THE ROAD TO WAR 1939 - LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE TREATIES 1919-1923.

1. CONTENT
ROAD TO WAR
LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES
OF THE PEACE TREATIES
PLUS HOMEWORK
2

2. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
Activity
Copy the causes of the Second
World War on to 6 separate
pieces of paper provided.
In your groups, place the cards in
order to show which was the
most important reason for war,
which was the second most
important and so on.
Explain why you have made
these decisions.

3. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
Fill the gap/research activity.
Research the name of the dictators for each European
countries in the following slide and write a relevant
paragraph about why they came to power. (5 min)

4. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
DICTATORSHIP = RISE OF DICTATORS = EXTREMISM
Portugal under ......... From 1932 Spain under ......... From 1939
Italy under
........................
From 1922
Germany under
........................
From 1933
Eastern European
countries almost
all countries were
dictatorships
Soviet Union under
........................
From 1924
Greece under
........................
From 1936

5. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
BACKGROUND
Many countries were unhappy and wanted revision of their treaties.
Japan and Italy were extremely dissatisfied about their share of the
spoils.
The most dissatisfied nation was Germany.
Most Germans wanted to reject the Treaty of Versailles as they did not
not agree with the territorial losses, disarmament, war guilt and
reparations. The discontent originated from the “stab in the back
The Treaty of Versailles was harsh on Germany, it failed to completely
disable the country militarily and economically.
This gave Germany opportunity to rebuild when the time was right.

6. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
DISSATISFIED POWERS
Japan – was disappointed because its idea for a racial equality clause
had been rejected at the Paris Peace Conference and it had expected
to receive a greater share of Germany’s former trading right in China.
Italy – had hoped to receive the Adriatic port of Fiume and a greater
share of the former colonies of Germany and Turkey.
Germany – objected to each aspect of the Treaty of Versailles:
territorial loses, disarmament clauses, war guilt, reparations.

7. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
HOMEWORK 1
Source 1 - Extract from a right-wing German newspaper published in June 1919:
Today in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles the disgraceful Treaty is being signed.
Do not forget it! The German people will with unceasing labour press forward
to reconquer the place amongst nations to which it is entitled. Then will come
vengeance for the shame of 1919.
Source 2 - Extract from Hitler’s Mein Kampf written in 1924:
What a use could be made of the Treaty of Versailles! … How each one of the
points of that Treaty could be branded in the minds and hearts of the German
people until 60 million men and women find their souls aflame with a feeling
of rage and shame.
How useful are Sources 1 and 2 as evidence that the German people
wanted to overturn the Treaty of Versailles?

8. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
COMPLICATIONS
Hitler promised to destroy the Treaty of Versailles and this promise
helped him to raise to power.
In order to do that, he wanted to rebuilt Germany as a strong military
nation.
But this was forbidden by the treaty.
Britain and France disagreed about how to treat Germany.
The British thought the treaty had been too harsh and they were
prepared to make concessions.
The French were still afraid of Germany becoming strong again.

9. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
PHOTO 1 - FROM SOLDIER TO FUHRER

10. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
PHOTO 2 - FROM SOLDIER TO FUHRER

11. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
20 YEARS LATER

12. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
GERMANY’S POTENTIAL
Treaty of Versailles leave Germany extremely dissatisfied, also failed to
disable her and prevent her from growing into a powerful European
state.
GERMANY’S
EXTREME
DISSATISFACTION
WITH VERSAILLES
GERMANY’S
ABILITY TO BRING
A REVISION OF
THE SETTLEMENT
A DANGEROUS
COCKTAIL
+ =

13. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
HITLER’S FOREIGN POLICY
Destruction of the Versailles Settlement provided Hitler with a foreign
policy agenda. Virtually every foreign policy action and demand that
Hitler made between 1933 and 1939 involved the violation of the TOV
or the Treaty of St. Germain.
- German rearmament
- Remilitarisation of Rhineland
- Anschluss – forbidden union with Austria
- Transfer of Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia
- Occupation of Prague
- Seizure of Memel
- Claims over Danzig and Polish Corridor

14. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
SUDETENLAND
This was a territory located alongside the extended border areas of
Western Czechoslovakia mostly populated by Germans.
The area contained many of Czechoslovakia’s military defences,
together with valuable raw materials and centres of engineering and
textile manufacture.

15. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
IMPACT ON BRITISH AND FRENCH OPINION
The British were fully satisfied by the harsh and punitive aspect of the
Treaty. By the early 1930’s a common view in British government
circles was that the treatment of Germany had been too harsh.
The general feeling was that it was the duty of the British politicians to
assist Germany in achieving the peaceful revision of the treaty.
The French reaction was that the Treaty was not harsh enough. It was
clear that Hitler was seeking to overturn the peace settlement and the
French did not feel confident or strong enough to stand up to Hitler.

16. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
A SETTLEMENT OF INCONSISTENCIES
The Versailles settlement had created a whole series of inconsistencies
or anomalies.
- The separation of East Prussia from the main bulk of German
territory by the Polish Corridor.
- The placing of Danzig, overwhelmingly populated by Germans,
under the League of Nations control.
- The placing of three and a half million Germans under the Czech
rule in the Sudetenland.

17. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
HOMEWORK 2
Select one of the inconsistencies or anomalies created by the
Versailles Settlement. Explain how it would have been
justified by the peacemakers in 1919.

18. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – ROAD TO WW2 – MR. D
HOMEWORK 3: IS THE SOURCE RIGHT?
WRITE AT LEAST 2 PARAGRAPHS