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September 1st
1939, German troops thrust deep
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into Poland to win a swift
and absolute victory.
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Barely 20 years earlier, their
forefathers had also been
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on the march, but
back into their
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homeland as a defeated army.
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In November 1918, after
four years of World War One,
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Germany's Emperor,
Kaiser Wilhelm II,
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had been forced to abdicate.
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His armies were being
ground down by a remorseless
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offensive by British,
French and US troops.
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His people faced starvation.
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But already a dangerous
myth was taking root.
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The German generals and
troops claimed that they
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hadn't been defeated in battle,
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but betrayed by their
own cowardly politicians.
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Even so, at 11 in the morning
on November 11th 1918,
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the 11th hour of
the 11th day of the
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11th month, World War
One came to an end.
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The following month,
President Woodrow Wilson
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of the United States
arrived in Europe
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promising to create
a new world order.
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He persuaded the world's leaders
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to sign up to a new
League of Nations.
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At the Treaty of Versailles,
they agreed that from now on
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disputes between countries
would be resolved
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not by fighting, but by
debate in the League.
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The peoples of
Europe were set free.
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And Germany's ally,
the Austro Hungarian
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empire, was dismembered.
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Out of it, new
nations were created.
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Austria, Poland,
Hungary, Czechoslovakia,
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Yugoslavia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Estonia.
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Germany itself was
greatly reduced in size.
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But this process
contained a time bomb.
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Not everyone
celebrated the birth
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of countries like
Czechoslovakia.
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Several of them contained
substantial German minorities.
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One day the desire
to reunite the
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German peoples would
come to haunt Europe.
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The war torn German
people also had
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one final indignity
inflicted on them.
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They were forced to pay a
massive 6.6 billion Pounds
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in reparations to
France and Britain,
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something they could ill afford.
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And when he returned to America,
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Wilson's new World order
immediately fell apart.
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The U.S. Congress
decided it could not
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risk being sucked into
another war in Europe.
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It refused to join
his League and
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the U.S. withdrew
into isolationism.
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Germany was now a
very different nation.
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It was still Europe's
biggest country
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but its militaristic
monarchy had gone.
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It had become a democracy.
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But its government, the
so called Weimar Republic,
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was soon struck by a
series of hammer blows.
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Street battles erupted
between extreme right wing
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nationalists and Communists
trying start a revolution.
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Then in 1923, the country was
devastated by hyper inflation,
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which reached hundreds
of per cent a month.
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Ordinary people's
savings were wiped out.
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This was fertile ground
for a new breed of
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rabble rousing
right wing politicians.
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Among them Adolf Hitler.
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Hitler had been born in Austria.
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He had fought
bravely as a soldier
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in World War One and been
awarded the Iron Cross.
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On returning to Germany
he settled in Munich,
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and his fiery oratory
soon enabled him to seize
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control of the small National
Socialist or Nazi Party.
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In October 1923, Hitler and
his henchmen attempted an
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armed coup against
the Weimar government.
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It failed, and he was
sentenced to nine months.
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In prison he wrote
a book, Mein Kampf,
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"My Struggle",
in which he blamed
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Germany's ills
on the Jews
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and demanded that it
rebuild its strength
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and seek new
territories in the east.
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On his release, he set
about building the Nazis
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into a proper, disciplined
political party.
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From now on, he would
use the democratic
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system to achieve power.
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But for the next five years,
Weimar Germany prospered.
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Support for extremist parties,
left and right, dwindled.
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Then suddenly, Hitler's
opportunity arrived.
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In October 1929, the US
stock market crashed.
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Billions of dollars
were lost and an
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economic depression
swept across the world.
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Unemployment in Germany
soared to over six million.
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Only extremist politicians
seemed to offer a solution.
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Politicians like Hitler.
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By 1931, his Nazis were
a true mass movement.
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And they had their own
brownshirted thugs,
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the SA stormtroops who
numbered almost three million.
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In the 1932 elections,
the Nazis became the
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largest party in Germany's
parliament, the Reichstag.
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But Hitler refused
to join a coalition,
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leaving parliament paralysed.
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To break the impasse,
President Hindenburg made
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him Chancellor in January
1933, head of the government.
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Within a month, the
Reichstag burned down.
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Hitler accused the communists
and demanded emergency powers.
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He then used them to ban
all other political parties.
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In August 1934 President
Hindenburg died.
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Hitler declared
himself President.
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He was now absolute leader,
the Fuehrer, of Germany.
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At first there was little
sign of what was to come.
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For the next three
years the Fuehrer
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concentrated on rebuilding
Germany's economy.
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He spent millions on public
works, including the 5,000 mile
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autobahn system, to
soak up the unemployed.
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But, in secret Hitler
was also spending
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lavishly on a huge
rearmament programme.
