Chapter 3

The League of Nations and

international relations in the
1930’s
 Focus
• This chapter analyses how the
Great Depression unleashed forces
that destroyed the peace
settlement of 1919 and led to the
rise of Hitler and more militant
policies in Italy and Japan, which
ultimately led to the outbreak of the
second world war. It analyses these
problems by considering the
following Questions:
1. How did the rise of extremism
affect international relations?
2. Why did the League of
Nations fail to keep the peace
in the 1930s?
3. Why, and with what effects,
did Britain and France pursues
a policy of appeasement?
4. Why did war break out in
1930?
Looking back

• During the 1920s there had been many

attempts to improve international relations.
By 1930, however, many problems still
remained. For example:
• France still distrusted and feared
Germany
• Germany still resented the harsh terms
imposed by the Treaty of Versailles
• the USA’s return to isolationism
undermined the authority of the League
of Nations.

1. Complete this list by identifying other

issues that posed a threat to good
international relations by 1930.
2. Write a sentence about each of the issues
you have identified, explaining how you
assess its relative importance.
 • The League of Nations in the 1930s faced numerous challenges
and ultimately proved ineffective in maintaining global peace. It

Overview was intended to prevent future conflicts after World War I but
struggled with enforcement due to a lack of military power and
the absence of key nations, particularly the United States. Major
events that highlighted its weaknesses included Japan’s invasion
of Manchuria in 1931, Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in
1935, and the rise of aggressive totalitarian regimes, such as
Nazi Germany. The League’s failure to stop these aggressions
contributed to the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
The players
 How did the
rise of
extremism
affect
international
relations?
 The inter-war period
• During the inter-war period, extreme political
ideas and regimes emerged.
• 1917 Russian Revolution led to a Communist
regime that used violent repression and
established the Comintern in 1919 to promote
world revolution. Although it focused on
"Socialism in One Country," the perceived threat
of communism influenced international relations
and contributed to the rise of dictatorships.
• In 1922, Benito Mussolini's Italian fascist party,
aimed at countering communism and socialism,
took power, establishing a right-wing dictatorship
by 1925, driven by post-war economic struggles.
• The most notable development was Adolf Hitler's
rise to power in 1933, fueled by post-war
grievances and the Great Depression.
• The Depression, triggered by the Wall Street
Crash, severely impacted global economic
stability and derailed progress towards peaceful
international cooperation, marking it as a
significant global crisis alongside the two world
wars.
 The impact of the Great
Depression on political
ideologies

•The Great Depression had a global impact, with Europe,

especially Germany, heavily reliant on US loans, which
were abruptly halted after the 1929 Wall Street Crash,
devastating global economies.
•Between 1929 and 1932, world trade fell by 70%, and
unemployment soared in the US (13 million), Germany (6
million), and Britain (3 million), worsening the economic
crisis.
•The US economy, heavily reliant on exports, collapsed
due to protectionism and retaliatory tariffs, leading to a
sharp drop in demand for American goods and
widespread financial ruin after the Wall Street Crash.
•Japan’s economy suffered, with 50% of its industrial
capacity closing, and its silk export market collapsing due
to the fall in US demand.
Continued
•The Depression intensified political extremism, as economic hardship disillusioned
people with democratic systems, increasing support for communism and fascism.
•In Germany, post-war grievances and economic collapse fuelled the rise of anti-
democratic parties, with the Nazis promising national revival and an end to the
Treaty of Versailles, leading to Hitler’s rise in 1933.
•The Depression influenced international affairs, with Japan expanding into
Manchuria in 1931 for resources, while the USA adopted isolationist policies and
Britain and France focused on internal recovery.
•Hitler’s regime pursued expansionist policies, signalling a shift in global relations,
while weaker democracies like Germany, Japan, and Spain collapsed under the
strain of extremism.
•In contrast, stronger democracies like Britain, France, and the USA survived,
though support for extremist groups grew during the 1930s.
Question:
•Why is source A so effective?
•What does it show us about the
nature of political parties and how
they manipulate public
perception?
•“Never let a good crisis, go to
waste…”
The impact of the rise of
dictatorships on the relations
between the great powers,
1933–35
• There had been a gradual rise in
dictatorial regimes in Europe after
1920 and also an increase in
nationalism.
• The foreign policy of Italy had been
aggressive and expansionist in the
1920s, though Italy had also
participated in international
agreements.
• However, the rise to power of Hitler
led to Germany adopting an even
more uncompromising foreign
policy, leading eventually to war in
1939
 Nazi foreign policy
and rearmament,
1933–35
•Hitler’s early foreign policy could not fully
implement his nationalist ambitions due to the
weakness of the German armed forces.
•France had the strongest army in Europe and
could invade Germany if necessary, while the
British navy far outmatched Germany's at sea.
•Hitler lacked foreign allies, with Mussolini
suspicious of his rise and concerned about
potential German expansion into northern
Italy.
•To appear as a moderate statesman, Hitler
made a pact with Poland, despite resenting
Polish control over German-speaking areas.
•This pact weakened France’s security system
in Eastern Europe, which had relied on its
alliance with Poland to pressure Germany's
eastern frontiers.
Question

