CH 14 SEC 1 FROM APPEASEMENT TO WAR

I. AGGRESSION GOES UNCHECKED Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931, and the League of Nations could do nothing to stop them. So Japan invaded more of eastern China in 1937, and no other country officially stepped in to help or stop the Chinese.

I. AGGRESSION GOES UNCHECKED Italy invaded Ethiopia in retaliation for their defeat in 1896, and this time they were able to beat the Ethiopians. The king appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Italians, and they voted for sanctions against the Italians but could not enforce them.

I. AGGRESSION GOES UNCHECKED Hitler begins to build up Germany’s army and navy, in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. No one stops him so he continues to push the boundaries. He occupies the Rhineland, violating the treaty, but all anyone was willing to do was to talk and not actually stop Hitler.

I. AGGRESSION GOES UNCHECKED The French and British took the path of appeasement, giving in to Hitler’s demands in order to avoid war. They hoped that he would be satisfied with a few gains and would stop. Many also felt that the Nazis and Fascists were better than the Communists, so they did not try to stop them so that they could control the Communists together.

I. AGGRESSION GOES UNCHECKED People were still tired of war and its effects, and peace was worth whatever price the aggressors were asking. The United States stayed out of the problems passing Neutrality Acts that kept the U.S. from trading with or travelling to countries at war.

II. SPAIN COLLAPSES INTO CIVIL WAR The king of Spain gave up the throne, and the government that was set up tried to initiate changes. Some felt it went too far, others felt it did not go far enough. General Francisco Franco led the fascists against the government, while Communists, Socialists, and people who wanted democracy fought for the government.

II. SPAIN COLLAPSES INTO CIVIL WAR Other countries sent troops to fight on both sides. Hitler and Mussolini backed Franco, and the Soviet Union backed the Communists. France, Britain, and the U.S. did not officially back them, but individuals from each country went on their own to fight. Many countries used the civil war as a practice ground for their troops.

III. GERMAN AGGRESSION CONTINUES After occupying the Rhineland, Hitler wanted to annex Austria to join all German speaking people under his control. The union of Germany and Austria was called Anschluss, and it was forbidden under the Treaty of Versailles. Many Austrians supported Anschluss, and those that didn’t were shut down by the Nazis.

III. GERMAN AGGRESSION CONTINUES When no country stopped the Anschluss, Hitler then went after the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia where Germans lived. Neville Chamberlain went to Germany to meet with Hitler about the Sudetenland. He gave into Hitler’s demands for the land, in exchange that Hitler not go after any more territory.

III. GERMAN AGGRESSION CONTINUES Chamberlain and others in Europe were willing to sacrifice other countries in order to avoid war, and when he returned to Britain he thought he had obtained peace.

IV. EUROPE PLUNGES TOWARD WAR Hitler signed a non- aggression pact with the Soviet Union, where they promised not to attack each other. They also agreed to split up territory in eastern Europe. Stalin did not trust Hitler, but saw this as an opportunity to get ready for the attack that would come.

IV. EUROPE PLUNGES TOWARD WAR On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, using the blitzkrieg technique on the overmatched Poles. The Soviets invaded from the east. Two days later the British and French declared war on Germany, although it was too late to help Poland.

IN YOUR NOTEBOOKS Half-page summary of the lecture today.