After the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were implemented in 1919, there was a general feeling of resentment amongst the German public towards the treaty and those involved in it as it was believed that the terms were too harsh. As a result there was a rise in nationalism and nationalist parties playing a large role in allowing for Hitler and the Nazi Party to get into power in 1933. Hitler’s promises of reversing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and restoring the German economy following the damaging effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed were some that won over the favour of the public. After declaring himself Fuehrer in 1934, Hitler set about fulfilling his promise of reversing the Paris Peace treaty. Having withdrawn Germany from the World Disarmament Conference and subsequently the League of Nations in 1933, after agreements could not be made with France over the level of disarmament between the two nations, Hitler was free to violate the terms of the treaty without facing repercussions from the League of Nations, however this did not stop countries such as Britain and France from taking action against Germany in other forms. In 1934, Hitler ordered for and began the rearmament of Germany. By 1936, conscription had been reintroduced; Germany had come to an agreement with Britain that allowed Germany a fleet 35% the size of that of Britain (Anglo German Naval Agreement 1935); the Rhineland had been militarised – all actions in direct violation of the armament terms of the treaty, and unopposed by Britain and France, with Britain assisting the violation in the case of the Anglo Naval Agreement. Hitler broke another term of the Treaty in 1938 by forming the Anschluss (union) with Austria, in accordance to his policy and aim of uniting all German speakers into a Greater Germany. Hitler’s violations of the terms could be seen as aggressive and indicators of his preparation for war, however although he was openly violating and reversing the terms of the Treaty, neither Britain nor France took any action as they had opted for a policy of appeasement.
It could be argued that the policy of appeasement played a large role in causing war, or at least allowing Hitler to get Germany to the point where she was now a threat to the rest of Europe. In 1938, Hitler demanded that the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia be handed over to Germany threatening war if it wasn’t, as there was a large population of German speakers living there. In the Munich Agreement of 1938, Britain, France and Italy agreed to Hitler’s demands and Hitler agreed to not take any more territory. The British policy of appeasement meant that Germany had won the Sudetenland back. Having lost the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia lost key military fortresses and industries leaving her vulnerable to German invasion, which took place in 1939. The high number of German civilians living in the Sudetenland had made Hitler’s initial demands somewhat reasonable, however as the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia held a larger population of Slavs and Slovaks, who were deemed ‘subhuman’ by the Nazis, Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia can only be seen as the start of the quest for Lebensraum. In invading Czechoslovakia, Hitler also broke the terms agreed at the Munich Agreement, and highlighted the failure of the policy of appeasement. Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister, had believed that by giving Hitler what he wanted like the Sudetenland, the policy of appeasement would prevent war and give justice to the German population for the unfair treaty. However the policy of appeasement only led Hitler to believe that he could expand through Europe unchecked and unopposed which led him to invade Poland. It could be argued that the policy of appeasement played a significant role in causing the outbreak of war, as Britain and France had many opportunities to stop Germany from rearming and growing. For example, had France opposed the remilitarisation of the Rhineland, Hitler had planned to retreat. Also the policy of appeasement appeared to support Hitler’s expansionist aims, as the Sudetenland was given to Germany, without an initial invasion. If the allies had opposed Hitler’s expansionism, he may have been deterred from invading Poland.
On 1st September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Germany had lost land to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles, and invaded to unite the German speakers living there and also create living space for the German people (lebensraum). To ensure that they would be able to conquer Poland as easily as Czechoslovakia, Nazi German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939, a non aggression pact, to ensure that Russia would not stop Germany’s invasion of Poland. Although Britain, with the support of France, had signed a military alliance with Poland, in which they agreed to offer military assistance to Poland in the case of invasion as a response to the Munich Crisis, where Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, Hitler believed Britain and France would not defend Poland, as they had done so with Czechoslovakia. It was to Hitler’s surprise when Britain and France declared war following his invasion of Poland, as he expected them to follow the policy of appeasement again. As mentioned before the policy of appeasement led Hitler to believe he would be able to invade Poland without action from Britain or France.
In conclusion, Germany was responsible for the outbreak of war in 1939 to an extent, but cannot be held solely responsible. Hitler’s aims and policies such as lebensraum and remilitarisation posed a great threat on the other powers in Europe, especially Poland. From the Hossbach memorandum and four year plan, it is clear to see that Hitler intended for war, but the declaration of war by Britain and France in 1939 was premature to what he had expected. However, though Hitler had planned for war, he did not necessarily cause it. The policy of appeasement played a great role in escalating the road to war. The inaction of Britain and France allowed Hitler to do as he wished and gave him the confidence that he would be able to invade Poland unopposed. Britain and France could have prevented the war or delayed it by stopping Hitler from violating the terms of the treaty of Versailles. It could also be argued that the Treaty held great significance in causing the outbreak of war. AJP Taylor argues that the treaty did nothing to crush the expansionist ambitions of Germany, which Hitler pursued in his policies and actions that eventually led to the declaration of war.
by
wusiboyhotmailcom (student)
