Chapter 3 (1919-1939)

Spain by 1920

-Experience little industrialization -Largely an agricultural country -Poor and divided geographically by mountain ranges with people of different languages, customs, and religions. -Under constitutional monarchy -Had many political parties

Reasons for Franco's victory

-Franco was able to maintain the unity of the various right-wing group that made up the nationalists. -The republicans were less unified, with people of different aims. They were not well-trained like Franco's soldiers, and the republicans were simply armed workers, who lacked military organisation and discipline. -Assistance from Germany and Italy. Italy had provided over 50,000 troops and a considerable amount of air power. Germany had provided an unknown number of tanks and planes. The Germany bombing of the Basque town of Guernica --> Showed that this was what the nationalists would do to create a new fascist state. (Afterwards)- Franco adopted the tile Caudillo, leader, and set about establishing a form of government similar to Mussolini's and Hitler's. Repression, large-scale execution, and military courts were as common in Spain as in Germany or Italy. However, Franco did not fully follow the pattern of fascist state because Franco was a support of the Church, restoring its control over education. Moving towards 1939, Hitler would have expected Spain to aid Germany during WW2. However, Franco kept Spain out of WW2, which when Italy and Germany were defeated, Spain still lived on. Franco continued to rule until his death in 1975.

Causes of WW2

-Harsh terms of the treaty of Versailles -Failure of the League of Nation to stop Italy, Japan, or Germany -World economic crisis after the Wall Street crash. -Fear of communism, which many countries supported the rise of the Nazis. -Appeasement -Nazi-Soviet Pact that allowed Germany to invade Poland. -The acquisition of Czechoslovakia, which Germany had no rights to.

Diplomatic approach 1923-1934

-Italy attended the Locarno Treaties, forging better relationship with Britain, France, Germany, and France. -Mussolini established friendly relation with Greece, Hungary, and Albania. Yugoslavia and Albania were both located at the south of Italy. This gave Mussolini control over the country both politically and economically, enhancing Italy's strategic position in the Adriatic Sea. -Establish good relations with Britain -Became the second European nation after Britain to formally recognise USSR, and signed a non-aggression treaty with the Soviets in 1933.

Method

-Mixture of threats and conciliatory statements: Hitler argued that it was righting the wrongs of the Treaty of Versailles, and he had a peaceful intention. -Gambling: Took risk (Rhineland 1936) -Isolating target: Non-aggression treaty with Poland to ensure it would not interfere when Germany take action against Austria or Czechoslovakia. And exploiting the Stresa front as well as the Rome-Berlin Axis to isolate France with potential allies.

Political parties (In Spain)

-Monarchists: Preserve the power of king and the authority of the Catholic Church -Liberals: Create modern democracy, and that the power of King as well as the Church is reduced. -Socialists and republicans: Remove the king. -Communists: Russian style evolution. -Anarchists: No government at all.

Diplomacy (Italy)

-To restore Italian pride: Italy did not get what was promised by the Entente and the Treaty of Versailles, leading to some resentments. -Make Italy 'Great, feared, and respected'

Falange

A Spanish fascist group formed in 1933, by Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, a Son of the former military dictatorship. The flange fought on the side of the nationalist in the Spanish Civil War.

International Brigades

A communist-Organised armies of volunteers set up to assist the Popular Front Government during the Spanish Civil War. Franco's well armed soldiers met determined, but dis-organised resistance. The people of Madrid were civilians trained and armed for warfare, and was supported by the International Brigades. Civilians from Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Russia, and America poured into Spain to help with the assistance. Some were driven by the desire of fascism, but the majority were seeking adventure. Franco's heavy bombing of Madrid and Barcelona failed, so this provided an obstacle to wining Spain. USSR stoped providing assistance when it was concerned about its own security and isolation. The helped the nationalists, and that Franco gained more help from Germany in exchange of 40% share in the Spanish iron mines. This gave Franco the upper hand, and finally in 1939, Barcelona failed to the nationalists. Two months after that, Madrid also failed, which led to the victory of the nationalists.

