A great economic depression hit the world in 1929 and continued in the 1930s. Many people became unemployed. It was called the Wall Street Crash.
The most important individual was Adolf Hitler. Hitler was a Fascist. He thought that Germany needed a strong leader in order to be a strong country. Britain and France however, were democratic nations who elected their respective governments and leaders. A strong leader like Hitler was called a dictator. As a dictator, Hitler promised jobs. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party (also called the National Socialist party.) They wore uniforms and had special salutes, which impressed the German people. Italy and Spain also had fascist dictators. Fascists were very proud of their country and thought them better than others. They also thought their race was superior to any other. This was called racism. Fascists hated trade unions, communists and different ethnic groups such as Jews.
Because Germany had to pay a huge reparation bill, things got really bad for the people and inflation went up. Money and therefore people's life savings became worthless. The French army continued to be based in the Ruhr (Germany's industrial region). Then in 1932 the Americans refused to lend Germany any more money in support of her industries, so many thousands of Germans lost their jobs. 1932 was also an election year in Germany. Hitler and the Nazi party promised to tear up the treaty of Versailles, build up the armed forces, provide full employment and reunite the Fatherland.
Because the Treaty of Versailles had been so hard on Germany, the German people were desperate, they listened to Hitler when he said Germany could be great and powerful again. Fiona Reynoldson wrote "People stood and listened to Hitler for two hours without moving. He told them he would make Germany great. He told them he would find them all jobs." Hitler became the ruler of Germany in 1933.
Hitler wanted Germany to be great and powerful again. He wanted to build a big army and have more land. But the League of Nations did not want a powerful Germany, because this could ultimately lead to another war. So Hitler took Germany out of the League of Nations. Once out, Hitler ordered new tanks, submarines and ships to be built. He also made every young man in Germany do army training. He made the German army big again and it was much more powerful.
Hitler wanted an area of land called Saar because it contained lots of coal, iron and steel. Saar had belonged to Germany before the First World War, but had been taken away immediately after. In 1935 the people in Saar voted to be part of Germany again. This pleased Hitler because it meant he was popular and he could use the coal, iron and steel to make guns and ships. Britain, France and Italy were starting to get worried, so they agreed to stand up to Germany together. But Britain agreed to let the Germans have a bigger navy. Italy fell out with the British and the French in 1936. This encouraged Hitler to go further.
The League of Nations wanted Germany to stay weak, which is why she was not allowed any armies or forts in the Rhineland (the area near the river Rhine). It therefore remained difficult for Germany to attack nearby countries, reducing the chance of another great war. Hitler had already built tanks and warplanes and the League of Nations had not stopped him. In 1936 he sent German soldiers into the Rhineland. The German people that lived there shouted and cheered. The League of Nations still did nothing.
Then Hitler made friends with the Leader of Italy, Mussolini. Following this, he decided to turn to Austria. Hitler wanted to unite Germany and Austria, to create strength. He met with Von Schuschnigg (the Austrian leader) and told him that Austria had to become very close to the Nazi party people in the Austrian government. Von Schuschnigg went back to Austria and invited the Austrian people to vote on whether they wanted a close friendship with Germany. When Hitler heard this, he was very angry. He ordered Nazis in Austria to rebel. The Nazis forced Von Schuschnigg to resign. On the 12th of March 1938 German soldiers marched into Austria in a friendly invasion.
In the 1930s most people still remembered the First World War and how awful it had been, so they did not want a repeat. Instead of telling Hitler to stop, France and Britain let him have his way. They gave in to keep the peace. This is called appeasement.
Many Germans lived in the Sudetenland, which was part of Czechoslovakia. Hitler wanted all the German people to be together. He wanted the Sudetenland to become part of Germany. Czechoslovakia wanted to keep it. Chamberlain (the British prime minister at the time) tried his best to sort out the problem. He spoke to the leader of Czechoslovakia, Benes. Benes agreed to give Germany some of the Sudetenland. But Hitler was not happy with that because he wanted all of it. On the 28th of September 1938 Chamberlain and other leaders met with Hitler and told him that he could have all of the Sudetenland. He was very pleased and said that he would not ask for any more land.
During this time, the USA and Russia did not wish to become involved in European politics so chose a policy of isolationism in the face of Hitler's demands.
"I felt it my duty to strain every nerve to avoid another great war" said Neville Chamberlain in 1938. Chamberlain did not want another war because he was afraid that Britain had too many enemies. He also thought that Hitler would soon stop making demands. He believed too, that the British armed forces were not ready for another war. He feared communism because the Tsar of Russia and his family had been killed. Many British people had also realised that the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh, so Chamberlain gave in to keep the peace. But appeasement encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive.
Because the League of Nations was not doing anything to stop him, Hitler thought that he could take any land he wanted. First he took over nearly all of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. A week later he took Memal from Lithuania. Britain and France stood by horrified.
Then things got even worse. Germany and Russia signed a pact. The pact was called the Nazi-Soviet pact. They agreed not to fight each other any more. They agreed to share Poland between them.
"There is no question of sparing Poland. There will be war. Our job is to isolate Poland" said Hitler in 1939. On 1st of September 1939 Poland was invaded by Germany. Britain and France decided they had to step in. They realised that if they didn’t, Hitler would continue to seize land. War was finally declared on the 3rd of September 1939.
In conclusion it appears that the efforts made by all the nations involved with the plight of Germany following the Great War, brought about the very thing they strived to avoid. The rise of the fascist dictator Adolf Hitler, was met with appeasement; which only served to fuel his ever-increasing demands.
