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This section might be helpful for teachers and older students, who are interested in the Historical background of the second World War. | |||
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Pre-Reading Information Some Historical facts about Germany after the first World War: Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. The Convenant of the League of the Nations was included, which was the world's first peacekeeping body. The treaty left the Germans with the belief that they had paid too high a price. Germany was required to:
The first World War devastated Germany. A whole generation of young men had been killed. Along with a 31.5 billion dollar payment for damages to Allied nations, a high level of unemployment left the German people bitter. The country was in complete chaos, which created a good breeding ground for the rise of Nazism. During elections held in September 1930, the National Socialist Party increased their seats from 15 to 107. On January 30, 1933, Hitler became chancellor of Germany. On January 26, 1934, Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with Poland. In 1935, in direct contravention of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler abolished disarmament and introduced conscription. In June 1935, Germany and Great Britain signed a naval agreement to define the strength of their navies. Germany was permitted to have as many submarines as Britain. The advantage for Germany was to build a strong fleet of modern submarines. In March 1936, Hitler's troops marched into Rhineland, again violating the Treaty of Versailles. As long as Rhineland had been demilitarized, the industries in the Ruhr area were unprotected and France was not threatened. Now the German troops were stationed near the French border. One of Hitler's allies was Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy. By October 1936, the two countries had established a close cooperation. Hitler believed that war was necessary to expand Germany. In March 1938, he began with the Anschluss: the "annexation" of Austria. Without military action Austria became part of Germany. In October 1938, Hitler took Sudetenland, which meant the elimination of Czechoslovakia. In March 1939, Hitler entered Prague. On September 1, 1939, Poland was attacked. The country surrendered four weeks later after a bombardment on the capital city of Warsaw. In a secret deal with Stalin, the Russians took the eastern half of Poland while the Germans took the western half of the country. At the same time the Russians gained control of the Baltic Sea and the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Russians invaded Finland in November 1939. In the spring of 1940, Hitler initiated the blitzkrieg. In April 1940, Hitler took Denmark and attacked Norway. On May 10, 1940, German troops invaded the Netherlands. The Dutch army surrendered after four days of heavy fighting. After the bombardment of the seaport of Rotterdam, the government had no choice but to capitulate. Belgium and France were also attacked in the beginning of May 1940. Begium surrendered after six days and France after six weeks. Who was Adolf Hitler? Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria. His father died when he was fourteen. His mother spoiled him and he grew up with no discipline and little education. When his mother died in 1908, Hitler left Braunau and went to live in Vienna. He worked at various odd jobs, had no money and slept on park benches. The clothes he wore were shabby and torn. The only people he had contact with during that time were alcoholics and the homeless. He later said it was the loneliest time of his life. Hitler learned to distrust people and never discussed his thoughts and ideas openly. He thought himself superior to others and expressed himself through monologues. These monologues gave him the experience he needed to become a public speaker. As he could not find a reasonable job, Hitler came to hate organized labour and developed an intense hatred of Marxism. He believed in the superiority of one race and formed his own theories of anti-Semitism. He blamed the Jews for everything that was wrong with German society. In 1913, Hitler moved from Vienna to Munich. When the First World War broke out he signed up with the Bavarian Regiment. The army provided him with the home he'd longed for. Here Hitler met many of his later friends and followers. His war experience made him a great admirer of the military. The collapse of Germany in 1918 was a personal loss for Hitler, who could not admit defeat. When Hitler became chancellor in 1933, he worked towards a totalitarian dictatorship. His main goal was the expansion of Germany. France, Great Britain and Russia were considered enemies, but Hitler saw Communism and the Jews as his most dangerous threat. Canada during the War The first Canadian victim of the war was ten-year-old Margaret Hayworth from Hamilton, Ontario. She was aboard the British liner Athenia. On September 3, 1939, the boat was sunk by a German U-boat. On Sunday, September 10, 1939, Prime Minister Mackenzie King declared in a radio broadcast to all Canadians that Canada was at war. Canada became one of the Allies in defeating Germany. Many men enlisted to fight overseas. During the 1930s, The Great Depression had left many people unemployed. The war created jobs overseas as well as in Canada. Because many Canadians had immigrated from Europe, their desire to free relatives in the old countries gave Canada's participation in the war even more appeal. A large number of women went to work in factories to replace the men who had signed up. Many young women entered the war as nurses and radio operators, and some worked for intelligence. The war in Canada was mainly fought off the East Coast and in the St. Lawrence River. German U-boats destroyed Allied ships off the East Coast from Newfoundland to Panama. They torpedoed ships within a few kilometres of Halifax. On May 10, 1942, the Battle of the St., Lawrence began. Within five months, 23 ships were torpedoed and 700 people killed. Defense along the East Coast was inadequate. The Canadian destroyers were out on the Atlantic, protecting convoys. German prisoners came to Canada from England and were detained in prison camps throughout the country. There was food rationing and blackouts (mainly on the east and west coast of Canada), mail was censored and foreigners had to register. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, every Japanese person living in Canada was seen as a threat to the nation. People born in Japan or descended from Japanese ancestry were forced to leave their homes and businesses and were relocated to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia. Many young Japanese men were sent to work on the Trans-Canada Highway. Over the next years, Canadians were encouraged to buy Victory Bonds, to donate blood for the wounded soldiers overseas and to collect toys, tin and scrap to be reused in the weapon factories. The Red Cross organized knitting groups for women to knit clothing for the soldiers. Care packages were sent to many families in the war-torn countries. The "Milk for Britain" campaign was another Canadian effort to help their allies across the ocean. Temporary foster homes were found for thousands of British and European children who were sent to Canada. The book On the Homefront by Mary Jane Lennon and Syd Charendoff, shows a good collection of Canadian World War II memorabilia. | ||
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Resources used for the Historical facts
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