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Under the Versailles
Treaty, the German army
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had been limited to 100,000 men.
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The country was
forbidden to have
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an air force, tanks
or submarines.
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This small army was
trebled in size.
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Then in 1935, Hitler
came out into the open.
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He unveiled a brand new
air force, the Luftwaffe.
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It had 2,500 planes, far
more than Britain or France.
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Unemployment plunged,
and the Nazis
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became enormously popular.
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Now emboldened, the Fuehrer made
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his first expansionist move.
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In 1935, he reoccupied
the Saarland district
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on the French border,
after it voted to return
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from League of Nations'
to German rule.
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A year later he sent German
troops into the Rhineland,
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part of Germany which had been
demilitarized at Versailles.
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At the time, many felt
that Hitler was only
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claiming back what was
rightfully Germany's.
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Neither Britain nor
France objected.
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00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,080
When Berlin hosted the
1936 Olympic games,
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the Nazis were seen by many as
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firm but fair, a
government which
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was restoring the
nation's pride,
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and which didn't
threaten anyone.
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00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:26,360
Of course there were signs.
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The 1935 Nuremberg Laws,
forbade Jews to marry true
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Aryan Germans and deprived
them of their citizenship.
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But when the first threats
came to world peace,
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they didn't come
from Hitler at all,
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but from somewhere
else entirely.
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Japan at the start
of the 20th century
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was already a military power.
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It had defeated Russia
in a war in 1905 and it
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had fought alongside the
Allies in World War One.
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After the war, Japan was an
acknowledged world power,
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and it signed up to
the League of Nations.
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But politically, it was
a mess of contradictions.
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Nominally a
democracy, the feudal
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tradition was still strong.
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Most Japanese revered their
Emperor as a living god,
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and regarded him as
their true leader.
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And the country faced
major economic problems,
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its population was exploding.
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And it had no natural resources
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to fuel its rapidly
expanding industries.
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Its leaders needed solutions and
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they saw them in
Chinese Manchuria.
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Manchuria was a land
of rich grain fields,
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with plenty of
coal and minerals.
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It was a perfect target.
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Japanese troops were
already stationed there.
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Other possible targets were
the colonies ruled by the
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European powers, Burma, Malaya,
and Hong Kong, controlled
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by Britain; Indo China, ruled by
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France; and the
Dutch East Indies.
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But at this stage Japan
had to be cautious.
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It didn't want to rouse
the other great power
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in the Pacific,
the United States.
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For all its
anti imperialist slogans,
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the U.S. actually ran
an unofficial empire
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in the Pacific.
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The Philippines,
Guam and several
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islands were under
its direct rule.
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It undoubtedly had the
strength to take on Japan,
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but since the end
of World War One,
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it had had other distractions.
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This was America's jazz age.
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Throughout the 1920s,
the nation concentrated
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on exploiting its
vast resources.
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There was an economic boom
that seemed without end.
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Fortunes were made both in
industry and the stock markets.
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America seemed lost to the
increasing pursuit of pleasure.
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With distractions like
these, Japan's growing
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pains in the Pacific
seemed very far away.
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America had slashed its
army after World War One,
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and agreed a naval
reduction treaty
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with Britain, France and Japan.
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This, in effect, handed
naval superiority
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in the Pacific to the Japanese.
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00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,160
And then came the
Great Depression.
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As the economic
devastation spread,
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a quarter of the
population lost their jobs.
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00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,880
Tens of thousands
were made homeless,
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living in Shanty towns.
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00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,520
Whereas before it had been
distracted by pleasure,
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00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:39,640
now America was
distracted by pain.
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It was time for Japan
to make her move.
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In 1931, without even
informing their own elected
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government, the Japanese
forces in Manchuria seized the
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capital Mukden and then overran
the rest of the territory.
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00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,440
A puppet state,
Manchukuo was proclaimed
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under a puppet ruler.
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00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,280
Henry Pu Yi, the last emperor
of China, who had been
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deposed in 1911, was
dragged out of retirement.
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00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,360
At its headquarters in Geneva,
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00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,840
the League of Nations now
faced its first great test.
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Japan was universally condemned.
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00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:34,480
But her response was blunt.
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00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:39,880
Japan however
finds it impossible to
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00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:44,600
accept the report
adopted by the assembly.
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The Japanese
then just walked out,
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00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,880
and the League suddenly
realized there was
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00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,440
nothing it could
do about Manchuria.
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00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,520
Japan was declared an
international pariah,
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00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:02,840
but it didn't care.
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00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:04,840
Its leaders had
turned their eyes
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00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:07,880
to further conquests, in China.
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00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,440
These were easy pickings,
China was in a state of chaos.
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00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,280
The government of
Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek
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was locked in conflict
with the Chinese
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00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,120
communist party
under Mao Tse Tung.
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00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:25,800
There was civil war.
