conflict and tension- part 3, the origins and outbreak of WW2 Flashcards
chapters 7-9 (development and escalation of tension, outbreak of war)
why did Hitler want the Sudetenland
- to fulfill his policy to unite all German speaking people (Czechoslovakia had 3 million (Volksdeutsche))
- SL had many natural resources and factories
- SL had a good strong defence that would help the German military take over the whole country
- felt that invading Czech was another way in destroying the ToV (one of his aims) and he planned to take Lebensraum
where was the Sudetenland
part of Czechoslovakia, on the German border
what excuse did Hitler use to attack the Sudetenland
- about 20% of Sudetenland were German- May 1938 they claimed they were being persecuted -> started riots
- Hitler needed to ‘save’ the German speakers there
what happened when Chamberlain met with Hitler, 15th Sept 1938 (Sudeten crisis)
- wanted to appease Hitler, so agreed to allow Hitler to take the Sudetenland if his actions were peaceful
- Chamberlain then met with the Czechs and forced them to agree to Hitler’s terms
what happened when Chamberlain met with Hitler at Bad Godsberg, 22nd Sept 1938 (Sudeten crisis)
Hitler changed his demands: the Sudeten land would be handed over to him by 1st Oct and Hungary and Poland must also be given Czech land
what was the Munich Conference (Sudeten crisis)
- agreement signed 29th Sept 1938
- between Germany, Britain, Italy and France in which they accepted the demands Hitler made at Bad Godsberg
- Hitler promised he wouldn’t take anymore land
when was the Munich Conference?
29th September 1938
what was the significance of the Munich agreement (Sudetenland crisis)
- Stalin wasn’t consulted- made him feel he couldn’t trust Britain and France -> Nazi Soviet pact
- Czechoslovakia lost its best defences against Germany
- Germany grew stronger and larger
- Hitler was able to use this to boost support in Germany
- another part of the ToV had been undone
- Hitler felt he could keep pushing the allies for things
- it gave him the confidence to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia
when did Hitler invade the Sudeten land
10th October 1938
explain the significance of Hitler’s invasion of the Sudetenland, 10th Oct 1938
- Czechs saw this as a real military invasion (unlike the events in Rhineland for e.g.)
- first time Hitler invaded a country that had never previously been united with Germany
- completed his invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1939- broke the promises he had made at Munich Conference- policy of appeasement failed
main reasons for the policy of appeasement:
- war costs lives and should be avoided
- many felt the T.O.V was too harsh on Germany and most of Hitler’s demands were reasonable
- strong feeling amongst British public to avoid war -11 million people voted against war in the Peace Ballot
- Hitler said he would be peaceful
- French instability-24 governments in 10 years
- British army wasn’t yet strong enough to fight a war in 1938
- Hitler could be an ally against Communism
- war was too expensive during Great Depression
- gave Britain time to rearm (started in 1936- wasn’t ready for war)
- the USA would not support Britain and France
reasons against the policy of appeasement:
- Hitler had threatened violence in the past
- Hitler had used violence in Germany
- appeasement was morally wrong
- by following appeasement, Britain betrayed Austrians and Czechs
- made Britain weak in Hitler’s eyes- giving him more confidence to step up his demands
- Hitler couldn’t be trusted
- Czechoslovakia could have fought against Hitler as it was strong
- was eventually unsuccessful
list the short term causes of WW2:
- occupation of Czechoslovakia
- role of the USSR and the Nazi-Soviet pact
- invasion of Poland
when was Czechoslovakia forced to give up the rest of its land to Hitler
March 1939- gave up its last 30% of land and resources
what did the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 make Britain and France do?
give up the policy of appeasement and rapidly rearm
what was the Pact of Steel
-> when was it signed and who with
- May 1939
- between Mussolini and Hitler
- promised to back each other in the future
what was the Nazi Soviet pact?
between the USSR (Stalin) and Germany (Hitler), in which they agreed to split up Poland between them
why did Hitler want to invade Poland?
