Consequences of the Failures of the League of Nations in the 1930s (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)

Revision Note

Zoe Wade

Written by: Zoe Wade

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

The Impact of Manchuria and Abyssinia

  • In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria

  • In 1935, Italy invaded the African country of Abyssinia

  • Both incidents encouraged Hitler’s foreign policy because: 

    • Britain and France were selfish

      • The impacts of the Great Depression meant that neither country wanted a war with an aggressive nation

      • In both crises, they did not want to anger possible allies against Hitler

    • The League was slow

      • In the Manchurian Crisis, it took the League 18 months to react

    • The League was weak

      • The USA was not a member

      • Every time the League refused to act or reacted weakly, it damaged the League’s reputation

    • Hitler knew he could act without the League stopping him

      • In the Manchurian Crisis, Japan ignored the League and faced no consequences

      • In the Abyssinian Crisis, the League placed economic sanctions on Italy but did nothing to stop Mussolini’s use of chemical warfare

Germany Leaves the League

  • Germany left the League of Nations in November 1933. This freed Hitler to pursue an aggressive foreign policy

  • Hitler’s rearmament programme began

    • This gave Hitler the necessary military force to invade other countries

  • Many people in Britain believed that Germany was right to rearm because:

    • The Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh on Germany

    • Other countries were rearming

  • Hitler could openly display his military strength

    • Nazi Germany used rallies to:

      • Advertise the strength of the German army

      • Show Germany’s lack of respect for the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

    • The 1935 ‘Rally of Freedom’ at Nuremberg reintroduced compulsory military service

      • Celebrated Nazi film-maker Leni Riefenstahl made the film Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces on the rally

  • Hitler’s early militarism was not successful

    • In 1934, Hitler attempted to annex Austria

    • Mussolini sent troops to the Austrian border to prevent this

  • By 1939, there were around 1.4 million men in the German armed forces

    • Spending on armaments increased from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion marks by 1939

    • Employment in aircraft construction increased from 4,000 people in 1933 to 72,000 people by 1935

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The focus of this topic in the exam is whether Hitler’s foreign policy was to blame for the Second World War. Building up the military is usually done to prepare for war. However, Hitler’s rearmament programme may have just been a scare tactic. What is important is how the League allowed Hitler to break the Treaty of Versailles’ military restrictions openly. If the League had reacted more harshly to Hitler, it may have stopped his aggressive foreign policy.

The Saar, 1935

A flowchart showing the reasons for a dispute over the Saar region, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome
A flowchart showing the reasons for a dispute over the Saar region, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome

What were the Impacts of the Saar Plebiscite?

  • The plebiscite was a propaganda victory for Hitler

    • It showed the level of support for his policies, even in a region with Nazi opponents

  • However, the League resolved a dispute legally

    • The League had stuck to the 15-year time limit set in the Treaty of Versailles

    • France and Germany had not gone to war

    • The people of the Saar achieved their aim of rejoining Germany

  • Hitler wanted to use his popularity to fulfil his idea of a Grossdeutchland

    • To fulfil this, Hitler needed to capture land lost in the treaty

    • The League wanted to avoid war at all costs

  • Hitler could increase his rearmament programme

    • The Saar provided Hitler with key natural resources for the rearmament industries

    • The League of Nations aimed to encourage disarmament

A German badge created in 1934
A German badge created in 1934. The inscription states: “The Saarland is German”. The hand on the right represents the Saarland. The hand on the left represents Germany
A German stamp created three days after the Saar Plebiscite
A German stamp created three days after the Saar Plebiscite. The writing at the top of the stamp reads: “The Saar comes home!”

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland, 1936

A flowchart showing the reasons for Hitler’s invasion of the Rhineland, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome
A flowchart showing the reasons for Hitler’s invasion of the Rhineland, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome

How was the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland a Failure for the League of Nations?

  • After the 1936 invasion, Hitler built up his defences along the French border

    • Germany constructed the Siegfried Line, a complex system of fortifications

    • The League of Nations had allowed Hitler to get away with breaching the Treaty of Versailles

  • Hitler gained more confidence

    • Hitler knew he could expand Germany without consequences

    • Historians believe that this was the League’s last opportunity to stop Hitler without a world war

  • Hitler developed a strategy to manipulate the League

    • After the invasion, Hitler signed a 25-year non-aggression pact with France and Britain

      • Hitler had no intention of keeping the pact

      • It made Germany seem less aggressive than it was

A map showing how far Hitler had extended Germany’s territory by 1936
A map showing how far Hitler had extended Germany’s territory by 1936

Worked Example

Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important to Hitler?

