Chapter 14-18 Flashcards
What caused WW1?
caused by intense rivalry which developed between European powers in the early 1900s: countries were competing with each other for trade and influence over seas
What sparked WW1?
On the 28th of June 1914 the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot dead at Sarajevo in Bosania
In WW1 what were the two warring parties?
The Allies and the Central Powers
Which countries made up the Allies?
- Britain
- France
- Russia
- (Italy from 1915)
- (US from 1917)
The central powers countries
- Germany
- Austria-Hungary
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
What were the main places where WW1 was fought
- western front (Belgian coast to Swiss border)
- eastern front (Baltic sea the Black Sea)
What was the major turning point of WW1?
The arrival of over a million American troops on the western front
When did Germany sign as armistice in WW1?
11am 11th November 2018
Who were the big three?
- president Woodrow Wilson
- David Lloyd George
- Georges Clemenceau
Who put together the 14-point peace plan and when?
President Woodrow Wilson in a speech to the American congress in 1918
What did the 14-point peace plan suggest?
- nations should keep a small army for defence only
- countries should avoid making secret treaties together
- people of one race and language should be free to set up their own governments (self-determination)
- a League of Nations should be established which would aim to keep the world at peace
What was self-determination?
The policy that people of one race and language should feel free to set up their own government
What were Georges Clemenceau’s views?
He was determined to make sure Germany would never be strong enough to attack France again
What were Lloyd George’s views?
He was under pressure by the British public to deliver a harsh treaty, so even though he didn’t come,Evelyn agree with it he knew his government would fall if the treaty was not considered tough enough
When was the treaty of Versailles signed and where?
28th June 1919 (exactly five years after the Sarajevo assassination) in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
What terms of the treaty of Versailles?
- germanys leaders has to sign a war guilt clause admitting responsibility for starting the war
- Germany had to pay massive reparations (£6600 million)
- the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine were returned to France (they lost them to Germany in 1871)
- lost land to Poland, Denmark and Belgium so 1/10th of Germany’s pop was living in foreign territories
- the German army was reduced to 100,000 soldiers and the border between Germany, France and Belgium (the Rhineland) became a demilitarised zone
What were the treaty of Versaille’s faults?
- the defeated countries were not allowed to attend the talks which meant Hitler could later claim it was not a treaty but a dictated peace so Germany didn’t have to accept the terms
- Russia was not invited to the talks even though it fought in the war for 3 years
- Germany felt that they were not solely responsible for the war
- Germany was not able to pay the reparations
- many new countries contained people of different races and languages which led to tensions
- Italy had joined when it agreed to the Treaty of London but it felt it had received few gains compared to what was promised
Why did the League of Nations fail?
- defeated countries were not allowed in so those countries felt under no obligation to follow its rules
- the congress refused to join the League of Nations
Which large empires collapsed after WW1?
- Russian
- German
- Austro-Hungarian
- Turkish
What were the two main political systems in Europe after WW1?
- democracy
- dictatorship
What is the democratic political system like?
People are free to choose their own government by voting in an election, they are allowed to express opinions and are free to form political parties
What is dictatorship like?
- The country is led by a single ruler or party
- A dictator can pass laws without seeking the permission of parliament
- opposition parties are banned and strict censorship is imposed
- elections may not take place but if they do are usually not fair
What happened in Russia in 1917?
A revolution occurred and the royal family was overthrown, Vladimir Lenin came into power and a communist gov was established
What happened in Russia in 1924?
A more extreme communist gov came into power under Josef Stalin
What was the Russian secret police?
NKVD (later KGB)
What were Russian prison camps?
Gulags
What was communism/socialism?
A system of government that believes the wealth of a country should be in the hands of the gov for the good of the people
What was fascism?
A system of gov that believed in a strong gov headed by a dictator.
- they hated communism
- believed in private business and ownership of land
- believe in national pride and encouraged ordinary people to put the int rest of the state before their own personal freedom
What caused fascism to become so popular?
