causes of ww2

Question 1

3 key things drove Hitler’s understanding of German history and influenced his foreign policy

Answer 1

1) fictional racial history (threatened by Jews)
2) nostalgia for earlier empires, a sense that power and land was germany’s right
3) effects of ToV and WW1

Question 2

How Hitler used history to gain Nazi credibility

Answer 2

Bismark (2nd Reich), Hitler and von H standing together
Postcards with Frederick the Great
Suggested continuation of German empire via propaganda

Question 3

Impact of WW1

Answer 3

ToV inspired hatred and extremism - lost land (Danzig + Polish corridor meant East Prussia cut off). Diktat (dictated peace), £6.6b, article 231 (war guilt clause)
Stab in the back myth

Question 4

ToV meant ….. Germans were cut off from rest of Germany

Answer 4

6.4million

Question 5

German army and government view on ToV & rearmamament

Answer 5

Gov did not reinforce it and turned blind eye to rearming

Army made agreements for secret re-arming with USSR - tank training school in Russia in 1926 trained German soldiers

Question 6

UK&French view on ToV

Answer 6

Too harsh-British PM Lloyd George said terms could cause another war in 25 years, French reps agreed. Accepted ‘reversal’ of unfair terms, hoped Germany would be satisfied with Appeasement

Question 7

Key Nazi foreign policy aims

Answer 7

Overturn ToV
Large and powerful empire
Lebensraum
Pan-Germanism
Destroy Jew and Communist threat

Question 8

How Hitler dismantled ToV

Answer 8

10/33-withdrew from disarmament conference and LoN
01/35-90% of Saar voted to return to Germany(intimidation and violence used)
March 36-remilitarisation of Rhineland - 20k troops sent
1938-Anschluss w Austria and Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Question 9

Evidence Hitler had stufenplan (step by step plan)

Answer 9

invaded East Europe-war w USSR inevitable
Broke ToV
Aimed to remove Jews and Communists
Aims set out in Mein Kampf and then followed

Question 10

Evidence Hitler had no stufenplan

Answer 10

Allowed others e.g Goering to influence and carry out his FP aims-Goering executed Anschluss and made it aggressive

Question 11

Hossbach Memorandum Nov 1937 showed intention for war because…

Answer 11

Hitler said military action to be taken by 1943-45 at the latest, casually accepted risks of starting war in Europe then removed Blomberg and Fritsch for opposing, said Germany was entitled to more living space

Question 12

Hossbach Memorandum not important because…

Answer 12

Merely an attempt to drum up military support, original copy lost and copies edited by US lawyers at Nuremburg. Intentionalists see it is evidence of long-range master plan, structuralists see it as a response to economic problems and trying to gain army support

Question 13

Germany-Poland relations

Answer 13

Polish corridor created in ToV, 800k Germans now in Poland
1933-Nazis win Danzig elections
1934-non-aggression pact w Poland as means of defence against USSR and so Germany could build up army
1935-36-Nazis press Poland to become ally, Poland long it to maintain relations with USSR
Remil.of Rhineland-Poland exposed when they offered to back France and whole of LoN didn’t
Hitler encouraged by lack of action vs Anschluss and Czechoslovakia 1938

Question 14

Nazi-Soviet Pact 23rd August 1939

Answer 14

Ensured germany and ussr wouldn’t attack eachother -secret clause that they would attack and divide Poland

Question 15

Hitler invades Poland 1st Sept 1939 - did he intend WW2 at this point?

Answer 15

Yes - Nazi-Soviet Pact clause,Poland part of stuffenplan to take over the world
No - No reason for Hitler to believe UK&France’s guarentees

Question 16

Weakness of League of Nations

Answer 16

Sept 1931-Muken Incident-Japan take over Manchuria(Chinese land) LoN protest, Japan ignore, leave in March 1933
1935 Italy invade Abyssinia-LoN demand Italy leave, italy ignore. Impose partial economic sanctions. Italy, UK and France secretly signed Hoare-Laval Pact giving Italy 2/3 of Abyssinia
1936-Spanish Civil War. Despite LoN telling them not to, there was clear evidence by may 1937 that Italy and Germany had intervened.

Question 17

Ideological Divides

Answer 17

USSR set up comintern to spread communism
Italy, Germany and Japan all had democracies, united in anti-communist beliefs
Western govs saw communism as bigger threat than dictatorships

Question 18

Structure for section c

Answer 18

Intro-set out debate, state strongest, link to Q
P1 - Weakest and why
P2 - Strongest and why, cross reference
Conclusion - Summarise arguments on both works, make clear strongest, what does this mean in terms of the Q