History Notes - Appeasment Hitlers Foreign Policy Aims Abolish the treay of Versailles - Belieived it was unjust - Called

people who signed it the 'November Criminals' - Constant reminder of humilliation Expand German Territory (Lebensraum) - TOV took land away - Anchluss , minorities in other countries to rejoin - carve out an empire in eastern Europe to give germans more lebensraum Defeat Communism- Beleived that they caused Germanys defeat in WW1 - Belieived wanted to take over Germany The Saar Plebisite (1935) Had been run by LON since 1919 LON held a plebicite for people to vote on whether their region should return to German rule The vote was a overwhelming success or Hitler with 90% voting in favour Was entirely legal under TOV Moral boost for Hitler

Conscription and Rearmament Thousands of unemployed drafted into the army--> helped reduce unemployment --> helped him deliver promise to make Germany strong again and to challenge treaty of versailles Began at first in secret - becasue although support from his own people , it would casue alarm in other countries

1935- military rally - boosted morale of germans (made them proud again)- naval agreement with Britain allowing them to have a navy the size of 36% of their own.and increase airforce and spending on arms. 1936- reintroduced conscription (BREAKING THE TREAY OF VERSAILLES)

GOT AWAY WITH IT BECASUE --> The collapse of disarmament conference 1934 showed that other countries weren't prepared to disarm, Britain had sympathy , was doing it to reduce unemployment

Remiliterisation of the Rhineland(1936) Broke Locarno and TOV

It was a risk because he faced total humilliation and lost support of army

Had orders to pull out if France acted against them- German army was no match for french Got away with it because ;

Britain wouldn't intervene because term was originally to harsh

None of french politicians wanted responsability for landing france in a war (didnt know how weak germany was) French - USSR treaty , so allowed troops on borders LON preoccupied with Abyssinian Crisis Spanish Civil War(1936) Civil war between communists (supporters of republican government) and right wing rebels Hitler thought this was a prime time to try out armed forces and fight communism 1937 LON looked on helplessly as Germany heavily bombed spanish cities (Guernica) The world looked on in horror at the suffering modern weapons could do Anti-Comintern Pact (1936-1937) Mussolini also involved with Spanish Civil War + had much in common with militry dictatorship in Japan 1936 - signed pact Japan - Germany 1337 - Italy signed

Aim was to limit communist influence around the world

Aliiance called the Axis Alliance

Anschluss with Austria (1938) The Austrian people were mainly German, in Mein Kampf he made it clear he felt the two states were meant to be together as one german nation Many Austrians supported the union since their counry was so economically weak He had tried in 1934- but stopped by mussolini Four years later in 1938, Hitler and Mussolini were allies Strong nazi party in Austria- encouraged to stir up trouble (riots) (demonstrations)- hitler told Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg to agree Anschluss to stop problems He pressurised him no help from Britain and france- called a plebiscite Hitler might lose so sent his own troops to guarantee a trouble free plebiscite 99.75% of votes in favour Chamberlin felt Germans had a right to be united Lord Halifax even suggested to Hitler before and that Britain wouldnt resist Germany uniting

The Sudetenland (1938)

Czechoslovakian leader Benes was horrified of Anchluss Realised they would be next Britain and France not standing up to Hitler French bound by a treaty to protect Czechoslovakia British supported French

Chamberlin asked Hitler if he had plans for Czechoslovakia , was assured by his promise Despite this, he did have plans. Large number of Germans living in the Sudetenland Nazis stirred up trouble in Sudetenland area and demanded they become a part of Germany Hitler made it clear that he intended to fight Czechoslovakia if necessary although many people think this was an empty threat because the German army was not ready for such a war. Czechs had a modern army, and promised support from Britain, France and Czechoslovakia. Benes was prepared to fight

Hitler knew that without the Sudetenlands forts railways and industries, Czechoslovakia would be defenceless Tension rose- Chamberlin flew to meet Hitler Hitler had moderate demands saying he was only interested in parts of the Sudetenland- and then only after a plebiscite, Chamberlin was satisfied , an agreement was struck Soon after Hitler declared he wanted ALL of Sudetenland and regretted the previously arranged terms