Invasion of Abyssinia 1935

Abyssinia was the only remaining independent sate in Africa, and that Italy had failed to seize it in 1896. Mussolini was determined to succeed where those failed, saying that this expansion could provide Italy with more raw material. The emperor, Haile Selassie, did all he could to resist, they were no match against the well-armed Italian troops. The League condemned Italy's action and took no serious action against Mussolini except implying economic sanction on Italy. The economic sanction, though not very effective and did not affect the economy of Italy, angered Mussolini. This resulted him into forging closer relationship with Hitler. Mussolini became closer and closer with Hitler as he was fascinated by his policy to the point that he concluded that there was more to gain from Germany than from Britain and France. As a result, Mussolini reversed his foreign policy, and instead of fearing Germany, he started working with Hitler, and supported him in his actions.

Stresa Front

Alliance between Britain, France, and Italy to discuss the implication of Germany's rearmament. It condemned Germany's action, and reaffirmed the Locarno treaties. It pledged that the continue support for Austrian Independence and asserted its intention to resist Germany's attempt to increase its armaments. Despite all this, the Stresa front did no actions against Germany. Realizing the weakness of the alliance, Hitler exploited them. In 1935, he signed an Anglo-German Naval Agreement, in which Germany would limit its navy to 35% of the strength of the British navy. Britain signed this treaty without telling the other two (Italy and France), so this determined the fragility of the alliances. Hitler continued to tear up the Treaty of Versailles, and no one was stopping him.

Rome-Berlin Axis 1936

Alliance between Germany and Italy that would remove Mussolini as an obstacle in forming Anschluss.

Anti-Comintern pact 1937

Alliance between Germany and Japan that go against USSR's Comintern.

Rome-Berlin Axis 1936

Alliance between Italy and Germany

Anti-Comintern pact 1937

Alliance between Japan and Germany.

Foreign involvement

At first, neither Hitler Nor Mussolini want to be involve in the Spanish Civil war, but they could see the value of the third fascist state in Europe, especially one situated on France's southern border. Their involvement drew more countries into the Civil War. -Italy: Seeking glory and Honour, which would make his people confirmed that he has the ability to reach Italy back to its previous glory. -Germany: Encourage Italy to join the Civil War so Italy would distracted, allowing Hitler to form an Anschluss. Hitler prolonged the war by not only supplying Franco's nationalists, but also allowing German firms to sell arms to the republicans as a way to train them and also prolong war. -USSR: Sensing that the fascist Germany and Italy could pose a threat to the nation, Stalin worked hard to maintain his relation with Britain and France. While he could not let Franco take over Spain, he also could not let the Republicans win as Britain and France would not tolerate a communist Spain. As a result, Stalin made sure that the Republicans would have enough force to resist, but not enough to win.

The attack on Pearl Harbor

Being denied for the vital American oil imports, Japan had very little options. - Reach a diplomatic settlement with USA -Continue seizing raw material from Southeast Asia, including the oil of the Dutch East Indies. In fact, Japan chose both options, in which Hideki Tojo (Japan's New Prime Minister) negotiated with USA while preparing his armed forces for war. In 1941, Roosevelt demanded Japan to cease its military buildup in the pacific, and Tojo broke off its diplomatic relation with the US. By then, a fleet of Japanese ships was already three weeks into its journey towards the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Japan's aim was to destroy the US Pacific fleet. Surprisingly, the ships remained undetected and the assault began. By 1.30 pm, USA had lost 2402 men, almost 190 aircrafts, and eight ships damaged. The Attack on Pearl Harbor changed the US's foreign policy, which completely ended its obsession with Isolationism. Roosevelt had long argued in favor of US involvement in WW2. Now the American public called for revenge. Now, this was a decision that guaranteed American involvement in WW2. The victory of Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, the Japanese secured Port Arthur which put them in the upper hand, and they eventually won. They believed that by doing the same thing with US, they would be able to defeat US the same way as Russia. However, the attack failed their key objectives: -A number of US ships and three aircrafts carriers were at sea at the time of the attack, so it was not damaged by the Japanese. -Japan failed to destroy large supplies of oil that were vital in supplying the USA's subsequent war effort. Eventually, Japan's effort to gain power and influence the Far East brought destruction upon itself. The Japanese fought a war against a well-united China, and being dragged into a war between the Western nations by becoming Germany's ally.

