Britain and the League of Nations Before WWII

Britain and the League of Nations Before WWII Why Was Britain So Ill-Prepared for War in 1939? Consequences of WWI The representatives of the states that met at Versailles in the first half of 1919 were confronted by a world in deep turmoil. The war was over but it appeared that a significant threat still remained in the form of the rapid spread of bolshevism. Right wing governments were springing up in Eastern Europe, and the victors of the war were worried.[1] A reaction to this, and as something of a punishment to Germany, was the redrawing of borders throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Huge swathes of various nations ware effectively removed and annexed by a neighbouring state. Germany’s eastern frontier, for example, was moved far to the west of its previous position, removing part of Silicia, West Prussia and Posses from German control and given to neighbouring states. Germany was not the only state to suffer, however, Russia lost vast areas of land in the west and Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania became independent states.[2] This realignment of Europe was widely unpopular and provided some of the seeds for future conflict, it was only achievable through the new instrument if international diplomacy, the League of Nations. The mandate of this new league was to maintain peace in Europe. Refusal to abide by the dictates of the league would result in economic or military sanctions; the main problem was that the league did not directly command any troops and its actions required the unanimous consent of all members. Great Britain, after the deprivations of the First World War, seemed little interested in getting too heavily involved in the affairs of its European allies and hoped the League would essentially remove that responsibility. Britain showed such revulsion at the prospect of another (or further) was that in 1919 Winston Churchill, former First Lord of the Admiralty, persuaded the British government to adopt a rule whereby â€Å"for the purpose of framing the (defence) estimates, (it should be assumed) that at any given date there will be no major war for 10 years.†[3] This so called ten year rule was officially renewed every year until 1932, and even then Britain took now significant steps towards rearmament until 1937. This ten year rule meant that if war was to break out in Europe again, Britain was certain to be caught unprepared. Hitler Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 on the back of deep resentment of the treatment of Germany by the western allies at the end of the First World War. In 1934 he had been shown a demonstration of the potential of the new tank arm that was being developed in secret by Guderian,[4] and by the following year three panzer divisions were under construction.[5] By 1935 his power base was strong enough for him to renounce the clauses of the treaty of Versailles that limited the German army to 100,000 men; he reintroduced conscription and decreed the creation of the Luftwaffe, banned by Versailles.[6] By 1936 Hitler has negotiates a treaty with Britain that allowed him to build U-boats and he sent troops to unilaterally occupy the demilitarised Rhineland. In 1937 the new German army had 37 infantry divisions and three panzer divisions, in comparison to the seven allowed by Versailles, a total strength of three million men, the following year saw the strength of the newly formed Lu ftwaffe at 3350 (zero in 1932).[7] While obvious rearmament was underway in Germany, and the French were building the Maginot line (clearly expecting and preparing for ‘static’ trench warfare) along the border with Germany, the British steadfastly refused to re-arm, believing in the principle of the ten year rule. The economic situation in Great Britain was poor after WWI, unemployment was high and the economy generally was performing very poorly indeed. This situation was not at all aided by the great depression that developed with stunning rapidity in the United States. This can be juxtaposed with the booming German economy where unemployment had fallen from five and a half million to less than one million under Hitler,[8] it is perhaps not too surprising that Britain felt ill equipped financially or perhaps emotionally after the deprivations of trench warfare) to rearm or resist German expansion until it was too late. Failure of the League of Nations The great hope of the British (and to a very large extent of the other western powers) was that any potential for future conflict in Europe would be obviated by the League of Nations; this was its very reason for existing in the first place. A series of devastating setbacks for the League essentially exposed its impotence. Mussolini’s invasion of Abasynnia in 1935 (a member of the league), was met with economic sanctions at the behest of the British, but this only drove the Italians into Hitler’s arms (a long time admirer of Mussolini). The next crisis for, and failure of, the League came the following year: misrule in Spain led to an uprising by General Franco. The government were supported by Russian troops and Franco by Italians. Taking this opportunity Hitler entered into an anti-communist treaty with the government of Japan, and as it became apparent that Franco was winning the civil war, and while the attentions of the world were elsewhere, he annexed Austria;[9] two weeks later the Sudetenland. This series of