Munich Agreement Hitler claimed that the Czech government was mistreating the germans, and he intended to rescue them Chamberlin told Hitler this was unreasonable , war seemed imminent With Mussolinis help, a final meeting was held in Munich They decided to give Hitler what he wanted They announced that Czechoslovakia was to lose the Sudetenland Didnt consult Czechs or USSR The following morning Hitler published a joint declaration which Chamberlin said would bring peace to our time. Hitler spoke of it an undreamt triumph Chamberlin welcomed back as a hero with the piece of papar
A solution to avoid war. Peace/peace in our time. That Hitler be given the Sudetenland (1) as had been agreed at Bad Godesberg. (1) The claims on Czech territory by Hungary and Poland were to be met. It was agreed that Czechoslovakias new frontiers would be guaranteed by the four powers (1) (Britain, Germany, France and Italy). (1)

Czechoslovakia 1939
Took over Czechoslovakia No resistance Realised hitler couldnt be trusted turning point Appeasement ended If hilter was to invade Poland Britain would go to war Hitler didnt believe they would go to war after years of appeasement

The Nazi- Soviet Pact

1. Freed up Hitler to invade Poland - he knew that Britain couldn't do anything to defend Poland (he invaded 9 days later). 2. Ended Britain's hopes of an alliance with Russia to stop Hitler - people in Britain realised that nothing would stop Hitler now but war. 3. Improved morale of British people for war - showed Hitler as an opportunist and a trickster, who could never be trusted.

Why did the Nazi-Soviet Pact Happen? [THUGS] Time to prepare for war Stalin said: We got peace for our country for 18 months, which let us make military preparations. Hope to gain Stalin was sure that Russia could only gain from a long war in which Britain, France and Germany exhausted
themselves. Wanted the Balkan states which had once been theirs and Poland. Unhappy with Britain Stalin was insulted by Britains slowness to negotiate, and did not trust Britain. When the Anglo-Soviet alliance failed he turned to Germany. He felt as though Britain were more worried about the threat of communism and wouldnt be trustworthy allies. Germany Hitler wanted the alliance because only Russia could keep Britains promise to defend Poland. He believed that, if he got a promise of peace with Russia, Britain would be forced to back down over Poland and Danzig. Scared of Germany Stalin was worrid about the German threat , the LON was powerless , he couldnt trust france even though they signed a treaty seeing as they would go to war for their own Rhineland

Hitler knew that he could now invade Poland without having to worry about what action the USSR would take.

The USSR realised that when Germany gained Poland they were going to get their share without having to fight. The pact left Britain and France alone to fight against Germany. What surprised Hitler was the fact that they signed a formal alliance to protect Polands independence. The pact was the single most important short-term cause of war because Hitler ignored the warnings and invaded Poland. Stalin still believed that the USSR would fight against Germany. The Pact gave him time to build up his military strength. It helped Hitler with his aims. He could regain land lost at Versailles and begin to acquire Lebensraum.

e.g. Under the Treaty of Versailles the Saar was placed under the League of Nations control. In 1935 a plebiscite was held which gave an overwhelming vote for the return to Germany. This was a tremendous propaganda success. Germany re-occupied the Rhineland. They thought the French would resist but this did not happen. Britain, France and Italy formed the Stresa Front condemning German re-armament but were not prepared to take any action. The Anglo-German Naval treaty allowed Germany to increase its navy. This allowed Germany to ignore the restrictions in the T of V. The Rome-Berlin Axis allowed closer working relationships allowing Hitler to test his new military equipment in the Spanish Civil War. Neither Britain or France wanted to fight over Czechoslovakia and followed a policy of appeasement giving Hitler what he demanded. The L of N, after Abyssinia, was not in a position to stop Hitler. He used troops in Austria to ensure the plebiscite went his way. B and F concentrating on the Depression and Hitler seized his chance. B and F considered communism a greater threat and needed Hitler

Appeasement (8 marker) FOR

Communist threat
Hitler wasnt the only concern- wasnt even their major worry of Britain and its allies More concerned about spread of communism,danger of world peace posed by Stalin Many saw Hitler as the buffer to the spread of communism Repeat the

Horrors of the Great War

Both British and French leaders vividly remembered the horrific experiences of the First World War they wished to avoid anything similar

Economically not ready

Britain and France still suffering from effects of Depression They had large debts and huge unemployment , so couldnt afford war Attitude of the

Empire

It wasnt certain that all the British Empire and Commonwealth states (e.g. .Canada) would support a war against Germany.

TOV
Many felt that the treaty was unfair to Germany They assumed that once these wrongs were out right then Germany would become a peaceful nation again

U.S.A
American leaders were determined not to be dragged into another war

The allies didnt think they could face up to Germany without the guarantee of American support

Ready for war

The British government believed that the armed forces were not ready for a war against Germany.

