The three key factors that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe were the policy of appeasement, the weakness of the League of Nations, and Hitler's expansionist foreign policy. The policy of appeasement involved Britain and France making concessions to Hitler in an attempt to avoid war. However, this only emboldened Hitler and failed to stop his aggression. The League of Nations was unable to enforce disarmament or impose effective sanctions, showing that countries could act without consequences. This was seen in Italy's invasion of Abyssinia. Finally, Hitler pursued an increasingly aggressive expansionist foreign policy through the remilitarization of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, and invasion of Poland

1. OUTBREAK OF
WWII IN EUROPE

2. Questions to Ponder
 What were the 3 key factors leading to the outbreak
of WWII in Europe?
 Which factor was the most important factor leading
to the outbreak of WWII?
No ‘factual’ answer
Historical concept: Significance
OVERVIEW

3. Outbreak of WWII in Europe
Policy of
Appeasement
Weakness
of LON
Hitler’s
Expansionist
Foreign Policy
OVERVIEW
Factors
Outcome

4. Outbreak of WWII in Europe
Policy of
Appeasement
Weakness
of LON
Hitler’s
Expansionist
Foreign Policy
OVERVIEW

5. Failure of disarmament
 Main objective of LON was disarmament (see p.19)
 LON was unable to force countries to disarm
 Britain and France were not interested in disarmament; focussed on
national interests
 The USA could influence countries to disarm (see ‘Washington Naval
Conference’, p.110), but was outside of the LON
WEAKNESS OF THE L.O.N.

6. WEAKNESS OF THE L.O.N.

7. Abyssinian Crisis
 Same crisis as the one studied in Ch. 1.2 (p.26)
 Italy invades Abyssinia; Britain & France do… nothing (they
were allies with Italy at the time)
 LON did not impose strong sanctions on Italy for starting the
war  made the LON look weak and useless
WEAKNESS OF THE L.O.N.

8. WEAKNESS OF THE L.O.N.
What does this cartoon tell you
about Mussolini’s attitude
towards the LON?
Mussolini

9. Consequences
 Weakness of the LON showed how countries could not trust
each other or work together
 National interests > international peace
 Mussolini (leader of Italy) and Hitler became bolder because
nobody was willing to stop them
 Mussolini and Hitler later became allies through the Rome-Berlin
Axis  this is why they are known as the Axis powers
WEAKNESS OF THE L.O.N.

10. Outbreak of WWII in Europe
Policy of
Appeasement
Weakness
of LON
Hitler’s
Expansionist
Foreign Policy
OVERVIEW

11. Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
1. Establish a Greater Germany
 Restore German’s former glory from pre-WWI
 Reunite ethnic Germans living in other countries
2. Create lebensraum (living space)
 Expand into Eastern Europe (e.g. Poland, Russia, etc.)
 Provide land and resources for the German people
3. Establish the superior Aryan race
 Destroy ‘inferior races’
 Demonstrate the military might of the Aryan race
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY

12. This factor is made up of a long series of events.
To help you remember them, I have broken them into 3 phases:
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
Phase 1:
Preparation Phase
Phase 2:
Expansion Phase
Phase 3:
Trigger Phase

13. Phase 1: Preparation Phase
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
Involvement in Spanish Civil War (1937)
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936)
Conscription & Rearmament (1933-34)
Withdrawal from League of Nations (1933)

14. Phase 1: Preparation Phase
Withdrawal from LON (1933)  gave Hitler the freedom to act
independently from the League of Nations
Conscription & Rearmament (1933-34)  enabled Hitler to
execute his expansionist foreign policy (see Phase 2)
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936)  led Hitler to
believe that Britain and France would allow him to reverse the
other terms of the TOV
Involvement in the Spanish Civil War (1937)  allowed the
German military to gain combat experience; strengthened
Hitler’s perception that Britain and France were weak
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY

15. HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
After Germans bombed the Spanish city of
Guernica, Spanish painter Pablo Picasso created the
painting below entitled ‘Guernica’.
What does it tell you about Germany’s
involvement in the Spanish Civil War?

