conflict and tension part three Flashcards
only 8.5 - chap 9, add 7 + rest of 8 later + make sure to add 8.7
where was the Sudetenland?
in Czechoslovakia on the border by Germany - home to forts, railways, and industries - useful for war effort
what did many factories in the Sudetenland produce?
glass and lignite ( a type of coal) which could be used to build tanks and other weapons
how many people could speak German in the Sudetenland?
3 million (~20%)
what did Hitler use as an excuse to get the sudetenland?
the german-speaking population of the Sudetenland claimed they were being persecuted by the Czechs and were starting riots - so Hitler stepped in to ‘save’ them
why was owning the Sudetenland a good strategic move?
easy to launch an attack on Czechoslovakia from it
how was owning the Sudetenland part of overturning the ToV?
Czechoslovakia had been set up in the ToV so Hitler saw taking the Sudetenland to be a way of ‘righting’ the ‘wrongs’ of the Treaty
what were the four main reasons Hitler targeted the Sudetenland?
- it was set up in the ToV
- had factories
- home to many German speakers
- strategically placed
when did Hitler make it clear he was willing to fight for the Sudetenland?
May 1938
what would France and Britain be obligated to do if Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia?
they would have to declare war and protect Czechoslovakia
why did Britain and France not want Hitler to invade Czechoslovakia?
they didn’t want to declare war
when did Chamberlain meet with Hitler and where?
15th September 1938, in Berchtesgaden (Hitler’s holiday home)
what did Chamberlain agree to with Hitler at Berchtesgaden?
he agreed to give Hitler the Sudetenland as long as all his actions were peaceful (appeasement) - he then met with the Czechs and forced them to agree
when did Chamberlain return to Germany to meet with Hitler for a second time and where?
on the 22nd September 1938, at Bad Godesberg
what were Hitler’s new demands (ab Sudetenland) at the bad godesberg?
wanted the Sudetenland handed over by 1st October and insisted that Hungary and Poland should receive Czech land, Hitler promised peace in Europe in return for the sudetenland
where did Chamberlain and Daladier attend to accept Hitler’s demands?
the Munich conference
why were Chamberlain and Daladier happy about the Munich conference?
they believed they had prevented war, and that Czechoslovakia’s borders were safe, so B+F upheld their promise to protect it from Hitler
who was the french president during the munich conference?
daladier
when did Hitler march his troops into the Sudetenland?
the 10th of October 1938
had the Czech gov been consulted ab the Munich agreement?
no
how did the people living in the Sudetenland react to Hitler’s occupation of it?
the German Sudetens greeted the nazis with flowers but the Czech Sudetens were fearful
what did the USSR think of the munich agreement?
- Stalin felt betrayed and angry that he wasn’t involved in the munich agreement
- worried that Hitler was getting closer to countries that USSR had close relationships with and was questioning what he could do to prevent an invasion- and didn’t think Britain or France would be a part of that plan
when was the munich agreement?
30th september 1938
what did Hitler and chamberlain sign the day after the Munich agreement?
they signed an Anglo-German declaration - they agreed that they would never go to war against each other
what did Chamberlain claim he had achieved at the munich conference?
‘peace in our time’
why was the invasion of czechoslovakia significant?
- it was the first time Hitler invaded a country he had no claim in
- Czechoslovakia was a strong country
- Britain and France had alienated the USSR and lost a valuable ally against Hitler
- Hitler broke the promises he made at the Munich conference and in the Anglo-German declaration - Chamberlain had to admit that appeasement had failed
- Chamberlain promised Poland, which looked to be Hitler’s next target that Britain would guarantee its independence
what were the arguments for appeasement?
