Monday-Tuesday- Movie and Movie discussion
Wednesday-
Italy invaded Ethiopia, League of Nations sanctions Italy with an arms embargo, financial embargo, and no imports of goods from Italy
Feb. 29, 1936 FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act- Mandatory arms embargo with warring nations, mandatory ban on loans to warring nations
May 5, 1936- Italy occupies Addis Ababa- annexes all of Ethiopia on May 9.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the Spanish Civil War- 1936- Hitler and Mussolini send troops and weapons to help Franco win the civil war against the communists. This war served as an important training ground for Hitler's and Mussolini's troops. Soviet Union provided aid to the communists.
Rome-Berlin Axis signed in 1936 and the Tripartite Pact is signed in 1940 between Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Thursday-
Italy just joined in at the end of attacks on France and others
-Wanted to make a new Roman Empire headed by Italy
Wanted to make the Mediterranean an "Italian Lake"- take over North African colonies of France and Britain-especially Egypt
Took over Albania and Greece
Take over parts of the Middle East was a goal
Operation Torch - invades North Africa in Nov. 1942- American, British, and Free French invasion of Africa
Operation Avalanche- invasion of Italy in September 1943- Allied Powers
Mussolini and his mistress were hanged in Milan by Italians opposed to him
Mussolini instituted laws discriminating against Jews (46,000 in Italy)
Didn't really kill any Jews- when Germans took control they started sending Jews to camps outside of Italy
Italy was not prepared to militarily fight a prolonged war
Italian troops were spread too thin- Africa, Mediterranean, Albania, Greece, Soviet Union, France, Battle of Britain
The people of Italy were not prepared to fight or motivated to fight, they were being forced to fight
WWII Impact on Italy- 330,000 Military deaths, 80,000 Civilian Deaths, spent $94 billion
-Italy had joined the Allies by 1943 so the big concern for the US was making sure it wasn't communist
US gave millions of dollars to Italy (Marshall Plan) to help rebuild after the war
Italy became a member of NATO in 1949
Germany in WWII-
Swastika was not made in Germany, it was made in India (a sign of peace)
Treaty of Versailles- Agenda aimed at punishing Germany
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk- Russia lost a lot of land
Treaty of Versailles points
Territorial land- Alsace-Lorraine (to France), Eupen and Malmedy (Belgium), Northern Schleswig (Denmark), Hultschin (given to Czechoslovakia), West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia (Poland), The League of Nations took control of Germany's overseas colonies (France and Britain), also lost new land, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania declares independence, Poland gains some
Military-
German Army was reduced to 100,000 men, German army cannot have tanks, no air force, Germany was allowed only 6 capital ships and no submarines, The Rhineland was made into a demilitarized zone (DMZ), no German soldier or weapon was allowed into this zone, Allies kept an army of occupation ono the west bank of the Rhine for 15 years
Invaded the Rhineland area later- assumed Britain and France would do something, but they did not.
Friday-
Austria Hungary split into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia
Financial-
The loss of territory was a severe blow to Germany's economy
-Coal from the Saar and Upper Silesia in particular
Germany had to pay $33 Billion to the Allies (Great Britain and France)
General
Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war (War Guilt Clause)
Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria
The League of Nations was set up to keep world peace
German reaction to the Treaty of Versailles-
THere was anger throughout Germany when the terms were made public
The Treaty was seen by many Germans as being forced on them and the Germans had no choice but to sign it
German representatives in Paris knew that they hadd no choice as Germany was incapable of restarting the war again
Many right wing groups such as the Nazis believed in the Stab in the Back Theory (stabbed Germany in the back)
Blamed the "November Criminals" the Weimar Republic for accepting the treaty
Weimar Republic- Democratic regime set up after the end of WWI
President Hindenburg defeats Hitler for president
Uses Article 48 to dismantle the democracy of Germany
Adolf Hitler-
Born in 1889 in Austria- lost three siblings in infancy
His brother, Edmund died in 1900- was close to him and it hits him hard
After his brother's death, he changed and became more moody and withdrawn
His parents died in 1903 and 1907 - all three deaths had a huge impact on him
In Mein Kampf, Hitler said he first became anti-Semetic during his time in Vienna, Austria
Started selling paintings in the streets of Vienna, failed his examination to get into the Austro-Hungarian army in 1914
Moved to Munich, Germany and joined the German army when WWI broke out in 1914
Hitler was wounded twice while serving, injured by a shell explosion, and was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack. Hitler almost got shot by a British soldier, Henry Tandy, but was spared.
Comments