The dictatorships in Germany and Italy under Hitler and Mussolini contributed to the growth of European tensions in several ways: 1) They did not abide by the terms of agreements, such as those made at the Munich Conference in 1938. 2) Their expansionist foreign policies and authoritarian domestic policies increased tensions, as seen with Hitler's hatred of Jews and defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. 3) Britain and France's appeasement policies, including their failure to intervene in the invasions of Abyssinia and during the Spanish Civil War, emboldened Germany and Italy to continue their aggressive actions.

1. Growth of European
Tensions Assessment Task

2. Adolf Hitler
Benito
Mussolini
Neville
Chamberlain
Léon
Blum
Joseph Stalin
Munich
Conference
1938
Nazi – Soviet non- Aggression Pact Invasion of Abyssinia
The League of Nations

3. Dictatorships in Italy and Germany
• What is a Dictator? A ruler with total power over a country,
typically one who has obtained control by force.
• What is Fascism? An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing
system of government and social organization.
• How were Italy and Germany governed at this time?

5. • Hitler was never voted into
power. It was thought that if
Hitler was appointed Chancellor
the government can control him
as quoted by Franz von Papen
"We have hired him. He is a
Chancellor in chains". The
Reichstag got this very wrong
and by June 1934 Hitler
destroyed all opposition. Hitler
made numerous pacts and
agreements with other countries
but didn't stick to his word.
• Hitler's popularity rapidly
increased after 1924 due to the
atmosphere of despair and failure
of the current Reichstag, this is
what Hitler needed to thrive. By
July 1932, the Nazis gained 230
seats and 37% of the vote.
Italy was going through very similar social,
economic and political problems like
Germany. High unemployment and
civil disorder made people turn to Mussolini
who grabbed power. In 1922 with the
'march on Rome'. He was appointed Prime
Minister in 1924 and made sure parliament
was dominated by his Fascist Party. 1929
saw Mussolini set up his 'corporate state'
but was never as cruel as Germany or
Russia.

7. • A political spectrum is a system of classifying different
political positions upon one or more geometric axes that
symbolize independent political dimensions. Most common sides
to a political spectrum are left wing and right wing

12. How did these Dictatorships contribute
to the growth of European Tension
The dictatorships in Germany and Italy had a significant impact
on the growth of European tension. They did this by not abiding
with the terms and conditions put forward whilst making
agreements made with other countries especially at the Munich
conference in 1938. Another reason why Hitler and Mussolini
caused growth of tension in Europe is the foreign policies as well
as domestic policies. Hitler with his hatred towards the Jews and
also him going against the terms in the Treaty of Versailles was a
significant reason to Growth of European Tension. Mussolini had
similar intentions to make Italy a great country and take over the
Mediterranean and also the invasion of Abyssinia. As soon as
Germany was becoming bigger and better Italy followed suit. For
these reasons the dictatorships in Italy and Germany contributed
to Growth of European tension.

13. The League of Nations and the Collapse of
collective security: Spanish Civil War and
Abyssinia
What is the League of Nations and when was it formed? The League of
Nations was an intergovernmental organisation founded on 10th
January1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First
World War.
What is Collective Security and was caused it to collapse? Collective Security
is the cooperation of several countries in an alliance to strengthen the
security of each. The collapse of collective security occurred after Japan,
Germany and Italy withdrew from the League after the invasion of
Manchuria, Abyssinia and the Spanish Civil War.

14. What occurred in Abyssinia?
• Mussolini launched a full scale
invasion on Abyssinia on October
3rd 1935.
• It is regarded as a symptom of the
fall of collective security and the
League.
• Italy had longed a chance for
imperial expansion and Abyssinia
was rich in resources.
• Italy was humiliated by Abyssinian
in 1896 at the Battle of Adowa
• Britain and France could have
assisted Abyssinia
• Sanctions on Italy after the
invasion were described as half-
hearted and ineffective
What happened in the Spanish
Civil War?
• Spain never played a role in European
Affairs for many years
• Between 1923- 1929, Spain was under a
dictatorship under Primo de Rivera. This
was overthrown in 1930 & King Alfonso
XIII who abdicated in 1931
• Democracy survived for five years but Spain
was divided between Republicans and the
Nationalists
• The Spanish Civil War broke out in
January 1936
• General Franco had control of half the
country by the end of 1936
• The damage caused was no different to the
bombing of Guernica 1937

15. How did all these events contribute to
the growth of European Tensions?
These events all contributed to the growth of
European tensions because they all lead to the
collapse of collective security in the League of
Nations and also the overall collapse of the
League. The events in Abyssinia and Spain
also contributed as both Britain and France
chose not to intervene and do something to stop
Mussolini and Hitler even though they both
had the power to do so and because they didn’t
Italy and Germany believed that they were
getting away with it and so therefore continued
these actions.

18. Britain, France and the Policy of
Appeasement
• What is a policy of Appeasement? A
political policy of conceding to aggression by a
warlike nation. Note: A classic example
of appeasement is the Munich Pact of 1938,
negotiated between Neville Chamberlain and
Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain, the prime
minister of Britain, allowed Hitler to annex
part of Czechoslovakia to Germany.
• How did Britain and France follow the policy
of appeasement? Britain and France followed
the policy of appeasement by allowing Hitler
and Mussolini to do what they please. The
remilitarisation of the Rhineland was
describes as Hitler ‘going into his own
backyard”.

19. The Policy of Appeasement gave all the major powers
in Europe a chance to prepare their army for the
imminent war. Appeasement gave Germany and other
Axis powers an opportunity to build strength before
attacking the rest of Europe.
However, like Chamberlain who is 'naive', people seem
to think that politicians operate in a vacuum, which is
not the case. He wanted to avoid war for he knew his
own military was ill- prepared
Hitler having the chance of 'peace' between the two
nations , took this advantage to 'backstab' them . The
appeasement policy could be altered which Hitler did
so, therefore it is unnecessary.
Furthermore, although it had given Britain chance to
be more military prepare, Germany to had time to be
more stronger in its military. having a greater urge for
a war the policy of appeasement was a reason for
causing European tensions

21. Significance of the Nazi- Soviet non-
Aggression Pact
• What was the Nazi- Soviet non- Aggression
Pact? The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact,
also called Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, is
a 10 year (August 23, 1939), nonaggression
pact between Germany and the Soviet Union
that was concluded only a few days before the
beginning of World War II
• Why was it important? Hitler could now
invade Poland without interference from
Stalin. It also stated that if one country was
with war with a third country, the other would
not join. The pact was part of Hitler plan
during WW2 as a two front war would be risky.

22. How did it lead to the growth of
European Tensions?
• Having a "buffer zone" between itself and the Soviet Union
allowed Germany to begin its attack on the West which
contained: Holland, Belgium, Denmark, France. Keeping
the Russians at bay in the East allowed Hitler to first
concentrate on the West. Then after the West was secured,
Hitler broke his treaty with the Russians and attacked
them from his launching point of nearby Poland. Taking
Poland first was the initial step to continental domination.
It was all well and good until Hitler broke his promises and
invaded Russia in 1940. Tensions rose at Hitler began to
invade and Britain and France still followed the
appeasement policies.

24. Growth of European
Tensions