seriously mishandled crises demonstrated that the League of Nations was totally ill equipped to perform a peace keeping role in Europe and it disintegrated. Britain’s (and Churchill’s faith in the League and the ten year plan had been seriously flawed). Britain Re-arms – Treasury Resists The main consequence for the British and the French of the events of 1935-6 was a sudden realisation that rearmament was required, and quickly. The situations in Abasynnia, Spain and Germany clearly demonstrated the, at best, inability, and at worst incompetence of the League of Nations. The only possible conclusion for the British by the mid 1930’s was that the only way to deter aggression, and future war, was with a significant military presence. Baldwin had been elected to office in Britain the back of a promise to rearm. British public opinion, then, was in favour of rearmament, but political leaders remained strangely opposed. By 1936 the military budget was increased to  £136 million, but this was still only half of that of Germany, and they newly created post of Minister of Public Defence was given to the weak Sir Thomas Inskip rather than someone like Churchill.[10] This new post had been described simply as a â€Å"treasury break on the demands of the service†,[11] which is to say a means of keeping down military expenditure. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chamberlain firmly believed that the economy was the fourth branch of the armed services. He believed that economic stability was of prime importance and that it could not be put at risk in order to rearm the country. He believed that economic strength would act as a deterrent to any potential enemy and that financial strength could enable the nation to purchase any military equipment it may need as and when required, thus permanent rearmament was not deemed a priority.[12] Chamberlain in fact argued that the economy simply could not bear the strain of rearmament. His military logic was seriously and obviously flawed, be argued that id Germany made war in the east, this was simply too far away for the British to do anything about it, and if the invaded France or the Low Countries, the British would not be able to react fast enough, therefore a large standing army was not necessary.[13] There were also serious strategic discussions in Britain at the time; should rearmament be based on land forces or on the navy and air force. Some believed in the magical power of the newly developing air forces. General John Burnett-Stuart[14] argued that an appropriately large and well equipped air force could far better perform the role of the expeditionary force in protecting the Low Countries and indeed in winning a war with far less risk of loss of life.[15] Britain, then, was in serious disarray as to what strategy to pursue, and was not given the financial backing to pursue any strategy fully. Strategy Blitzkrieg The question may presuppose that Britain was ill prepared in simply practical terms, be they military or economic, but there is far more to the question that this. Britain, and indeed every one else in the world, was seriously ill prepared for war in 1939 in terms of strategic thinking as well. It has often been noted that large wars begin with the strategy of the last major war; this was not the case in World War II. World War I had effectively began with Napoleonic tactics that developed into static, and devastating, trench warfare. The building of the Maginot line by the French is a strong indication that a future was (i.e. WWII) would again be a static war in the mould of trench warfare.[16] The Germans, however, had other ideas. Heinz Guderian had fought in WWI and seen the stupidity of trench warfare, and the potential of the tank if properly utilised. During the inter war years he developed a strategy of mobile warfare,[17] later to become infamously known as blitzkrieg,[18] lightening war. He came to believe, and persuaded Hitler of the same, (as noted briefly above) that the panzer, utilised in massed formations, could act as a hammer and smash a hole through the enemies’ defensive line. Following this initial action (to be preceded by artillery bombardments and air strikes) the fast moving panzer divisions,[19] along with mechanised infantry units,[20] could stream through this gap in the line and drive quickly deep into enemy territory, seriously disrupting their lines of communication and supply. These units could then be used to encircle slow moving (or static) enemy infantry. Conclusion This new strategy, new philosophy, was the second strand to Britain’s unpreparedness (and indeed everyone else’s too). For one of the few times in history, Germany entered the war with an entirely new philosophy, one for which their entire armed forced had been forged and developed to utilise with devastating effect. The British, French, Russians etc. were utterly unprepared for an offensive of the scale that Hitler launched, or for the tactics that were being employed. In every campaign, highlighted spectacularly in Poland, the Low Countries and France, the Wehrmacht were capable of moving far faster than the allies could counter. I have tried to argue throughout this brief essay that Britain was not the only nation to be ill prepared for war with Germany in 1939. The lack of preparation was partly due to poorly placed faith in the League of Nations and in the ten year plan, but also on an unwillingness to properly invest in the armed