La grandes Posibles alternativas para contener a Alemania

1. Enumerar las posibles políticas alternativas para contener a Alemania. Explicar la cual finalmente se opto.
2. Ordenar cronológicamente: Acuerdo de Múnich, Frente de Stresa, Invasión Alemana a Polonia, Affaire Dollfuss, Pacto Nazi-Soviético, Remilitarización de Renania, Tratado Naval Germano Británico, Creación de Luftwaffe, Eje Roma-Berlín, GCE, Aunschluss
3. Explicar la conexión entre la GCE y la IIGCM
4. Explicar las causas de la Política de Apaciguamiento
5. Conferencia de Múnich: Describe los eventos que llevan a la ocupación alemana de los Sudetes
6. ¿Cuándo y porqué termina la Política de Apaciguamiento? ¿Qué nuevo rumbo toma la política exterior británica?
7. ¿Qué es el pacto Nazi- Soviético? ¿Cuál es su importancia?

1. The first alternative to contain Germany was to hit them in a preventive war, before they could hit the other European nations first. For example, Poland could attack from the east while France could invade the Reich from the west. But this strategy to rid Europe of Nazism was debatable, as in the end, Hitler had achieved power by legal means, and the German government was being careful to make prudent and reasonable demands against the Treaty of Versailles. Moreover, if this supposedly happen, the victorious powers would still have to hold down an outraged Germany. Indeed, the strategy did not make sense for many. The second alternative hold the idea of massive rearmament.  Nations would call up extended armies and build air forces and navies, to prevent and frighten Germany´s aggression. However, one objection to this alternative was very present. It was clear that rearmament would prevent war, but large armies and modern equipment had become highly expensive, which led many nations to reject any propose in spending vast amounts of money. The third alternative was of disarmament.  This strategy supported the idea of making war less likely by reducing the amount of men and weapons to take part in it. The nations in fact tried to set this strategy on in Geneva, where the World Disarmament Conference had been meeting since 1932. However, in 1933, Germany demanded “equality” with the most heavily armed countries, and Hitler, further on in that year, declared his intention to rearm Germany, which led to the withdrawal of Germany of the Conference. This strategy was a total failure, as Germany couldn´t be contain. The Conference was concluded in 1934, achieving absolutely nothing.  A fourth, and last, alternative was to settle the problems and maintain collective security through the League of Nations. However, the League was not an independent force, as it depended entirely on the support of its members, Britain and France being the most powerful.  The League, as well, did not include all the great powers as the USA had never joined and the USSR became a member just in 1934. Even worse, the League of Nations had showed itself ineficient, weak and powerless. It had only criticized Japan´s invasion to Manchuria, but failed at stopping it. Moreover, Japan and Germany left the League in 1933.

This last alternative was the one put in practice. Collective security was tried to be achieved in numerous occasions. Firstly, in 1920, France negotiated with Germany to respect their common frontiers under the Locarno Pact. Britain too signed the pact as a guarantor, which meant she was obliged to go to France´s aid if German troops crossed the French frontier. Moreover, in 1934, Poland signed a non aggression pact with the German government.  A year later, in 1935, the governments of France and Britain with Fascist Italy, aiming to keep Germany out of Austria, formed the Stresa Front, where the representatives of each country agreed to uphold for Austrian independence. That same year, France and Russia signed an alliance of mutual assistance against aggression, while Czechoslovakia agreed with Russia another alliance with the same objective.  A Franco-Czech alliance also came into effect further on.  In 1935 as well, Britain negotiated the Anglo-German Naval Agreement which implied that the size of the German navy would be allowed to reach thirty five per cent of the navies of the whole British Empire.

However, the attempts to achieve collective security were a failure, mostly because the countries had the unique aim to benefit themselves rather than maintaining peace. For example, the non-aggression pact of 1934 between Germany and Poland was only an excuse by Hitler in order to cheaply undermine France´s influence in Eastern Europe. In addition, the Stresa Front soon crumbled as Britain and Italy looked to their own interest. Britain, without consulting France or Italy, had even break its own Treaty of Versailles, by in 1935, negotiating the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, lo de los barcos, which went against maintaining peace.

2- Munich (Sep 1938) Stresa (April  1935) Invasión alemana a Polonia (Sep 1939) Affaire Dollfuss (July 1934) Pacto Nazi Sovietico (23 de agosto de 1939), Remilitarizacion de Renania (March 1936), Tratado Naval Germano Britanico (June, 1935), Luftwaffe (March1935), eje roma berlin oct 1936, GCE (July 1936), Aunschluss (1938)

Affaire Dolfuss July 1934, Luftwaffe March 1935, Stresa April 1935, Anglo-German June 1935, Re

Remilitarization

The connection between the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War are many. First, by interfering in the Spanish domestic conflict, Hitler learnt that the Western democracies were not yet ready to oppose the aggressive activities of Germany and Italy. In addition, the conflict allowed the USSR to know that if Germany started a war, Britain and France might follow a policy of non-intervention, as they did in the Spanish Civil War. This non-intervention, in fact, had made the Second World War more likely, as it had allowed further acts of aggression by the German Nazis and the Italian Fascists. The Spanish Civil War, also permitted Hitler to test and train his forces, as he sent troops to support the Nationalists and bombers of the Luftwaffe to bomb the town of Guernica.  Due to the Spanish conflict, and its international interference, from 1937 onwards, most people in Britain stop believing that no future war would be justifiable, and from then on, in the autumn of that year, Britain began its rearmament, supported by the Labour Party. The Spanish Civil War also led Mussolini to try to become a major influence in another Mediterranean country. This explains why he sent 60,000 troops to Spain. However, France and Britain, were also powers with major interests in the Mediterranean. Given the circumstances, Mussolini decided to draw closer to Hitler and encourage him in his defiance against Britain and France. In 136, although Germany and Italy did not have a firm Alliance, the two countries now had a determined axis. The Spanish Civil War therefore contributed in adding to the aggression, rivalry and tension developing in Europe, which later in 1939 sparked out in the Second World War. It also allowed countries to understand what posture and actions they should take if sooner or later any future started. The Spanish Civil War was the appetizer, and the Second World War was the main course. Hitler was quick to see the opportunity and respond. He provided aircraft and 6,000 German troops. So, the Republican side in Spain was forced to appeal to Soviet Russia. Stalin agreed, sending to Spain hundreds of military advisers and equipment. The Moscow-based international Communist organisation the "Communist International" ("Comintern") put out an appeal to all countries to volunteer to fight on the Republican side in International Brigades. Stalin was anxious to deprive Fascism of an easy victory; such an outcome could only strengthen Nazi Germany, Russia's potential enemy. Rome- Berlin axis

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