- Lebensraum
- break the ToV
- get closer to the USSR
why did Stalin choose to sign the Nazi-Soviet pact instead of helping the Allies?
- he didn’t trust Britain due to the Munich agreement
- he knew Hitler would eventually invade the USSR due to his hatred against communism -> this gave him more time to rearm and prepare to later fight Germany
when was the Nazi-Soviet pact signed
August 23rd, 1939
what were the terms of the Nazi-Soviet pact?
they would split Poland up and that in the future if a war happened they wouldn’t fight each other
what was the significance of the Nazi-Soviet pact for Germany?
- Hitler could invade Poland without facing a war on two fronts. Britain and France had promised to protect Poland, but the USSR would not interfere
- Britain and France would now face war with Germany w/o USSR as their ally
- USSR had a massive army which would no longer be a threat to Germany
what was the significance of the Nazi-Soviet pact for the USSR?
- Stalin felt that GBR and Fr had snubbed him by leaving him out of the M.C, and thought they were weak for appeasement- couldn’t trust them to help protect USSR if Hitler invaded
- GBR and Fr sent minor diplomats with no real authority to meet with Stalin, Hitler sent a senior Nazi; seemed to respect USSR
- Hitler agreed that Stalin would be given Polish territory w/o even having to send troops
- Stalin feared that Hitler would invade USSR, but he wasn’t ready-> time to prepare
- land in Poland would act as a buffer zone if Hitler did invade
what date did Hitler invade Poland, why?
- 1st September 1939
- as Poland refused to hand over the city of Danzig as they had Britain and France protecting them
what date did Chamberlain declare war on Germany
3rd Sept 1939- WW2 started
reasons why Hitler was to blame for outbreak of WW2:
- made impossible demands
- invaded Poland
- broke the ToV
- aggressive foreign policies (lebensraum + unite Germany speaking people)
- wanted to make Germany strong again
reasons why Stalin (USSR) was to blame for the outbreak of WW2:
- Made the deal of the Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler that cleared the way for German invasion
- By saying he wouldn’t fight against Germany, it made Hitler gain confidence as he wouldn’t have to fight a war on two fronts and face the USSR large army
why was Poland to blame for the outbreak of WW2:
signed the alliance with Britain and France so didn’t give into German demands making them invade
reasons why Britain was to blame for the outbreak of WW2:
- missed opportunities to stop Hitler because of appeasement
- failure to act against the remilitarisation of the Rhineland- at this stage the Nazi’s could have been stopped
- gave the Sudetenland to Germany without consulting the Czechs- Allowed Hitler to have a country without fighting- gaining strength
- excluded Stalin from the Munich agreement- led to him signing the Nazi-Soviet pact
reasons why France was to blame for the outbreak of WW2:
- distracted by their own domestic issues
- own fear led to appeasement and giving in to Hitler
what were Hitler’s foreign policy aims and what is an acronym to help remember
- LOUDER
- Lebensraum
- Overturn ToV
- Unite German speaking people (Volksdeutsche) in a Greater Germany (included Anschluss)
- DEstroy communism
- Rearmament
what is ‘Lebensraum’
- taking living space in the East
- the ToV redistributed 13% of German land so Hitler wanted to make sure that Germans had enough land to live on and farm
describe ‘overturning the treaty of versailles’ as one of Hitler’s aims
Hitler felt that the treaty humiliated Germany and should be abolished
describe ‘uniting german speaking people’ as one of Hitler’s aims
- known as Volksdeutsche
- Hitler wanted to unite people with German blood but without German citizenship and create a Greater Germany
- 10% of the German population found themselves living outside Germany after 1919, some had been badly treated by the countries they were living in
- this included Anschluss (uniting Germany and Austria again)
describe ‘destroying communism’ as one of Hitler’s aims
- a Jewish man named Karl Marx developed the idea of communism
- Hitler hated Jews and felt that they were ruining Germany- so he believed communism would destroy Germany if he did not destroy it first
describe ‘rearmament’ as one of Hitler’s aims
he wanted to rearm to make Germany strong again and to create jobs in munitions factories and the armed forces
what were the reactions of Britain and France to Hitlers aims
they did not want to start another war so they let Hitler get away with breaking the ToV even though it was international law
