WORLD WAR II: BACKGROUND AND CAUSES

[Music] [Music] this is the first and as you know I came to you because well you're not only a historian but your special interest in this period by going over my film with you will be a big help to me and making sure on developing the major concepts of this war where are we see what we can do now this first field covers the background period for World War two right right when you begin your presentation well I start with a Versailles Treaty at the close of World War One good separate unrelated Wars one point we should make is that the unsolved problems of World War one we're contributing causes for World War two now let's see what we have here these are French crowds celebrating the end of World War one in November 1918 it was the end of four and a half years of bitter warfare early in 1919 delegates of the Allied powers met at Versailles near Paris hoping to frame a just and lasting peace the cheering crowds were hopeful that the treaty would solve the problems of Europe would end all wars but within a few years these same people would realize that the treaty hammered out at Versailles could not be enforced far from resolving the struggle in which nine million men had given their lives the Versailles Treaty had planted the seeds for a new and greater world war even before the end of World War one Nikolai Lenin and other leaders had overthrown the government of Imperial Russia in a communist revolution communists proclaimed as their goal the overthrow of all capitalist governments the revolutionary goals of communism also led to unrest in Germany political uprisings added to the bitterness of defeat and post-war problems of the German people the shaky new German Republic was attacked on the one hand by red agitators and on the other by nationalist groups of ex-military officers in 1923 a nationalist party tried to seize power in the unsuccessful so-called Beer Hall Putsch in Munich this new party called the National Socialist Party was led by a little-known agitator Adolphe Hitler although few Germans followed Hitler then most Germans were shaken by such attempts to overthrow the German Republic disastrous inflation was another blow to democracy in Germany in the 1920s the marked the German monetary unit became almost worthless the prices of food and other necessities rose to fantastic heights life savings were wiped out the German economy shattered for Germans verse i had not solved post-war problems italy in the 1920s faced similar problems of unrest rioting and dissatisfaction with the government facing a threat of communist revolution King Victor Emmanuel was forced to accept as his premier they need to Mussolini in 1922 Mussolini's followers called black shirts were the core of the Italian fascist party under Mussolini fascism had won a foothold in italy by 1926 Mussolini was dictator of Italy his fascist party controlled all elections the Italian people were stirred as they listened to their leader el duche promising them power and prosperity vast programs of Public Works were begun it seemed that it leaves fascist government was concerned with the people's welfare land was reclaimed for farming housing projects were built but at the same time Mussolini was creating a buildup of Italian Armed Forces a modern Navy a mechanized army as the rumble of Italian guns echoed in Europe another event stunned the world in October 1929 the stock market crash was the beginning of a worldwide depression while with people of America and the other democracies grappled with staggering economic problems and as bread lines formed in American cities people in German cities were lining up to witness the growing leadership of Adolf Hitler by 1932 Hitler's National Socialist Party had grown strong enough to take part in the government in 1933 Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany from that time on Hitler preached the rise of a resurgent Germany he assured Germans that the democracies were too weak to oppose this new Nazi Germany and further that the Western world would recognize in a rearm Germany a powerful weapon against communism and so in Germany as in Italy fascism was on the march in the 1930s all right shall we summarize at this point yes what would you say well you might tell your class is something like this after fighting World War one people were simply tired of being involved in world problems and yet there was still post-war troubles and unrest in Europe communism and fascism were both offered as alternative solutions to people's dissatisfied with their own government in Russia communism gain control in Italy fascism one out in Germany a brand of fascism called Nazism sprung up frontiersmen fascism were progressive movement for democracy Great Britain and France favored arbitration in the settlement of disputes yes but in the end arbitration didn't stave off aggression did it well it did at the start don't give the impression that the democracies didn't try to prevent aggression it was to indicate the role of the League of Nations yes and I do as a matter of fact that's what's coming up next these buildings in Geneva Switzerland how's the League of Nations established in 1920 the league a forerunner of the United Nations was an organization intended to preserve peace by arbitration the United States never joined the league but during the 1920s and 30s delegates from many nations met here one of the charter members of the league was Japan in 1931 when Japanese troops invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria it became apparent that the League of Nations couldn't stop aggression strictly speaking Japan was not a fascist nation but she was strongly militaristic by 1937 and had moved into a full-scale war with China this conflict was approved to the destruction and death that