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00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,560
In 1936, as a
precursor to invasion,
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00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,360
the Japanese signed
a pact with Hitler.
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00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:40,880
The aim was to guard
against any attack
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00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,000
by Soviet Russia, were
it to move on China.
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00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,640
Then, in July 1937 the
Japanese provoked an
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00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:54,600
incident with Chinese
troops and invaded.
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00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,520
At first the Chinese
were taken by surprise.
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00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,720
But they soon fought
back fiercely,
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00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,720
the Communists even joining the
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00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,040
Kuomintang in a united front.
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00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,840
The Japanese responded
with amphibious landings.
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00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:26,480
By the end of 1937 they had
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00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,800
overrun much of northern
China and the coast.
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00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,880
The Japanese fought this war
with exceptional brutality,
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00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:43,600
bombing cities indiscriminately.
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00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,200
Westerners living in
the commercial centre,
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00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,400
the port of Shanghai,
were now evacuated.
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00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:53,600
The city was then
besieged for three months.
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00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,280
It suffered widespread
damage, the Japanese forces
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00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,880
showing no pity or concern
for the native population.
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00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,520
But it was after the
capture of Nanking,
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00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:29,880
then the Chinese capital,
on December the 17th, 1937
249
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,400
that the Japanese
forces really ran amok.
250
00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,800
Over 300,000 civilians are
estimated to have been massacred
251
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,600
during a six week orgy of rape
and indiscriminate killing.
252
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,000
The Japanese even attacked
British and U.S. warships which
253
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,520
had been sent to protect
their shipping and trade.
254
00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,360
The worst incident came
on December the 12th 1937.
255
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,960
The American gunboat
Panay was sunk
256
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,720
by Japanese bombers,
50 crewmen died.
257
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,520
Despite this, the Western
powers refused to intervene.
258
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,440
So the League of Nations
could do nothing.
259
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,680
In the United States
President Roosevelt
260
00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:24,760
wanted to impose a
naval blockade of Japan.
261
00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:27,960
It has become clear that acts
262
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,960
and policies of nations in
other parts of the world
263
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,520
have far reaching effects on us.
264
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:39,920
But the British
would have none of it,
265
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,120
fearing that it
might provoke a war.
266
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:46,280
So, all Roosevelt could
offer was a $25 million
267
00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,240
loan to Chiang
Kai Shek to buy arms.
268
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,240
Even though the Communists were
269
00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:55,520
now fighting alongside
the Kuomintang,
270
00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,200
the Soviet Union did
little to help either.
271
00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,360
Its only involvement
was a series of clashes
272
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,560
along its own border
with Manchuria.
273
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,360
But China itself
received nothing.
274
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,160
Instead it had to
fight on alone.
275
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:21,400
During 1938, the Japanese
overran Canton, and pushed
276
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,680
the Chinese forces deeper
into the west of the country.
277
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:27,840
All the rhetoric of
the League of Nations,
278
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,720
all those promises
to stop international
279
00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,040
aggression had come to nothing.
280
00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:35,360
And by now the
Western powers were
281
00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:37,760
facing aggression
much closer to home.
282
00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:00,680
Today, it is easy to
laugh at Benito Mussolini,
283
00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:02,720
the fascist dictator of Italy.
284
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,840
All that posturing seems
faintly ridiculous now.
285
00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:10,280
But it didn't seem
that way in 1922.
286
00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,120
Back then, Italy had seemed
to be on the edge of anarchy.
287
00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:21,920
The country was riven by
strikes and land seizures.
288
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,720
The democratic government,
just as in Germany,
289
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,760
seemed powerless in the
face of such unrest.
290
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,840
So Benito Mussolini,
a war veteran
291
00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,480
and a journalist,
decided to take a stand.
292
00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:39,240
He organised a right wing
nationalist party, the Fascists.
293
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,440
With the country paralysed
by a general strike in August
294
00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:48,920
1922, Mussolini ordered his
followers to march on Rome.
295
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,520
Fearing a civil
war, Italy's king,
296
00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,480
Victor Emmanuel, asked
him to form a government.
297
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,720
Mussolini swiftly stamped
out any political opposition,
298
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,720
and assumed dictatorial powers.
299
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,760
By 1928, his position
seemed secure.
300
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,120
Parliament was appointed rather
than elected, and all power
301
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,720
was firmly in the hands of
the Fascist Grand Council.
302
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:37,800
Like Hitler, Mussolini's first
303
00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,400
acts made him immensely popular.
304
00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:43,880
Massive programmes of
public works provided
305
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,400
employment and transformed
Italy's infrastructure.
306
00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:52,600
Corruption was
rooted out and the
307
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,000
Mafia more or less eliminated.
308
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,360
Italy's armed forces
were built up,
309
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,280
including an advanced,
modern air force.
