Causes of WW2

Question 1

What were Hitlers main aims

Answer 1

Destroy the treaty of versailles
To create a greater Germany by uniting German speakers (GroßDeutschland)
To conquer living space in Eastern Europe (Lebensraum)
To destroy Communism and Judaism

Question 2

How did Hitler Re-arm Germany

Answer 2

October 1933- Hitler withdrew Germany from the league of nations, he had saw that Japan had done it and faced no consequences so gambled that he could do the same
February 1933- Hitler instructed General Fritsch to end German disarmament and to create a army as strong as possible. By 1934 they were making aircraft and warships. The allies did nothing
Re armerment was popular because itcreated employment for thousands of unemployed men in Germany
Britain was sympathetic towards Germany

Question 3

Describe the Anglo- German naval agreement

Answer 3

June 1935- Britain decided the best way to limit German rearmament was to allow them to re-arm up untill a certain point. However The agreement wasnt enforced and Germany soon built up their number of warships and submaries. Britan, trying to avoid war, did nothing.

Question 4

What was the Saar plebiscite

Answer 4

The saarland had been put under control of the league of nations for 15 years due to the treaty of versailles. In 1935 a vote would happen to dcide wether the saar returned to Germany or stayed in control of the league of nations.

Question 5

How did Hitler influence the results of the Saar plebiscite

Answer 5

Saar nazis formed a ‘German front’ with the catholics in the saarland. Helped by the saar police, they boycotted and beat up their opponents. The league did nothing in fear of Nazi riots.
17000 Nazi saarlanders threatened to invade the Saarland and impose Nazi rule, however this was stopped aften Anthony Eden threatened to send soldiers to keep peace

Question 6

What was the result of the Saar plebiscite

Answer 6

January 1935, the plebiscite was held. 90.3% of voters voted to return to Germany.

Question 7

What were the effects of the Saar plebiscite

Answer 7

The result validated the nazi regime- It showed that Germans who lived outside Germany hated the treaty of versailles. It made it difficult for poeple to doubt that the German people werent behind Hitler.
The result gave a massive boost to Hitlers prestige- It made it difficult for people to oppose his claims to austria and the Sudetenland, as it appeared to show that Germans wanted to be united.
Showed Hitler that the league was scared to confront violence- And the league failed to notice how the nazis immidietly backed down as soon as Eden had threatened to send soldiers

Question 8

Why was the rhineland important to Germany

Answer 8

It had been a key industrial region of Germany, producing coal, steel and iron resources.
It had also formed a natural barrier to France and the rest of eastern Europe

Question 9

How did Hitler Invade the Rhineland

Answer 9

1935- Hitler marched 22,000 troops into the rhineland, this was a direct violation of the treaty of versailles. He ordered his Generals to withdraw if they were met with any opposition. This would have been a humiliation for Hitler and would have caused doubt among Germand leaders.

Question 10

How did countries react to The German invasion of the rhineland

Answer 10

Britain- Britain didnt act, Their economy and military was weak so did not want to commit itself to war unless absolutely necessary. Also the british public didnt think that It was a act that called for war.
France- France was in between governments when Germany invaded. They also didnt want to act without the help of the British as they thought the German occupying forces were larger than they actuallt were.

Question 11

What were the results of the German Invasion of the Rhineland

Answer 11

Hitler improved his status further among the German people. He began to think he could get away with anything.
Frances alliance with Britain was strained due to Britains refusal to stand up to Germany
French alliances with Eastern European countries such as Czechoslovakia were undermined as France concentrated solely on defence against Germany
Austria came under even more pressure from Germany

Question 12

Who were the two sides of the Spanish civil war

Answer 12

Republicans
Nationalists (Supported by the Nazis/ Condor Legion)

Question 13

What was the Rome- Berlin axis

Answer 13

November 1936- Linked the two countries as allys. They both promised to persue a common foreign policy

Question 14

Why did Hitler want Austria

Answer 14

Hitler wanted to unite all German speakers (Großdeutschland)
He wanted to break the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Austrias Steel industry, iron ore and gold reserves would be useful resources for germany.
He wanted conrol of Czechoslovakia which bordered austria so controlling austria would be important to invade them.
It would mean they gained 7 million people and imporve its army by 100,000 men.

