8. Reading - Germany reoccuppies Rhineland; Japan invades China

Title

8. Reading - Germany reoccupies Rhineland; Japan invades China

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Keywords

Objectives

Author

M G Callagher

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Copyright

Focus Questions

1. What was the basis of Hitler’s Foreign Policy

2. Why did Hitler get away with reoccupying the Rhineland in 1936?

3. What threat did increasing Japanese military expansion in East Asia pose for other nations in the region?

4. What were the common interests of Germany and Japan that led to them signing a joint agreement?

Strengthening Germany

Adolf Hitler spent the years 1933-35 strengthening his position within Germany.

From 1935 onwards he prepared Germany by strengthening her militarily. Hitler also made much of his intention to dismantle the conditions that were imposed on Germany through the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

Caption: Germany - “I never did like the use of that old word”

The Saar Plebiscite, 1935

One of the areas taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles was the Saarland, a 2500 square Km region on the border with France. Although small, it was a valuable area, containing coalfields, factories and railway centres.

The Treaty put the Saarland under League of Nations control and allowed the French to run its valuable coal mines for the next fifteen years. At the end of that time the people of the Saar would vote to decide their future. They would have three choices:

· To remain under League control

· To return to Germany

· Or to become part of France

In 1935 the required vote, or plebiscite, was held. Nine out of every ten Saarlanders voted to return to Germany.

For Hitler, this was the first small step towards the union of all Germans in Germany. He was also able to claim that the plebiscite was a demonstration of support for his government.

Germany used propaganda in the form of postage stamps to encourage Saarlanders to return to the Reich

Military Spending

By 1935 Hitler had already spent two years secretly expanding his military to a 300,000 strong army (Weirmacht) and a modern Air Force (Luftwaffe).

In 1935 Hitler also signed a Naval agreement with Britain. This allowed his navy to grow to 35% of the size of Britain’s navy.

In 1935 Germany also revealed to the world that the country was rearming. He also announced general conscription.

From 1935 onwards military spending by Germany grew at a very rapid rate.

Military spending 1932-38 (as percentage of Gross National Product)

Re-Occupation of the Rhineland, 1936

About The Rhineland

The Rhineland had been the launching point for the German invasion of Belgium and France in 1914.

For her own security France had insisted on the demilitarisation of the Rhineland at Versailles. This meant that no German military were allowed on the west of the Rhine River or within 10km east of the River.

The 1925 Treaty of Locarno, signed by Germany, France and Britain, had confirmed the demilitarisation.

Repudiation of the Treaty of Versailles

The Nazis did not recognise the Treaty and would not follow or be bound by it. In preparation for the reoccupation of the Rhineland, Hitler renounced the terms of the Locarno Treaties in early March 1936.

The Saar and The Rhineland, 1933

March into the Rhineland

Reoccupation

In March 1936, while Britain, France and the rest of the League of Nations were busy dealing with the Ethiopia crisis, Hitler ordered the German army to reoccupy the Rhineland.

A combined force of 10,000 soldiers and 22,700 armed police marched into the demilitarised zone on 7 March and crossed the River Rhine soon after.

Hitler’s justification and reassurance

Hitler justified the reoccupation by claiming French encirclement of Germany and that he needed to secure the frontiers of Germany.

Hitler tried to reassure neighbouring France and Belgium by offering to sign 25 year peace pacts with them.

German Troops march into the Rhineland

Reaction to the Re-occupation

The reoccupation was a serious breach of the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France considered whether they should try to expel the German army from the Rhineland.

France

The French had a million strong army as opposed to Germany’s 300,000 – it would not have been difficult to expel Germany from the Rhineland.

France, however, was going through serious political difficulties at the time and did not want to risk war.

Britain

The British took the view that the Germans had only moved into their own territory. It would be difficult to justify starting a war against Germany if another country had not been invaded.

”The Goose-step” by Punch, 1936

Hitler’s Gamble Pays off

Although the German soldiers had secret orders not to shoot if opposed by French or British troops, they were left unchallenged in the Rhineland.

The occupation of the Rhineland was a huge gamble for Hitler who later said:

“The forty-eight hours after the march into the Rhineland were the most nerve-racking of my life. If the French had then marched into the Rhineland, we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs.”

Caption: Heir Hitler - “How frightful I look today.”

Hitler Learns some Lessons

The reoccupation was a gamble that paid Hitler handsomely. Not only did he get back control of the Rhineland, but he also learned valuable lessons for the future:

The French

The French would not fight to stop him taking over one of their main defences against Germany; and if the French would not fight for that, would they go to war at all?

The British

The British seemed sympathetic to some German complaints about the Versailles Treaty

Hitler Encouraged to Continue Claims

Both lessons suggested that it would be worth trying another gamble to get the European territory which he wanted.

Caption: Hitler - “How much will you give me not to kick your pants for, say, twenty-five years?” by David Low, 12 March 1936

David Low, Cartoonist

David Low, a New Zealander, was one of the most famous cartoonists of the Twentieth Century. He moved to Britain and later worked for the “Evening Standard” newspaper.

In his cartoons, Low was very critical of Hitler and his Nazi Party. He also criticised Britain’s weak foreign policy which he felt should stand up to Hitler and Mussolini’s bullying tactics.

Low's cartoons criticising Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini resulted in his work being banned in Germany and Italy. After the war it was revealed that in 1937 the German government asked the British government to have "discussions with the notorious Low" in an effort to "bring influence to bear on him" to stop his cartoons attacking them.

David Low, Cartoonist

Spineless Leaders of Democracy

David Low is very clear about what he thinks Hitler’s intentions are.

“Stepping stones to glory” by David Low, 8 July 1936. - The names on the backs of the leaders read: Rearmament, Rhineland Fortification, Danzig (League of Nations controlled city in the Polish Corridor)

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was a British Conservative Party politician who had been involved in politics for a long time.