Poland and Germany

Deaf to the advices of his General, Hitler was still convinced that British and France would do nothing to stop him, and that he argued it was impossible to maintain Germany's economy without invading other countries. In 1939, Hitler insisted on the return of Danzig and the access to the Polish Corridor. These were understandable demands as there was a large proportion of German-speaking people in Danzig, while the Polish corridor split East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Considering the recent events of Czechoslovakia, Poland suspected that Hitler's demands were the first step towards the invasion of Poland. Adding to that, the invasion would break the non-aggression treaty that Germany had signed with a Poland in 1934.

Anschluss 1934

Encouraged by the Furhrer (Hitler), Austrian Nazi started a rebellion and murdered the Austrian Chancellor. Hitler's troops were prepared to go in and restore order under the pretext of invasion. But this event failed because Mussolini sent Italian regiments to the Austrian border. This unexpected setback proved that Germany did not possess a military strength to risk going to a war against Italy. Afterwards, Hitler had no option, but to deny its involvement by the Austrian-Nazi.

Hitler's foreign policy

Germany was to be restored to its rightful position as a major European power. He achieved this by: -Ending Germany's commitment to the Treaty of Versailles -Recovering all lost territory (Polish Corridor and the Saar coalfield) -Develop German army, navy, and air forces. -Anschluss -Reuniting all German-speaking under the government of Germany.

Czechoslovakia and Germany

Having isolated Germany's potential enemies, Hitler set out to unify all the German-speaking people. There were around 3.5 million people living in the Sudetenland part of Austria, and that the people claimed the Czech government was discriminating them. The Czech government believed that it was Hitler's doing. Britain and France did nothing but to put pressure on the Czech government to make concession with Hitler. The British prime Minister (Neville Chamberlain) believed that Germany's claim to Sudetenland was reasonable. He assumed that Germany would stop after the Sudetenland, but he was wrong!

King Alfonso XIII

He had been governing Spain under the constitutional monarchy since 1885. This system is not particular effective, and it came under threat because of the political division within the country. He abdicated in 1931 when there was increasing threat for bloodshed.

(Primo de) Rivera

He led the coup that overthrew the corrupt government in Spain in 1923. He governed Spain as a military dictatorship for the next 7 years. King Alfonso XIII realized that this was the only way for him to remain in power, he supported Rivera. When Rivera was ruling, infrastructures were made. But the Great Depression led to high Employment, causing Rivera to lose the support of the army, which in the end, he had to resign. Spain was again plunged into turmoil, and the local election of 1931 decided that the Republicans would gain control of the major cities in Spain. Fearing bloodshed, King Alfonso abdicated, the Spain was made a republic.

(Benito) Mussolini

He led the right-wing fascist movement, forming a facist party in 1919, ruling Italy as a military dictatorship

Hitler wanted War

Historians argued that it was always Hitler's intention for Germany to be involved in a major war. It was argued that the conquest of Russia was Germany's long-term aim. Mentioned in his Mein Kampf, Hitler said that Germany's population would be too large for Germany alone, so the solution to this would be Lebensraum. An eye for an eye: Hitler was defeated in WW1, suffering lots of humiliation. So it was believed that "the only solutions to defeat in one war is the victory of the next." Adding to that, Hitler said that "The future of Germany could only be determined through war".

Anschluss 1938

Hitler achieved this in clear defiance of Treaty of Versailles. With riots organized by the Austrian-Nazi, the government of Austria was powerless to control. So Germany went in to restore peace, and declared Austria part of Germany. France and Britain took no actions because of the policy of Appeasement, and Italy, as German's ally, did nothing.

Germany quitting the World Disarmament Conference 1933

Hitler argued that for national security, Germany should be allowed to rearm as the same level as other countries. Without this, Germany was vulnerable to attack, especially from France. He stated that he would disarm if the other countries did the same thing. France was concerned with Germany's decision to rearm, but Britain thought that it was reasonable as Germany was the only one who disarmed. From Britain's view, Germany was a peace-loving leader wanting to help treat his country. Nonetheless, France still objected about it, and this allowed Germany to withdraw from the Disarmament Conference ad the League of Nations. The League of Nation blamed France for being unreasonable, and this had the effect damaging France's reputation and it soured the relation between Britain and France.