310
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,200
In the Mediterranean, Mussolini
launched a powerful navy,
311
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,360
bigger than the
combined might of the
312
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,080
British and French
Mediterranean fleets.
313
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:18,640
When the Great Depression came,
314
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,560
Italy seemed to weather
it better than most.
315
00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,840
Mussolini became a source
of worldwide inspiration.
316
00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:32,560
Political leaders, not least
Adolf Hitler in Germany,
317
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,920
saw the Fascist system
as a role model,
318
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,760
strong and purposeful in
contrast to the weakness
319
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,280
of the democracies in
Britain and France.
320
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,720
But Mussolini wanted
more than adulation.
321
00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,280
He wanted to recreate
the Roman empire.
322
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:52,840
And he already had
a target in mind
323
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,920
for his first
imperial land grab.
324
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:06,360
His target was Abyssinia,
today's Ethiopia.
325
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,560
Italy already had
colonies on its borders
326
00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,640
in Eritrea and
Italian Somaliland.
327
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:19,960
In December 1934, Italian
forces provoked a clash
328
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,720
with Abyssinian troops at an
oasis in the Ogaden region,
329
00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,520
well inside
Abyssinian territory.
330
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,080
Mussolini then sent
reinforcements to Eritrea
331
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:36,480
and Italian
Somaliland, demanding
332
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:38,880
that Abyssinia pay reparations.
333
00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,600
The Emperor of Abyssinia,
Haile Selassie appealed
334
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,760
in person to the
League of Nations.
335
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,800
[Haile Selassie] [speaking
in foreign language]
336
00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,120
He called on
it to live up to its ideals.
337
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:56,640
Here was a small
nation under threat
338
00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,560
from another member
of the League.
339
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,240
This was the supreme test.
340
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:03,880
But the League did nothing.
341
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,160
Britain's Foreign Minister
Anthony Eden at least tried
342
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,920
to broker a peace deal, but
Mussolini would have none of it.
343
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,280
In early October 1935
the Italian army invaded
344
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,280
from Eritrea and
Italian Somaliland.
345
00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,880
The primitive Abyssinian
forces stood little chance
346
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:32,680
against a modern army equipped
with artillery and tanks.
347
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,920
The Italian air force had
total command of the air,
348
00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,080
and harried the Abyssinians.
349
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,560
On occasions dropping gas
bombs even though gas had been
350
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,960
outlawed at Versailles as
a "crime against humanity".
351
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,800
After six months, Abyssinia
was completely overrun.
352
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,800
The Emperor Haile Selassie
fled into exile in Britain.
353
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,560
From its headquarters
in Switzerland,
354
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,000
the League of Nations
wrung its hands.
355
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,760
It did impose
economic sanctions,
356
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,000
but they had little effect.
357
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,800
Mussolini's aggression
had revealed two things.
358
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:32,960
The League of
Nations, that great
359
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,320
hope for peace, was impotent.
360
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:38,880
And both Europe's
supposed major powers,
361
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,160
the democracies
Britain and France,
362
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,680
no longer had the
stomach for a fight.
363
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,160
Both Britain and France had
been shattered by World War One
364
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,120
and their economies had
never really recovered.
365
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:04,240
Both had witnessed waves
of strikes and unrest.
366
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,000
Both had suffered
mass unemployment
367
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,320
even before the
Great Depression.
368
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:17,560
Both also faced the cost
of controlling empires,
369
00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:21,080
now swollen by taking on
Germany's former colonies
370
00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,000
and the Middle
Eastern territories
371
00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,880
once run by the
Turkish Ottoman empire.
372
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,360
And above all, both
had been traumatised
373
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,080
by the horrific casualties
of World War One.
374
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,200
A succession of British
leaders, Lloyd George,
375
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,120
Ramsay Macdonald and
above all Stanley Baldwin,
376
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,720
all resolved to keep Britain
out of future conflicts.
377
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,760
Despite horrific casualties
on the Western Front,
378
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,960
Britain had ended
World War One with
379
00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,840
a large and very
effective conscript army.
380
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,760
This was immediately run
down to a small professional
381
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:04,200
force designed to police
its sprawling empire.
382
00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:08,560
And when the Great
Depression struck,
383
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,560
any ideas of modernising
the army were abandoned.
384
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:13,880
It meant that Britain
went into the run up
385
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,240
to war economically
and militarily weak.
386
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:24,520
French losses
during World War One
387
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,640
had been even worse
than the British.
388
00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:31,960
Ever mistrustful of the Germans,
389
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,520
a large conscript
army was maintained,
390
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:36,680
but throughout the 1920s,
391
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:38,680
France's birth
rate had declined.
392
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:40,920
It became clear that
there would be a
393
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,360
manpower shortage by
the mid to late 1930s.
394
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,640
France realised it
could never compete with
395
00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,400
Germany on the size
of its army alone.