6 marks

Partial answer:

The remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important because it reversed part of the Treaty of Versailles (1). The treaty insisted on the demilitarisation of the land to protect France from invasion. However, the Rhineland was German land that Hitler wanted to make German again (1). Therefore the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important for restoring Germany’s pride. Hitler believed that Germany had the right to put troops on its own territory (1).

Examiner Tips and Tricks

In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks in this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons as to why the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important for Hitler. Use the PEE structure in your answer:

  • P - Make a point about the question

  • E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made

  • E - Explain why this evidence made the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused Hitler to place his troops on the Rhineland despite the risks of upsetting the League

The Spanish Civil War

  • Civil war broke out in Spain in July 1936 between:

    • The left-wing Spanish government

    • Right-wing nationalist rebels led by General Franco

European Reactions to the Spanish Civil War

Country

Reaction to the Spanish Civil War

Reason for reaction

Britain

Created a Non-Intervention Committee to avoid fighting in the war

To avoid causing a bigger European war

France

Created a Non-Intervention Committee to avoid fighting in the war

Nationalist sympathisers in France could cause a civil war in the country

Germany

Sent weapons and aircraft to support right-wing rebels

To test out the new Luftwaffe and form an alliance with Mussolini

Italy

Sent weapons and aircraft to support right-wing rebels

To expand Italy’s power and influence in Europe

USSR

Sent weapons and aircraft to support left-wing government

To stop the development of another fascist state in Europe

How was the Spanish Civil War a Failure for the League of Nations?

  • The conflict killed 750,000 people

    • This went against the League’s mentality of stopping the use of war

  • General Franco won in 1939

    • Fascism had won against democracy

    • Hitler and Mussolini formed a tighter bond

      • They signed the Rome-Berlin Axis alliance in 1937

  • Germany developed devastating military tactics

    • Hitler tested the concept of blitzkrieg, or ‘lightning war’, in the conflict

    • The Luftwaffe developed new bombing techniques

      • On 26th April 1937, German and Italian bombers bombed the city of Guernica

      • Over three hours, they destroyed the city and killed hundreds of civilians

    • The Nazi’s aerial bombing shocked world leaders and their populations

      • Britain and France increased their rearmament programmes

      • People worried about the consequences of war

        • Many civilians wanted to avoid war at all costs

Worked Example

Study Source A.

Why was this photo published in 1937? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge

7 marks

Source A: A photograph taken of Guernica by an unknown photographer in 1937. The image is captioned: “Spain, Guernica.- Ruins of destroyed buildings after German air raid of the "Legion Condor"

A photograph taken of Guernica by an unknown photographer in 1937


Partial answer:
The photograph may have been published to show the aggression of Germany and Italy (1). In the Spanish Civil War, Hitler and Mussolini supported the right-wing nationalist rebels led by Franco. Hitler sent the Luftwaffe to experiment with new bombing techniques. Italian and German air forces bombed Guernica on 26th April 1937 (1). The picture shows the devastation to the city with multiple buildings in ruins (1). The picture highlights the dangerous nature of these two countries and how they purposefully attacked a civilian population (1).

Examiner Tips and Tricks

This style of question in Paper Two needs you to consider:

  • What the message of the source is. Identify the event it refers to and if it is presenting it positively or negatively. In this example, the photographer wants to show the devastation caused by the Italian and German aerial bombings.

  • Knowledge of the event. This picture assumes that the reader knows about the bombing of Guernica in 1937. Add relevant own knowledge of these events to support your answer.

  • The purpose of the picture. This source gives limited information on who took the picture and where it was published. However, a photographer would only take an image like this to show the public the reality of this event.

  • The League’s actions in the 1930s unintentionally gave Hitler success and opportunities:

An illustration showing what Hitler gained from each of the League of Nations’ failures in the 1930s
An illustration showing what Hitler gained from each of the League of Nations’ failures in the 1930s

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Zoe Wade

Author: Zoe Wade

Expertise: History

Zoe has worked in education for 10 years as a teaching assistant and a teacher. This has given her an in-depth perspective on how to support all learners to achieve to the best of their ability. She has been the Lead of Key Stage 4 History, showing her expertise in the Edexcel GCSE syllabus and how best to revise. Ever since she was a child, Zoe has been passionate about history. She believes now, more than ever, the study of history is vital to explaining the ever-changing world around us. Zoe’s focus is to create accessible content that breaks down key historical concepts and themes to achieve GCSE success.

Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.