forces until it was too late to deter war. The allies were also utterly unprepared for the new kind of warfare brought by the Germans and it is this final point that leads to the conclusion that even if funding had been available and rearmament had taken place much earlier, would it have made a difference given the vastly superior strategy and technology employed by the Wehrmacht. Bibliography C. Barnett (ed.), Hitler’s Generals (London 1989) J. F. C. Fuller, Decisive Battles of the Western World and their Influence Upon History: vol III (London 1956) H. Guderian, Achtung-Panzer (Berlin 1937) D. Kagan, On the Origins of War (London 1995) J. Keegan, A History of Warfare (London 1993) K. Macksey, Guderian: Panzer General (London 1975) C. Messenger, The Art of Blitzkrieg (London 1976) A. J. P. Taylor, English History: 1914-1945 (Oxford 1965) Footnotes [1] Kagan, 1995, 285. [2] Kagan, 1995, 287. [3] Keegan, 1993, 366. [4] More on Guderian later. [5] Barnett, 1989, 444-5 [6] Keegan, 1993, 367. [7] Keegan, 1993, 368. [8] Fuller, 1956, 369. [9] Fuller, 1956, 371. [10] Kagan, 1995, 367. [11] Taylor, 1965, 390. [12] Kagan, 1995, 370-1. [13] Kagan, 1995, 371. [14] Kagan, 1995, 3. [15] This is an idea that seems somewhat ahead of its time, the first time this occurred (an air force essentially winning a war) was the first Gulf War of 1991. [16] Guderian, 1937, 36-38. [17] Macksay, 1965, 57-79. [18] Messenger, 1976. [19] Guderian, 1937, 167-170. [20] Guderian, 1937, 171-173.

Drawframe Machine

Introduction The draw frame in a textile mill is unavoidable in yarn spinning as fibers need to be kept side by side termed as parallelization of fibers in textile technology. This is done as we see that most of the fibers at carding stage are so fast that there is little or no fiber parallelization. Even though modern carding machines have using the auto leveler still there can be some unevenness along the slivers. These two issues will affect the quality of the yarn. The draw frame machine is the last machine which can improve the yarn quality in the yarn manufacturing process. The tasks drafting and doubling are the objectives of the draw frame machine in order to improve the fiber orientation and sliver uniformity respectively. Removal of hooks and dust also can be carried out by the machine, at a significant amount. Objectives To study the material path, objectives and drafting system of the draw frame machine. Procedure * Study the important parts and their function of the machine * Observed and draw the material path * Roller drafting system was observed * Compare the differences between modern and conventional machine Draw frame material path (picture) Tasks of the draw frame * One of the main tasks of the draw frame is improving the evenness over short, medium and especially, long terms. Card slivers fed to the draw frame have a degree of unevenness that can not be tolerated in practice. Doubling is the process of combining two or more slivers usually from carding engine to deliver a single sliver. In the draw frame 6-8 slivers are combined to give one sliver. During the doubling process it is expected that the non-uniformity is in the card sliver will be even-out and a uniform sliver will emerge. Drafting is a process where the weight per unit length of the input sliver is reduced. During the drafting process, fiber parallelization also takes place. The drafting and doubling processes are achieved by passing the slivers through rotating rollers. The fluted bottom rollers are steel rollers while the top rollers are synthetic rollers heavily weighted on the bottom rollers by means of springs. The bottom rollers are run at increasing speeds starting from the back rollers to the front rollers. In addition to the improving evenness, doubling also provides a degree of compensation of raw material variation by blending. The result is exploited in particular in the production of blended yarns comprising cotton/synthetic or synthetic/synthetic blends. At the draw frame, metering of individual components can be carried out very simply by selection of the number of slivers enter the machine * Dust is steadily becoming a greater problem both in processing and personnel involved. It is therefore significant to remove dust in every possible step in the process. Dust removal can only be carried out where there is fiber/fiber, fiber/metal friction. Since dust articles adhere relatively strongly to the fibers. A high performance draw frame with a sufficient number of suction point is a good dust-removing machine. * Sliver formation and coiling is also a important part of the draw frame process using sliver trumpet and calendar roller this functions were done. Differences of drafting systems between modern and conventional draw frame * Modern draw frame machine have helical flute where the conventional machine have horizontal flute. Conventional modern (horizontal) (helical) * In conventional drafting system 4/4 system is used where in modern drafting system 5/4 system is used. * In the modern machine the flutes are inclined and in conventional machine flutes are arranged in straight line. * In the conventional system lever type pressure arm system is used and in modern system spring load system is used. In addition to this the modern draw frame machine have the followings * Single prevention:- if for whatever reason a sliver get exhausted or broken the machine will automatically stop * Colour light system:-indication at which specific point the problem is in the machine which cause into stop * Red-mechanical problem * Green-sliver break * White-power on no run * Blue-over heat * Orange-no can * Automatic can changing:- the machine can be programmed to deliver a specific length of sliver on to the two can after which the cans are automatically changes to new cans. Discussion