- some countries were dissatisfied with the treaty of Versailles
- there was much unemployment and inflation
- many land and factory owners were scared of communism
When was Benito Mussolini born?
In northern Italy in 1883
Who was Mussolini’s father?
A socialist blacksmith
What did Benito do in 1912?
He became the editor of a socialist newspaper Avanti
Why did Mussolini turn his back on socialism?
He disagreed with the socialists objections to joining the war
What did Benito do in 1915
He enlisted in the army
What was Mussolini’s record in the army like?
Largely unimpressive even though he boasted of throwing enemy grenades back
What did Benito do in 1919?
Formed the Italian fascist party’s
What caused rise of fascism in ITALY faced by Italy after WW1?
- bitterness over the failure of the treaty of Versailles to match what was promised in the treaty of London
- a lot of unemployment and economic difficulties
- a fear of communism
What caused the fear of communism in ITALY?
A wave of strikes in 1920
- farm labourers in Po valley refused to save the harvest
- in Milan over a million workers took over factories and raised a red flag symbolising communism
What were fascists also known as?
- blackshirts
- squadristi
What did Mussolini do in 1922 October?
He issued a threat to the Italian gov ordering them to solve Italy’s problems or to step aside and let the fascists do it
What happened when the Italian gov failed to respond to Mussolini’s threat?
30,000 fascists began to march on Rome
- King Emmanuel III panicked an refused a request from prime minister Luigi Facta to use the army
- following talks at the royal palace between the King and Mussolini Facta was forced to resign
In summary give steps taken by Mussolini to become a dictator
- OVRA established
- 1923 the Acerbo established
- 1924 election won through campaign of intimidation
- 1925 Mussolini removed kings right to appoint and remove government ministers, he banned all opposition parties and he could pass any law without the parliament
- simply called Il Duce
What was the OVRA?
A secret police force established to seek out and silence people who opposed the fascists
Where did political opponents go?
A prison camp on the Lipari Islands
What happened to Giacomo Matteotti, a leading socialist politician?
He complained that the 1924 election was unfair and he was kidnapped by the blackshirts in broad daylight and brutally murdered
What was the Acerbo law set up in 1923?
It said the party that got the highest percentage of votes in an election got 2/3 of the seats in parliament
For what reason did Mussolini claim to make the Acerbo law?
He said it would bring an end to political instability
What did Mussolini do to try and improve the economy?
He set a system called the Corporate State whereby different corporations were set up to run each section of the economy
How did Mussolini tackle unemployment?
- autostrada (motorways) were built throughout Italy
- the Pontine Marshes were drained and turned into agricultural land
- hydro-electrical stations were built and the train system was electrified
What happened to the economy?
At first it improved but after the Wall Street Crash in 1929 Italy suffered a depression (a major slowdown in a the economy
How did Mussolini try to distract the public from the economic failures?
He tried to build an Italian empire abroad
How was propaganda in Italy used?
- Mussolini’s photograph was put in newspaper showing him participating in sporting events, helping farmers during harvest and helping in factories
- his light was kept on throughout the night to give the impression that he was working tirelessly
- school textbooks were rewritten, exaggerating the role of Mussolini and Italy in WW1
What were the Italian youth movements?
- sons of the shewolf 4-8
- Balilla 8-14
- Avanguardisti 8-18
What was the dispute between the Italian state and the pope?
Ever since the unification of Italy in 1870 (which resulted in the Pope losing control of a large amount of lands) the pope refused to recognise the Italian state
What were the terms of the Lateran Agreement (1929)
- Mussolini would recognise the Vatican City as an independent state
- compensation would be paid to the church for its loss of land in 1870
- Catholicism became the official religion of the Italian state
- The Pope agreed to recognise the Italian state
What was Mussolini’s foreign policy?
- increasing influence over the Mediterranean
- wanted to rebuild a Roman Empire by taking over foreign land
Mussolini stated he would fulfil these aims by peaceful means if possible but a war if necessary
What were relations like at first between Mussolini and Hitler?