In the 1930’s he was in the Commons (parliament) but not part of the Government (cabinet). He spent most of his time writing.

After Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained power in Germany in 1933, Churchill became a leading advocate of British rearmament.

Churchill was also a strong critic of the British Governments “soft” policy towards Hitler. He said that Hitler was a big threat to peace who needed to be stopped before Germany became too strong.

Winston Churchill

Japanese Expansionist Policy

Manchuria

Japan invaded and annexed the Chinese territory of Manchuria in 1931. They had ignored the condemnation of the League of Nations and walked out.

Japanese Exclusiveness

Japan continued an aggressive policy towards expansion into China in the 1930’s. In 1934 Japan declared that they had special rights in China as well as ‘responsibility for maintaining peace in East Asia’. In other words, Japan would not allow other countries to interfere in China and East Asia.

Japan and the Soviet Union

Border Clashes

Japan’s occupation of Manchuria alarmed its communist neighbour, the USSR. Japanese soldiers now faced Soviet soldiers along a 2000-km border, from Korea to Outer Mongolia. Armed clashes between the two sides soon broke out.

More Chinese territory occupied

To protect Manchuria from attack by the USSR (via Russian controlled Mongolia) or from China, the Japanese army took over several provinces in North China to act as a ‘buffer zone’. These provinces also contained iron and coal reserves which the Japanese government needed for their growing industries.

The expansion of Japan, 1933-39

Growing Influence of the Japanese Military

Growth of Japans Armed Forces

As Japan’s territory grew so did the military needed to protect it. By 1934 nearly half of Japan’s yearly income was spent on its armed forces. The bigger the armed forces became, the more influence they gained over the government. They used their influence to persuade the government to follow even more aggressive policies.

There were Three Policies which the armed forces urged on the government.

1. The navy chiefs wanted to take over the islands and the Chinese Pacific coastal areas which contained raw materials such as oil, which Japan lacked.

2. One group of army generals wanted to strengthen Manchuria and North China in readiness for war with the USSR.

3. Another group of generals wanted to occupy more of China, by taking over the river valleys and cities in the heart of the country

Flag of the Empire of the Sun

Anti-Comintern Pact, 1936

Threat from the USSR

By 1936 the threat to Japan from the USSR seemed greater than ever. In Moscow, the international communist organisation Comintern ordered communist parties all over the world to join with other political parties to help stop the spread of fascism.

United Front

In China, the Chinese Communist Party followed Comintern’s instructions by joining China’s largest party, the Nationalists. The purpose of this united front was to drive the Japanese out of North China.

Anti-Comintern Pact signed

Japan signed an Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany in 1936. This was an agreement between the two countries to oppose international communism and to consult with each other if either was attacked or threatened by the USSR.

The Pact was really an attempt to tie down the USSR by threatening them from two sides.

Japan invades China, 1937

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

In July 1937 Japanese soldiers provoked local Chinese soldiers into a fight on the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing (Peking). Claiming that the Chinese had started shooting first, the Japanese attacked their bases around Beijing and then occupied the city itself.

Full-scale Invasion

Japan’s attack on Beijing was followed by a full-scale invasion of China. The Japanese army swept southwards, taking control of all the main ports, cities and lines of communication in the provinces around the Yangtze River, the most fertile and densely populated areas of China.

A British Cartoon drawn in 1937 about the Japanese invasion of China

Occupied Territory

Japan did not have enough troops to totally eliminate Chinese opposition and occupy the whole country. Chinese Nationalist and Communist troops in future fought the Japanese from their bases in the mountainous inland areas of China.

Japanese occupied territory, 1931-38

The Rape of Nanking

By early 1938 around a million Japanese troops were in China. They acted with great savagery in nearly every area they occupied. The invasion of the capital city, Nanking resulted in the massacre of approximately 400,000 soldiers and civilians. Women and Children were raped and tortured.

Beheading was a sport for the Japanese soldiers

Japanese soldiers use Chinese prisoners for bayonet practice

Rape and Murder victims

Reaction to the Invasion

League of Nations

The League condemned Japan and advised its members to cut trade with her. But, following its failure in the 1935-36 Abyssinian Crisis, the League now commanded little respect and most members ignored its advice.

Britain

The British wanted to stop the invasion because they had many valuable trading links in ports such as Shanghai. However, they did not want to provoke a war with Japan because they were at a distinct disadvantage. Troops would take many weeks to be ferried to a naval base in Singapore by which time the Japanese could build up its forces even further.

USA

The British hoped that the USA, who had valuable trading links in East Asia, would take the lead. However the USA was following a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs.

USSR

The strongest reaction came from the USSR who signed a non-aggression pact with China in 1937. Soviet forces on the Manchurian border were reinforced. In 1938 and 1939 they fought a series of border battles with the Japanese.

By 1939 the Japanese had discovered that it was possible to act aggressively in East Asia and that only the Soviet Union was prepared to take action to stop them.

Summary

From 1935 onwards Hitler sought to achieve his Foreign Policy objectives of unifying and strengthening German territory.

· The Saar region was returned in a plebiscite (vote)

· Germany rapidly expanded the size and strength of the military

· Hitler reoccupied the demilitarised Rhineland zone with German troops

Britain and France were not prepared to take any direct action to reverse the Rhineland reoccupation. Hitler’s confidence grew.

The growing influence of the Japanese military over their government led to a policy of expansion throughout East Asia.

· China was the first victim with the loss of territory in the north followed by a full scale Japanese invasion in 1937.

· Japan’s confidence grew as little was done to stop them.

Common interests, particularly the need to limit the influence of the Soviet Union, saw Germany and Japan signing an Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936.