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Treaty of Versailles
This was a peace agreement signed after WWI to decide how to progress forward after the war. Britain (David Lloyd George), France (Clemenceau), and USA (Woodrow Wilson) were the main decision makers, and after the debate, left Germany with a huge price to pay, and very little power left. France was the main reason that Germany got such a harsh punishment because of the humiliating Franco-Prussian war years prior. -
League of Nations (first meeting)
This was created out of the Treaty of Versailles to bring together the Nations of the World so they can cooperate and talk through problems instead of starting another world war. The four permanent members were Britain, France, Italy, and Japan. The members of the League of Nations would meet in Geneva to deal with issues, but Germany and Russia weren’t invited for years. The USA never joined the organization. This was created with the idea of internationalism in mind. -
Little Entente
This was an alliance signed by Romania, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia for the sake of nationalism within the countries, since the alliance would provide more security. In addition, France signed individual treaties with each country involved in the Little Entente, which is ironic because the League of Nations was created to prevent secret alliances. The reason this treaty exists is because the countries that were involved feared invasion from the successor states of Austria-Hungary. -
Italy becomes a fascist state.
On November 9th, 1921, the National Fascist Party was founded in the country of Italy, which would soon be led by a man named Benito Mussolini. This would allow Mussolini to spread his ideology throughout Italy, after beating out all the socialists in the country who opposed his ideals. This would create a common grounds with Nazi Germany later on to form an alliance with. This is an example of nationalism, since Mussolini strived to be in power to create the Italy he wanted to. -
French occupation of the Ruhr
Near the end of 1922, the Germans were having a lot of trouble keeping up with their reparation payments, so French decided to take over Ruhr to motivate them to start paying. The Ruhr is a small area in Germany that is rich in resources, and the French would take their money in coal payments. This is an example of ultranationalism, since France actually intrudes on a foreign territory in order to put pressure on Germany. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This was an agreement signed by many countries in Europe who agreed to not settle disputes through war. It was initially signed by only Germany, USA, and France, but others signed later. This pact was designed to prevent another world war, which only result in a loss of life and resources. Internationalism was the key idea underlying this pact, as the countries involved tried to work together to prevent war and violence. -
The Great Depression begins
– In late 1929, the global economy went into a major recession resulting in major unemployment, drop in trading, and lower incomes. All the countries in the world were affected in one way or another. The immediate cause of the Great Depression was the crash of the USA’s stock market, which spread globally, since they supplied the European economy. -
Creation of the Maginot line begins.
In 1930, France begins the construction of the Maginot line, a long reinforced wall which spans the border of France and Germany. André Maginot finally convinced the French government to start the project, and was a veteran of WWI. It was built out of fear that Germany will take revenge on France in the form of an invasion. It was built with the ideas of nationalism and self-determination in mind, since the wall was meant to keep France secure and free of the possibility of German invaders. -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Japan decides to invade the Chinese area named Manchuria following the Mukden Incident. This defies the rules of the League of Nations, even though Japan is one the permanent members, further ruining its reputation. Japan wanted to expand its empire, and have access to more resources. General Shigeru Honjo went against the orders of Tokyo by doing this. Ultranationalism is the reason behind the invasion, as Japan took over a section of another nation for the benefit of themselves. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
After years of political and economic instability, Hitler was extremely popular among the people of Germany, since he promised them stability. When the government was at its weakest, Hindenburg gave Hitler the position of Chancellor. Hitler was fueled by nationalism to gain control over Germany, so he could steer it in the direction he wanted. -
Nuremberg Decrees passed
Once Hitler got into power, he could finally create the Germany which he desired, starting with his anti-semitic views. These laws would force all Jewish people in Germany to wear a star so they could be clearly identified. They also had many rights and freedoms stripped from them, such as the right to vote. This is a clear example of ultranationalism, as this it the beginning of Hitler’s road to the Holocaust, which turns into an act of genocide. -
Italian invasion of Abyssinia
Italy still wanted the land they were promised and part of that land was Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). Italy decided to take it themselves as an invasion attempt. Abyssinia was rich in land and that’s exactly what Italy wanted. As a result, the other European superpowers banned trading with Italy on everything except for oil. This event showed the weakness of the League of Nations due to the lack of security they offered. -
Remilitarization of the Rhineland
German forces entered the neutral Rhineland in 1936 which directly violated the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler thought he had a reason because of the amount of Germans living in this region. Germany was protecting themselves by invading the Rhineland which is an example of Nationalism. -
Spanish civil war begins
A civil war in Spain broke out when Franco wanted to be the ruler of the nation and turn it in to a country like Italy and Germany. Obviously this clashed with the current presidents beliefs and a civil war broke out that including Italy and Germany getting involved. Franco’s desire to control his nation shows nationalism in that he wants to take over his country so he can control it (In what he thinks is a good way) his way. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
The Rome-Berlin Axis was an agreement between the two fascist countries known as Italy and Germany. This came about as a result of the Spanish civil war and Franco’s want to also become a fascist country. This agreement required the two countries to have similar foreign policies. Germany and Italy were both similar, which is the main reason why they wanted to join together. To promote a sense of nationalism. -
Anschluss with Austria
Germany, looking to enhance their empire marched into Austria in 1938. They were welcomed, without a bullet fired, into Austria resulting in Hitler instantly taking over Austria. Nationalism is an apparent part of this takeover as Hitler wanted to expand his beliefs to more than just Germany. -
Munich Conference (Occupation of Sudetenland)
Once Germany occupied Austria, their hunger for more land became stronger which resulted in Nazi Germany taking over half of Czechoslovakia. Their defense was that lots of Germans were living in that area known as the Sudetenland. Because the other powers of the world decided to do nothing, Germany later took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. This is another example of Ultra-Nationalism as taking over other countries to benefit your own is taking nationalism to the next level. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
Germany expected war as a result of all their actions so they decided to align themselves with the Soviet Union in order to prevent a two front war. This pact meant that if war happened, Russia would not get involved. The pact also made sense because both Germany and the Soviets wanted more land for their empire. By aligning with another world power, this shows Germany’s sense of internationalism through an agreement. -
German Invasion of Poland
Germany, along with the Soviet Union invaded Poland Sept. 1/1939. The attack was a result of Germany along with the Soviet Union wanting more land for their countries. The takeover resulted in Soviet Union and Germany splitting Poland in half. This showed Germany’s ultra-nationalistic ideas as at the time the main thing Germany wanted was more land to create a larger empire and they would invade another country to do it. -
Britain Declares War on Germany
When Hitler invaded Poland, France and Britain finally got involved. If Poland was invaded, Britain and France would come to their aid which is exactly what they did. France and Britain aligning with Poland shows internationalism as they are using other countries to benefit themselves. -
USA isolationism ends
The USA came out of isolationism due to Japan and their attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.The USA stuck to their word of keeping out of the war but when they were getting directly affected they decided to intervene and fight for themselves. The fact that the USA got involved because of an attack is an example of Nationalism for a nation to come together in a time of crisis.
