Interwar Period Timeline

Interwar Period Timeline

USA Foreign Policy: Isolationism

British and french policy of appeasement: 1930s

After WWI President Wilson of the USA was trying to create peace throughout the different nations by making the Treaty of Versailles as fair as possible and by creating the league of nations. But the congress and people of America didn't hold the same values as President Wilson and wanted to ensure they wouldn't be involved in future wars. So they rejected becoming a part of the league of nations and tried to isolate themselves economically and politically from the conflicts in Europe.

This is something that the British and French offered to aggressive dictators such as Hitler and Stalin. They did this in hopes of keeping the peace because they feared a second war and they were simply not prepared, economically or militarily, for it.

Nazi Soviet Non-Aggression Pact: 1939

Sudetenland: 1938

Germany Ultra Nationalism: 1933

End of Reparation Payments: 1922

Germany and Russia signed a pact that said that they would take no military action against each other for the following 10 years. Hitler wanted this so that they could invade Poland without any resistance from a powerful militaristic country. They agreed to split Poland between them. This was also beneficial to them because they could fight France and Britain without having to worry about another opposing power.

Japan ultra nationalism: (1937)

Munich Pact: 1938

After the end of WWI, Germany was left to pay billions of dollars to repair the damages done in other countries as well as their own, resulting in a huge economic crisis and depression. This left the German people feeling cheated and angry which Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi party took advantage of and united Germany through ideals of making Germany great again by taking revenge on the Allies who left them in this situation, when he became the leader.

This was the agreement that happened between the British, French and Germans that allowed Germany to take Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. The British and French gave Sudetenland to Hitler in exchange for his promise to not use his army in the future.

After WWI Germany found itself responsible to pay billions of dollars to the Allies in reparation for the damage done to their countries. Yet in the year 1922 Germany could not make its payments and in return France and Belgium invaded Ruhr to try and enforce the payment. Inflation in Germany skyrocketed in 1922 and their currency was collapsed.

Japan has had a long history of a maintaining a strong sense of nationalism. Japan after the war with leaders with strong connection ultranationalist secret societies led a brutal invasion into China in 1937, as Japan wanted to remain a strong great power. Ideas similar to the Nazis and Italian at the time Japan eventually created an alliance for WWII.

This territory was annexed or added to Germany through the Munich agreement in which Hitler put pressure on the Czech leader, demanding union of Sudetenland and Germany. Hitler threatened war in which Benes (Czech leader) was prepared to fight but France and Britain eventually gave in and handed over Sudetenland to Germany.

1918

1939

Occupation of Czechoslovakia: 1938

Invasion of Poland: 1939

Rearmement: (1934-1935 officially)

Italy Ultra Nationalism: 1922

Germany invaded Sudetenland with no resistance or punishment from France or Britain thus making Hitler more confident that he could basically do what he pleased. He set out for more land, Czechoslovakia, which resulted in Germany not only violating the Treaty of Versailles but also Hitler breaking his promise to the Britain Prime Minister that Sudetenland would be his last territorial claim.

Anschluss with Austria: (1938)

Germany was able to invade Poland without the intervention of the Soviet union because of the German-Soviet Pact which said that they would split Poland between them. Immediately following this invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Feeling cheated and unsatisfied with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, when Italy didn’t gain the land they were promised, journalist and extreme nationalist Benito Mussolini found opportunity in rising to power to try and make Italy a great power by use of force and aggression and expansionism.

When Hitler came into power in Germany, his first violation of the Treaty of Versailles was the rebuilding of the German military. At first he started rebuilding his armed forces in secret factories and such but in 1934 he demanded equality in arms with France and Britain and in 1935 had his first public rearmement rally in Germany.

The Treaty of Versailles forbid Austria and Germany from joining together, yet Hitler had other ideas and wanted to create an “Anschluss” or union between the two countries. Unfortunately the leaders of Austria did not support Hitler as a leader, but with the support of Nazi Austrians Hitler invaded Austria and announced his Anschluss. Under fear of imprisonment and the force of the German military Austria held a referendum which was 99% for joining Germany.

Lebensraum:

The word “lebensraum” means living space, but Hitler used this word to support the idea that german race was superior and needed more space to expand and grow the german race. The idea of lebensraum directly connects to the cause of why Germany and Hitler invaded many different countries such as Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France and more. They wanted to purify Europe of any other “impure” races, for example the Jews, so their race could flourish.