why did Britain and France not do anything to stop Hitler breaking the ToV
- they needed time to rearm; their armies were not big enough to fight and win a war
- many people in Britain thought that Hitler was being reasonable because the ToV was too harsh
- they were concerned about the USSR and thought that Hitler could be a valuable ally against Communism
- countries could not afford to go to war during the depression and their governments were preoccupied with problems at home
- people could remember the horrors of WW1 and did not want another war
- they followed the policy of appeasement
what was the reaction of the USSR and USA to Hitler overturning the ToV
- Stalin was worried by Hitler’s determination to destroy communism
- by 1935 he was willing to put aside concerns about Britain and France in order to sign a mutual assistance treaty with France
- Stalin would work with the allies to protect the USSR from Hitler
- the USA followed a policy of isolationism during the Depression
- in 1934 a poll said that 70% of Americans did not want to get involved if a second war in Europe broke out
describe the road to war
- 1933- Hitler leaves the Disarmament Conference
- 1934- the Dollfuss Affair
- 13th Jan 1935- the Saar plebiscite
- March 1935- rearmament
- June 1935- Anglo-German Naval agreement
what was the 1933 Disarmament Conference
- the LoN held a conference encouraging all nations to disarm
- when Hitler became chancellor he said he would disarm if everyone else did
- if they didn’t then he would disarm to the same level as France
- when France refused Hitler stormed out of the conference and pulled Germany out of the LoN
what was the reaction to Hitler leaving the Disarmament Conference in 1933
- there was very little the allies could do
- Hitler claimed that he had acted in a reasonable and fair way and that it was the French who were being unreasonable
what was the Dollfuss Affair, 1934
- fearful that Hitler would try to unite with Austria in Anschluss, the Austrian chancellor (Englebert Dollfuss) banned the Nazi party in Austria
- Hitler ordered Nazis to cause havoc in Austria and they murdered Dollfuss
what was the reaction to the Dollfuss Affair 1934
- Mussolini moved his army to the Austrian border in support of Austria
- Hitler was not ready to fight so he backed down
what was the Saar plebiscite on the 13th January 1935
- under the ToV the Saar had been controlled by the LoN for 15 years
- in 1935 a plebiscite took place to decide whether Germany or France should control the area
- 90% voted for Germany, and Hitler used this as propaganda
what was the reaction to the Saar plebiscite
Hitler gained valuable resources like the coalfields of the Saar- there was nothing anyone could do
what was the March 1935 rearmament
- Hitler held a rally where he announced that he had been rebuilding the German army and was reintroducing conscription
- he also started to develop the Luftwaffe (german airforce)
what was the reaction to the March 1935 rearmament
April 1935 Britain, France and England agreed that they would work together against Hitler as the Stresa Front
what was the June 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Britain signed an agreement allowing Germany to have a navy that was 35% of the size of the British Navy
what was the reaction to the June 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Hitler realised that Britain was allowing him to break the terms of the ToV
why did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland
- ToV had forced Germany to demilitarise the area of the Rhineland
- Hitler wanted to take Lebensraum but to do this he would have to invade other countries
- he knew Britain and France were likely to declare war if he did this, so he had to protect his western border by remilitarising the Rhineland
why was remilitarising the Rhineland a big risk
- German generals had advised Hitler that the army was not strong enough to fight if Britain or France chose to challenge it
- German financial ministers warned Hitler that if his plan failed he would have to pay huge fines which Germany could not afford
describe the process of the remilitarisation of the Rhineland
- 1935- Franco-Soviet pat was signed (deal between France and USSR in which agreed to assist the other if attacked)
- as a result, Hitler claimed he was under attack from France in the West and the USSR in the East
- 7th March 1936- Hitlers troops entered the Rhineland, many rode on bicycles and there was no air support
- civilians in the Rhineland greeted the troops with flowers
when did Hitler enter the Rhineland
7th March 1936