396
00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,720
The solution was to adopt an
entirely defensive mentality.
397
00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,760
The Maginot Line, a series
of fortifications was begun
398
00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,240
in 1930 along the
frontier with Germany
399
00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,120
and ran as far as
the Belgian border.
400
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:20,600
There it theoretically
linked up with
401
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:23,320
fortifications planned
by the Belgians.
402
00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,080
This new French military
approach meant that France
403
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,160
was only capable of
waging a defensive war.
404
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,560
It just did not have the
ability to launch an attack
405
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:39,440
on Italy, even if the British
had had the troops to help.
406
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,680
And of course, both countries
knew that their navies in the
407
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:49,080
Mediterranean were outnumbered
by Mussolini's new fleet.
408
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:55,880
So when Italy
conquered Abyssinia,
409
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:59,440
it made sense for both
powers to do nothing.
410
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:01,960
It just seemed too remote.
411
00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:04,840
Too much someone else's problem.
412
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:12,560
By now they both
had to deal with
413
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,800
all the traumas of
the Great Depression.
414
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,760
That seemed so
much more pressing.
415
00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,720
And above all, they
were now faced with a
416
00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:23,400
military threat
far closer to home.
417
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,160
A resurgent and
rearming Germany.
418
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,000
And Germany's power
and that of Italy too,
419
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,640
was soon about to
be demonstrated.
420
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,880
In supporting the rise of
another dictator, in Spain.
421
00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,960
In 1936, civil war
erupted in Spain.
422
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:02,160
It was exceptionally vicious,
setting family against family,
423
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:06,720
communist against fascist,
believers against atheists.
424
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,640
In 1931, a left wing government
had come to power determined
425
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,720
to get rid of the
centuries old Spanish monarchy.
426
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:24,360
The king was forced into exile
and a republic was declared.
427
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:33,160
In February 1936, the parties
of the left combined in a
428
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,280
Popular Front to
take on the forces
429
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,320
of the right in a
general election.
430
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,200
The Popular Front won narrowly.
431
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,800
Even though its reform
programme was modest,
432
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,120
the wave of strikes and
land seizures led the right
433
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,600
to fear that a communist
takeover was inevitable.
434
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,640
Within the Spanish army, long
a bastion of conservative
435
00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:04,840
and Catholic thinking,
senior officers began
436
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:07,680
to consider the
possibility of a coup.
437
00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,320
Among them was General
Francisco Franco,
438
00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,080
a former chief of staff who
had been effectively exiled
439
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,000
to command Spain's forces
in the Canary Islands.
440
00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:28,520
On July 17th 1936, the
units of the army fighting
441
00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:32,360
guerrillas in Spain's
colony in Morocco mutinied.
442
00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,000
The next day Franco
flew to join them,
443
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,280
proclaiming a new
Nationalist movement which
444
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,600
would save Spain from communism.
445
00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,960
Mainland garrisons now
joined this revolt.
446
00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:50,640
The Popular Front
responded by calling
447
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,000
for volunteers to
defend the republic.
448
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:55,760
Battle lines had been drawn.
449
00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,480
At first, Franco faced problems.
450
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,640
He and his army were in
North Africa and he had
451
00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,720
to get across the straits
of Gibraltar back to Spain.
452
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,720
So he turned to the one
person he thought might help.
453
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:14,920
Adolf Hitler.
454
00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,200
Within a month, transport
aircraft from Hitler's
455
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,040
new Luftwaffe had
begun an air lift,
456
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,080
taking Franco's battle hardened
457
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,280
veterans over to southern Spain.
458
00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,000
At this stage,
the Republic still
459
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,080
seemed to have the advantage.
460
00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,240
The pro Franco military
uprisings in Madrid
461
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,440
and Barcelona, were
quickly crushed leaving it
462
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,240
in control of most of
the east of the country.
463
00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:59,440
Franco's Nationalists
were confined largely
464
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,040
to the north west and
part of the south.
465
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,680
But the Nationalist situation
was transformed when Hitler
466
00:34:10,720 --> 00:34:14,640
and Mussolini started to
pour in troops and weapons.
467
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,960
The German dictator seized
the opportunity to test his
468
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,600
new equipment and
expanding armed forces.
469
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:28,560
The first Panzer tanks were sent
470
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,120
along with some 12,000 troops.
471
00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,280
And the Luftwaffe deployed
its Condor Legion with
472
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,920
its ultra modern new
bombers and fighters.
473
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:50,880
Mussolini sent a
so called volunteer corps
474
00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:55,080
of 50,000 men and more
than 700 aircraft.
475
00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:01,960
In vain did the Republicans
appeal to Britain,
476
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,200
France and the Soviet
Union for help.
477
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,680
But London and Paris were scared
478
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:11,920
of setting off a European war.