Social
British people didnt want to go to war and felt as though Europe was none of their
business

AGAINST
Encouraged Hitlers

Aggression

With hindsight you can see that each gamble he got away with encouraged him to take a bigger risk It allowed Germany to grow too strong

With Hindsight you can see that Germany was not only recovering from lost ground, it was becoming far more powerful than Britain and France Scared USSR With hindsight you can see that the policy alarmed the USSR. Hitler made no secret of his plans to expand eastwards Appeasement sent the message that Britain and France wouldnt stand in Hitlers way This was a cause of the Nazi- Soviet pact Too much trust in Hitler With hindsight you can see that often Hitler went back on his promises Appeasement was based on the false idea that Hitler was trustworthy

Period-----The terms were somewhat harsh, but not out of the ordinary for that time period. In
1871, Germany had forced France to accept similar terms (losing Alsace-Lorraine and paying heavy reparations), and one year earlier, Germany had made Russia sign a treaty that went far, far beyond what Versailles would ask of Germany. At any rate, the terms were actually much milder than what France and Britain had originally wanted; they had wanted to break up Germany, so that it would never again be a military threat.

Austria and Germany? - if this union had been allowed then there would have been the
bizarre situation of Germany having lost a war yet ending up larger than when she had started. Given the destruction of the war this was a "non starter".

Reparations? - These were an economic burden but it was common after most wars to insist on
payment from a defeated opponent. The Germans had insisted on this in 1871 from the French. Also Germany's economic problems had causes other than reparations including the policy of the German government in printing more and more money- Hyperinflation
Germany lost 13% of its erritory under the treaty. That sounds like a lot, but all of these lands were border regions that were disputed to begin with (and which Germany had only recently conquered), such as Alsace-Lorraine. Germany's allies, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, suffered a far worse fate, being completely dismembered. One big reason that the treaty became viewed as "unfair" is that the German people were told by their own government throughout the war that their side was winning. It was thus a

T%

Shock to

them when their country urrendered and Signed the treaty. Many became convinced that Germany hadn't really lost the war, but that German politicians had simply undercut their own country at the negotiating table. One can understand the View of the germans

The Germans believed that other countries such as Austria and Russia were to blame for the war spreading and that they alone could not be regarded as guilty of starting the war. Since the Germans were not guilty of starting the war then they did not need to pay compensation or reparations to the allies.
Germans resented the fact that the Polish Corridor meant that there were Germans living under Polish rule. Everywhere else in Europe, the Treaties of 191920 gave peoples selfdetermination, but they divided Germany, and put 12% of its population into other countries . The harshness of the reparations made it extremely difficult for Germany to recover economically and, because of the resentment caused by this, made future war likely. Germany felt they had been left vulnerable to future attacks by the drastic reduction in the armed forces. It was harsh on the ordinary German people whose standard of living suffered because

of the reparations. The punishment should have been reserved for the rulers of Germany at the out break of war. The German view was that it was not fair because they had not been in the talks and therefore considered it a diktat.

The Peace of Versailles was like a big stick of dynamite, and Hitler was just like the little boy with the match. I think it was unfair, but understandable. Cause of ww2 Hitler would later use the treaty as the
cause of all the problems faced by Germany and convince the people that he could restore national pride and world recognition of GGermany as an equal nation.

CUBA
Describe relations between Cuba and the USA in the period 1959-1961 It was tense as the USA had supported Batista but he had been overthrown by Castro who they feared would be communist. The USA continued to support exiled Cubans. In January 1961 the USA broke of diplomatic relations (January 1961) as it was unable to tolerate Soviet influence so close. America refused to buy Cuban sugar (July 1960), and in October 1960 ended all trade with Cuba. The USA was unwilling to get directly involved even though they were concerned as Castro took over American owned companies and land. Kennedy supported exiles who tried to overthrow Castro (Bay of Pigs). Kennedy was humiliated. Kennedy feared other countries becoming communist. Describe the USAs response up to 1961 to Castros takeover of Cuba The USA banned the buying of sugar. The USA banned all trade with Cuba. Diplomatic relations were cut off. Kennedy supported an attempted invasion by Cuban exiles. The exiles were trained by the CIA and received weapons from them. The invasion was a disaster and Kennedy was humiliated.

Why did Khruschev put missiles in Cuba? Khrushchev wanted to bargain with the USA. If he had missiles in Cuba he could agree to remove them if the USA removed their missiles from, for example, Turkey. In the context of the Cold War, he was trying to see how strong the USA really was and to test the new President. Khrushchev was so concerned about the missile gap between the USSR and the USA that he would take every opportunity to close it. Following the Bay of Pigs incident he was genuinely defending communism in Cuba. The missiles were a trap. He wanted the USA to find them and be drawn into a nuclear war.