Question 15

How did Hitler invade Austria

Answer 15

9th March 1938- The austrian chancellor, Schuschnigg, announced a referendum where the Austrian population would decide themselves if they wanted to be under Hitlers rule. Hitler needed to stop the anschluss.
10th March 1938- Hitler ordered the anschluss to be called off and, knowing he would recieve no help, Schuschnig was forced to agree.
12th March 1938- German troops marched into Austria unnoposed. A month later Hitler held a rigged referendum which showed that 99.84% of Austrian people approved of German control.

Question 16

How did other countries react to Germany invading Austria

Answer 16

Britain- It had its own politcal problems and with Chamberlein ditermined to appease Hitler, there was no political will to oppose Hitler. The british public were also against starting a war as it didnt seem to be a threat to Britain and most didnt think that Germany and Austria uniting was a bad idea.
France- The French government had resigned two days before the invasion. They were in no position to oppose the invasion

Question 17

Advantages of Appeasement

Answer 17

Economic Problems- Britain and France both had huge debts to pay after ww1 and both their economies had taken a hit from the Great depression. they couldnt afford a war
The USA- American support had been very important to success in ww1. Britain wasnt sure that it could face Germany without the guarantee of American help. American leaders didnt want to be dragged into another European war
Memories of ww1- The french and british public wished to avoid another war at all costs
The British Empire- Britain wasnt sure that it had the support of the countries in its empire which would be important in ww2
Fear of Communism- The allies were woried about the spreading of communism and the danger posed by the USSR. Many people saw Hitler as an important potential ally in a conflict against Communism
The Treaty of Versailles- Many people felt the treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany so thought some of Hitlers demmands were reasonable.

Question 18

Disadvantages of Appeasement

Answer 18

German arms- German was rearming publicly and quickly. Hitler claimed he was trying to catch up with other countries, but it was clear he was trying to get as powerful as possible.
Rhineland Opportunity- Hitler had given orders to his army to retreat if faced with opposition in March 1936. This would have dented his confidnece and increased German opposition to his plans.
Trusting Hitler- Appeasement was based on the idea that Hitler was trustworthy, however it was clear that he isnt
Make a stand- Hitler took increasing risks and since no one stopped him he would continue to do so unless countries interviened
The soviet union- It was clear that Hitler planned to expand eastward. Appeasement told the USSR that Britain and France would not stand in Hitlers way if he invaded Russia.
Hitlers allies- Hitler had already observed how his allies got away with agression. Attempts to appease Italy and Japan had failed, why would Hitlerbe different.

Question 19

Reasons the Munich agreement was a success

Answer 19

It prevented war for some time at least so the allies had more time to prepare
The british people were mostly happy with the outcome which would be useful because they would be more likely to back his decisions in the future
It kept good Anglo-German relations

Question 20

Reasons the Munich agreement wasnt a success

Answer 20

Czechoslovakia was a strong country military and could have been important in future conflicts against Germany
An increasing number of Birtish people thought that appeasement wouldnt stop Hitler, if anything, encourage him
It made Hitler even more confident that no one would stop him and made him think he could do anything without consequences.
Despite him promising he wouldnt, he invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939
Hitler now had the full backing of the German people and had expanded his military even further
He gained the resources, defences and also 3.5 million German speakers that made him even more powerful

Question 21

Why did the USSR and Germany sign the Nazi- Soviet pact

Answer 21

USSR:
They gained Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and half of Poland. This would be useful to spread Communism
They knew Hitler would eventually invade them but the pact gave them time to build up their forces to prepare
They didnt trust that Britain or france would go to war against Germany and talks with Britain had broken down.
Germany:
Only the USSR could defend Poland from a german invasion. If he signed a non agression pact with the USSR then the allys would have to back down and let him take over Poland

Question 22

What was the result of the Nazi Soviet pact

Answer 22

It led Britain and France to sign a formal alliance with Poland. However Hitler was confident they wouldnt get involved and on 1st september 1939 invaded poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany on the 3rd September.