would come in World War two in the Pacific Theater in Europe during the same decade of the 30s the fascist forces of Italy launched an invasion of Ethiopia fully equipped opean warriors were no match for the Italian mechanized forces this conflict was a prelude to the struggle that would come in World War two in the North African theater the aggression in Ethiopia was brought to the attention of the world by Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie will Beall to the League of Nations for help in an eloquent address Haile Selassie warned the league that the issue in Ethiopia concerns a fate of all nations but the league which had voted economic sanctions against Italy did not offer collected resistance pepper or Selassie's plea was in vain less than a year after the invasion Mussolini proudly proclaimed Ethiopia and Italian colony the aggressors were on the March the year was nineteen thirty-six now could we say that from this time on the league was powerless to prevent war yes league had passed sanctions against Italy but could take no effective action to stop aggression and since the league had no collective military force the big democracies England and France would have had to do the fighting and they hadn't kept up large defence forces then the failure to check this aggression encouraged more aggression yes as Germany and Italy increased their military strength the democracies tried a peaceful prevent war by meeting all the demands of the aggressor ah this is what I play next good after Hitler's rise to power in 1933 the threat of war in Europe became a reality Hitler told Germans that Germany would withdraw from the league and renounce the Versailles Treaty the Versailles Treaty had prohibited an armed Germany during the 1930s Hitler ordered the building of a German air force big naval construction programs and an expansion and modernization of the army it was as though the clock was turning back to nineteen fourteen forming a close alliance with Mussolini Hitler declared in 1936 that henceforth the world would revolve on a Rome Berlin axis the axis alignment of Germany and Italy would later be enlarged to include Japan propel you to the coming conflict began with the civil war in Spain in 1936 Spain was being used as a kind of testing ground for German and Italian arm new weapon a new tactics were being tried by the axis in the same year 1936 Hitler had already begun the expansion of Germany German troops occupied the Rhineland without opposition next in 1938 Austria was pressured into submission Hitler declared that Austria was now a part of the Third Reich later in the same year 1938 Hitler demanded the Sudetenland a part of Czechoslovakia with a sizable German minority President Benesch of Czechoslovakia at first refused to yield to Hitler's demand a small but well-trained czech army prepared to resist hoping that britain and france would back them feeling that Britain could not risk war then Prime Minister Chamberlain through the Germany to meet with Hitler a series of conferences was climaxed at munich here Prime Minister Chamberlain of Britain and premier 8 y de la da of France representing the democracies met with the axis and this now-famous Munich pact of September 1938 the democracies yielded and signed over the Sudetenland to Germany the democracies that sought to keep the peace by appeasement yet there would be no peace let's stop for a moment and look at the map there are those now who say that if Britain and France had put troops into the Rhineland to oppose this German violation of international law the still small German army could have been crushed here in 1936 of course that's hindsight now Monday morning quarterbacking after Munich as you said Hitler added the Sudetenland in 1938 Winston Churchill called this an awful milestone in our history when the whole equilibrium of Europe has been deranged and soon of course hit return to Poland Ian Stalin had already concluded a non-aggression pact which Hitler thought would ensure him against invasion from the east so the stage was set 1939 was the democracies prevent an invasion of pole that's when I cover in my final sequence of seen the failure of appeasement was now evident to Chamberlain and de la da in March 1939 Great Britain and France promised military support to Poland in case of aggression Britain mobilised her great fleet and her small standing army as her ally France brought her army to full strength in spite of Allied preparations Hitler was still confident of appeasement on September first 1939 the German army invaded poland on September third Britain and France declared war on Germany World War two had begun well that ends my presentation on the background period fine that's a good place to stop now I'd like to follow up with a summary of the key points for my classes well in my opinion you can restate briefly the topics illustrated in your film something like this first the versailles treaty is a closer world war one left many national and international problems unsolved next the League of Nations failed to preserve peace there are many reasons but mainly the individual nations were unwilling to give it the unified supported lead then we have the rise of the aggressors dictators in Italy and Germany and a military click in Japan who began to test the strength of the democracies the league approved powerless when Czechoslovakia and Poland were threatened England and France space the axis alone I want to thank you dr. Clark you've been very helpful well I've enjoyed doing this so much of this subject of World War two has a direct bearing on our lives today I feel that it's necessary of your students to have a good understanding of its causes and its effect and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what you have on the war itself [Music]