479
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,200
They declared a policy
of non intervention.
480
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,600
Cynically, both Germany and
Italy signed up to this.
481
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,400
But when it became obvious
that they were still sending
482
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:29,480
arms to the Nationalists, Josef
Stalin, the Soviet leader,
483
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,200
announced that he would
help the Republic.
484
00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,600
Stalin's worry was the
rise of Fascism in Germany.
485
00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:43,120
Hitler had made it abundantly
clear that he believed
486
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,920
communism to be
Nazism's ultimate enemy.
487
00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:53,360
Stalin saw the Spanish
conflict as a way of keeping
488
00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,320
Germany and Italy
occupied while building up
489
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:58,680
the Soviet Union's
military strength.
490
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,760
About 700 military
advisers were sent
491
00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,840
along with tanks and
fighter aircraft.
492
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,600
It was something,
but no match for
493
00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:11,720
the support Franco had received.
494
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:18,320
In fact the largest source of
outside help for the Republic
495
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,560
didn't come from a
country at all but
496
00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:23,960
from volunteers, the
International Brigades.
497
00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:28,280
About 30,000 left wing
Americans, British, French
498
00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:31,480
and Germans signed
up to fight in Spain.
499
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:39,120
With their new Fascist
support, the Nationalists were
500
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,800
able to open two
fronts, one advancing
501
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:44,400
towards Barcelona
from the North.
502
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,480
The other led by Franco pushing
503
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,920
up towards Madrid
from the south.
504
00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,280
By the end of 1936,
Madrid was enveloped
505
00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:57,640
on three sides and
virtually under siege.
506
00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,480
The fighting was intense
and often accompanied
507
00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,120
by appalling atrocities
against civilians.
508
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:10,280
The Republicans hunted down and
509
00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,760
murdered Roman Catholic priests.
510
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:15,240
The Nationalists
slaughtered anyone
511
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:16,960
accused of being communist.
512
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,560
German and Italian
air power was used
513
00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,760
indiscriminately against
civilian targets.
514
00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:32,680
Madrid was heavily bombed,
but the worst incident came
515
00:37:32,720 --> 00:37:36,880
in April 1937, when the
Basque town of Guernica was
516
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:41,040
virtually obliterated with
6,000 civilian deaths.
517
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,880
The area controlled
by the Republic
518
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:48,800
was steadily ground down.
519
00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:52,760
It's forces fought with great
gallantry, but under trained
520
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,000
and under equipped amateurs
were no match for the
521
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:59,400
professional soldiers
led by Franco or for the
522
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:03,040
combined modern weaponry
of Italy and Germany.
523
00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,280
As the war dragged on, the
fighting around Madrid became
524
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:12,800
a symbol of the left's
determination not
525
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,760
to be crushed by a
Fascist dictatorship.
526
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:20,000
But behind the
scenes, the Republican
527
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:21,800
alliance was falling apart.
528
00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,480
The communists and
socialists wanted to
529
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,920
concentrate on winning
a military victory.
530
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,400
But the more idealistic
anarchists and syndicalists
531
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,960
saw the war as an
opportunity for a
532
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,280
mass revolution by the workers.
533
00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:44,720
These disagreements burst out
into the open in May 1937.
534
00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:46,800
Fighting broke out in Barcelona
535
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:49,040
between the anarchists
and communists.
536
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,800
It was a fatal weakening
of the Republican cause.
537
00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:58,080
By the end of 1938,
538
00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:00,280
the Nationalists had
penned their enemy
539
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,000
into a small enclave
around Barcelona,
540
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:07,320
and another stretching eastward
from Madrid to the coast.
541
00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,760
Madrid continued to
hold out, but the
542
00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,280
international brigades
were withdrawn.
543
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:24,240
More and more nations began to
recognise Franco's government
544
00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:28,120
as his forces closed in for
the final assault on Madrid.
545
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,440
At the end of March 1939,
its defenders exhausted
546
00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:40,640
after nearly three
years of fighting,
547
00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,000
the capital finally surrendered.
548
00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,960
A month later, Franco
formally declared
549
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:53,800
hostilities at an end.
550
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,760
The scars of Spain's civil
war took years to heal
551
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,120
and, in some ways,
they never have.
552
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,080
And internationally,
Franco's victory
553
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:13,920
over the Republic
proved a disaster.
554
00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:17,840
Hitler and Mussolini
were confirmed in their
555
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,360
belief that the democracies
of Britain and France
556
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,920
were impotent to resist
any real pressure.
557
00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:28,320
While Stalin despaired of their
558
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:30,720
willingness to confront Fascism.
559
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:36,040
Hitler in particular saw
his way open to begin
560
00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:39,640
the aggressive policies
outlined in Mein Kampf.
561
00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:42,880
Even before the
Spanish civil war
562
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:45,640
ended his armies
were on the march.
