Causes of World War II

1933 to June 1940

By Mr. Woodmansee Good Shepherd Catholic School

Causes of WWII

N T I Appeasement Nationalism Totalitarianism Imperialism

The Fuhrer Commander-in-Chief Conrad Hommel 1940

The Flag Bearer Hubert Lanzigner after 1933

The Baby Fritz Markensen Two Men Looking at the Moon Casper David Frederick

Men Looking Out

Workers Soldiers Farmers by Hans Schmitz-Wiednbruck

Plowing by Julius Paul Junghanns

Harvest by Karl Alexander, 1938

Youth Volunteers in the Reich Labor Service

1936 Berlin Olympics

Promoted the Nazi State Only Aryan participated
Anti-Semitic posters were removed Gypsies were arrested

Nazi Germany
Keeping Control: Terror State

Terror is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death.

The Terror State

Both the Gestapo (Secret Police) and the SS (Storm Troopers Hitlers private soldiers) were run by Heinrich Himmler The Gestapo employed an army of spies who would inform on people

Enemies of the State

Communists Social Democrats Jews Trade Unionists. Work Shy Homosexuals Gypsies Germans who bought from Jews Pacifists Radical Christian Organisation Anyone who criticised Hitler or the Nazi Party.

Enemies of the State

Scare tactics were used to ensure Germans did as they were told A list of German women who were still purchasing goods from Jewish shops

How did the Terror State Work?

You are imprisoned for up to six months doing hard physical labor. When you are released you tell everybody what has happened to you Gestapo Spies inform on you

You are handed over to the SS who run the concentration camps.

Fear
Days or maybe weeks later you are interviewed and asked to sign form D11

You are woken up by the Gestapo at 1 am in the morning and told that you have 5 minutes to pack your bags.

By signing this form you are giving your consent to be put into a concentration camp.

You are arrested and thrown into a cell at the police station

Key Quote: Martin Niemollen, 1945

When the Nazis came for the Communists I was silent, I was not a Communist. When the Nazis came for the Social Democrats I was silent, I was not a Social Democrat. When the Nazis came for the Jews I was silent, I was not a Jew. When the Nazis came for me there was nobody left to protest.

Totalitarian State
The government control the population by fear The NAZIs removed opposition Used citizens to spy on each other especially the youth Hitler Jugen (Hitler Youth)

A Weak League of Nations

German Foreign Policy

1933 - 1939
Presentation by Mr Young

Your Task
You are an expert in foreign policy It is your job to advise the new leaders of Germany You will be told about various problems and given a choice of three policies to follow. Choose wisely. Your success will be rewarded. Failure will be punished!

Mein Kampf
Your policy has very clear aims:
Destroy the Treaty of Versailles Gain Lebensraum (living space) in the east Bring all Germans into one Reich Make Germany strong again

Crisis: Austria 1934

The Depression has made Austria weak Taking over Austria will be very popular in Germany It will bring many Germans into the Reich However other countries might oppose you

Crisis: Austria 1934

Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna

Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy

Crisis: Austria 1934

30 Points

10 Points

20 Points

Crisis: Rhineland 1936

Italy has invaded Ethiopia The league of Nations is divided While the League is divided you could send troops to the Rhineland Be careful! Any opposition and youll have to withdraw

Crisis: Rhineland 1936

Send in the troops. France is divided and Britain wants peace

Ask permission from the Allies before doing anything

Do nothing, you cant risk war with France. Germany is too weak

Crisis: Rhineland 1936

10 Points

20 Points

30 Points

Crisis: Austria 1938

Austria is even weaker than in 1934
Italy is now your ally You have many supporters in Austria, who can help you Union with Austria is forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles

Crisis: Austria 1938

Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna

Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy

Crisis: Austria 1938

20 Points

10 Points

30 Points

Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938

Three million German speakers live in Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia has a strong army and alliances with Britain, France and the Soviet Union Victory over the Czechs will finally destroy the Treaty of Versailles The army is unwilling to fight over the Sudetenland

Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938

Invade Czechoslovakia and hope the army follows your orders

Make a deal with Russia and hope Britain and France ignore your actions

Threaten the Czechs and make a deal with Britain and France

Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938

30 Points

20 Points

10 Points

Crisis: Poland 1939

After victory over the Czechs you cant do wrong Poland splits German land and holds the German city of Danzig Poland has an alliance with Britain and France The Soviet Union could be a threat, the Red Army could easily help the Poles

Crisis: Poland 1939

Do a Deal with Russia to split Poland between you

Invade Poland without any agreements no-one can stop you now

Stop now, youve already achieved most of your aims

Crisis: Poland 1939

10 Points

30 Points

20 Points

Add up your scores

How did you do?

