Term 2 History Notations

Ok. Before getting onto the main point, the format.

Inference: Remember you just have to talk about the major and minor details of the source do not use CK. remember we need more than 2 inferences

Reliability: Remember to first use source evidence, then use contextual knowledge, then it's purpose if it's a picture, (limited in reliability, biased but pls do not use the word) and include the audience to get full marks

Essay: First para state reasons second para explain first reason third para explain second reason. Make sure you read below for enough knowledge to have strong reasons, not weak. and link!!! last para indentify which one is most important which one not so. The main one.

Judgemental Essay: 1st para state the give factor, give ur own factors in other paras

First of all, we got to understand the system of the League Of Nations. Major pointers include: Participating countries, Weaknesses, the actions it did. That’s it. Most likely the question will be asking you on how it failed, and the causes of why it failed.

We have two big topics to talk about. Japan-Manchuria crisis,Italy-Abyssinia crisis. But remember all these are sub points to support the main point. Which are as follows

1. Major powers were not members.

• The most powerful country USA did not join
• Although WWilson was eager to join, he did receive good response from the US people and congress followed them. Many residents hated the TOV. German immigrants were afraid USA would instead squeeze reparations from Germany. Participating in the league would also mean needing to handle any disputes with their army. US people did not want anymore fatalities of their loved ones. They would also have to spend much money to solve any international problems regardless of cost. Like that, they could not be powerful. They wanted to be free, and not safeguard the colonies of F and B.
• In sum, they did not want to be involved in future conflicts of Europe.
• One example to prove this reason to the fall of LON, Japan-Manchuria crisis. Its strategies were ineffective.

Japan invaded Manchuria basically because of gaining resources such as raw materials and farmland to solve her economic problems. It was a good market, and a step of expansionism to build a overseas empire.

Manchuria applied to League for help. Sending the Lytton Commission, they found Japan’s action unlawful and asked them to retreat. Japan instead of following the plan, LEFT the league.

They could not use embargoes(economic sanctions) to negotiate with Japan. Such a measure was useless without a big trading partner like USA.

Other reasons also include refusal on part of main leaders. They had not strong enough armies and if there was a war, both armies would not benefit. All these go to- provoke Japan to be more aggressive-only thing was- US was even more powerful and could be more aggressive.

• Many other countries also did not participate in the League enthusiastically, leaving F and B to be the only powers in charge. Italy left at 1937, Japan left at 1933, Japan joined at 1926, USSR joined at 1934.
• B and F also did not participate. They had other priorities. B focused on reestablishing trade links and F in the league just to intimidate G by protecting herself in it.

2. Another reason was nature of its covenant. All League decisions had to be unanimous. This led to serious drawbacks.

• There were the 4 major components of the League. The Assembly(member states), the Council(permanent seats by most powerful states), the Secretariat(administration organ), the World Court. Each had different views and thinkings on various situations.
• The Council met the worst problems, since being the body of taking charge of major crisis that could have the potential of inviting war.
• Since all covenants had to agree on one decision, which was aka VETO, when the League had promised to act quickly and with determination when a crisis really occurred, in many cases however, the League all had different takes, and took a rather long time to make decisions.
• The need for all members to agree on a course of action undermined the strength of the League.

3. Last important reason was the lack of military power.

• Many countries were asked to provide some troops for any emergency the LON handled. Aka international fighting force.
• However many countries were unwilling to do so.

One example was Vilna. Both new states of Poland and Lithuania claimed the town of Vilna. Because it had been the capital of Lithuania for many years but was mainly inhabited by Poles. Lithuania applied League for help when Polish army seized the land in 1920.

League asked Poland to withdraw but they refused. Instead of thinking of another solution, they stopped taking action. According to covenant, it could have sent B&F troops to force out Poles in Vilna, but didn't because they were scared to upset Poland, being a potential helping hand for F to counter Germany. B wanted to be alone, and not send troops too far away and fight alone.

• Without strong military power, the League was rendered useless as other countries that were involved in the war could easily ignore their decisions. Instead causing more trouble than help, making the league ineffective.

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Second topic tested is the Rise of Nazi Party & the Fall of Weimar Government.

It can be sectored into 3 parts. One is Political reasons for the weakness of Weimar Government. Another is the Economic problems by the Weimar government. And the last, the effective actions done by the Nazi Party.

1a. Political reasons. Weimar Government lacked popular support.

• Since its inception in 1919, it was not a popular government. It signed an armistice and most Germans therefore associated them with the defeat of Germany.
• They regarded WG acceptance as a “stab-in-the back”, betrayal of the German people as they believed as long as they continued fighting, they would have won WWI.
• Another tragic treatment they accepted was the TOV. It created more resentment against the Weimar Government.
• This made them not able to establish control. The people did not trust them completely, thereby making it difficult for them to build support for their policies.