- ToV was too harsh - Hitler should be allowed to overturn parts
- ww1 still fresh, didn’t want another war
- hitler kept telling the British that he was a man of peace (and they believed him)
- many of hitler’s actions gave people what they wanted - Anschluss pleased 99% of Austrians so it was democratically right to unite them
- the people of Britain didn’t want war and voted against military action
- the depression meant B+F couldn’t afford war - had to deal with their own problems
- threat of communism - strong Germany prevented spread of communism from USSR
- Britain wasn’t ready for war and needed to buy time to fully rearm
- the USA signed two neutrality acts in 1930s saying they wouldn’t get involved if Europe went to war, so B+F left to fend for themselves
what were the arguments against appeasement?
- people misjudged hitler, they thought he was reasonable but he wasn’t and they should’ve known better
- people missed opportunities to stop hitler
- the more Hitler was given, the more confident he became and the more he took
- appeasement was morally wrong; it left countries like Austria and Czechoslovakia occupied by the nazis who treated people brutally with no mercy - political games should not have been played at the expense of these people’s lives
- the appeasers forced Czechoslovakia to back down to hitler, but with a little support, Hitler could’ve been stopped
- appeasement alienated the USSR - the USSR didn’t feel that it could rely on Britan and France if Hitler invaded but B+F needed USSR if wore broke out
when was the peace ballot and what was the result?
1934 - people voted that they had faith in LoN and they didn’t want to resort to military action
what was hitler’s next step for lebensraum after Austria and Czechoslovakia?
Poland
who was the foreign minister of Germany in 1939?
Joachim von Ribbentrop
when was the Nazi-soviet pact signed?
23rd August 1939
why did Stalin feel that he couldn’t trust his old allies?
- joined LoN and saw how weak it was
- France + USSR signed an agreement that F would protect USSR if invasion but F didn’t stop Rhineland
- B + F followed policy of appeasement - used Hitler as barrier against commies so they didn’t trust stalin
- Stalin not consulted in Munich agreement
- Lord Halifax and Chamberlain hated communism, didn’t really want to meet Stalin and questioned USSR military strength
- Polish troops knew Russians hated them and wanted territory back so didn’t want Russian troops protecting them
- Hitler sent Ribbentrop to meet with him (senior Nazi) - more respect than B+F’s ignorance
how did Chamberlain and Lord Halifax insult Stalin?
- refused to meet with Stalin when he first invited them to Russia to talk
- then sent Reginald Drax in April 1939 to USSR after Czechoslovakia situation got worse
- Drax travelled by boat (very slow)
- Drax didn’t really have authority and kept referring issues back to London
- Halifax questioned how powerful USSR military actually was
why did stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- Hitler and Stalin secretly split Poland - would be able to gain back territory without fighting for it
- knew Hitler would turn against him but was buying himself time to raise an army
- the USSR could see B + F would not stand up to Hitler and USSR felt isolated
- owning territory in Poland would create a buffer zone - helpful for if (when) Hitler invaded Russia
why did Hitler sign Nazi-soviet pact?
so Germany wouldn’t have to fight on two sides again - take USSR out of equation
what was the significance of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
- some say it made war inevitable - Hitler now knew he could invade poland w/o having war on two fronts
- B+F promised to protect Poland after realising Appeasement was useless
- B+F would fight war without support of USSR
- persuaded Britain that war was imminent - they formalised previous agreement with poland
what percentage of Danzig German population?
90%
when did Germany open fire on Danzig?
1st September 1939 4.45am
which German battleship opened fire on Poland?
Schleswig-Holstein
how many divisions of the German army invaded Poland?
62
how many Luftwaffe aeroplanes invaded poland?
1300
what happened to the Polish airforce?
it was caught on the ground and obliterated
what did Hitler’s generals think of Hitler’s invasion of Poland?
they were worried that Germany wasn’t ready for war yet and even leaked plans to the British to get Hitler to abandon his plans
when did Britain send the ultimatum to Germany?
3rd September 1939
what did the British ultimatum say?
that the Germans were to withdraw their troops by 11am or Britain would be in a state of war with Germany and would send troops to Europe
what were the five causes of ww2?
- Hitler
- failure of LoN
- depression
- appeasement
- Nazi-soviet pact
