Consequences of the Failures of the League of Nations in the 1930s (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
The Impact of Manchuria and Abyssinia
In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria
In 1935, Italy invaded the African country of Abyssinia
Both incidents encouraged Hitler’s foreign policy because:
Britain and France were selfish
The impacts of the Great Depression meant that neither country wanted a war with an aggressive nation
In both crises, they did not want to anger possible allies against Hitler
The League was slow
In the Manchurian Crisis, it took the League 18 months to react
The League was weak
The USA was not a member
Every time the League refused to act or reacted weakly, it damaged the League’s reputation
Hitler knew he could act without the League stopping him
In the Manchurian Crisis, Japan ignored the League and faced no consequences
In the Abyssinian Crisis, the League placed economic sanctions on Italy but did nothing to stop Mussolini’s use of chemical warfare
Germany Leaves the League
Germany left the League of Nations in November 1933. This freed Hitler to pursue an aggressive foreign policy
Hitler’s rearmament programme began
This gave Hitler the necessary military force to invade other countries
Many people in Britain believed that Germany was right to rearm because:
The Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh on Germany
Other countries were rearming
Hitler could openly display his military strength
Nazi Germany used rallies to:
Advertise the strength of the German army
Show Germany’s lack of respect for the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles
The 1935 ‘Rally of Freedom’ at Nuremberg reintroduced compulsory military service
Celebrated Nazi film-maker Leni Riefenstahl made the film Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces on the rally
Hitler’s early militarism was not successful
In 1934, Hitler attempted to annex Austria
Mussolini sent troops to the Austrian border to prevent this
By 1939, there were around 1.4 million men in the German armed forces
Spending on armaments increased from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion marks by 1939
Employment in aircraft construction increased from 4,000 people in 1933 to 72,000 people by 1935
Exam Tip
The focus of this topic in the exam is whether Hitler’s foreign policy was to blame for the Second World War. Building up the military is usually done to prepare for war. However, Hitler’s rearmament programme may have just been a scare tactic. What is important is how the League allowed Hitler to break the Treaty of Versailles’ military restrictions openly. If the League had reacted more harshly to Hitler, it may have stopped his aggressive foreign policy.
The Saar, 1935
What were the Impacts of the Saar Plebiscite?
The plebiscite was a propaganda victory for Hitler
It showed the level of support for his policies, even in a region with Nazi opponents
However, the League resolved a dispute legally
The League had stuck to the 15-year time limit set in the Treaty of Versailles
France and Germany had not gone to war
The people of the Saar achieved their aim of rejoining Germany
Hitler wanted to use his popularity to fulfil his idea of a Grossdeutchland
To fulfil this, Hitler needed to capture land lost in the treaty
The League wanted to avoid war at all costs
Hitler could increase his rearmament programme
The Saar provided Hitler with key natural resources for the rearmament industries
The League of Nations aimed to encourage disarmament
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland, 1936
How was the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland a Failure for the League of Nations?
After the 1936 invasion, Hitler built up his defences along the French border
Germany constructed the Siegfried Line, a complex system of fortifications
The League of Nations had allowed Hitler to get away with breaching the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler gained more confidence
Hitler knew he could expand Germany without consequences
Historians believe that this was the League’s last opportunity to stop Hitler without a world war
Hitler developed a strategy to manipulate the League
After the invasion, Hitler signed a 25-year non-aggression pact with France and Britain
Hitler had no intention of keeping the pact
It made Germany seem less aggressive than it was
Worked Example
Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important to Hitler?
6 marks
Partial answer:
The remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important because it reversed part of the Treaty of Versailles (1). The treaty insisted on the demilitarisation of the land to protect France from invasion. However, the Rhineland was German land that Hitler wanted to make German again (1). Therefore the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important for restoring Germany’s pride. Hitler believed that Germany had the right to put troops on its own territory (1).
Exam Tip
In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks in this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons as to why the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important for Hitler. Use the PEE structure in your answer:
P - Make a point about the question
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made
E - Explain why this evidence made the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused Hitler to place his troops on the Rhineland despite the risks of upsetting the League
The Spanish Civil War
Civil war broke out in Spain in July 1936 between:
The left-wing Spanish government
Right-wing nationalist rebels led by General Franco
European Reactions to the Spanish Civil War
Country | Reaction to the Spanish Civil War | Reason for reaction |
|---|---|---|
Britain | Created a Non-Intervention Committee to avoid fighting in the war | To avoid causing a bigger European war |
France | Created a Non-Intervention Committee to avoid fighting in the war | Nationalist sympathisers in France could cause a civil war in the country |
Germany | Sent weapons and aircraft to support right-wing rebels | To test out the new Luftwaffe and form an alliance with Mussolini |
Italy | Sent weapons and aircraft to support right-wing rebels | To expand Italy’s power and influence in Europe |
USSR | Sent weapons and aircraft to support left-wing government | To stop the development of another fascist state in Europe |
How was the Spanish Civil War a Failure for the League of Nations?
The conflict killed 750,000 people
This went against the League’s mentality of stopping the use of war
General Franco won in 1939
Fascism had won against democracy
Hitler and Mussolini formed a tighter bond
They signed the Rome-Berlin Axis alliance in 1937
Germany developed devastating military tactics
Hitler tested the concept of blitzkrieg, or ‘lightning war’, in the conflict
The Luftwaffe developed new bombing techniques
On 26th April 1937, German and Italian bombers bombed the city of Guernica
Over three hours, they destroyed the city and killed hundreds of civilians
The Nazi’s aerial bombing shocked world leaders and their populations
Britain and France increased their rearmament programmes
People worried about the consequences of war
Many civilians wanted to avoid war at all costs
Worked Example
Study Source A.
Why was this photo published in 1937? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge
7 marks
Source A: A photograph taken of Guernica by an unknown photographer in 1937. The image is captioned: “Spain, Guernica.- Ruins of destroyed buildings after German air raid of the "Legion Condor"
Partial answer:
The photograph may have been published to show the aggression of Germany and Italy (1). In the Spanish Civil War, Hitler and Mussolini supported the right-wing nationalist rebels led by Franco. Hitler sent the Luftwaffe to experiment with new bombing techniques. Italian and German air forces bombed Guernica on 26th April 1937 (1). The picture shows the devastation to the city with multiple buildings in ruins (1). The picture highlights the dangerous nature of these two countries and how they purposefully attacked a civilian population (1).
Exam Tip
This style of question in Paper Two needs you to consider:
What the message of the source is. Identify the event it refers to and if it is presenting it positively or negatively. In this example, the photographer wants to show the devastation caused by the Italian and German aerial bombings.
Knowledge of the event. This picture assumes that the reader knows about the bombing of Guernica in 1937. Add relevant own knowledge of these events to support your answer.
The purpose of the picture. This source gives limited information on who took the picture and where it was published. However, a photographer would only take an image like this to show the public the reality of this event.
The League’s actions in the 1930s unintentionally gave Hitler success and opportunities:
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