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Lee Hui Shan (15) 3F

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Fear of another major war
World War I had a huge impact on Britain and France. Both nations suffered tremendous losses in the war, and were not militarily prepared for another war of a similar scale.
Weakness of the League of Nations
The League proved to be ineffective when it had to deal with strong, powerful countries. Instead of relying on the League to act, the British adopted a policy of appeasement to satisfy Hitler and prevent the outbreak of another major war.
Buying time to rearm
Some historians believed that Britain and France followed an appeasement policy in part to give themselves time to rearm.
Genuine sympathy for Germany over the Treaty of Versailles
When Hitler claimed that Germans in Czechoslovakia were being oppressed, Chamberlain believed that Hitler's grievances were justified. He thought that Hitler's intentions were only limited to granting these Germans self-determination.
Chamberlain's misjudgement of Hitler
Chamberlain believed that Hitler was a man who could be reasoned with. He came to the conclusion that Hitler's words could be relied upon which was utterly wrong.
Fear of communism
Many leaders in Britain and France hated and feared communism. The Western powers believed that a stronger Germany could act as a shield against Soviet Union, and prevent the spread of communism to the West.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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1. Anglo-German Naval Agreement in June 1935

2. Lack of action against Hitler's acts of aggression

3. Munich Agreement signed on 29 September 1938

Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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The policy of appeasement adopted by Britain and France towards Germany also played a major role in contributing towards the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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Hitler wanted to take over Poland. On 23 August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the Non-Aggression Pact that was to last for ten years. It stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would not attack each other, and would resolve any problems between them in a friendly manner.A secret protocol in the pact also divided Eastern Europe into Soviet and German spheres of influence. Soviet rights over the Baltic States were recognised by both Germany and the Soviet Union, and Poland was also divided between them.Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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On 16 March 1939, Hitler invaded and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. Neither Czechs nor the Allies fought back. It was then, when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain realised Hitler could not be trusted and he feared that Poland would be Hitler's next target. Britain and France warned Hitler accordingly that they would go to war with Germany if he invaded Poland.Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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Under the influence of the Nazi Party leader in the Sudetenland, these Germans demanded to be part of Germany. In May 1938, Hitler announced that he would go to war for the Sudetenland if necessary. However, in keeping the with the policy of appeasement, to avoid waging a war in Europe, the leaders of Britain and France, along with Hitler and Mussolini, signed the Munich Agreement on 29 September 1938, deciding that Germany would gain control of the Sudetenland. Czech leader Edvard Benes resigned and German troops marched into the Sudetenland on 1 October 1938. Hitler began to set his sights even further on occupying the whole of Czechoslovakia.Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazis to make trouble and push for Anschluss(political union) with Germany. He tried to pressurise Kurt Schuschnigg, the Austrian Chancellor, into agreeing by telling him that only Anschluss would stop the demonstrations and riots in Austria. Schuschnigg unwillingly called a plebiscite to see if the Austrian people supported a political union with Germany. 99.75% per cent of the population voted for Anschluss. Austria was annexed on 13 March 1938, and Germany thus achieved Anschluss without any conflict. Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles again and still, Britain and France did nothing.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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German Involvement in the Spanish Civil War

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German Involvement in the Spanish Civil War

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During the Spanish Civil War in 1937, Hitler sent soldiers, equipment and warplanes to support the Spanish Nationalist forces. Hitler's involvement in Spain was designed in part to divert British and French attention from his plans for expansion into Eastern Europe. It also gave him the opportunity to test his army and air force while fighting against alleged communists. The League of Nations took no action against Germany for its intervention in Spain. Hitler hated communism and made it public by signing the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in 1936. This added to the perception that the Western powers could trust Hitler, and made British and French intervention in Spain seem even more remote. However, this lack of intervention also strengthened Hitler's view that Britain and France were weak, which in turn made him even more aggressive.
Ruins of buildings in Guernica following the 1937 bombing.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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The French did not respond with force when the German troops entered Rhineland. The League of Nations condemned Hitler's actions but did nothing else. Hitler's timing was perfect, as the League was distracted by the Abyssinian Crisis at that time. His gamble paid off and he met with no resistance. As a result, his standing among the German people and with the German army increased tremendously. He became even bolder in his demands.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis
https://youtu.be/3NlszOfMkaQ

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The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936)

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In 1936 the German army moved into the formerly demilitarised Rhineland. This step intensified the tensions among the European powers and was a forerunner of WW2.

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From 1933 to 1934, the Nazis stepped up their secret rearmament and conscription programme. In 1934, Hitler took complete power over Germany by merging the offices of Chancellor and President. After building up the German army until he felt confident, Hitler announced his remilitarisation programme to the world in March 1935.
Germany's army and navy were severely limited and they were not allowed to have an air force, tanks and submarines. By March 1935 , Germany possessed a 2500-plane Luffwaffe and a 300000 strong army. Conscription was specifically forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, however Germany also instituted compulsory conscription and planned for an army of 550000.
The Allies still had a stronger military than Germany, thus they were in a position to keep Germany in check. However, the Allies only made verbal protests instead of imposing sanctions on Germany, thus Hitler was free to transform Germany into a formidable and dangerous military power. In June 1935, Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Hitler, allowing Germany a limited build-up of its navy. From 1936 onwards, the Germans spent great amounts on military productions. A picture of a rearmament rally in Berlin, on the day of the Declaration of Rearmament,1935.
conscription: the practice of making it compulsory for people to join the military service.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis
http://www.johndclare.net/RoadtoWWII3_rearmament.htm

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2. Abyssinian Crisis
By February 1932, Japan (a member of the League's Council) had invaded and conquered Manchuria. It took the League nearly a year to send a commission and declare that Japan ought to leave - whereupon Japan left the League. The League couldn't send an army, and it needed America's support to impose sanctions successfully. In the end, it did nothing. In 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinian. The major powers, Britain and France, were allies with Italy under the Stresa Front at that time, and they did to want to make an enemy of Italy and its leader, Mussolini. Hence the League failed to stop Italy's invasion which resulted in the Italian takeover of Abyssinia in May 1936. This thus made Mussolini and Hitler even bolder in their ambitions.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/manchuriarev1.shtml

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1. Failure of disarmament
There were several attempts made at disarmament during the 1920s and 1930s. Examples are the Washington Naval Conference, Locarno Treaties, League Commission to prepare for World Disarmament Conference, Kellogg-Briand Pact and World Disarmament Conference.
Source:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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Withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Geneva Disarmament Conference

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Withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Geneva Disarmament Conference

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Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. At the  Geneva Disarmament Conference, Hitler proposed that the French disarm to the level of armaments that the Treaty of Versailles allowed Germany. Otherwise, Germany should be allowed to rearm to the level of the French. The French naturally objected to this. Hitler used their objection as an excuse to withdraw from the conference and the League of Nations in October 1933.
Source:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis

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Weaknesses in the League of Nation's structure and organisation, its association with the Treaty of Versailles and a lack of commitment amongst the major powers severely affected its authority and credibility. There are two main failures of the League of Nations. Failure to achieve disarmament meant that powerful countries still had the military capacity for war, and also that there was nothing to stop them from engaging in conflicts. And failure to intervene in the Abyssinian Crisis in 1935 showed the League's ineffectiveness in maintaining world peace and resolving conflicts.  This served to show that smaller countries could not expect protection from the League and that aggressors (such as Hitler) had nothing to stand in their way.
Sources:
ALL ABOUT HISTORY Unit 2 : The World in Crisis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/manchuriarev1.shtml