The+Road+to+War

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The Road to War While Hitler was pursuing his anti-Semitic policies at home, he was also plotting to extend Germany's borders. After gaining complete power, Hitler set out to build up the German military machine. The Wehrmacht (army), Luftwaffe (air force), and Kriegsmarine (navy) became fearsome weapons. The Treaty of Versailles said that this was illegal, but Hitler went ahead anyway.

Since the other nations did not try to stop the military buildup, Hitler decided to put it to use. Between 1936 and 1939 he began taking over more and more territory in Europe. Each time he did so, other nations failed to react. Hitler learned from this that he could get much of what he wanted without actually going to war. He got bolder and bolder, believing that the Western nations would never try to stop him.

Territories invaded or annexed by Hitler, 1936-39. Which three countries do you think Hitler attacked once war was declared?

1. March 1936: Hitler sends troops into an area of Germany near the French border called the Rhineland. This area was supposed to be a demilitarized zone (area where troops are not allowed). 2. March 1938: Hitler sends the Wehrmacht into Austria (where he was born) and annexes it to Germany. 3. October 1938: The leaders of Britain, France, and Italy (but not Czechoslovakia) meet with Hitler in Munich. They agree to let Germany take over the Sudetenland, a territory in Czechoslovakia where most of the population speaks German. In exchange, Hitler promises that he will not make any more demands for territory. 4. March 1939: Hitler takes over the rest of Czechoslovakia. 5. September 1939: Hitler invades Poland, claiming Germans there are being attacked by Poles.

The invasion of Poland in 1939 finally forced Britain, France, and Canada to act. Britain and France demanded that Germany withdraw. Hitler never even replied to their message. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

September 3 was part of the Labour Day weekend in Canada. Before war could be declared, Parliament had to be recalled. This took a week, because members had to travel from all across the country by train. Finally, on September 10, 1939, Canada, too, declared war. For the second time in a generation, Canada was at war.

Questions

1. Imagine why the other countries did not try to stop Germany's military build-up. Write down your answer(s). When you

 discover the reasons later on, think back to this answer. Were you close?

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; font: 130%/19px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">2. As we have learned (Unit 2), Canada had already made it clear to Britain that it would no longer automatically go to war to

<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; font: 130%/19px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">defend Britain's interests. Why, then, do you think Canada entered the war so quickly in 1939?

<span style="font: 130%/21px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">Canadians Look Ahead

<span style="font: 130%/19px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">How do you think people felt about going to war in September 1939? Some were fearful. Some were happy because they realized that it truly meant the end of the Depression. The government would spend billions of dollars on the military and this would create lots of jobs for the unemployed. Most of the people who volunteered for the Forces probably thought little about Poland. They joined for their own reasons. The following extract gives us -some insight into this.

<span style="font: 130%/19px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">I wasn't patriotic. None of my buddies were. I just wanted some good clothes and hot showers and three decent meals a day and a few dollars for tobacco and beer in my pocket, and that's about all I wanted... <span style="font: 130%/19px 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">Quoted in Barry Broadfoot, Ten Lost Years, 1929-1939 (Toronto: Doubleday Canada Ltd., 1973), p. 373