Why did France and Britain not get involved when Hitler invaded Poland?

Answer 1

When the map of Europe was redrawn at the end of WWI the border between Russia and Poland was known as the "Curzon line" after the British foreign secretary who negotiated the settlement.However the countries were involved in a short conflict after the war had ended which resulted in the Polish conquest of Russian territory.The Red Army when it advanced into Poland in 1940 only advanced as far as the Curzon line which marked the former boundary between the two countries and therefore only reclaimed what was rightfully Russian territory rather than conquering sovereign Polish territory and thereby avoided a confrontation with Britain and France.

Answer 2

first answer:

Germany didn't want to fight a 2 front war like she did in the first world war. Germany wanted to conquer Western Europe including France and England. In order to accomplish that, she needed to sign a treaty of nonaggression with the Soviet Union. The Russians soon invaded the eastern region of Poland after Germany attacked Poland on Sept 1st, 1939. Once Hitler attacked the west in May, 1940, the Soviet Union seized the opportunity to conquer the Baltic States and Bessarabia from Rumania. Hitler was too preoccupied in the west to protest to Stalin. Eastern Poland provided the Soviets a buffer zone against possible German aggression in the future. Hitler got the more important western region including Crocaw and Warsaw.

more correct answer:

The invasion of Poland was one of the first steps in Hitler's overall vision.

Hitler's Vision

Ø 1924: Hitler dictated Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in prison. It laid out it his thoughts for Germany's future.

Ø Summer 1928: Hitler dictated his second book (unnamed) that outlined his long-term geo-political goals for Germany and the coming of war. Hitler decided to seal the 300 page manuscript in a publisher's safe, and not to publish it at that time. The manuscript remained unread until 1958.

Ø Germany must be removed from the constraints of the Versailles Treaty, and be allowed to rearm.

Ø The attainment of Racial Purity (strong genes) is the key to the long-term survival of Germany.

Ø Germany must grow, and this will lead to conflict. This is the natural order of things (Social-Darwinism). War is inevitable, if Germany is to prosper.

Ø Germany needs "Lebensraum" (living space) for German people and farming in the eastern areas of Europe. This was first explained by Hitler in secret meetings with military & foreign policy staff on November 5, 1937, with a target timeframe of 1943-1945.

Ø This will require the "removal" (extermination) of the entire existing Pole/Slavic population stretching east from the eastern boundaries of Germany out towards the Ural Mountains and the Black Sea.

Ø Germany needs to become economically and especially agriculturally self-sufficient.

Ø Germany must pursue a program to eliminate Jews and Bolsheviks.

Hitler wanted to eliminate Poland as a nation & people (similar to Stalin's goal). Hitler needed to temporarily neutralize the USSR and prevent interference in his pending plans to defeat France. Hitler had plans to invade & defeat the USSR after defeating France. The defeat of the USSR was his primary goal of the war! This has been one of the misunderstood and least recognized motivators of Hitler. All other actions, prior to this, are meant to clear the way forward for this key objective.

So how could Hitler temporarily neutralize the USSR? He negotiated an agreement with Stalin, see details below.

Stalin & Hitler Non-Aggression Pact (1939-1941)Ø 24 August 1939: Public announcement of the Germany & USSR Non-Aggression Pact, also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It was signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939, by the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Ø It contained secret terms that divided up the independent countries of Poland, Finland & the Baltic States. Also Romania would be forced to give-up territory to the Soviet Union, and be in its 'sphere of interest'.

Ø Germany will take most of Poland; USSR is to be given control of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and some of Poland.

Ø Stalin will now be politically isolated from the western allies until Hitler attacks him.

Ø Hitler is successfully able to extract Soviet concessions and fool Stalin into thinking that Germany wants a military alliance. Hitler will delay working out the details of this alliance. Meanwhile Stalin will do everything possible to remain in Hitler's good graces.

Ø Leads to Russo-Finnish War & intimidation of the three Baltic States. USSR wins concessions from these countries.

Ø Although this will lead to the Russo-Finnish War, Stalin takes no military action against the western Allies.

Ø Stalin directs COMINTERN (Communist International) public relations campaign to undermine Britain & France.

Ø This public relations campaign in the U.S. is aimed at ensuring U.S. neutrality & isolationism.

Ø Stalin directs COMINTERN not to resist in German-occupied nations. In some cases, Stalin actually betrays secret communist organizations and/or individuals in Germany & elsewhere to placate Hitler.

Ø The Pact ended with the German surprise attack on the USSR on June 22, 1941.

Ironically, it is important to ask the question: If Hitler's primary goal was the defeat of Stalin's USSR, then why did he attack France? Would France have interfered during a German attack on the USSR? My opinion-Hitler would have had a free hand against Stalin.

My opinion: I think Hitler was refighting the First World War & previous wars when France was actually allied to Russia, and which therefore forced Germany to fight on two fronts then. This was Hitler's mistake. The reality in 1939 was that the USSR had absolutely no friends & no allies anywhere in Europe or Asia. Further still, numerous countries (Italy, Japan, Slovakia, Baltic states, Hungary, Bulgaria, & Romania) in Europe & Asia would have been willing to join Hitler in an immediate attack on Stalin. The remainder of the European nations would have done nothing to assist Stalin. The problem for Hitler, was that Poland separated Germany from the USSR geographically. Hitler & Mussolini could have launched an attack on the USSR from Finland, the Baltic states, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria & Romania. Instead Hitler chose to remove Poland first, but Poland had allies in western Europe. This brought France & Great Britain (incl. Commonwealth nations) into the war against Germany. So by the time Hitler invades the USSR in 1941, Stalin will have allies.

Answer 3

They DID get involved. Germany invaded Poland on 1st September 1939, so Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939.

Britain & France were not able to send troops to Poland. France did not launch a major invasion of Germany because it was not prepared for offensive operations into Germany. The French & British mainly focused on naval & air operations against Germany from September 3, 1939 to April 9, 1940.

France & Britain were unable to prevent Poland's defeat from the German & Soviet invasion.