaled Mussolinis acceptance of Germanysfreedom of action in Austria in particular and
Southeastern Europe in general Two crucial advantages for Hitler
It removed the Italian veto of Germanysannexationist designs on Austria
It increased the likelihood of tension in theMediterranean and North Africa between Italy andthe two dominant powers in that region- Britain andFrance
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
20/25
Anschluss
1937- Hitler steadily increased the pressure on theAustrian government to align its foreign and domesticpolicies more closely with those of the Third Reich
Meanwhile, Hitler urged the Austrian Nazis to step uptheir subversive activities in preparation for apeaceful takeover in Vienna
Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg authorizedpolice raids on the HQ of the Austrian Nazis that
uncovered collusion with German Nazis Changed the method by which Hitler would unify
Germany and Austria
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
21/25
Anschluss February, 1938- Schuschnigg met with Hitler
at Berchtesgaden
The Fuhrer verbally attacked the Austrian
chancellor for failing to pursue pro-Germanpolicies and threatened immediate military
action against Austria if Schuschnigg would not
allow Austrian Nazis to play a major role in his
government
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
22/25
Anschluss Schuschnigg preempted Hitlers demands by calling for a
plebiscite on March 13, 1938 Sought national support and a vote of confidence in resisting
pro-German policies
March 12, 1938- Hitler sent German military into Austriato help oversee the plebiscite Schuschnigg sought help/advice from Britain and France to no
avail
April 10, 1938- a rigged election resulted in anoverwhelming vote for the unification of Germany andAustria Of course, this was verbotenby the Versailles TreatyBUT,
nobody dared to intervene at this point
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
23/25
Berlin-Tokyo Axis
Between 1936 and 1938- Hitler activelypromoted the evolution of a cordial relationshipwith the rising imperial power in the Far East
(Japan) Germany stood to benefit from the pressure
that Japanese expansion would exert on theAsian possessions of Germanys principal
antagonists in Europe OBSTACLE-Hitlers relationship with Chinese
nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
24/25
Berlin-Tokyo Axis Commonality that brought the Germans and
Japanese together was their disdain forcommunist Russia
November, 1936- Anti-Comintern Pact Purpose- to promote cooperation to combat the
subversive activities of the CommunistInternational and its political apparatus in each
country Ulterior Motives- military alliance to pinch the
Soviet Union
-
7/31/2019 PreWar Period-Reading Notes p. 149-160 (Keylor)
25/25
Formation of the Axis Powers
November, 1937- Italy was added to the AntiComintern Pact and the Axis Powers were formed
The world was now confronted with the nightmare ofan impending global alignment of the three
expansionist powers OBSTACLE-Germanys reluctance to sacrifice its lucrative
economic relations with China at a time when Japan waslaunching an undeclared war against the Nankinggovernment
OBSTACLE AVOIDED- spring, 1938- Hitler recognized theJapanese puppet state of Manchukuo, terminated allmilitary assistance to China, and recalled the Germanmilitary advisers to Chiang Kai-Shek