Hitler did not want war

Hitler could not have planned for everything including Britain and France's reaction to rearmament or the occupation of Rhineland. Hitler exploited the opportunity whenever he saw it. Moreover, Lebensraum was merely a propaganda tool to gain more support for the Nazi, not a plan for Aggressive actions.Hitler had never wanted a war because Hitler had assumed that Britain and France would do nothing to oppose him. He had never known that Britain would actually take arm against him when he invaded Poland. It was reasonable for Hitle to believe Britain and France would not oppose Germany, as they had literally been appeased for all the events it had done. Hitler did not want a major war and historians argued that he might have unintentionally caused one. During that time period, Britain and France were following the policy of appeasement, and that for every action Germany took, no one was opposing, least of all, Britain and France. It might be that Hitler over-assumed that Britain and France would never do anything to him, that made him put his guard down, and worked on a more careless and aggressive approach. He was surprised when Britain declared war, so it showed that this was something unexpected for Hitler.

Treaty with Poland 1934

Hitler signed a ten-year-non-aggressor treaty with Poland in an act of peace that Germany had no plans to take back the Polish Corridor, and to guarantee Poland's neutrality if Germany, one day, decided to take action against Austria or Czechoslovakia. This treaty had a bonus effect of further making Britain believed that Germany was of peaceful intention.

USSR and Germany

Hitler was still convinced that Britain and France would not take actions against him, so the only main obstacle towards invading Poland would be USSR. Stalin had already known that Germany's ultimate goal was to invade the Soviet Union, and he desperately tried to maintain a good relationship with Britain and a France. Unfortunately, the Europeans feared communism, and now the fascist Germany was coming at USSR's way. In 1939, the USSR and Germany signed an non-aggression treaty that shocked the rest of Europe. The treaty was called the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Hitler and Stalin both have different aims from this Pact. -Stalin: Knowing that Hitler would not Honour its promises to the Soviet, and after the invasion of Poland, Germany would lock onto USSR, so Stalin signed this treaty to buy him time for the Soviet to mobilise. -Hitler: He wanted to make sure that the USSR would not be involved when Germany invaded Poland.

Occupation of Rhineland 1936

Hitler's foreign policy had assumed that none of the European power would take action against him, and it proved incorrect when Mussolini interfered. In 1936, Hitler took another gamble, which in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaty, German soldiers entered the demilitarized Rhineland. Hitler knew that Germany was not ready for a full-scale war, he strictly ordered his troops that they must retreat when meeting France's resistance. Although Britain and France protested, they took no actions against him. Hitler claimed that he was righting the wrongs of the Treaty and signed a peace treaty that would last for 25 years.

Corfu 1923

In 1923, there was a border dispute between Greece and Albania, so this issue was reported to the League of Nation. The League established a commission led by an Italian man to determine where the border should be. Greece showed little willingness to compromise, and when the Italian man along with his three assistants were killed, Mussolini was convinced that Greece was responsible. Italy demanded a financial compensation and the execution of those responsible to Greece. When Greece refused, Mussolini ordered the bombardment and the occupation of the Greek island of Corfu. Greece told the League about this, and the League told Greece to apologise and pay for the compensation in exchange of the Italian troops withdrawn from Corfu.

Rearmament

In 1935, Hitler started introducing conscription, saying that it was in response to he increase of Britain's Military Air Force and the announcement that France was to extend its conscription from 12 months to 18 months. Hitler then increase the German Army to six times higher than what's permitted by the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler's wrong move

It then became clear that Hitler had no intention to Honour the agreement made at the Munich Conference of 1938. Hitler encouraged Slovakia to seek independence from Czechoslovakia, and that he warned the new Czech government he would have to go in and restore or else Germany would bomb Prague. The new government of Czechoslovakia had little option, but to invite Germany in to restore 'peace'. In 1939, the Germans troops went in and, again, Britain and France did nothing to oppose. Hitler made a mistake here as what he had done before could be justified as righting the Treaty of Versailles, but his acquisition of Czechoslovakia was different. He had seized a territory where he had no rights to, and he had broken the promises made at the Munich Conference. Those who had appeased Hitler before now rose up and fought against him, especially Chamberlain. Within 48 hours, he had begun speaking forcefully against Germany, and suspected that Hitler's intention could be a step away to turn into a full-scale war. As a result, Britain started introducing conscription.