Dali Art

Fruit Dish on a Beach This painting is hanging above my bed, I see it on a daily basis and always can think of something new when I look at it. This is Salvador Dalais abstract art in which he does best. Dali is a well-known Spaniard surrealist. The name of the painting is The Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach. The artwork is so odd causing the explanation to be hard. Illusionist's Surrealism is one form of art that is portrayed very well in dalais artwork.The Big picture looking at it from afar you will see a dog, a table, wine glass, or the human face. If you look at the fine detail you will find lots of interesting and abstract additions to this art. The upper center part in the background you will see two hilltops one of them covered in grass and the other rocky landscape. The right hand corner there is another grassy hill terrain right above the dogs head. Appears to be clear skies on the left with a stormy approach from the right. Like the water coming to feed the dr y spot on the sandy and desert like terrain.I really think it is interesting as you look at the eye of the dog it acts as a peephole and you can see the scenic background through it. Underneath the dogs snout you will see a desert like environment with several trees and it includes a black and white horse playing. There is a hidden face as well, which I find very out of place or abstract. It looks like pears on the edge of the dogs body with the horizon landscape behind. The rear hip of the dog looks almost like a clipping from â€Å"A starry night† almost. It is like a sunset or sunrise scene with what looks to be like waves.If go right to towards the center it looks like a scene from hell with fire, bones, skeletons, vase, a broken vase and woven basket. The vase is the left eye in the face with the right eye being a dead baby or could be sleeping. He has arranged things in this painting so uniquely. The center of the painting where it appears to be shaped like a wine glass almost creates a tunnel or funnel for the bodies on the right side falling down into darkness. The dog collar seems as a bridge over the river coming down into the goblet with pears into. It almost is like eggs going over to this dungeon type room.It has a man standing there without a face drying him off as if he Just finished showering. On the other side of the wall where the man is standing there sitting looks as if he was writing. He is wearing a Arabic type covering over his head. Something you would see someone wearing in a desert. In the dungeon type room in the paintings two guys as skeletons which one looks like a pirate. There is a child who is reaching for something or maybe the loss of the one who looks to be a skeleton. Below that you will see what seems like a blotched over a straight line or end of the table.There is a broken rope hanging over the edge with a cloth as well Just sitting there as well as couple egg shaped objects scattered through out the table. There i s a small goblet with pears, maybe where he came up with the fruit dish on the beach part of the name. This is the best-detailed description I can give. This painting always makes me think and wonder what is his overall theory what brought every part of it together. I think that he choose this though to represent the two sides of a sunny day or a stormy one. The eve of life and death with his beloved dog as well.I am convinced that this twisted painting can be interpreted into the dream life that he had imagined for America. It has each odd piece of the artwork as multiple purposes or visions. For example the odd vase in the middle of the picture ends up being the eye of the face, which is evolved from the other parts. The meaning would be far few and between. Artist's thoughts may never be revealed but in my opinion I have come to the conclusion that he was so confused as to what the American dream was or what it might entail. He obviously loves dogs.Enjoys the beach with the waves . Pears are most likely one of his favorite fruits. He shows the beauty of the women's smile. This picture also shows the afterlife or imaging death at the end of the dream. I was lead to believe that by all the bones and dark parts of the picture. It has a gloomy and dark side to it. With the table edge and rope hanging off brings a depressing side to it. Overall I love this artwork and I don't really see the dark side of it as a strong influence. I almost see past it because of the white space it really overtakes the dark I think.This painting is something that I wouldn't imagine someone today coming up with anything like it. Inspired by Dali or not this is one very unique piece of work. The formal elements as I understand the space is one of the best used. The open white space with the tablecloth and the face is very well distinguishable appearing lust as blank space. The composition is really out of whack until you more understand or observe all of the parts involved. The color is very pastel and light. Lines or defined with the horizon and the table edge. I really enjoy all the artwork Dali has put together.