why did Britain not stop Hitler from remilitarising the Rhineland
- Depression causing problems at home meant Britain was reluctant to do anything
- British people said there was no need to stop Hitler from ‘marching into his own back garden’; many felt that Hitler had a right to defend his own borders and that this area was rightfully his
- the British leadership was preoccupied with the Abyssinian crisis
why did France not stop Hitler from remilitarising the Rhineland
- politicians were distracted as they were fighting a general election
- much of the French army was in Tunisia in case they needed to intervene in the Abyssinian crisis
- many believed that the German army entering the Rhineland was bigger than it was- they thought this was a battle they would not win
why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important
- Hitler gained confidence that he could get away with violating the ToV
- Brit and Fran started rearming; war was getting closer
- the French priority was no protecting its own border; they started ignoring treaties they had signed to protect other countries
- Hitler signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in Nov 1936, Italy later joined the alliance with the Pact of Steel in 1939
- Hitler showed that he was powerful; he signed the Rome-Berlin Axis with Mussolini
what was the Anti-Comintern Pact
- signed November 1936
- Hitler and Japan
- agreed to work together against the threat of communism
what was the first stage of Anschluss, 1938
- Ger had been ruled by Austria for 600 years but in the ToV they were forbidden to unite
- 2 of Hitler’s foreign policy aims were unite German speaking people and to destroy the ToV
what was the second stage of Anschluss, 1938
in 1934, Hitler had Austrian Nazis murder Dollfuss the Austrian chancellor, but backed down when Mussolini moved troops to the Austrian border
what was the third stage of Anschluss, 1938
- in 1938 Austrian Nazis planned to get rid of the new chancellor Schuschnigg, but police discovered and stopped this plot
- Austrian Nazis were imprisoned, but Schuschnigg still felt vulnerable
- he met with Hitler and agreed to give key positions in the Austrian government to Nazis in return for Hitler’s support
what was the fourth stage of Anschluss, 1938
- Hitler’s puppet Seyss-Inquart was appointed as minister for the interior with full power over the police in Austria
- he now had full control of the Austrian police force, who turned a blind eye to Nazi terrorist attacks on the Austrian government
what was the fifth stage of Anschluss, 1938
Schuschnigg planned a plebiscite to prove that the people of Austria did not want to be ruled by Hitler, but Hitler demanded that this be delayed and then forced Schuschnigg to resign
what was the last stage of Anschluss, 1938
- Hitler made Seyss-Inquart the new chancellor
- he was a Nazi ‘puppet’ (Hitler controlled him)
- he claimed that Austria was in a state of chaos and asked Hitler to restore order, and so on the 12th March Nazi forces entered Austria
- crowds of Austrians gathered in the streets to cheer the Nazi soldiers’ arrival
- on 10th April the plebiscite was held and the Nazis won 99% of the vote
how did Austria react to Anschluss
- 99% if people voted in favour of Anschluss, but the polling stations were heavily policed by Nazi ‘stormtroopers’, and the ‘yes’ box on the ballot form was much larger than the ‘no’ one
how did Britain react to Anschluss
some British people had decided that the ToV was too harsh on Germany, and since they thought that Germany and Austria were essentially the same country- they felt that Hitler should be allowed to unite the two
how did France react to Anschluss
- 2 days before Hitler’s invasion the whole government had resigned
- France was in no position to get involved
how did Czechoslovakia react to Anschluss
- the Czech people feared that Hitler’s policy of Lebensraum would mean that they would be invaded next
- Britain and France agreed they would protect Czech if Hitler did invade
how did Germany react to Anschluss
- Hitler was able to use it as a great propaganda victory
- the German people were delighted to be uniting with the Austrian neighbours and could see that Hitler was achieving his foreign policy aims of Volksdeutsche and creating a Greater Germany
what did Anschluss mean for Hitler
- meant his next steps on the road to war were more easily achieved
- he could now use the Austrian army
- he could access the east much more easily through Austria
- the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia was now bordered by Germany (and Austria) on 3 sides