• Read Source B. Why was

von Bülow so cautious in
his advice and to what
extent did Hitler follow it?
 The attempted Nazi
coup in Austria, July
• 1934
Hitler adopted a more provocative stance over
Austria despite Germany's vulnerability.
• In June 1934, Hitler met Mussolini in Venice,
attempting to convince him that Austria
should become a German satellite.
• Mussolini rejected this, as he wanted to keep
Austria as a buffer state between Italy and
Germany.
• Hitler encouraged the Austrian Nazis to stage
an uprising in Vienna in July 1934, which failed
disastrously.
• Mussolini mobilized troops on the Brenner
frontier, forcing Hitler to disown the coup.
• The incident worsened German-Italian
relations and diminished the possibility of an
alliance, as Hitler was not yet strong enough
to support the Austrian Nazis.
German
rearmament, 1933–
35

•Germany needed to rearm and

end the Treaty of Versailles’
restrictions to play a significant
role in European affairs.
•The Great Depression helped
Hitler rise to power and
contributed to European powers'
inaction in defending the
Versailles Treaty.
•German rearmament shifted
international relations, with Hitler
aiming to mobilise Germany's
economy and society for war.
What did
rearmament look
like?
• In July 1933 the decision was taken to
create an independent Luftwaffe.
• In December plans were announced for a
peacetime army of 300,000 men.
• In March 1935 conscription was
reintroduced, despite the fears of his
advisers that this would lead to French
military intervention.
• A naval programme was also drawn up
which would produce a moderate sized
German fleet of 8 battleships, 3 aircraft
carriers, 8 cruisers, 48 destroyers and 72
submarines by 1949.
No Push back?

•In response to conscription, British, French,

and Italian leaders met in April 1935 at
Stresa to condemn German rearmament and
uphold the peace settlements.
•Hitler attempted to reassure other powers
by proposing non-aggression pacts,
promising to observe Locarno, and offering
to limit the German fleet to 35% of Britain’s
Royal Navy.
•Britain accepted this naval agreement in
June 1935 without consulting France or Italy,
weakening the unity of the Stresa Front.
 The reaction of the
great powers to Nazi
Germany, 1933–35
France

•From 1933 to 1935, the major powers had to adjust to the

rise of Nazi Germany.
•Despite early rearmament, Germany’s potential strength
was greater than in 1914, surrounded by weaker states
formed from the Austrian and Russian Empires.
•By 1934, France had lost its post-war diplomatic
leadership in Europe.
•The French economy struggled due to the Depression,
and society was divided:
•The right favoured negotiations with Hitler and Mussolini.
•The left wanted to resist fascism and viewed Russia as an
ally.
France finds that
history repeats
itself
•The Locarno Treaties barred France from
reoccupying the Rhineland, limiting its options for
military action against Germany.
•France also lost Poland as an ally following the 1934
German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact.
•France's response to Nazi Germany involved a mix
of containment through alliances and attempts at
negotiation.
•Britain remained France's primary European partner
but was unwilling to form a formal alliance.
•France sought to reinforce ties with Eastern Europe
and pursued agreements with Italy and Russia to
strengthen its position.
Franco-Italian
negotiations and
the Rome
agreement
• France's negotiations for an Italian
alliance were bolstered by the
failed Nazi coup in Vienna, which
solidified Mussolini’s support for a
military pact with France.
• In January 1935, France and Italy
signed the Rome Agreement,
committing to non-interference in
Balkan affairs and mutual action if
Germany rearmed or threatened
Austrian independence.
• In June 1935, Franco-Italian
military discussions began,
focusing on coordinated military
responses to potential German
aggression against Austria, Italy,
or France.
Franco-Russian
• France also pursued negotiations with
Soviet Russia, aiming to create a
regional treaty of assistance similar to
negotiations the Locarno Treaty, involving Russia,
Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia,
and the Baltic states.
• The plan included a separate Franco-
Russian agreement to link Russia with
the Locarno agreements and France
with an eastern pact.
• The proposed eastern pact collapsed
as both Germany and Poland refused
to participate, with Poland being more
wary of Russia than of Germany.
• Consequently, France signed the
Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual
Assistance in May but hesitated to
initiate detailed military staff
discussions with Soviet Russia as the
French Right were deeply suspicious
of Stalin.
Franco-German
negotiations
• France, aware of its economic weaknesses
and internal social divisions, was cautious
about entering another costly war and
preferred negotiation with Hitler.
• France's goal was to secure an agreement
with Germany that would uphold the
Versailles system.
• Hitler was willing to engage in diplomatic
exchanges to appear cooperative but
resisted any constraints that French and
British diplomacy sought to impose on him.
 Great Britain and Germany
• - Britain faced economic difficulties and
the high cost of defending its global
empire, making it more inclined to
negotiate rather than directly oppose
German rearmament.
• - In 1933, Britain was confronted with
threats from both Germany in Europe
and Japan in the Far East.
• - British policy aimed to curb Hitler's
aggression by peacefully revising the
Treaty of Versailles and reintegrating
Germany into the League of Nations to
bind it within security agreements.
• - Sir John Simon, the Foreign Secretary,
expressed this strategy in a letter to King
George V in February 1935.
Italy
• Mussolini, with territorial ambitions in the Balkans
and North Africa, initially tried to act as a mediator
between Germany, Britain, and France, hoping for
concessions from both sides.
• However, events like the failed Nazi coup in Vienna
(July 1934) and Germany's introduction of
conscription (March 1935) prompted Italy to ally
with Britain and France at the Stresa Conference to
uphold the Versailles settlement.
• Mussolini hoped this alliance would secure British
and French backing for Italy's colonization of
Abyssinia (Ethiopia), but these hopes were
unfulfilled.
• Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in October 1935 faced
opposition from the League of Nations, Britain, and
France, ultimately leading Italy to seek support
from Berlin, forming the Rome-Berlin Axis.