The Great Depression and Policy of Appeasement

The Great Depression and its Global Impact

• The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression.
• Panic selling of shares led to bankruptcies and mass unemployment.
• Protectionism—imposing tariffs on imports—reduced global trade during the Depression.
• Unemployment in Germany reached six million in 1932, boosting radical movements like Nazism.
• Japan's economy, dependent on exports like silk, suffered severely due to the loss of the U.S. market.
• The Depression weakened the League of Nations, as member states hesitated about imposing economic sanctions.
• Economic hardship in various countries fueled support for extremist parties.
• Countries like Britain and France mitigated Depression effects by expanding trade within their empires.

The Policy of Appeasement

• Appeasement involved making concessions to aggressive powers to avoid conflict.
• Britain and France appeased due to war weariness and unpreparedness.
• The Treaty of Versailles' perceived harshness influenced the appeasement policy.
• The Great Depression distracted Britain and France, making them hesitant to confront aggressive nations.
• Hitler's aggressive actions were encouraged by appeasement.
• The Munich Agreement, in 1938, allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
• Neville Chamberlain declared "peace for our time" after the Munich Agreement.
• Appeasement encouraged Stalin to view Western democracies as weak, leading to the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
• Germany's invasion of Poland ended the policy of appeasement.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact and Hitler's Expansion

• The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union (August 1939).
• A secret clause in the pact split Poland between Germany and the USSR.
• The pact surprised many due to the opposing ideologies of Fascism and communism.
• The pact allowed Hitler to invade Poland without Soviet interference.
• Britain and France declared war on Germany after Poland's invasion.
• Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of the USSR in 1941, was a pivotal point in WWII.
• Hitler's invasion of Poland was justified by claims of mistreatment of Germans in Poland.
• Stalin's motivations for the pact included gaining time to prepare for conflict with Germany.
• Hitler broke the pact by invading the Soviet Union.

Japan's Expansion and Militarism

• Japan's first major aggressive act was the invasion of Manchuria in 1931.
• Resources, like coal and iron, were the main motivating factor for the invasion.
• The League of Nations condemned but did not militarily intervene.
• Manchukuo was a puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria.
• Japan's economic struggles pushed it towards militarism and expansion.
• Japan justified expansion by claiming it needed resources for its growing population.
• Japan allied with Germany and Italy in 1940.
• The U.S. cut off oil supplies to Japan, which led to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• The US declared war on Japan immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Hitler declared war on the US in response.

The Causes of World War II

• Key causes of WWII included militarism, alliances, nationalism, imperialism, appeasement, and economic instability.
• The Treaty of Versailles contributed to WWII by creating resentment and instability in Germany.
• Hitler sought "Lebensraum" (living space) for the German people, particularly in Eastern Europe.
• The League of Nations did not prevent aggression from Germany, Italy, and Japan.
• Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by rearming Germany and remilitarizing the Rhineland.
• The Anschluss was the union between Germany and Austria.
• Hitler used propaganda to garner support by promoting nationalism and anti-Semitic ideals.
• Germany's invasion of Poland officially started WWII.
• Blitzkrieg was Germany's military strategy of fast, coordinated attacks.
• WWII became a global conflict by involving major powers in Europe, Asia, and North America.