Nazi-Soviet Pact- Invasions of Poland and France.

Nazi-Soviet Pact- Invasions of Poland and

France

Goal of Today• The goal of today will be to look at the Nazi- Soviet

Pact and the invasion of Poland.

• Know the reasons that Stalin agreed to this deal.

• The goal of today will be to look at some of the events that led to the downfall of France.

• We will be looking at the Evacuation of Dunkirk.

• Term

• Blitzkrieg

• Dunkirk

• Phony War

Background of Soviet Pact

• Stalin had been very worried about German threats to the Soviet Union since Hitler came to power in 1933

• Hitler had openly stated that he wanted Soviet land for his Lebensraum

• Stalin tried to create alliances with Britain and France but to no avail

• In 1934 Stalin took the USSR into the League of Nations as a guarantee against German aggression.

Britain and France

• Britain:

• Some welcomed a strong Germany as a force to fight Communism.

• Communism was seen as a bigger threat than Hitler

• France:

• Stalin signed a pact with France in 1935

• He did not trust the French to keep to it- especially after Rhineland

The Munich Agreement • This agreement made

Stalin even more wary• Stalin was not consulted

about the agreement• Stalin concluded that

Britain and France were powerless to stop Hitler

• Or that they were happy for Hitler to take over Eastern Europe and the USSR

David Low, What, no chair for me? (30th September, 1938)

The Next Move• Despite misgivings Stalin was still prepared to talk to

Britain and France about an alliance• The three countries met in March 1939• Chamberlain was reluctant to commit Britain to any

agreement with Stalin • Stalin believed that Britain and France made things worse

by guaranteeing to defend Poland if it were attacked• Chamberlain saw the guarantee as a warning to Hitler• Stalin saw it as support for a potential enemy.

The Twist

• Negotiations continued between Britain, France and the USSR throughout Spring and Summer 1939.

• Stalin, however, was also getting visits from Nazi foreign minister Ribbentrop to discuss a Nazi-Soviet pact

Foreign Ministers Foreign Ministers von Ribbentrop & von Ribbentrop &

MolotovMolotov

A Deal is Struck • On 24 August 1939 Stalin made his decision and signed a

pact with Germany• The world was shocked as two arch enemies promised not

to attack each other.• Privately they also agreed to divide Poland

• 1939 – In the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Hitler and Stalin agreed not to attack one another.

• Publicly, this agreement stated that the two countries - Germany and the Soviet Union - would not attack each other.

• If there were ever a problem between the two countries, it was to be handled amicably.

• The pact was supposed to last for ten years; it lasted for less than two.

• What was meant by the terms of the pact was that if Germany attacked Poland, then the Soviet Union would not come to its aid. Thus, if Germany went to war against the West (especially France and Great Britain) over Poland, the Soviets were guaranteeing that they would not enter the war; thus not open a second front for Germany.

Why did Stalin sign?• Stalin was not convinced that Britain and France would be

strong and reliable allies against Hitler• He also wanted large parts of eastern Poland• He did not believe that Hitler would keep his word• Stalin wanted time to build up his forces.

Poland Attacked: Sept. 1, 1939

Poland Attacked: Sept. 1, 1939

Blitzkrieg [“Lightening

War”]

Blitzkrieg [“Lightening

War”]

‘Blitzkrieg’ was a revolutionary new form of warfare introduced by the Germans, involving rapidly advancing tank formations supported by dive-bombers and paratroopers. It allowed the German Army to crush all opponents in the period between 1939-1941.

German Troops March into Warsaw

German Troops March into Warsaw

Britain Declares War

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ_zbz1NyY

• What are your thoughts on Chamberlain’s speech?

• From Hitler’s defeat of Poland in October 1939 to the invasion of Norway in April 1940 not much happened.

• This period between the fighting was knows as the “Phony War” by the West or the “sit-down war” or Sitzkrieg by Germany

• During this time France stiffened their defenses behind the Maginot Line and the British moved troops to the continent.

• April 1940- Germany invades and occupied Denmark and Norway

• May 10th Germany invades Holland and Belgium using Blitzkrieg tactics

This was the first large scale airborne attack and it caught everyone By surprise.

Holland and Belgium• The attack sent the defending troops reeling. • German dive bombers- the Stukas- filled the sky,

raining machine gun fire and bombs on soldiers and civilians alike.

• The German war machine pushed on

• In England, the invasion forced Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to resign, to be replaced by Winston Churchill. Churchill had been one of the few politicians who had spoken out against Hitler.

• British evacuate Dunkirk after German advance in France cuts off Allies

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_fall_france_campaign.shtml

Dunkirk EvacuatedJune 4, 1940

Dunkirk EvacuatedJune 4, 1940

The British Army was forced on to the beaches at Dunkirk, where it seemed that it would be destroyed by Hitler’s forces . . .

The British Army lost over 80% of its total transport, tanks, artillery, ammunition and supplies but . . . .

Dunkirk

• 300,000 Allied solders were rescued, which was an achievement, but as Churchill said “wars are not won by evacuations” .

France SurrendersJune, 1940

France SurrendersJune, 1940

• By the terms of the armistice the Germans occupied all of northern France and the Atlantic coastline to the Spanish boarder. In southern France the Nazis set up a puppet government in the city of Vichy under French Marshal Henri Petain. Petain worked with German officials

A Divided FranceA Divided France

Important D.M.C. meeting

• Henri Henri PetainPetain

The Free The Free FrenchFrench

The French Resistance

• Many French citizens continued to fight for freedom. In Britain de Gaulle organized a Free French government, while in France many joined the French Resistance, and underground movement that opposed German occupation.

General Charles DeGaulle

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaeHnMn3Mig&feature=related

Now Britain Is All Alone!Now Britain Is All Alone!

Hitler Tours Paris 1940• Where did the French surrender to the Germans on

June 22nd 1940?

• What did Hitler want to see first in Paris?

• What were some of the landmarks that Hitler stopped at?

• What was Hitler’s dream?

• What were some reasons that Hitler didn’t want a victory parade in Paris?

Homework

• You are to write a 1 page newspaper article describing the events of either the Nazi Soviet Pact, Invasion of Poland, or the Invasion of France.