life on the home front

?
  • Created by: loupardoe
  • Created on: 14-02-17 17:09

why was Germany seen as a threat?

preparing for war

  • 1934-35: Conscription and rearmament, first step to war, broke the treaty of versailles, Britain and France did not respond
  • 1935- Anglo-German naval agreement, Britain signed an agreement allowing Germany to build a navy, broke the Treaty of Versailles, set a limit to the size of Germany's navy to one third of the size of Britain's, French were angry, they had not been consulted
  • 1936- Rhineland, remilitarised by Hitler, broke the Treaty of Versailles, it was a bluff, had orders to retreat if they met any resistance, Britain and France did nothing
  • 1938- Austria, after stirring up trouble in Austria by encouraging the Austrian Nazis to demand union with Germany, Hitler invaded the country, broke the Treaty of Versailles, Britain and France did nothing
  • 1938- Sudetenland and Munich, encouraging the Sudeten Germans to demand union with Germany, Britain and France did something, made plans to invade Czechoslovakia, persuaded to meet with the leaders of Britain and France to discuss the situation, Britain and France appeased Hitler by giving him the Sudetenland, Czechs were ignored
  • 1939- Czechoslovakia, March- marched into the rest of Czechoslovakia, broke the agreement signed at Munich, British and French realised that Hitler could not be trusted, agreed not to give in to him again
  • 1939- Poland and the Nazi-Soviet Pact, demanded the return of Polish Corridor, encouraged the Germans living in the area to demand union with Germany, Britain and France promised Poland that they would support her if Germany attacked, shocked the world by signing a treaty with communist Russia, thought this would stop Britain and France helping Poland
  • 1st September 1939- Hitler invaded Poland
  • 3rd September 1939- Britain and France declared war on Germany

why did Britain follow a policy of appeasement?

  • appeasement= British foreign policy under prime ministers Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain between 1935 and 1939, intended to avoid war and confrontation by discussion, negotiation and compromise
  • popular in Britain because the majority of people did not want another war
  • Baldwin was considering wheter to abandon pacifism in favour of rearming Britain
  • knew that although the British people were slowly beginning to change their views, pacifism was still popular, rearmament was not
  • Baldwin resigned
  • succeeded by Neville Chamberlain- believed he could maintain peace
  • believed that Hitler could be satisfied if he was given certain territories which he claimed as belonging to Germany
  • hoped that Hitler would behave reasonably, abide by signed agreements and settle future disputes around the conference table
  • convinced that Hitler did not want war and that he was as eager as he was to keep the peace
  • had a great deal of support in Britain because of the strong pacifist sympathy
  • supported by the labour party
  • some politicians admired hitler for his work in curing unemployment and for having overcome the economic depression in Germany
  • conservative supporters thought that Hitler could be used as a defence against the spread of communism from the USSR
  • still some sympathy for the view that…

Comments

No comments have yet been made