Navigation
Traces the diplomatic failures and aggressive expansions that led to the second global conflict.
If you give a bully a small piece of what they want to avoid a fight, will they stop—or will they realize you're too afraid to fight back? In 1938, the leaders of the world's most powerful democracies made this exact gamble, hoping to prevent a second global slaughter.
By the mid-1930s, the memory of World War I's to million deaths still haunted Europe. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain championed appeasement: the policy of making concessions to dictatorial powers to avoid conflict. When Adolf Hitler demanded the Sudetenland (a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia), Britain and France signed the Munich Agreement in 1938. They believed that by satisfying Hitler's 'final' territorial demand, they had secured 'peace for our time.' However, this policy ignored Hitler's underlying ideology of Lebensraum (living space) and convinced him that the Western democracies were weak and unwilling to fight.
1. Hitler demands the Sudetenland, threatening war if he doesn't get it. 2. Britain and France meet Hitler in Munich (excluding Czechoslovakia from the meeting). 3. They agree to let Hitler take the land if he promises to stop expanding. 4. Result: Hitler takes the land, then invades the rest of Czechoslovakia six months later.
Quick Check
What was the primary goal of the policy of appeasement?
Answer
To avoid another major European war by making territorial concessions to aggressive dictators like Hitler.
In August 1939, the world was shocked by the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Hitler and Joseph Stalin—ideological arch-enemies—agreed not to attack each other for years. For Hitler, this was a masterstroke: it ensured he would not have to fight a two-front war (against France/Britain in the West and the USSR in the East) when he invaded Poland. Secretly, the pact included a protocol to divide Poland and the Baltic states between them. This agreement was the 'green light' for war, as it removed the Soviet Union as a potential threat to German expansion in the short term.
Consider the strategic calculation for Hitler: 1. Probability of Western intervention if he invades Poland: High. 2. Risk of Soviet intervention without a pact: High. 3. Result of Pact: Risk of Soviet intervention becomes , allowing of German military focus to shift toward the Western and Polish borders.
Quick Check
Why was the Nazi-Soviet Pact considered a 'green light' for the invasion of Poland?
Answer
It guaranteed that Germany would not have to fight the Soviet Union while simultaneously fighting Britain and France.
On September 1, 1939, Germany utilized Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') tactics to invade Poland. Having finally realized that appeasement had failed, Britain and France declared war two days later. Meanwhile, in Asia, the seeds of global conflict had already sprouted. Japan, seeking resources and regional dominance, had invaded Manchuria in 1931 and launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937 following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. By 1939, these two separate theaters of aggression—the Nazi expansion in Europe and Japanese imperialism in Asia—were rapidly merging into a singular, interconnected global struggle.
Analyze the timeline of escalation: 1. 1931-1937: Japan establishes a foothold in mainland Asia, challenging the League of Nations. 2. 1938: The Munich Agreement proves the League of Nations has no 'teeth' to stop aggression. 3. 1939: The invasion of Poland forces the British Empire (including India, Australia, and Canada) into the conflict, making the war truly global.
Which region did Hitler demand at the Munich Conference of 1938?
What was the 'secret protocol' of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
The invasion of Poland was the first time Hitler had broken an international agreement or treaty.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain to someone else why Hitler and Stalin—who hated each other—decided to sign a non-aggression pact in 1939.
Practice Activity
Create a timeline comparing Japan's actions in Asia (1931-1937) with Germany's actions in Europe (1935-1939) to see how they mirrored each other.