World War and the Growth of Global Power 237Door. If German and Italian fascism [and similar Japanese policies in Asia]
took hold, then the U.S. and others would lose access to huge parts of the
world and the raw materials, labor, trade and investments there, and their own
economies would be in even deeper trouble. More than anything, then, World
War II was a war for the Open Door. And Hitler made those fears come true
almost immediately. He withdrew Germany from the League of Nations and
began a program of rebuilding the military—contrary to the Versailles agree-
ments. He also announced a policy of Anschluss, or political union with
Germany, for Austria and gave support to the Austrian Nazis in their efforts
to take over their government. In March 1936, German troops went back into
the Rhineland and the French gave way, even though it was later discovered
that Hitler had given orders to retreat if France stood its ground.
The Europeans were following a policy of appeasement. Appeasement has
been used, and misused, countless times to suggest that the Europeans were
afraid of Germany and would simply give Hitler whatever he wanted. But it
was in fact an established diplomatic policy to avoid war. Given that the Great
War had been so destructive, the economy so bad, and Germany was trying
to restore its traditional positions and no one had any idea what Hitler would
do in the coming years, appeasement was an attempt to keep some stability
and peace in Europe. Of course, within a half-decade, it would be clear that
Germany’s goals went beyond anything expected and appeasement was a mis-
take, but it would be hard to see that coming in 1933-34. The western pow-
ers assumed that Germany would establish a status quo similar to that before
the Great War and then Europe would return to a “normal” state of affairs,
such as those that existed before 1914. They, we now know, were wrong.
Hitler’s aggression continued.
Not long after retaking the Rhineland, on November 1st, Italy and
Germany became Allies in the Rome-Berlin Axis, and Germany signed an
“Anti-Comintern Pact” with Japan just weeks later. Various other agreements
took place until September 1940, when Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the
“Tripartite Pact” and officially became the Axis. In 1936, however, much of
Europe’s attention was shifted toward Spain. A fascist-like group of military
officers, Falangistas or The Falange Party, with Catholic and corporate support
and led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco was trying to overthrow the gov-
ernment of Spain, a Republic that had been democratically elected and
enacted reforms to give more rights to workers and women and reduce the