Why was the USA concerned about Soviet Missiles in Cuba? If the bases became operational much of the USA would be brought in range of a Soviet missile attack. It increased the fear of the spread of communism in the region where Cuba had already become communist. When they were found the most advanced were within seven days of being capable of launching missiles. Because they felt that Khrushchev was gaining the upper hand being so close and that the missile gap was closing. The USSR wanted bargaining power to get the USA to remove its missiles from Turkey. It was a threat to US supremacy in the arms race.

Vietnam
What was the gulf of Tonkins incident?
In August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. The US Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution allowing Johnson to take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression. It meant full-scale war and US marines, combat troops (not advisers), were sent into action. Explain the methods used by President Nixon in an attempt to gain peace with honour in Vietnam. When Nixon was elected President in 1968, he promised to get the USA out of the war. Between 1969 and 1973 Nixon and his Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger, devised Vietnamisation, a process of training the South Vietnam army so that the US army could withdraw. Despite wanting peace, Nixon bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which went through Laos and Cambodia. This was an attempt to starve the Vietcong of supplies. In January 1973, Le Duc Tho, Nixon and President Thieu signed a peace agreement and the 29th of March 73 saw the last US troops leaving Vietnam. Nixon had promised the S.Vietnamese financial aid and military support, but Congress refused to allow it. Shortly afterwards, Nixon resigned because of Watergate. Describe American involvement in South Vietnam between 1954 and 1963. Between 1954 and 1960 the USA sent equipment and military advisers into South Vietnam. In 1954 the Americans prevented elections from taking place because they feared that the Communists would win.

In 1955 they helped Diem to set up the Republic of South Vietnam. After 1961 Kennedy began increasing the number of advisers in South Vietnam until there were more than 11 000 Americans in the country. By 1963 America had decided Diem was too corrupt to support and he was deposed and replaced by anti-communist army generals. Why was the Vietcong a reliable fighting Force? They relied on guerrilla tactics which were very effective in the jungle. They involved hiding in the jungle and making surprise attacks, setting booby-traps or planting explosives. By this method the US soldiers never saw or knew who the enemy was. The Vietcong were driven by a passionate belief in the justice of their cause, whereas the American soldiers were never certain about the justice of theirs. The Vietcong received reinforcements and supplies from China and the Soviet Union so they never went without. Supplies were often delivered along the Ho Chi Minh trail. The Vietcong had an extensive network of underground tunnels and bunkers so they could keep well hidden from American soldiers. The tunnels included storage, hospitals and kitchens to prepare food. The Vietcong had the support of the peasants who often informed on the Americans so that they could be attacked. What was the Ho Chi Minh trail?

Until 1954 the USA supported the French against the Vietminh. After 1954 they continued to send aid, equipment and military advisers with the number of advisers steadily increasing to support Diem. South Vietnamese commandos helped by the US warship Maddox attacked North Vietnamese radar stations. The Maddox was then attacked by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. There were no losses. The captain of the Maddox then reported he had been attacked. As an election was imminent. Johnson wanted to get tough on communism. Johnson ordered American planes to bomb North Vietnam naval bases. In August 1964, Johnson told Congress that an attack had taken place and Congress gave him power to do any thing necessary to defend freedom in South East Asia. In February 1965 the Vietcong attacked American air bases. Johnson ordered Operation Rolling Thunder and in March sent American soldiers to protect American air bases.

The US troops had struggled to come to terms with guerrilla warfare. The troops just did not know when they entered a village whether they were friend or foe. The Vietcong had infiltrated villages in South Vietnam. They did not wear uniform. The policy of search and destroy, bombing and the use of chemical weapons failed and Johnson realised policy had to change after the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive (1968) proved to be a turning point. It highlighted the cost of war. There were nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam and America was spending between $20 and $30 billion a year, yet little impression was being made and the Vietcong were able to launch major offensives like this and take the US forces completely by surprise. In 1967 Life Magazine calculated it cost $400,000 for each Vietcong guerrilla killed. This huge spending meant cutbacks in spending on social reform. In addition, the American media started to turn and began to ask difficult questions.

The media had a significant impact. This was the first televised war and American people were horrified at the barbaric nature of American attacks, an example being My Lai. Coverage showed children being burned by napalm and people in villages massacred. American people were sickened by these atrocities and public opinion was changing. As more and more soldiers returned in body bags or were considered to be on drugs, public opinion turned. It led to open criticism of Johnson Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today.