4/11/2011 10:12:00 AM AJP Taylor argues that the origins of WWII came very much from the traditional

balance-of-power arguments French and British political interplay leading up to the war was concerned with both the domestic and the foreign and should not be subsumed to the simple idea of appeasement o Concerned with their imperial and economic interests Many statesmen who guided the world in the 1930s and 40s shared the imperialist sentiments of the 1920s as well as the economic rivalries. Outside of Europe, white rule was held in place by colonial superiority o Longstanding conflicts in the middle east also played a role, they now demanded independence after colonial rule The independence and sovereignty of smaller European states was therefore much harder to defend Couldnt rely on Russia

Economic rivalry and economic dependence played a clear role in the international crisis of the 1930s Added a new dimension to conflicts Echoes of WWI with the growing crisis facing the international system concerning the decline of the Ottoman and Habsburg empires o Rise of the USA and Germany

Effect of the rise of Italy with Mussolini in the Mediterranean Effect of WWI Rise of nationalism o Displacement of the peasant population into war meant that they had an increased national consciousness due to the experience of new cultures Versailles o Impact of harshness of the treaties Hungary and Austria economically crippled German prestige and economy etc

International Crisis
During 1920s diplomacy could be conducted in the

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background

of relative

stability Not so after the 1920s the Great Depression affected Europe greatly, especially the smaller Eastern European countries Depression also served to cut back on military spending, which weakened the League and its power in Europe. o Manchurian crisis where Japan invaded Manchuria highlights this Rise of Hitler threatened to undo the reduction of influence that Mussolini had in the League Pushed Mussolini towards a policy of active Imperialism in Africa (Ethiopia, Abyssinia) Britain was cool in relation towards French Imperialism in the middle east Was not going to give proper military commitment to France, didnt happen until 1939 France made many military alliances with the Little Entente (Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia) Chamberlain Challenge of Risks: too much attention in one area of the globe may leave you weakened in another Appeasement relied on a number of political and moral principles Involved using instruments of British imperial power o Unfortunately, appeasement over Africa in the partitioning pushed Italy and Japan closer to Germany Accommodation of German demands would mean tearing up Versaille o More difficult for the French than the British o British saw the Germans as a power which could be brought back into the international fold without destroying it Difficult thing about appeasement is that for it to be successful it must be conducted from an area of strength France and Britain were not in strong positions o Problems from domestic politics: strong pacifist elements o Fear of bombing from the population

Britain was a bit out of touch: Eastern Europe had previously been dominated by French interests o i.e. Little Entente guaranteed by French

Can be seen that people were just as afraid of Communism as Fascism in 1930s In Britain there was probably more support from the traditional classes for the Fascist governments Even in 1938 it was not entirely clear what threat Nazism created, the effect of Bolshevism was clear to see in 1917

American attitude towards European powers was untrusting Wanted a loosening of imperial ties Tended to err on the side of neutrality and impartiality

Soviet Union recognised that Germany and Japan posed the clearest threat, however did not move towards Britain or France because of it. Partly because it didnt want to annoy Germany or Japan Partly because it thought Capitalism was undergoing a crisis which would make the honouring their agreements unlikely General rearmament in Europe led to pacts such as the Anti-Comintern pact between Germany and Japan in 1936: Italy joined a year later. German march into the Rhineland in 1936 did not meet with any action o Either too distracted by Ethiopia affair or didnt really care that much Spanish Civil War Was good for Anglo-French cooperation o But, left France weak and surrounded on all sides by Fascist governments

Economic and Imperial Rivalry

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The Great Depression was a major contributing factor to the failure of pre-war diplomacy Massive unemployment made populations despondent, radicalised and eager for change o Peasant parties particularly relevant, the peasants are affected largely by the fall in food prices, drives poverty System of trade all but collapsed Argument for autarky increased, argument that a national economy independent of global systems would be safer Britain and France required to fall back on their empires for economic revival and aid

Imperialism Empires were seen to be a source of economic advantage Britain saw its Eastern empire as a real source of economic gain o Imperial protection was a given As such a large proportion of British troops were stationed in the Middle East in 1939 o Large administrative costs involved in running empires, costs that had to be absorbed into the economy This contrasts with the Have-Not states of the Axis Italy had a major lack of some raw materials o Oil supplies had to be imported, easy for enemy disruption Any economic protectionist measures taken by the Allies angered the Axis It was the political effects of economic actions which mattered Economic Appeasement Genuine thought that Germany and Japan had legitimate Economic grievances which, if looked at, may improve relations with the West In this way, British supplies helped rearm Germany British investors kept links open with Germany, worth up to 60 million at the outbreak of war. However, economic appeasement was largely unsuccessful

None of the Allies could agree about economic reconstruction

o 1933 World Economic Conference broke up in a matter of days o Calls for economic cooperation were unheeded: i.e. van Zeeland report Goering didnt trust Western motives: thought that increasing German exports would be Germany at a disadvantage and help the West Moreover, Eastern Europe had always been considered a legitimate area for Germany to trade with o Saw as a stabilising factor in the area o Britain and France conceded the area in return for trading in the Baltic and with Turkey

4/11/2011 10:12:00 AM Rearmament Many states such as Italy, Japan, Czechoslovakia and Poland as well as the key powers underwent stages of rearmament Most understood that the next war would be a total war o For Hitler this conjured up dreams of racial struggle etc WWI demonstrated the increasing industrialism of warfare o Because of the rearmament campaigns not being fully obvious the allies had to potentially cater for all types of attack i.e. Naval, Ground and Air Some didnt get it right. i.e. Pilsudski and his assertion that the air force would only be used for reconnaissance

In the case of Germany, they were not fully war ready until 1940/1941: Hitler negated this by brazenly showing some clear elements of rearmament to make people think that Germany was much stronger than it actually was. The British and the French believed that the larger economic power of the Allied states offset any large advances that Germany may have made in its army Britain lacked a large ground force, relied on naval blockades: also beefed up its air force and anti-air weaponry Britain was actually fairly well equipped by 1940: advanced planes and radar etc Finance and Industry Preparation for Total War was very expensive Increase of inflation Reduction of living standards Excessive government borrowing Problems with supplies of raw materials France did not have adequate supplies of coal etc

War Over Poland

Following Munich there was an air of dtente in Europe

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Anglo-German agreement, followed by the Anglo-Italian agreement However, in the diplomatic circles people were fearing the end of the limits of appeasement Appeasement always had a logical extension: politicians were seriously considering the reality of war Following the actions at Munich, Hitler became more aggressive in his relations with his neighbours o Weeks after Munich he ordered his generals to prepare for the destruction of the Czechoslovak state German occupation of Prague was a confirmation that Hitler would not be held back by paper agreements Hitler looked towards Poland for living space and resources Ribbentrop suggested that Britain and France were too weak to resist an invasion and would stand aside clearly wrong A Four way guarantee for Polish independence was suggested involved Russia, Britain, France and Germany- Poland woi