120 - 150 Points Your advice has been superb for the outside world as war has been avoided However, your advice has not been good for you. The Gestapo have arrested you and you are never seen again

How did you do?

90 110 Points Youre not the expert the Nazi party thought you were. Youve missed many opportunities to expand Germanys population and resources You have been demoted but you still have a comfortable life in Berlin

How did you do?

50 80 Points Fantastic! you have made Germany strong again, the Treaty is a thing of the past and Germany is well prepared in case war comes. You have been rewarded with promotion in the Nazi party and all the privileges of power

What did Hitler do?

Austria 1934 Rhineland 1936 Austria 1938 Czechoslovakia 1938 Poland 1939

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Austria 1934

Try to take over Austria by sending troops to Vienna

Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Rhineland 1936

Sent troops in the Rhineland. France was divided and Britain wants peace

Ask permission from the Allies before doing anything

Do nothing, you cant risk war with France. Germany is too weak

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Austria 1938

Took over Austria by sending troops to Vienna

Try to take over Austria by political pressure

Do nothing, its not worth annoying France, Britain and Italy

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Czechoslovakia 1938

Invaded Czechoslovakia

Make a deal with Russia and hope Britain and France ignore your actions

Threaten the Czechs and make a deal with Britain and France

What did Hitler do? Crisis: Poland 1939

Made a non aggression pact with Russia to divided Poland

Invade Poland without any agreements no-one can stop you now

Stop now, youve already achieved most of your aims

Appeasement
March 1938 Ger. took control of Austria GB and Fr took no serious action September 1938 Ger. demanded Czechoslovakia cede (give) the Sudetenland
Munich Conference Chamberlin gave in

Hitler agreed not to take any more European land...

Sudetenland

Now we have peace in our time! Herr Hitler is a man we can do business with.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

Czech woman welcoming a German army division, 1938

German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

August 23, 1938 by foreign ministers von Ribbentop (Germany) and Molotov (USSR) signed a non-Aggression Pact Both countries publicly agreed not to attack each other
Shhhh! Secretly they agreed to invade Poland

On September 1, 1939 Germany unleashed a blitzkrieg (lightning war) against Poland. The goal was to destroy communication, transportation and shock the enemy into submission. It worked.

Poland (contd)
Wehrmarcht (main German Army) easily defeated Polish forces in days The Soviets invaded Sept. 17, 1939 The Poles ran to the Russian Army who they thought were there to protect them

Poland (contd)
Totenkoph (Deaths Head) Squadrons hunted down and executed racially inferior people Many Jews were rounded up and forced into the Warsaw Ghetto

Sitzkrieg
September 3, 1939 GB and France declared war on Germany GB evacuated some Poles but offered no military resistance to Ger.
Confetti War

Allies waited for Ger. to attack Belgium and France

Western Front
April 9, 1940 Germany attacked Copenhagen and landed in Norway Denmark fell Oslo, Norway fell but with British supplies the Norwegians resistance held the mountains

Western Front
May 10, 1940 Germany attacked France, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands By May 13 The Allied forces were trapped in northern France May 14 the Netherlands surrendered

Miracle at Dunkirk
May 27 the BEF evacuated across the English Channel from France at Dunkirk Operation Dynamo

Churchill became fully committed to the war

Fall of France
June 22, 1940

Vichy France
A puppet French state was organized to administer southern France

Marshall Henri Petain Pres. Vichy France

Free French Forces

Charles DeGaulle used guerilla tactics to fight the Germans "France has lost a battle; she has not lost the war"

Fall of France Examined

It is a mistake to believe that French forces were weak, in fact they were more advanced and larger in number then German forces Many German leaders were apprehensive about war with France The quick fall of France is attributed to Germanys unexpected attack though the Ardennes Forest

Causes of WWII Examined

World War II started with the rise of a totalitarian German state under the leadership of Adolf Hitler who sought to create a new continental empire for the German people at the expense of their neighbors The invasion of Poland revealed Hitlers sinister plans and preludes what will happen in Russia With the fall of France only Great Britain stands to oppose Nazi Germany and Italy