Happiness Explored in Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 Essay

The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, â€Å"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.† This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with societys view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge. Of all characters, Bradbury uses Mildred Montag to effectively†¦show more content†¦How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?† (52). This quote illustrates that people like Mildred take refuge in entertainment to avoid worry and thought, by placing themselves in the feet of imaginary characters, whose shallow problems always play out to a happy ending. Because of this, she lives a pointless life, a life that is not even hers. However, Montag tries knock her out of her trance by saying that living true life comes with struggles, and the need to consider one own responsibility and choices, one that Mildred fails to create for herself. Instead, she uses entertainment as a chance to escape self-responsibility and hassle of solving her own issues. Surprisingly in Fahrenheit 451, Mildred reflects the attitude of society: almost everyone is a mirror image of her, following a lifeless and uncaring lifestyle, defined by childish entertainment, and thus achieving happiness through ignorance. Also, Bradbury provides Captain Beattys perspective that happiness is based on human equality. During his speech to Montag, Beatty states, â€Å"We must all be alike †¦. everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy † (58). In this context, Beatty explains that it is not equality that causes people to become happy, rather it is inequality that causes an imbalance. Throughout history, the repression of minorities have always repeated itself, a societal behavior that has beenShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Mind Travel By Ray Bradbury822 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom authors like Stephanie Meyers. High school students deserve to have an author like Ray Bradbury, whose imagination and descriptive language help transfer the reader into the novel. What sets Ray Bradbury aside from other authors is his ability to explore other genres, his impeccable writing styles and the powerful themes conveyed in his work, making him an excellent addition to the English 11 reading list. Ray Bradbury had a lot of amazing creativity that helped him to explore multiple genres,Read MorePerhaps We Are Going Away by Ray Bradbury839 Words   |  3 PagesRay Bradbury’s distaste for emerging technologies and government and social censorship, especially into artistic ventures, during the cold war was manifested in his work. After the Second World War the United States’ government began to defend against communism through the alienation of high profile potential communists, which deeply disturbed Bradbury, whom from early on in his life, especially during his time in Hollywood, had developed a love for the world of the arts and entertainment and wasRead MoreTotalitarianism In Fahrenheit 4511899 Words   |  8 Pagescomplete subservience to the state† (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com). In other words, totalitarianism is a society controlled by a government, composed of a limited amount of people, with complete control over the population. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury entails of a society controlled by a totalitarian government, providing insight on how its mechanics function. Bradbury, a renowned writer especially for his visions of the future expressed throughout his literature, was born on AugustRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Gattaca Comparative Study - Historical Context2281 Words   |  10 Pagesthe current contextual concerns and the possibility of the dystopias that are developed as a result. This is demonstrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury and the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol. Both of these composers illustrate their fears for the fate of their society through the structural and language features of their texts. Ray Bradbury explores the value of using knowledge and independent thinking rather than blindly following the ‘rules’, without a second thought