Causes of WW2

Question 1

What were some of the main points in Mein Kampf?

Answer 1

• The Treaty of Versailles must be cancelled and land taken from Germany must be returned
• All people of German blood must be allowed to live in Greater Germany
• We demand living space (‘Lebensraum’) for our people in the east
• The Germans are the ‘Master Race’

Question 2

What happened in 1933?

Answer 2

Hitler began to build up Germany’s armed forces

Question 3

What happened in 1935?

Answer 3

The Nazis no longer tried to hide their plans for re-armament, which was against the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler chose to ignore the Treaty

Question 4

What happened in 1936?

Answer 4

• Hitler introduced conscription - every German man now had to spend more time in the army, navy or air force
• In March German troops were sent to re-occupy the Rhineland but the Treaty had not allowed any German forces into this area in order to give France a buffer against another invasion

Question 5

What happened in 1937?

Answer 5

Hitler helped the Spanish dictator, Franco, to win the civil war in Spain so that Hitler could test out his new weapons and aircraft

Question 6

What happened in March 1938?

Answer 6

Hitler demanded that Austria should be joined with Germany, and despite the Treaty forbidding this, German troops entered Austria unchallenged

Question 7

What happened in September 1938?

Answer 7

Hitler declared that he was prepared to occupy the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) to protect the German-speaking people. Britain and France allowed this as long as Hitler wouldn’t invade the rest of Czechoslovakia - this was known as the Munich agreement.

Question 8

What happened in March 1939?

Answer 8

Hitler ignored the Munich agreement by invading the rest of Czechoslovakia.

Question 9

What happened in September 1939?

Answer 9

Hitler demanded that Poland return the Polish Corridor and the port of Danzig to Germany. He claimed that this land should not have been taken away from Germany by the Treaty.

Question 10

What happened on 1 September 1939?

Answer 10

German troops invaded Poland

Question 11

What did Neville Chamberlain aim to do in 1938?

Answer 11

He was determined to do everything he could to stop another war as he had lived through the horrors of WW1

Question 12

What did Chamberlain believe was the best way to avoid another war?

Answer 12

A policy of appeasement towards Hitler

Question 13

What is appeasement?

Answer 13

When you decide to give someone most of what they ant to keep them happy and hope that they will be satisfied and will stop making them demands.

Question 14

How did Chamberlain deal with Hitler’s demands over Czechoslovakia?

Answer 14

When Hitler demanded the Sudetenland it looked like a war but in September Chamberlain arranged a meeting with Hitler in Munich

Question 15

What did the Munich agreement state?

Answer 15

That Germany could have the Sudetenland as long as Hitler would stop demanding more territory.

Question 16

How did appeasement encourage Hitler?

Answer 16

By the fact that he had been allowed to get away with things once again and when Poland was invaded Britain and France declared war on Germany

Question 17

What have some historians said about appeasement?

Answer 17

• Appeasement was a major mistake which gave Hitler the idea that he could continue to do as he liked in Europe
• It have Hitler an important advantage as he had more time to re-arm before invading Poland
• It was necessary as Britain needed time to re-arm and be ready for a full-scale war
• It was popular as many Brits were more scared of communism than they were of the Nazis - a strong Germany stopped an expansion of the Soviet Union
• It was a reasonable policy as the Treaty of Versailles had been harsh on Germany by taking away land and resources

Question 18

What other factors led to war?

Answer 18

• The Treaty of Versailles
• The failure of the League of Nations
• The American policy of isolationism
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Question 19

Why were many Germans angry about the Treaty?

Answer 19

• Germany had lost 10% of her land and all of her overseas colonies
• Her army was limited to 100k men

Question 20

What did the French invade?

Answer 20

A part of Germany called the Ruhr to take industrial goods instead of reparations

Question 21

What did Germany’s problems with the Treaty cause?

Answer 21

It made Germans more willing to listen to Hitler’s extreme ideas about how to win back Germany’s power and prestige

Question 22

What did Mussolini’s aggression in Africa inspire Hitler to do?

Answer 22

To do the same thing in Europe

Question 23

Who was the brainchild of the League of Nations?

Answer 23

Woodrow Wilson

Question 24

Why did the USA refuse to join the League of Nations?

Answer 24

Other American politicians believed that one European war had already cost too many young American lives.

Question 25

How did the USA show isolationism during the 1920s and 1930s?

Answer 25

It chose to ignore events in Europe which made Hitler know that the only country strong enough to stop him simply would not do anything.

Question 26

What happened in August 1939?

Answer 26

Hitler and the Russian dictator, Stalin, signed an agreement not to fight each other.

Question 27

Why did Stalin make an agreement with Hitler?

Answer 27

He thought that Hitler might attack the Soviet Union so if he signed an agreement if would give the Soviet Union more time to prepare for battle

Question 28

Why did Hitler make an agreement with Stalin?

Answer 28

He thought temporary peace with the Soviet Union would allow him to fight Britain and France in the west; the Soviet Union could be finished off later