563
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,680
From the moment he became
Chancellor of Germany
564
00:40:55,720 --> 00:41:00,080
on January 30th 1933,
Hitler had begun to put his
565
00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,520
long term ambitions into action.
566
00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:09,720
On February the 3rd he told
his top commanders that
567
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,800
his ultimate aim was "to
conquer territory in the
568
00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:16,120
"east and ruthlessly
Germanise it".
569
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:20,200
They were instructed to prepare
for a massive expansion.
570
00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:27,280
Although Germany had been
forbidden tanks, a secret treaty
571
00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:30,480
with the Soviet Union
in 1923, had allowed the
572
00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,560
development of tank
designs and experimentation
573
00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:36,160
with new mobile
armoured tactics.
574
00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,480
Energetic young German
officers like Heinz Guderian
575
00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:43,800
read the theories of
British thinkers like
576
00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:47,200
Basil Liddell Hart and
Colonel John Fuller.
577
00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:50,880
They even watched exercises
being carried out by
578
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:53,920
the British during the
1920s on Salisbury Plain.
579
00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,080
It was from these that
they came up with the idea
580
00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:02,240
of fast moving units combining
tanks artillery and infantry
581
00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:06,520
that could thrust fast and
deep into enemy territory.
582
00:42:10,240 --> 00:42:13,320
Hitler adopted their
ideas with enthusiasm,
583
00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,320
the new army was to have
three Panzer divisions.
584
00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:22,880
Similarly, the new air
force, the Luftwaffe,
585
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,320
under former World War One
fighter ace Hermann Goering,
586
00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:28,720
had had a framework to build on.
587
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,640
Throughout the years in
which its air force was
588
00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:37,880
officially banned, Germany
had kept up its design
589
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,480
skills by building
civilian machines.
590
00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:44,040
And gliding and
flying clubs provided
591
00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:46,800
a reserve of potential aircrew.
592
00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:51,440
Hitler revealed the existence of
593
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:55,120
the Luftwaffe in March 1935.
594
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:00,680
He then announced that the
army was to be increased to
595
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:05,680
300,000 men and conscription
was reintroduced.
596
00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:11,000
Britain and France
protested feebly at this
597
00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:13,600
flagrant breach of
the Versailles Treaty.
598
00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:20,640
But soon they reluctantly
and slowly began to rearm.
599
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:29,720
Until this point, Hitler had
been modest in his goals.
600
00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:32,400
He had only taken
back what was his,
601
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:34,560
the Rhineland and Saarland.
602
00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:38,600
But now he had a
grander target in mind.
603
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,040
His homeland Austria.
604
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,880
In 1934, Austrian Nazis
had attempted to seize
605
00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:49,920
power and unify the
country with Germany.
606
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,880
Austrians, after all
spoke German, even if they
607
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:57,440
had never been part
of a German state.
608
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:03,520
In February 1938, another
Nazi plot was discovered.
609
00:44:04,080 --> 00:44:06,600
Austrian chancellor
Kurt von Schuschnigg
610
00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:08,440
protested to Hitler.
611
00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:15,120
Hitler responded by demanding
that Austria stop mistreating
612
00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,480
the Austrian Nazis and
unite with Germany.
613
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:30,160
Schuschnigg promptly
called a referendum so that
614
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:33,520
the Austrians could vote on
whether to remain independent.
615
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:41,160
But on March 12th 1938, the
eve of the referendum, Hitler,
616
00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:43,640
fearing that it might
produce the wrong result,
617
00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:45,720
sent in his troops.
618
00:44:47,320 --> 00:44:50,680
Complete surprise and
an enthusiastic welcome
619
00:44:50,720 --> 00:44:55,120
by Nazi sympathisers made
it a bloodless invasion.
620
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,240
Within hours Hitler
announced Austria's
621
00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:01,640
incorporation into
the Third Reich.
622
00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,000
A sovereign nation had
for the first time,
623
00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:08,400
been subsumed into
a greater Germany.
624
00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:13,720
Once again the western
democracies failed to react.
625
00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:19,400
In the summer of 1938 he turned
626
00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,440
on his next prey,
Czechoslovakia.
627
00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:25,760
A substantial German minority
lived in the north west
628
00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:29,440
of the country, an area
known as the Sudetenland.
629
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:34,840
These Sudeten Germans
had been part of the old
630
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,640
Austrian empire but
had been cut off when
631
00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:40,440
Czechoslovakia was
created in 1919.
632
00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,160
This was the time bomb
that had started ticking
633
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:48,680
at the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles.
634
00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:55,600
Hitler encouraged Sudeten
German demands for autonomy,
635
00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:57,680
and then threatened
the Czech government
636
00:45:57,720 --> 00:46:00,400
with force if it
refused to agree.
