You are viewing a free preview of this lesson.
Subscribe to unlock all 10 lessons in this course and every other course on LearningBro.
The final steps towards the Second World War came rapidly in 1939. The destruction of Czechoslovakia in March, the Nazi-Soviet Pact in August, and the German invasion of Poland in September brought about the conflict that the League of Nations and appeasement had both failed to prevent. This lesson covers the final crises of 1939, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the invasion of Poland, and the outbreak of war.
After Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the international situation changed dramatically.
| Development | Detail |
|---|---|
| End of appeasement | Britain and France accepted that Hitler's ambitions went far beyond reversing Versailles |
| Guarantee to Poland | On 31 March 1939, Britain and France guaranteed Poland's independence, pledging to go to war if Germany attacked |
| Conscription in Britain | In April 1939, Britain introduced peacetime conscription for the first time in its history |
| Hitler's demands on Poland | Hitler demanded the return of Danzig (a Free City under League of Nations control with a majority German population) and a road and rail corridor across the Polish Corridor to connect East Prussia to the rest of Germany |
| Poland's refusal | Poland refused Hitler's demands, confident in the Anglo-French guarantee |
The Nazi-Soviet Pact (also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) was a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union — two countries that were ideological enemies. It was signed on 23 August 1939 and stunned the world.
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Non-aggression | Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to attack each other |
| Secret protocol | Poland would be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. The USSR would also gain the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and parts of Finland and Romania |
| Trade agreement | The Soviet Union would supply Germany with raw materials (oil, grain) in exchange for manufactured goods |
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Avoid a two-front war | Hitler feared fighting the USSR and Britain/France simultaneously. The pact secured his eastern flank |
| Isolate Poland | Without Soviet support, Poland was surrounded and vulnerable |
| Free hand in Poland | The pact gave Hitler the freedom to invade Poland without Soviet opposition |
| Buy time | Hitler always intended to attack the USSR eventually (Lebensraum was in the east), but he wanted to deal with the west first |
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Distrust of Britain and France | The Munich Agreement showed that Britain and France would not stand up to Hitler. Stalin feared they would let Hitler attack the USSR |
| Buy time | The USSR needed time to rearm and modernise its military after Stalin's purges had weakened it |
| Territorial gains | The secret protocol gave Stalin eastern Poland, the Baltic states, and parts of Finland and Romania |
| Anglo-French negotiations failed | Britain and France had been negotiating with the USSR for an alliance, but talks were slow and half-hearted. Stalin lost patience |
Exam Tip: The Nazi-Soviet Pact is crucial for explaining why war broke out in September 1939. Without the pact, Hitler might not have risked invading Poland. Be prepared to explain the motives of both Hitler and Stalin.
On 1 September 1939, German forces invaded Poland in a devastating Blitzkrieg ("lightning war") attack.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pretext | The Gleiwitz Incident — Nazi SS troops staged a fake Polish attack on a German radio station near the border to provide a pretext for invasion |
| Blitzkrieg | Fast-moving combined arms attacks using tanks (Panzer divisions), dive-bombers (Stukas), and motorised infantry |
| Speed | Polish defences were overwhelmed within days. Warsaw was besieged from 8 September and surrendered on 27 September |
| Soviet invasion | On 17 September, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, in accordance with the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Pact |
| Polish defeat | By early October, Poland was completely conquered and divided between Germany and the USSR |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 September 1939 | Germany invades Poland |
| 2 September 1939 | Britain sends an ultimatum to Germany demanding withdrawal |
| 3 September 1939 | Germany does not respond. Britain declares war on Germany at 11:00 a.m. France follows later the same day |
Chamberlain announced the declaration of war in a sombre radio broadcast: "This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany."
| Factor | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Hitler's aggression | Hitler's foreign policy consistently aimed at territorial expansion. The invasion of Poland was the latest — and most brazen — step |
| Failure of appeasement | Appeasement had failed to satisfy Hitler's ambitions or prevent war |
| Failure of the League | The League of Nations had proved unable to stop aggression by major powers |
| Nazi-Soviet Pact | The pact freed Hitler to invade Poland without fear of Soviet opposition and isolated Poland |
| British and French guarantee | The guarantee to Poland meant that Britain and France were committed to war if Germany invaded |
| Treaty of Versailles | German resentment of the treaty created the conditions for Hitler's rise and his aggressive foreign policy |
Exam Tip: For the final exam question on why war broke out, you need to discuss both long-term and short-term causes. Long-term: the Treaty of Versailles, the failure of the League, the rise of Hitler. Short-term: the destruction of Czechoslovakia, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, and the invasion of Poland. Always show how the factors are linked.
| Figure | Role |
|---|---|
| Adolf Hitler | Ordered the invasion of Poland |
| Joseph Stalin | Signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact; invaded eastern Poland |
| Neville Chamberlain | British PM who declared war on Germany |
| Edouard Daladier | French PM who also declared war |
| Joachim von Ribbentrop | German Foreign Minister who signed the pact |
| Vyacheslav Molotov | Soviet Foreign Minister who signed the pact |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 March 1939 | Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia |
| 31 March 1939 | Britain and France guarantee Poland |
| 23 August 1939 | Nazi-Soviet Pact signed |
| 1 September 1939 | Germany invades Poland |
| 3 September 1939 | Britain and France declare war on Germany |
| 17 September 1939 | Soviet Union invades eastern Poland |
| 27 September 1939 | Warsaw surrenders |
Subscribe to continue reading
Get full access to this lesson and all 10 lessons in this course.