1b. Political reasons. System of proportional representation.

• Parties obtained the same proportion of seats as their proportion of votes
• The drawback of such a system tended to attract many parties as every party was guaranteed representation based on votes won. Since there were so many parties, it was difficult to establish a majority government and instead the formation of a coalition government.
• Formed inherent weakness of League because the series of coalition governments that governed Germany only worked well enough when there was no major crisis
• But when it came to a major crisis, there were the views of so many parties to consider
• If one party disagreed on a decision, the decision could not be made as many parties who veto will lead the decision to be postponed until the parties agreed. But by then, it would be too late
• Hence, this system would make decisions made very slow and the Weimar government cannot establish control.

1c. Political reasons. Faced constant opposition from its RW and LW groups.

• The Weimar govt. faced revolts called putsches that weakened it further.
• One was by the Communists called the Spartacists uprising in the 1919. By the workers, a group of communists and socialists attempted to control Berlin but failed and were eventually defeated.
• Another was the Kapp putsch by the right wing fellows. In 1920, a group of ex-army officers led by Dr Kapp staged a revolt or general strike, which brought the whole city to a standstill.
• Lastly Hitler also staged a revolt in 1923.

Hence, so many strikes that the Weimar government had to face and control, it was weakened physically and mentally. (Although some people started to support Weimar), they had faced a crisis in which their position was threatened and soon led to a weakness of the Weimar.

2. Economic reasons. Ruhr Crisis. 1923.

• When the Weimar delayed paying reparations in 1922, France(also having war debts to pay) was angry and retaliated by invading Ruhr, in Germany, where there were raw goods and materials, in exchange.
• The workers in Ruhr were also angry. They reacted with a strike, causing a collapse in production which caused inflation of prices of goods skyrocket due to the low supply.
• Weimar made a mistake of printing more money, in order to pay reparations, and to cope with the crisis. Soon-hyperinflation.
• As said earlier, there was a drastic fall in the value of the German mark. 4 marks=1 dollar to 4200M=1dollar
• This exposed the ineffectiveness of Weimar in dealing with economic crisis, especially when the lower class suffered the most from fixed savings, hence driving the disillusioned masses to shift their support to other rival parties, especially Nazi-in its campaign to improve economic conditions

Economic reasons. Great Depression. 1929s

• USA encountered the stock market crash in 1929, compelling the  US to call back loans. Affected German businesses greatly, many workers lost their job.
• 1928 1.8 million Germans were unemployed but rose to 6 mill in 1932.
• The government cut employees’ salaries by 23%
• reduced unemployment benefit
• raised taxes
• People almost cannot recover.

-impact of this convinced German public that Weimar would only worsen not improve their lives and had to be replaced with one more intent on improving welfare of the people, like what Nazi had.

Nazi reasons. Propaganda.

• Basically to develop mass support
• Under Goebbels, the Nazi party launched a massive campaign and used every available medium to reach masses. eg. books, posters, radio, films, rallies.
• Hitler was also a great campaigning asset. He was a powerful speaker who conveyed the right messages to what the German people were suffering then. Working tirelessly, he took a hectic tour all over Germany.
• he was astute enough to realize that the most effective way to convince the masses was to appeal to their emotions, and not just their sense of reason so he highlighted the aim to abolish TOV, with a sole aim to make Germany powerful again.
• Such ideas spread and became publicized quickly, thereby improving the image of the party and allowing it to develop into becoming a mass-party.

ONE nice quote by Goebbels, he said if the lie is repeated a lot, people will be convinced that it will be the truth.

Nazi reasons. Disillusion with democracy.

• German peoples’ dislike for democracy (shared dislike) because
• People will all unfamiliar with democracy, and that it was new to them, no tradition on it, they were always under a central control-Kaiser.
• Democracy did not appear a good thing especially in the Great Depression, where the democratic system did not seem suited to dealing with the problems.
• The right wing parties were totally against democracy and strongly liked totalitarianism.
• Such meant that it was easier for other countries like Nazi to discredit the policies of the Weimar governmentm thereby gaining more influence among the people

Nazi reasons. Fear of Communism.

• Especially for the case of middle-class business owners and industrialists who feared that the Communists because of their plans to introduce state control of business. ( All men are equal )
• This would affect the growing strength of Germany’s trade unions.
• Believing that Nazi could change the situation, they sponsored Nazi even though they did not totally like their policies.
• Aside from the upper-class, the farmers were also alarmed by the Communists. SOVIET UNION-government took over all of the land. Nazi also promised to help DESPO STRUGGLING FARMERS.
• Such fear of Communism meant it was easier for right-wing parties like the Nazis to gain credibility since the Nazis regarded them as the lesser of 2 evils. (compared to communists)