Causes of WWII – Part 2

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• From 1920-1930, no party was strong enough to form a government and enjoy the necessary majority in parliament

• The life-spans of the government – only 8 months – discredited them

• The parties had to place the well-being of the whole nation above the party for the democracy to survive, but rarely did so

• For example, the Social Democratic Party preferred to stay in opposition and not to participate in the business of ruling the country. They didn’t want to compromise on their policies by forming a coalition and discredit their electoral base

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Main parties in Germany

Communist Party

Social Democratic

Party

Center Party

Nationalist Party

Nazi Party

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• There seemed to be only one method by which the parties of the center and moderate right could attain stability with a majority, and that was to move further to the right. So, its right wing came to predominate the Centre Party, enabling the conservatives, the Nationalist Party, to join with them

• During every distress, the Nazis won more votes:– Small farmers – were promised subsidies and stable

prices– Middle class – were promised jobs an protection against

Communism/Bolshevism– Unemployed workers – promised to create jobs– Industrialists – were promised grants and protection

against Communism/Bolshevism– Theologians – saw in Nazism a spiritual revival

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Main parties in Germany

Communist Party

Social Democratic

Party

Center Party

Nationalist Party

Nazi Party

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• The Nazis went from 810,000 votes in 1928 to nearly 6.5 million in 1930; they were the second largest party

• The President, Paul von Hindenburg, didn’t like the parliamentary government, but he could be relied on to honor his oath

• Heinrich Bruning of the Center Party was the chancellor. In 1931, he attempted to aid the stricken economy by announcing an Austro-German customs union. The Allies declared that it broke the Versailles Treaty, which prohibited the union of Austria and Germany

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Bruning tried to govern fairly, but his policies made him unpopular:

– Raised taxes and reduced salaries to combat unemployment

• In 1932, Hindenburg ran against Hitler, who attacked Bruning’s policies. Hindenburg received 19 million votes, while Hitler received 13 million, a vast number for the Nazi Party

• In May 1932, Hindenburg dropped the unpopular Bruning and appointed Franz von Papen as chancellor

Franz von Papen

Paul von Hindenburg

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Nazi ideology incorporated arrogant nationalistic and race ideas, specifically the anti-Semitic doctrines and the belief in German uniqueness

• Most didn’t agree with everything the Nazis stood for, but they chose to overlook the problems because Hitler was going to help them cure unemployment and unify Germany

• Physical force helped to keep organization in Germany that had eluded the Weimar government

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Papen and his cabinet enjoyed no support in the Reichstag. As a result, he persuaded Hindenburg to call elections in July and November 1932 in an unsuccessful attempt to secure some support

• In the July election, the Nazis won 230 seats and 37% of the vote, becoming the largest single party. In the November election, they won 196 seats and 33% of the vote, but remained the largest party

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• Hindenburg was convinced by Papen that the only way to end the parliamentary crisis would be by offering the chancellorship to Hitler. He was from the largest party, although he hadn’t set foot in the Reichstag

• Papen believed that he could tame Hitler and keep close tabs on him as vice chancellor

• On January 30, 1933, Hindenburg appoints Hitler chancellor…Papen told a friend that “Within two months we will have pushed Hitler so far into the corner that he’ll squeak!”

Failure of the Weimar Republic and Hitler’s Rise

• On August 2, 1934, Hindenburg dies. He was the only other man still more popular than Hitler

• After Hindenburg died, Hitler announced that the offices of president and chancellor were merged in one person, Hitler, who now became Fuhrer

Spread of Fascism

• Was seen as an alternate to democracy, which was failing to solve problems created by the Great Depression

• Fascism was an ideology which glorified the military, denounced international organizations and cooperation, and considered war an acceptable means for achieving national goals

• Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy adopted aggressive foreign policies involving war as an intended and desirable method

Living Space (Lebensraum)

• Hitler came to believe that the Aryan race (blue eyed, blonde haired people) were the best race, but had historically been suppressed

• All others, especially Jews, were unwanted and not fit to live

• Expansion to the east would allow Hitler remove those people from Germany, so they wouldn’t “pollute” the Aryan race

Policy of Appeasement

• The policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace

Policy of Appeasement – British Reasons

• Nazis could check Russian power

• An unwillingness to have deaths and devastation in another world war

• Preoccupation with the Great Depression meant trying to settle all disputes peacefully

• Britain wouldn’t involve itself in a dispute unless her survival as a great power were at stake

Policy of Appeasement – French Reasons

• Political divisions had escalated into violence and greatly weakened the government

• Wouldn’t take action without the certainty of British support in case of war. However, Britain refused to back France only if they were attacked

• France’s industrial capacity was not stronger in 1933 & 34

• They believed that any military action would create a general war and Germany wouldn’t be defeated quickly

Policy of Appeasement – Disarmament Conference

• Germany hoped to secure the consent of the other powers to build a standing army of 600,000, but she was doing it whether they consented or not

• In October 1933, Germany withdrew from the disarmament conference and from the League of Nations

• Hitler wanted approval by a plebiscite and got 95% of the German people to approve in the ballot box. The people liked that they would no longer be pushed around

• The British government wanted Germany to come back to Geneva, and put pressure on the French to make concessions. There were no punishments on Germany because they wanted them back at the conference

Policy of Appeasement – German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact

• Hitler wished to weaken the two-front threat posed by the alliance between Poland and France. In January 1934, he concluded a non-aggression pact with Poland, renouncing German claims to Danzig and the Polish corridor

• In April 1934, the French broke off further disarmament discussions with Germany

• France knew what Germany was probably doing, yet didn’t have a preventive war with them

Policy of Appeasement – Anglo-German Naval Agreement

• Signed in June 1934

• It permitted Germany to develop “pocket” battleships and submarines

• Germany could potentially have as many submarines as Britain

• Germany could not construct a fleet whose total tonnage would exceed 35% of the combined fleets of the British Commonwealth

Policy of Appeasement – Saar Plebiscite

• In 1935, under the supervision of the League, the Saar Valley voted 90% to return to the Nazis

• Dr. Josef Goebbels mounted a great propaganda campaign to ensure their return

Policy of Appeasement – Remilitarization of the Rhineland

• By Jan. 1935, the British Cabinet had concluded that the demilitarized zone was not a vital British interest

• The almost unanimous view of the British press and the political parties was that the Germans had only moved into their own territory

• Consequences:– If the French resisted, it would’ve caused war, but it

would’ve been on more favorable terms at this time– Hitler came increasingly to believe in his own infallibility

and his popularity soared– France’s complete lack of will to maintain the 1919

settlement had been openly exposed. If France would not fight over the Rhineland, the immediate guarantee of her own security, would she go to war at all?

Policy of Appeasement - Abyssinia• Mussolini believed he prepared enough

diplomatically with France and Britain, and that they wouldn’t interfere with an invasion because they were too concerned about Germany

• Throughout 1935, Mussolini built up the army to 600,000 men and began his invasion of Abyssinia in October 1935

• The League condemned Italy as the aggressor and imposed sanctions. However, they weren’t rigidly imposed nor did they include oil. The sanctions served to increase patriotism in Italy and trade with Germany

Policy of Appeasement – Spanish Civil War

• Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy set up a Non-Intervention Committee, whose purpose was not to send weapons to either side. However, it was only honored by France and Britain

• France was afraid intervention might increase divisions at home and Britain didn’t want to start a larger war. Germany and Italy sent weapons, while Italy even sent troops

• German and Italian experience on the non-intervention committee taught them to expect appeasement and inaction in the face of aggression