637
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:05,000
Undaunted, the Czech
government ordered
638
00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:08,200
general mobilisation
and prepared to resist.
639
00:46:09,960 --> 00:46:12,680
The Czechoslovak army was
large and well equipped,
640
00:46:12,720 --> 00:46:16,520
with formidable fortifications
on its frontier with Germany.
641
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:18,720
Hitler backed off.
642
00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:23,080
But then at the
beginning of September,
643
00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:25,280
concerned that war
might be imminent,
644
00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:27,480
the British prime minister,
Neville Chamberlain
645
00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:30,320
decided to act as a peace maker.
646
00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:36,120
He flew to meet Hitler twice.
647
00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:38,720
The Nazi dictator assured
him that if he could
648
00:46:38,760 --> 00:46:41,560
have the Sudetenland he
would make no further
649
00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:43,720
territorial demands in Europe.
650
00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:54,600
In Munich, on
September 29th 1938,
651
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:58,080
with Mussolini acting as
mediator, France and Britain
652
00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:00,560
signed an agreement
giving the Sudetenland to
653
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,560
Germany in return for
a formal declaration by
654
00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:07,760
Hitler that he had no more
territorial ambitions.
655
00:47:12,240 --> 00:47:14,600
Chamberlain flew back to
Britain waving the piece
656
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:19,640
of paper which he claimed
"Guarantees peace in our time."
657
00:47:22,720 --> 00:47:26,520
So, on October the 1st,
German troops occupied the
658
00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:31,320
Sudetenland and seized the
Czech frontier fortifications.
659
00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:37,880
Hitler now began sizing up
his next target, Poland.
660
00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:47,800
Again the nominal cause
was a German minority
661
00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:51,080
marooned as a result of
the Versailles Treaty.
662
00:47:53,720 --> 00:47:56,480
Hitler demanded the return
of the port of Danzig
663
00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:59,840
to German control, so
that East Prussia could be
664
00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:01,920
linked up with the
rest of Germany.
665
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,920
The Poles refused,
and Hitler hesitated.
666
00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:10,920
He was not quite
ready for all out war
667
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:14,880
and he had unfinished
business with Czechoslovakia.
668
00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:20,000
In March 1939, the Eastern
part of the country,
669
00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:23,080
Slovakia, which was
ethnically different to the
670
00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:26,000
Czech lands, appealed
to Hitler for help
671
00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:28,120
in achieving greater
independence.
672
00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:34,720
Hitler summoned the Czechoslovak
prime minister Emil Hacha
673
00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:37,800
to Berlin, and browbeat
him into putting
674
00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:40,400
his country under
German "protection".
675
00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:47,040
German troops now
marched into the
676
00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:50,200
rest of Czechoslovakia,
unopposed.
677
00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:53,520
Most of the country was
annexed into the Reich.
678
00:48:53,880 --> 00:48:56,720
Slovakia was declared
a protectorate.
679
00:48:58,200 --> 00:48:59,960
For the first time,
Hitler had seized
680
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:01,920
non German speaking territory.
681
00:49:02,720 --> 00:49:04,720
But again there
was only a feeble
682
00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:07,320
protest from Britain and France.
683
00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:11,080
At the end of March,
he again repeated
684
00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:13,720
his demand that
Poland give up Danzig.
685
00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:18,000
This time France and Britain
declared unequivocally that
686
00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:21,120
they would declare war
if he attacked Poland.
687
00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:27,080
But by now Hitler cared little
whether they did or not,
688
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:29,280
he was sure that
they would be weak
689
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:31,720
and indecisive opponents.
690
00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:38,040
In Russia, Stalin
had also become
691
00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:41,120
increasingly concerned
by Hitler's aggression.
692
00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:44,120
In April Stalin
proposed an alliance
693
00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:45,680
with Britain and France.
694
00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:49,440
But negotiations
made little progress,
695
00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:53,000
and finally Stalin despaired,
deciding that there
696
00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:56,040
was another solution
to the German threat.
697
00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:03,200
On August the 23rd the Soviet
Union and the Third Reich,
698
00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:06,200
who everyone had believed
were sworn enemies,
699
00:50:06,240 --> 00:50:09,280
announced a non aggression pact.
700
00:50:11,480 --> 00:50:14,040
The agreement secretly
specified that Poland would be
701
00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:16,800
split between the two countries
and Stalin would have a
702
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:21,200
free hand to take over
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
703
00:50:25,000 --> 00:50:28,360
Now free from any Russian
threat, Hitler ordered his
704
00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:31,960
armed forces to prepare
for an immediate invasion.
705
00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:36,880
On the evening of
August the 31st,
706
00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:40,000
the German Wehrmacht
prepared for the assault,
707
00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:42,480
its Fuehrer had
made the decision
708
00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:45,520
which would plunge
the world into war.
58348
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