The Failure to Stop Aggression

Age of Total War

Fall 2003

The Death of Stresa

•      The effort to stop Germany suffered a body blow.

•      When Italy in Oct. 1935 invaded Ethiopia.

•      Italy was always interested in the region.

•      But suffered a humiliating defeat at Adowa in 1896.

•      With Italy’s effort and the failure to control him only contributed to the coming of the war.

Background to the Italian-Ethiopian War

•      Mussolini wanted to restore Italy’s greatness.

•      In 1896, Ethiopia defeated Italy at Adowa.

•      The first and only European state to be defeated by an African nation.

•      The defeat at Adowa and the Versailles Treaty created a sense of defeat in Rome.

•      Mussolini wanted to reverse that defeat.

•      The Events of 1935 gave Mussolini his change.

Italy Attacks

•      Before the attack the French and British attempted to buy Mussolini with the Hoare-Laval Plan.

•      The League of Nations put sanctions on Italy, but not on oil.

•      This drove Mussolini towards Hitler.

Causes of the Spanish Civil War

•      The Defeat of the Spain in the Spanish-American War.

•      The emerging revolutionary agitation in Spain with workers, anarchists, in the Basque and Catalonia regions, and anti-clericalism.

•      The inability to defeat the Riff Tribes in 1921.

•      The role of the Army in Spanish society.

•      The Army brought Gen. Primo de Rivera to power in 1923.

•      Finally in 1930, Alfonso XIII dismissed de Rivera.

•      Now the Spanish had no one to hate.

The Spanish Republic 1931-36

•      Feb. 1931, Alfonso announces a return to the Constitution.

•      With mounting social upheavals, Alfonso flees Spain without abdicating.

•      On April 14, 1931, Spain is now a republic.

•      The Army was curbed, the power of the church was controlled, and the Basque and Catalonia was granted autonomy.

•      In 1933, the Conservatives were returned to power and moved in the direction of the fascist states.

•      The left parties established a “Popular Front.”

The Popular Front Victory

•      Seized land of the large land holders.

•      Attacked and destroyed churches.

•      Assassinated conservative and Falange leaders.

•      Strike were on the upsurge.

Interpretations of the Spanish Civil War

•      A civil war in a narrow sense.

•      An international conflict and a sort of a rehearsal for World War II.

•      A battle of ideologies between fascism and communism with the Democracies sitting on the sidelines.

The Start of the Civil War

•      Started when the Spanish garrison in Spanish Morocco rose in rebellion on July 17, 1936.

•      Franco then took charge after he arrived from the Canary Islands.

•      Franco became the Caudillo of the Junta of National Defense.

The Internationalization of the Conflict

•      Mussolini sent 75,000 troops.

•      Hitler sent the Condor Legion.

•      Stalin sent troops, tanks, and the NKVD.

•      The COMINTERN organized the International BDEs.

•      The Democracies did nothing.

Stalin Had His own Agenda

Were Americans Involved?

The War was Violent

Then Everyone Went to Rick’s Place

Anschluss

•       While Europe was watching Spain, Hitler moved on Austria.

•       The crisis started on Feb. 12, 1938 when Hitler invited Chancellor Schuschnigg to come to Berchtesgaden.

•       Hitler demanded that Austrian Nazis be pardoned and appoint a Nazi as Minister of Interior.

•       The result was the incorporation of Austria into the Reich.

Schuschnigg Responds

•       On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg announced that there would be a plebiscite to determine Austria’s fate.

•       Hitler then sent an ultimatum to rescind that declaration.

•       Schuschnigg resigned and Seyss-Inquart became the Minister of Interior.

•       Hitler had his easy victory.

Background to the Crisis

•       Hitler almost planned the next stage against Czechoslovakia.

•       The weakness was the Sudetenland.

•       With three million ethnic Germans.

•       Edouard Benes thought that Czechoslovakia was the next target and in May 1938 ordered the Czechs to mobilize.

•       Hitler used German agents, including Konrad Henlein, to instigate trouble in the Sudetenland.

The British Save the French

•      The French did not want to live up to their commitments and asked for British helps.

•      The first step was to send Lord Runciman to help solve the problem.

•      Chamberlain will make three trips to Germany to solve the crisis.

Chamberlain’s Objectives

•      The situation went from bad to worse.

•      Chamberlain thought he could deal with Hitler and Germany that became the basis of Appeasement.

•      Chamberlain made three trips to Germany 1) Berchtesgaden, 2) Bad Godesberg, and 3) Munich.

The Rationale for Appeasement

•      The Great Depression and the need to cut government expenses.

•      The fear of war, particularly in Eastern Europe.

•      Crisis in the the Dominions, ie., India and Palestine.

•      The concern the Dominions had about a war in Central Europe.

•      The Situation in the Far East.

The Situation in the Fall 1938

•      After Chamberlain’s meeting with Hitler at Bad Godesberg, he thought that war would occur.

•      Europe was ready to do anything to avoid war.

•      Mussolini, Il Duce, proposed a meeting of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany to solve the problem.

•      The meeting was to take place in Munich on September 30, 1938.

Map of Czechoslovakia

The Munich Conference

•      Hitler received 3.5 million Germans.

•      Czechoslovakia lost her main defensive belt.

•      The Czechs were never consulted.

•      Neither were the Russians.

•      Chamberlain said, “I believe we have peace in our time.”

Hitler’s Great Mistake

•      Chamberlain then presented Hitler with a slip of paper.

•      Asking that this was Hitler’s last territorial demand in Europe in the spirit of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

•      Hitler signed it.

After Munich

•      In March 1939, Emil Hacha was invited to Berlin to discuss issues concerning Slovakia.

•      Hitler then demanded concessions from Hacha.

•      Instead, Hacha had a heart attack.

•      Hacha then signed over the Czech state to Germany.

•      Chamberlain would never trust Hitler again.

•      But now Britain had to find Allies.

The British Seek Allies: Too Little, Too Late

•       The British approach the Poles and Romanians.

•       The Poles accept immediately.

•       Warsaw’s initial acceptance become the basis of the Anglo-Polish Agreement of March 1939.

•       But the Poles don’t want the Russians.

•       Chamberlain still tries.

•       In June he sends William Strang to Moscow to negotiate.

The Slow Boat to Russia

•       In August the British and French follow up with a military mission to Moscow.

•       But they go by boat.

•       On Aug. 11, Marshal Voroshilov informed the Anglo-French it was now or never.

•       The Germans had an opening and Stalin took the bait.

•       Pitting London/Paris against Berlin

Ribbentrop Moves Quickly

•       As the Anglo-French dilly dallied, Ribbentrop wired Stalin on Aug. 14.

•       Ribbentrop told Stalin that all outstanding differences could be ironed out.

•       The Russians accepted on Aug. 15.

•       In a week a deal was cut…freeing Germany from the dangers of a two-front war.

The Announcement

•       The German Radio announced on Aug. 21:

The Devil in the Details

•       Poland would be divided between the two signatories.

•       Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Bessarabia to the Soviet Union.

•       Lithuania goes to Germany.

•       Why did Hitler do it?

•       What advantage did it give to both?

•       What was Hitler possibly thinking?