Outbreak of war in europe

OutbreakofWarinEurope 1.Weaknessoftheleagueofthenations TheLeagueofNationswasestablishedbytheTreatyofVersailles.Itwashopedthatiswouldusherinanewsystemofinternationalrelations,wherenationswouldstrivetogetherforpeace.TheLeaguedidachievesomesuccessinresolvingconflictsinthe1920s.However,weaknessinitsstructureandorganisation,itsassociationwiththeTreatyofVersailles,andalackofcommitmentamongstthemajorpowersseverelyaffecteditsauthorityandcredibility. Failureof disarmament● Disarmamentwasseenasthemosteffectivesteptopreventanotherworldwarandtoestablishworldpeace->theLeagueofNationsdidnotachievethis● SuccessesachievedinthisareawerearesultofindividualmajorEuropeanpowers,nottheLeagueofNations● Failureofdisarmamentmeantthat:(i)Powerfulcountriesstillhadmilitaryopportunitiesforwar(ii)Nothingtostopthenfromengaginginconflicts Disarmamentwasseenasthemosteffectivestepinthedesiretopreventanotherworldwarandtoestablishworldpeace.However,theLeaguedidnotachievemuchsuccessinthisarea.SuccessesachievedindisarmamentweretheresultofindividualmajorEuropeanpowers,andnottheLeague.Internationalrelationswerestillbeingdeterminedbypowerfulnationswhoactedontheirown.Thefailuretoachievedisarmamentnotonlymeantthatpowercountriesstillhadthemilitarycapacityforwar,butalsothattherewasnothingtostopthefromengaginginconflicts.Attemptsat disarmament duringthe1920sand1930s● Severalattemptsmadeatdisarmament● Majoreuropeanpowerswerenotalwayscooperative->AttimestookmattersintotheirownhandsE.g.Locarnotreaties-negotiatedbymajorpowers,ratherthantheLON● Generalunwillingnesstodisarm->makecountrylessabletodefenditselfagainstforeignattacks● Majorpowersdidnottrusteachother->wantedtoensurenationalinterestswereprotected ©wzkai

Example1● WashingtonNavalConference(1921)wassuccessfulinlimitingthesizeoftheNaviesofthemajorpowersthroughsettingtheratiooftonnageofcapitalships:->Partiesinvolved:Britain,USA,Taiwan,France,ItalyRatioof5:5:3:1.67:1.67● However,itwasorganisedbytheUSA,whowasnotintheLeagueofNations.● Negotiatedoutsidetheleague Example2● 1952LocarnoTreaties(1925)guaranteedGermany’srespectofBelgianandFrenchborders,thedemilitarisationofRomeland,andtheacceptanceoftheWeimarGovernmenttosettleanydisputes.● Partiesinvolved:Britain,Germany,France,Italy,Belgium,PolandandCzechoslovakia● NegotiationstookplaceoutsidethecontroloftheLeague Conclusion● FailureofdisarmamentshowedimportanceofUsinvolvement->UswasnotaLeaguememberbutcommandedmorerespectthanthanleagueitself.(WeakenedEuropeanNations)● MajorpowerssuchasBritainandFrancewereweakenedeconomicallyandmilitarilyafterworldwar1andthegreatdepression.->Didnotwanttoloseoutbyfightinganotherwar->Didnotwanttobedisadvantagedeconomicallyintheirrebuildingprocess● TheirrefusaltocooperatemeantthatnoprogresscouldbemadebytheLeague.● Atmosphereofdistrustgrewamongthemajorpowers->By1930s,inabilityofpowerstoworktogetherledtogrowingdistrustandtension->Ledtotheoutbreakofworldwar2 Therewereseveralattemptsmadeatdisarmament.TheWashingtonNavalConferenceof1921wasonesuchexample.However,themajorEuropeanpowerswerenotalwayscooperative.Attimes,theytookmattersintotheirownhands.The1925LocarnoTreatieswerealsonegotiatedbythemajorpowersthemselves,ratherthantheLeague. WhentheLeagueattemptedtoorganisedisarmamentconferencein1926andinthe1930s,themajorpowersrefusedtocooperate.Therewasageneralunwillingnesstodisarmasitwouldmakethecountrylessabletodefenditselfagainstforeignattacksandconflicts.Themajorpowersdidnottrusteachotherandwantedtoensurethattheyhadtheabilitytoprotecttheirownnationalinterests.ThefailureofdisarmamentalsoshowedhowimportanttheinvolvementoftheUSAwas.ThoughitwasnotaLeaguemember,theUSAcommandedmuchmorerespectthantheLeagueitself,whichwasmadeupofweakenedEuropeannations.©wzkai

