Treaty of Versailles, Appeasement, and German Reaction

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Treaty of Versailles (1919) Terms:

• Germany accepted responsibility for WWI through the War Guilt Clause (Article 231).
• Germany had to pay heavy financial reparations to the Allies.
• Germany's military was restricted to 100,000 troops, with no air force or submarines.
• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France; Poland gained land; Germany lost its overseas colonies.
• The Rhineland was to remain free of German military forces.

German Reaction to the Treaty:

• Germans resented the treaty, calling it a "Diktat" (dictated peace).
• Reparations led to economic struggles and hyperinflation in 1923.
• Right-wing groups like the Nazi Party used the treaty's terms to fuel anti-Allied sentiment, claiming Germany had been "stabbed in the back".

Policy of Appeasement:

• Definition: Britain and France allowed Germany to break treaty terms to avoid war.

Key Events in Appeasement:

• 1935: Germany rebuilt its military (Rearmament).
• 1936: Germany remilitarized the Rhineland without opposition.
• 1938: Germany annexed Austria (Anschluss).
• 1938: Munich Agreement allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
• Appeasement encouraged Hitler, as he saw no serious opposition from Britain or France, leading to further aggression.

Hitler's Foreign Policy Goals:

• Overturn the Treaty of Versailles, e.g. remilitarization.
• Expand Lebensraum (Living Space) in Eastern Europe.
• Unite all German-speaking people, e.g. Anschluss with Austria.
• Destroy Communism and Defeat the USSR.
• Achieved through aggressive diplomacy, military expansion, and alliances like the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939).

Causes of WWII:

• Treaty of Versailles & German Resentment
• Appeasement Encouraged Aggression
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939): Allowed Hitler to invade Poland.
• Japanese Expansion: Militarization and invasions (Manchuria 1931, China 1937, Pearl Harbor 1941).
• Failure of the League of Nations: No effective resistance to aggression.

Rise of Japan and the Pacific War:

• 1937: Second Sino-Japanese War begins.
• 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor which caused the U.S. to enter the war.
• 1942: Fall of Singapore
• 1942: Battle of the Coral Sea halts Japanese Expansion
• 1945: Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombings caused Japan to surrender.

Australia's Role in WWII:

• Key Fears: Japanese invasion after Pearl Harbor.
• 1941: Australia fights in North Africa.
• 1942: Fall of Singapore shocks Australians
• 1942: Battle of the Coral Sea protects Australia
• 1943-1944: Australian forces help reclaim the Pacific from Japan.

Australia's War Effort:

• Military Service: Conscription and volunteers.
• Home Front Support: Rationing, women in workforce, war bonds.
• Public Opinion: National unity, but fear of Japanese invasion.

Australia's Changing Relationship with Allies:

• 1942: After Singapore's fall, Australia saw Britain as unreliable and turned to the U.S. for defence (e.g., Battle of the Coral Sea).
• Post-War: Strengthened ties with the U.S. under the ANZUS Treaty (1951).

Analysis of Cartoon with Baby Sucking on Bottle:

• Baby Symbolizes appeasement as weak or naïve
• Bottle (‘Munich Agreement’): Appeasement was nurturing Hitler's aggression.
• Bag ('Added Concessions'): Britain and France's repeated compromises.
• Facial Expression: Baby (Hitler) as smug or satisfied.
• The Munich Agreement gave Hitler the Sudetenland, showing Britain's appeasement policy.
• The cartoon implies failure, as Hitler continued expanding
• British Public Response: Encouraged criticism of appeasement
• Munich Agreement emboldened Hitler, contributing to war.

Analysis of Cartoon with Man Coming out of Treaty Tunnel:

• Harsh Reparations: Showed Germany's economic struggles.
• Public Discontent: Illustrated how resentment helped Hitler gain support.
• Treatise created economic misery which allowed Hitler to appeal to struggling Germans
• Treatise fuelled nationalism & militarism, which enabled Hitler's aggressive policies
• Overall Message: Treaty's harshness led to WWII

Analysis of speech from Prime Minister John Curtin:

• "Hands of the democracies are clean” Shows moral righteousness
• “Japan ignored the convention of a formal declaration of war” condemns Japan's attack
• Justifies war to Australians and encourages national unity
• Marks a shift from Britain to the U.S. for security

Analysis of "Now we must smash them!" Poster:

• Strong, aggressive slogan motivates Australians to fight
• Enemy portrayal depicts Japan as a major threat
• 1942: Japan's advance in the Pacific and Fall of Singapore which questioned Australia's security
• Public Response: Increased enlistment and morale
• Overall Message: Calls for unity against Japan