16. Phase 2: Expansion Phase
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)
Sudetenland & the Munich Agreement (1938)
Unification with Austria [Anschluss] (1938)

17. Phase 2: Expansion Phase
Unification with Austria [Anschluss] (1938)  strengthened
Hitler’s belief that Britain and France would not stop him from
making further territorial demands
Sudetenland & the Munich Agreement (1938)  confirmed
Hitler’s belief that Britain and France were weak and would
not declare war on Germany
Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)  Britain and France finally
realise that Hitler could not be trusted
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY

18. HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
Crowds in Austria greeting Nazi soldiers upon their arrival

19. Phase 3: Trigger Phase
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
Outbreak of WWII in Europe (1939)
Invasion of Poland (1939)
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

20. Phase 3: Trigger Phase
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939)  allowed Hitler to
invade Poland without worrying about a Soviet counterattack;
Britain signs mutual defence treaty with Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)  Hitler rejects British and French
demands to remove his troops from Poland
Outbreak of WWII in Europe (Sep 1939)
HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY

21. HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST
FOREIGN POLICY
German troops launching an assault on a Polish town

22. 1. Remilitarisation of
the Rhineland (1936)
2. Spanish Civil
War (1937)
3. Anschluss with
Austria(1938)
4. Sudetenland
(1938)
5. Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)
6. Nazi-Soviet
Pact (1939)
7. Invasion of
Poland (1939)
Phase 1: Brown
Phase 2: Pink
Phase 3: Red

23. Outbreak of WWII in Europe
Policy of
Appeasement
Weakness
of LON
Hitler’s
Expansionist
Foreign Policy
OVERVIEW

24. Appeasement describes a policy where negotiations and
concessions are made to avoid war. (see p.25)
Reasons for appeasement & Examples of appeasement
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

25. Reasons for appeasement
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT
Fear of
another war
Weakness of
the LON
Buying time
to rearm
Sympathy for
Germany
over TOV
Chamberlain’s
misjudgement
of Hitler
Fear of
communism

26. Reasons for appeasement (1)
Fear of another war
 Britain and France suffered greatly during WWI
 People of these countries were strongly against another war
Weakness of the LON
 LON was ineffective at disarmament and peace negotiations
 Appeasement was seen as the next best alternative strategy
Buying time to rearm
 Britain and France needed time to rebuild their armies
 Appeasement gave them time to prepare themselves for war
(see p. 126, ‘Source 4.4’)
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

27. Reasons for appeasement (2)
Sympathy for Germany over TOV
 British leaders felt sympathetic towards Germany because of the
unfairness of the TOV
 Chamberlain was willing to reverse the TOV
Chamberlain’s misjudgement of Hitler
 Chamberlain felt that he could trust Hitler
 He wrongly believed that Hitler would stop after Sudetenland
Fear of communism
 Britain and France were more afraid of communism and the
Soviet Union than Hitler’s Germany
 Germany was seen as a potential ally against communism
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

28. What does this cartoon tell you about
the policy of appeasement?
The
Appeaser

29. Key Examples of Appeasement
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Inaction against Hitler’s aggression
Munich Agreement

30. Examples of appeasement (1)
Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935)
 Beginning of appeasement
 Response to German conscription and rearmament
 Allowed Germany to expand its navy beyond limits set by
TOV
Inaction against Hitler’s aggression (1936-1938)
 Britain and France did nothing to stop Hitler’s aggression
 See Withdrawal from LON, Remilitarisation of the Rhineland,
Anschluss with Austria & Invasion of Czechoslovakia
 Encouraged Hitler to become more daring (see p.128)
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

31. Examples of appeasement (2)
Munich Agreement (1938)
 The most famous act of appeasement
 Response to Sudetenland
 Britain and France surrendered Sudetenland to Germany…
without even asking Czechoslovakia!!!
 Soviet Union was not invited even though they were allied
with Czechoslovakia  caused Stalin to distrust Britain and
France
 Hitler broke the terms of the agreement after 5 months
 End of appeasement, but too little, too late…
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

32. “The settlement of the Czechoslovakian
problem has now been achieved… This
morning I had another talk with the
German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and
here is the paper which bears his name
upon it as well as mine… I believe it is
peace for our time.”
- Neville Chamberlain
to a cheering crowd in Britain after signing
the Munich Agreement
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

33. Which factor is the most important…?
Policy of
Appeasement
Weakness
of LON
Hitler’s
Expansionist
Foreign Policy
OVERVIEW

34. Hitler’s expansionist policy Policy of appeasement
Withdrawal from LON No action
Conscription & Rearmament Anglo-German Naval Treaty
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland No action
Involvement in the Spanish Civil War No action
Anschluss with Austria No action
Demanded for Sudetenland Munich Agreement
Invasion of Czechoslovakia No action
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact No action
Invasion of Poland
Abandonment of appeasement – WAR
declared
HITLER VS. APPEASEMENT

35. (A)
 Explain how the policy of appeasement led to the outbreak of
WWII in Europe. (8m)
 Explain how Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy led to the
outbreak of WWII in Europe. (8m)
(B)
 ‘Hitler’s aggression was the main cause of WWII in Europe.’
How far do you agree with this statement? EYA. (12m)
 ‘The policy of appeasement was the main cause of WWII in
Europe.’ How far do you agree with this statement? EYA.
(12m)
SAMPLE QUESTIONS