Relations were strained at first because Mussolini feared he might attempt to include the 200,000 German speaking people in northern Italy in his new empire
What caused better relations between Italy and Germany?
In 1935 Italy invaded Abyssinia in Africa, England and France condemned the invasion which caused poor relations between the countries which led to Mussolini growing closer relations with Hitler
List of agreements between Italy and Germany
- Nov 1936: Germany and Italy signed a friendly agreement called the Rome-Berlin Axis
- Sep 1937: Germany, Italy and Japan signed an Anti-communist pact
- May 1939: Italy and Germany signed the Pact of Steel whereby they promised to help each other is any future war
Why did Mussolini stay out of WW2 at first despite the pact of steel?
Mussolini did not expect Germany’s invasion of Poland and despite much propaganda about the strength of the Italian army Mussolini knew his forces were not prepared for war
Why did Mussolini enter the war in May 1940?
He believed the war was almost over and that he could benefit from a peace treaty
What happened to Mussolini at the end of WW2?
- his popularity dropped because the public blamed him for the unfolding disaster
- following a successful American invasion he was dismissed by the King and placed under house arrest
- he escaped and established a state called the Salo Republic in the north of Italy
- when the war started to come to an end he tried to escape to neutral Switzerland
- he was recognised by Italian partisans (resistance fighters) the arrested, given an informal trial and shot dead
Background info Hitler
- born in the Austrian village of Braunau in 188o
- parents died when he was young
- left school at 16 without any qualifications
- in 1907 he moved to Vienna where he made a small living by selling pieces of art
What happened during his stay in Vienna
His hatred for Jews became to grow because there was a tradition of anti-semitism in Vienna.
Hitler considered the Jews to be living in great luxury while he suffered in poverty
Why did Hitler enlist in the German army?
He failed to pass a medical test for the Austrian army
What was hitlers wartime record like?
He spent most the war on the front line, running between trenches with messages, for which he was awarded two iron crosses for bravery.
At the end of the war he was injured in a gas attack and when he was recovering in hospital he heard the news of Germany’s surrender and he was disgusted
What did Hitler do after WW1?
He joined a small, badly organised party known as the German Worker’s party
What did he change the German Workers party name to?
Nationalist
Socialist
Workers
Party
Nazi for short
What was the nationalist socialist workers party’s symbol?
A swastika
What were the two paramilitary groups set up at the start of the Nazi’s rise to power?
- The SS (acted as Hitlers bodyguards;led by Heinrich Himmler)
- The SA (attacked enemies of the Nazi party; led by Ernst Röhm)
When did Germany become a republic?
After the Kaiser (German King) fled the country in 1918
What was the new republic called?
The Weimar Republic
What did the Weimar Republic think was the solution to the reparations bill?
To print more money which led to massive inflation
What were the results of the inflation?
Money became worthless and many Germans lost their entire life savings
How did hitler try to overthrow the Weimar Republic?
On the 8th of November 1923 he attempted to seize power by staging a putsch
What was the problem with the putsch?
It was badly organised which led to hurlers arrest
What did Hitler do in jail?
He wrote his autobiography “Mein Kampf”
What political beliefs did Hitler outline in “Mein Kampf”?
- Northern European people belonged to a superior race (The Aryan race) but the Germans were the Herrenvolk (the master race)
- The Herrenvolk were entitled to rule the ‘lesser people’ of the world
- all German speaking people in Europe should be united into one large empire
- communism was evil and must be destroyed
- the Jews were plotting to destroy Germany and were responsible for WW1
Why did the German people temporarily place their trust in the Weimar Republic during the years 1923-1928?
America loaned huge sums of money to Germany to help with its economic recovery and as a result the economy improved and employment fell
Why did Nazi support begin to rise again after 1929?
Germany was too dependent on American loans and after the Wall Street Crash the economy went down and employment went up.
Desperate Germans turned towards the Nazi party