Invasion of Albania 1939

Italy invading Albania, and it acted little more than a propaganda exercise, as Albania had Long been under Italian control anyway. It enhanced Mussolini's image as a conquering hero who was leading Italy back to its glory.

Fiume 1923

Italy's claim to Fiume and its surrounding areas were rejected by the Paris Peacemakers, despite the fact that the majority of Fiume's population was Italian. The Peacemakers made Fiume a free city instead, and said that it was to be used jointly by Italy and Yugoslavia. The Italian government agreed to this, which made him looked weak. Enraged by the decision, an Italian poet and a nationalist led a force of around 300 ex-soldiers into Fiume and declared it part of Italy. At first, the Italian did nothing their doing of taking over Fiume, but in 1920, he was concerned it would ruin the relationship with other nations. So the government sent troops in to force the nationalist out of Fiume, and renounce its claim to Fiume, which angered many nationalists as a result. However, in 1923, the local government of Fiume was threatened with rebellion and revolution, so Mussolini moved troops in to restore order. Yugoslavia had little option but to accept his action, and Fiume effectively became part of Italy

Pact of Steel 1939

Military alliance between Germany and Italy, and it stated that Italy would be fully committed in providing Hitler with fully military support.

Italy helped Spain

Mussolini gave considerable assistance to the right-wing nationalist, Francisco Franco, in helping him to establish another fascist state.

Aggressive approach after 1934

Mussolini in this time was widely respected abroad, but little progress had been made towards restoring Italy's pride. Mussolini's popularity was declining so he needed a propaganda boost -Invasion of Abyssinia 1935 -Spanish Civil war -Rome-Berlin axis 1936 -Anti-Comintern pact 1937 -Invasion of Albania 1935 Pact of Steel 1939

Mare Nostrum

Mussolini's dream of turning the Mediterranean Sea into 'our sea'. The main problem of his dream was that Italy was incapable of facing Britain or France yet. With Britain having a power naval force, its control over the Mediterranean was indisputable. The occupation of Corfu was beneficial to Italy as it was the Island's strategic position to the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. However, this opportunity was lost when Greece apologised and paid the compensation. Realising that it was the only fascist nation and that it had an aggressive foreign policy, Italy was in great risk of being isolated and vulnerable. So a more cautious approach on the policy was taken afterwards from 1923 until 1934.

Areas taken in Civil war

Nationalist: Controlled much of the northern Spain and southern areas of around Cadiz and Seville. Republicans: Controlled centre and north-east of Spain (Major cities --> Madrid and Barcelona)

Two opposite sides (Spanish Civil War)

Nationalists: Right-wing group (Church monarchy, army, and Falange) Republicans: Left-wing group (socialists, republicans, anarchists, communists, separatists, workers)

WW2 and Japan

The Japanese aggression alarmed Britain and USA, who both considered to impose economic sanctions on Japan. They did not as Britain was heavily involved in the war with Germany, and USA was in isolationism. Many Japanese argued that they should continue their expansion, but the others were concerned about the attack by USSR. The conflict was solved when Germany invaded USSR, eliminated the threat Japan would face. With USSR out of the way, there seemed tinge nothing stopping Japan from taking possessions. USA grew alarmed when Japan took over French possession (Indochina). Concerning that it will affect USA's interest, Roosevelt posed a trade ban on Japan in thinking that it would be enough to back Japan down. His thought was based on two assumptions: -Japan was militarily weak as demonstrated by its failure to force a quick defeat on China. -Presence of US and UK forces in the Pacific region would be sufficient to deter Japanese aggression. However both assumptions were wrong.

