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Collapse of the Old Order

Collapse of the Old Order. Appeasement and the Coming of War. Versailles. On November 11, 1918 the German government signed a ceasefire with the British and French and waited formal terms to be drawn up. Once it was developed it was presented to the German government in June of 1919.

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Collapse of the Old Order

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  1. Collapse of the Old Order Appeasement and the Coming of War

  2. Versailles • On November 11, 1918 the German government signed a ceasefire with the British and French and waited formal terms to be drawn up. Once it was developed it was presented to the German government in June of 1919. • The Versailles Treaty entailed the following key terms: • Germany had to take full responsibility for the war. • Germany had to pay for all the war damage (reparations) - later set at £6.6billion. (final payment to be made in 1984) • Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men. • Germany could have no air force or submarines, and was limited to six large ships. • Germany to loose territory on all sides, & split in two by new nation of Poland. • Germany to lose all her colonies.

  3. Germany was faced with a choice: • Refuse and face renewed hostilities and invasion by the French, British and Americans. • Accept and face international humiliation and internal condemnation. • The Germans took the latter course and Germany struggled to prevent a further outbreak of violence between the left and the right. • As the treaty was being signed the French Field Marshall Foch said: "This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years".

  4. German Re-Armament • As promised if elected, Hitler began to dismantle the Versailles Treaty. • He openly conscripted soldiers beyond the 100,000. • In 1934, he reoccupied the Rhineland region. • The French fumed but could not convince the British to help punish the Germans. • In the end they let it slide but began to spend more on military hardware.

  5. The Final Straws • Emboldened by the Rhine action, Hitler capitalised on the destabilisation of Austria. • Right wing elements had been agitating for revolution and had assassinated one government leader already. • In March 1938, they stages a coup and supported a unification of Austria and Germany

  6. Sudentenland • In March 1938, Hitler raised his concerns over the plight of ethnic Germans in Czechoslovakia. He promised military aid if the Czechs did not back off. • The Czech’s were not amused and vowed to fight – if the French and British had their back. • In September, the British told the Czech’s that Hitler should have the Sudentenland and that Hitler promised to stop there. • In March 1939, Hitler occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.

  7. Poland Watching the Germans occupy Austria and Czechoslovakia, the French and Poles formed a formal alliance in May 1939. The Poles especially were suspicious of the British but needed to be friendly in order to keep the French on side. Over the next few months, the French sent modern equipment to modernise the Polish Army. The British offered, but had to keep most of it to re-arm themselves.

  8. War In August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non aggression pact. Neither side would fight against each other if they attacked a third party. On September 1, 1939 the Germans invaded. By the end of the month, the Soviet Union occupied the eastern parts of Poland.

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