Summary DEMOCRACIES ON THE DEFENSIVE 1930-6

The Great Depression 1929 to 33-
Destroyed economic recovery-

 American investment and loans to Europe terminated
 Volume of world trade fell by 70%
 Unemployment rose in 1932
 USA- 13 million
 Germany- 6 million
 Britain- 3 million

Political consequences-

 Rise of Hitler 1933
 Weakened the democracies- Britain, USA and France
 Fuelled aggressive nationalism in Japan
 In Italy, Mussolini accelerated plans for expansion into Abyssinia



Hitler’s rise to power-
 Hitler’s foreign policy

Aims-

 Long term: Lebensraum in Eastern Europe and Russia
 Short term: consolidate power and rebuild military strength

Foreign policy record 1933 to 5-

 Quit League of Nations, October 1933
 German-Polish Non-aggression Pact, January 1934
 Failed Austrian Coup, July 1934
 Anglo-German Naval Agreement, June 1935



Reaction of the Great powers to Nazi Germany-
 Attempts to contain Nazi Germany 1933-5
 Franco-Soviet Pact, May 1935
 The Stresa Declaration, April 1935
 Franco-Italian Rome Agreements, January 1935
 Disarmament Conference, 1932-4



The Abyssinian Crisis-
 October 1935, Italian troops invaded Abyssinia
 Britain and France sought a compromise to keep Italy as a potential ally against Nazi
Germany
 Hoare-Laval Pact
 Leaked to French press and dropped