Causes Of WW2 Flashcards
Why did the treaties of 1919-23 fail Germany?
- Didn’t disable
- Didn’t prevent German rebuilding
- Still had significant resources
How did British opinion on Germany change?
- Satisfied with the harshness
- By 1930’s felt it was too harsh
- Many nazi sympathisers
How did France’s opinion on the treaty change?
- Not harsh enough-wanted revenge
2. Saw Hitler was trying to overturn the peace settlement
How did the treaty of Versailles help hitler?
- Gained sympathisers abroad
- So harsh he could gain support
- Not harsh enough to stop rearmament
- Gave way to the appeasers
What were Hitler’s foreign policy aims?
- Destroy the Treaty of Versailles
- Greater Germany
- Destroy communism
- Lebensraum
- Central European Reich
How did Hitler start development in the early 1930’s?
- 1933-no more reparations, resignation from the League, leaves world Disarmament Conference, rearmament starts
- 1934-10 year non-aggression with Poland(January) attempts Anschluss(July)
What happened to do with Germany in 1935?
- Conscription, stresa front, Franco-soviet mutual assistance/soviet-czech (march)
- Anglo-German naval pact (June)
What was the significance of the Anglo-German Naval Pact?
- Essentially legalised rearmament
2. Made without France or Italy (Stresa front)
What were the main German events of the late 1930’s?
March 1936:Rhineland remilitarisation 1936-39:Spanish civil war November 1936:anti-Comintern pact March 1938:Anschluss September 1938:Munich agreement 1939:invasion of Czechoslovakia
What were the events of the demilitarisation of the Rhineland?
- March 1936-two divisions march into the Rhineland. This was risky as the French could crush them
- Allies don’t retaliate-British sympathy, German right, French economic crisis, French elections
What happened in the Spanish civil war and why did the fascists join?
- General Franco led a nationalist revolt against a republican government.
- Adolfo and Benito supported Franco. Stalin supported the republicans.
- Fascists win in April 1939
What did hitler and Mussolini have to gain from Spain?
- Fascist ally bordering France
- Alliance with Italy-Axis formed in November 1936
- Civil war might distract from Central Europe-took action over Austria and Czech.
- Tested out the Luftwaffe
What/when was the anti-Comintern pact?
Germany and Japan November 1936, Italy 1 year later.
Ensured no one would help the soviets if they invaded anywhere
What happened in Anschluss?
- Large concentration of German speakers.
- Nazi demonstrations in Austria.
- February 1938-hitler meets Shuschnigg and persuades him to appoint a nazi Home Secretary
- Plebiscite in April-German army “supervised” voters
- Huge German victory
Why didn’t the allies stop appeasement?
- Felt Anschluss was harsh
- Weren’t rearmed enough
- Plebiscite was legal