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The reasons for the commencement of the First World War and the consequences of it, both played a part in the lack of appropriate action by various countries to prevent the occurrence of the Spanish Civil War, which in itself served as a starter course for the Second World War.
France had lost Russia as an ally after the Great War, and so was politically weakened. They feared that Germany would rearm, and so turned to Britain, seeking them as a supporter, should the French see the need to attack the Germans. Britain though, thought that the threat of Germany had been extinguished; the Treaty Of Versailles limited Germany to an army of merely 100,000, with no air force to speak of. The Brits viewed Russia as a far greater potential threat. France did not wish to alienate Britain, realising their future potential as a friend.
The League of Nations, whom many thought to be a virtual guarantee of peace, failed to stop the Spanish Civil War. A major factor in this was that the United States of America was not a member; if it were, the League would have been far stronger. Also Germany had left in 1933 along with Japan, and because the Soviet Union did not join until 1934, the League of Nations was in a state of disarray. Because France and Britain wanted the League to perform different functions, its usefulness was lessened even more. France wanted the League to be a system of security directed against Germany, whilst Britain wished it to be used as a tool for European resolution that would pacify Germany.
France didn’t act when Germany remilitarised the Rhineland for two reasons. Firstly there was a strong anti-Soviet feeling in the country, and also because it was election year. To react with force at that time would have been political suicide. Hitler was particularly cunning in his timing of this operation.
When Italy invaded Abyssinia, there wasn’t much of a reaction. Britain sent its Navy to the Mediterranean, and economic sanctions were imposed for a while against Italy. Diplomatic relations remained open, and after a brief period the sanctions were lifted. Heavier penalties weren’t imposed because it was believed Germany may side with Italy, and the wish was to keep them apart. Hitler’s Germany was considered the biggest threat, and defending Italy would have been a perfect excuse for war. However, it is highly likely that Hitler was encouraged to begin sending his troops to Spain, realising there was little chance of any reaction from either Britain or France.
Also, because Europe and the United States viewed the communist Russians as a threat for world peace, they were reluctant to act when the fascist led countries of Germany and Italy mobilized troops to aid the insurgent rebels of Spain against the lawfully elected Government of Spain. Some even secretly hoped that in the process Nazi Germany would destroy Russia. They were wrong though. Russia was in fact very weak, and rather than looking for a world revolution, they merely sought national stability.
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