TheonlytwonationscapableofenforcingtheLeague’swillwereBritainandFraance.However,beingseverelyweakenedbyWorldWar1andlaterbytheGreatDepressionof1929,bothnationssawtheirownnationalinterestsasmoreimportantthanthoseoftheLeague.TheirrefusaltoreducetheirarmedforcesandunwillingnessthatnomeaningfulprogresscouldbemadebytheLeaguetowardsdisarmamet.Bythe1930s,theinabilityofthepowerstotrusteachotherandworktowardsdisarmamentcontributedtoageneralatmosphereofdistrustandtensionwhichwouldeventuallyleadtoWorldWar1. Thefailureof theleague:TheAbyssinianCrisis1935FailuretointerveneintheAbyssinianCrisis● Servedasprimeexampleofineffectivenessinmaintainingworldpeaceandresolvingconflicts● WouldconvinceHitlerthattheLeaguewouldnotstandinhiswayofhisplansforexpansion. TheLeague’sfailuretointerveneintheAbyssinianCrisisin1935servedasaprimeexampleofitsineffectivenessinmaintainingworldpeaceandresolvingconflicts.ThisincidentswouldlaterconvincedHitlerthattheLeaguewouldnotbeabletostandinthewayofhisambitiousplansforexpansion. Implicationsof theAbyssinianCrisis● By1935-Leaguesufferedmanyblowstocredibility● AbyssiniahadcommonborderswithBritishcolonies,muchclosertoEurope● MorereasonforBritainandFrancetointervenewhenItalyinvadedAbyssinia.● BUTBritainandFrancewereallieswithItalyundertheStresaFront-didnotwanttomakeenemieswithMussolini● LeagueimposedlimitedeconomicsanctiononItaly->FearfulthatanembargowoulddriveMussolinitogointoanalliancewithHitler->ThisledtoItalytakingoverAbyssiniainMay1936● FailureofmajorpowerstostopItalymadebothHItlerandMussonlinievenbolderintheirambitions● BritainandFrance’sdecisiontoavoidoffendingMussoliniprovedtobeamistake.● MussolinistrengthenedhisfriendshipwithHItler,whohadsupportedItaly’sactions.● Atreatyoffriendship,theRome-BerlinAxis,wassignedinNovember1936. By1935,Leaguehadsufferedmanyblowstoitscredibility,especiallyfromitsfailuretointerveneintheJapaneseinvasionofManchuriain1931.HoweverunlikeManchuria,Abyssinia(nowEthiopia)hascommonborderswithBritishcolones,andwasalsomuchclosertoEurope.TherewasthereforemorereasonforLeague,andthemajorpowerslikeBritainandFrance,tointervenewhenItalyneededinvadedAbyssiniain1935.However,BritainandFrancewereallieswithItalyanditsleader,Mussolini. ©wzkai

FearfulthatanembargoonoilwoulddriveMussoliniintoanalliancewithHitler,theLeagueimposedlimitedeconomicsanctionsonItaly.TheLeague'sfailuretoimposemeaningfulsanctionsnotonlylimiteditsdemise,butalsoresultedintheItaliantakeoverofAbyssiniainMay1936.ThefailureofthemajorpowersandthealeaguetostopItaly’sinvasionofAbyssinisthusmadeMussoliniandHitlerevenbolderintheirambitions.BritainandFrancedecisiontoavoidoffendingMussoliniprovedtobeamistake,asMussoliniestablishedtheROme=BerlinAxiswithHitlerlaterinthesameyear. StresaFrontTheStresaFrontwasanagreementmadeinStresa,Italyon14April1935betweenFrance,BritainandItaly.AlarmedbyGermanrearmamenttheagreementwasmadetoaffirmtheLocarnoTreatiesandtodeclaretheimportanceofthecontinuedindependenceofAustria.ThepartiesalsoagreedtoresistantsyattemptbyGermanytochangetheTreatyofVersailles. 2.Hitler’sExpansionist Policy● Hitlercameintopowerin1933->ImmediatelychallengedtheTreatyofVersailles->Adoptedanaggressiveforeignpolicy● Tookadvantageofeventsandusedthreatsofviolencetoachievehisaims● ItBecameobviousthatBritainandFrance,hisgreatestrivals,werereluctanttogotowarandwerewillingtocompromiseandavoidanotherdisasterlikeWorldWar1.● AbolishedtheTreatyofVersaillesandemboldenedtogofurtherwitheverysuccessfulstep● GermansresentedtheTreatyofVersaillesandbelievedthatHItlerwasjustifiedinhisactions. ApartfromtheweaknessoftheLeagueofNations.Hitler’sexpansionistforeignpolicyplayedamajorroleincontributingtowardstheoutbreakofWorldWar2inEurope.ManyofHitler’saim,suchastheabolitionoftheTreatyofVeraillesandbringingabouttheunionofGermanyandAustria,werespeltoutinMeinKampfandtheNaziParty’sTwenty-FivePointProgramme.WhenHitlercametopowerin1933,heimmediatelybegantochallengetheTreatyofVersaillesandadoptedanaggressiveforeignpolicy. Hitlercleverlytookadvantageofeventsandalsousedthethreatofviolencetoachievehisaims.Itbecameobviousthathismostpowerfulpotentialenemies,BritainandFrance,werereluctanttogotowar,andwerewillingtocompromisetoavoidanotherdisasterlikeWorldWar1.AsHitlersetaboutabolishingtheTreatyofVersailles,hewasemboldenedtogofurtherwitheachsuccessfulstephetook.TheGermanpeopleresentedtheTr