Return of Saar region 1935

The Saar region , containing valuable coalfields, was returned to Germany because of the plebiscite of the local people. Although the plebiscite had taken place in line with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler exploited this opportunity to enhance his reputation in Germany. To assure that Germany had a peaceful intention, Hitler claimed that the return of the Saar region put an end to all remaining grievances between Germany and France

Problems in Spain

The new Prime Minister of Spain, Manuel Azana, embarked on a program to stop the economic crisis of employment and wages. However, his domestic policy enraged the Church, the Army, wealthy landowners, industrialists, and businessman. A new right-wing group was formed Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (CEDA) to defend their interest, and the more extreme left-wing group argued that the prime minister's policies did not go so much into balancing the difference the rich and poor. Series of strikes, riots, and assassination were made, and the heavy method used by the government to suppress these events led to the losing of the working class. As a result, Azana resigned in 1933. Another election was held in 1933, and this time the right-wing won an overall majority, so (CEDA) became the main party under Jose Maria Gil-Robles. This caused the left-wing group (Socialists, anarchists, and communists) to be closer together, unifying as the Left-Wing Popular Front. They then Organised series of violence. Fearing a full-scale revolution, the government used the army to crush the opposition with ruthless efficiency. The economy in Spain continued to worsen, and that it became clear to the country that a strong and consistent government was required to stabilise the problem. The election of 1936 won by the left-wing Popular front, making the left-wing group the strongest party in Spain. However, the new government proved just as incapable as the previous one. In 1936, a leading right-wing politician was killed by police. This convinced the right-wing group that a military dictatorship was the solution to deal with the violence in Spain. In 1936, A group of army was in working in collaboration with a new fascist (Falange) to began a rebellion in Morcco. Francisco Franco flew in from the Canary island to assume lead ship of the conflict. When the rebellion spread to Spain, the Spanish Civil erupted.

Appeasement

The refusal to make any serious movement. Britain and France did this for the following reasons. -Being threatened by the resurgence of German power, France was politically divided and its army was reluctant to act against Germany without the support of Britain. The Anglo-German naval agreement showed that Britain was not a reliable ally. And Italy, becoming Germany's ally, was not a good ally, too. Hitler had been isolating his potentially enemies. -Public opinion of Britain was strongly against war as they had no desire to repeat the horror of WW1. -Both Britain and France were suffering first the Great Depression. Going to war against Germany would mean more money spent on rearmament. -British businessmen and industrialists were trading with Germany, and they wanted to keep it that way. -Many British politician believed that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh on Germany, so it would be reasonable for Hitler to want to tear up the treaty. -Communism was still considered to be the biggest threat in Europe, and many believed that Hitler's Germany was acting as a buffer against the communist Russia.

Nazi-Soviet Pact 1938

This is a non-aggression signed between Germany and USSR. It stated that the Soviets would not interfere with Germany's invasion of Poland, and that the USSR would receive the Eastern part of Poland, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.

Non-intervention committee

This was a committee Organised by Britain to Ensure that no foreign aid entered Spain. Britain dared not directly get involve in the Spanish Civil War, so it used this to try to stop foreign involvement to aid the Civil War. Germany and Italy both joined the committee, and both ignored it.

Munich Conference 1938

When war became likely, a conference was held in Munich in 1938. Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlin, and Daladier (French Counterpart) to discuss the best way to solve the problem With Czechoslovakia. It was agreed that Germany would have Sudetenland. The Czech government was not invited, so he would need to take whatever terms imposed on them. Helpless, the Czech government agreed and resigned. There was a private meeting on the next day between Chamberlain and Hitler, and a document was signed to renounce warlike intention and agree to settle any disputes by negotiation. Chamberlain used this opportunity to gain popularity in British in saying that he had gained an understanding with Hitler. Many were not convinced about such, and Winston Churchill said that it was "an unmitigated defeat."

Invasion of Poland 1939

With the USSR out of the way, there seems to be nothing that could stop Germany from invading Poland. Although Britain had guaranteed support for Poland, Hitler was still convinced that it was a bluff. On September 1st, Hitler's troops entered Poland. On September 3rd, 1939, Britain declared war on Germany, and France followed shortly afterwards. WW2 had begun...