Conflict and Tension: The Origins and Outbreak of the Second World War Flashcards
1
Q
What were Hitler’s aims?
A
- Unite German-speaking people
- Make Germany Strong
- Take more land to the East for the German people (Lebensraum)
- Destroy Communism
- Cancel the Treaty of Versailles
USE CV - UNITE, STRONG, EAST, COMMUNISM, VERSAILLES
2
Q
What were France and Britain’s reactions to Hitler breaking the Treaty of Versailles?
A
They allowed him even though it was international law.
3
Q
Why did France and Britain allow Hitler to break the Treaty of Versailles?
A
- At the end of World War 1, they had disbanded much of their armies and they were not strong enough to fight and win a war.
- Public opinion was against war after the horrors and casualties of World War 1.
- Hitler wasn’t their only concern. Japan was a threat to their asian empires. There was little movements for self-determinations within their own empires (e.g. Gandhi was pushing for independence in India). If they did go to war, there was no guarantee that self-governing colonies such as Canada and Austrailia would send troops to fight alongside British troops a second time.
- Were concerned about the communist Soviet Union and thought that the anti-communist Hitler could help prevent the spread of communism.
- Many people thought the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh on Germany in the first place so some of the things Hitler was asking for were reasonable.
- After 1929, the impact of the Depression meant that they couldn’t afford the cost of war or disruption to trade
4
Q
What was the USA’s reaction to Hitler breaking the ToV?
A
- had been following a policy of isolationism since the 1920s
- attitude had been reinforced since the Wall Street Crash
- In 1934, a public opinion poll said 70% of Americans did not want to get involved if a second war in Europe broke out.
5
Q
What was the USSR’s reaction to Hitler breaking the ToV?
A
- the soviet union was fearful of Hitler’s determination to destroy communism
- the Soviet Union had also been skeptical of the western allies ever since they had lent support to the White (anti-communist) armies in the Russian Civil War.
- however, by 1935, Stalin was willing to work with the western democracies in order to protect the USSR from Hitler.
6
Q
What was the Non-Aggression Pact with Poland in 1934?
A
- where both countries agreed to settle any disputes peacefully
- this made Hitler look peaceful and gave Germany more chance to rearm, and upset France who were an ally of Poland.
7
Q
When was the Non-Aggression Pact with Poland?
A
1934
8
Q
What was the Dolfuss affair?
A
- Austria had been hit with a harsh peace treaty in 1919 and the effects of the Depression had made this worse
- Hitler wanted to unite all German-speaking peoples and he himself was from Austria
- For hundreds of years, there had been a debate over whether Austria should be a part of a ‘Greater Germany’ or should be an independent power in its own right
- The ToV had banned Anschluss between Austria and Germany
- Dr Engelbert Dolfuss became chancellor of Austria in 1932, he was a far right nationalist and conservative but he wasn’t a Nazi and he wanted to protect Austria’s catholic national identity from the Germans.
- Dolfuss established a dictatorship in 1933 as violence and unrest was common, which outlawed all other political parties for the ‘safety of the nation’
- this included the Nazi party
- Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazis to create chaos within Austria
- In 1934, Dolfuss was assassinated by 10 Austrian Nazus
- Hitler considered an invasion to support the Austrian Nazis, but Mussolini at the time was protecting Austria and so he had moved the Italian troops to the border, Hitler realised he didn’t have a big enough army, so he backed down.
9
Q
What was the significance of the Dolfuss Affair?
A
- Hitler knew he had to build up the power of Germany’s armed forces
- Italy had shown Britain and France that they could be a useful power against Germany - the Allies would hope to keep Germany on their side if possible
- Hitler would be determined to try again, with more success just 4 years later
10
Q
What was the Saar Plebiscite?
A
- the industrial area around the Saar was removed from Germany by the ToV and put under the control of the LoN
- France was allowed access to the Saar’s coal mines
- A plebiscite among the German people was to be held after 15 years to decide whether it should be returned to Germany
- An international force of over 3000 soldiers from the UK, Netherlands, Italy and Sweden patrolled the Saar area to ensure that the vote was conducted fairly
- In January 1935, 90% of the people voted in favour of returning to Germany, and the Saarland was officially reunited with Germany in March of that year
11
Q
What was the significance of the Saar plebiscite?
A
- Hitler gained the coal resources for Germany, and the victory in a legal vote was useful for his propaganda.
12
Q
Describe the German rearmament, including conscription.
A
- In 1932-33, 61 nations met at a LoN conference to discuss disarmament
- Every country that had signed up to the ToV and the LoN had made a commitment to disarm
- Hitler pointed out how unfair it was that Germany had been disarmed but no other country had disarmed during the 1920s.
- Hitler promised that Germany would not rearm if all other LoN members destroyed their arms within 5 years
- IF the others would not disarm, Hitler said that he wanted Germany to be treated the same as the other countries and allowed to rearm to the same level as France or he would leave the conference.
- France refused this as they wanted military superiority over Germany so that they couldn’t attack France
- This would only be allowed if the UK and USA made commitments to ensure France’s protection - but this didn’t happen
- In 1933, Hitler walked out of the conference and left the LoN, giving Hitler a legal justification to begin rearmament
- In 1935, Hitler announced that he had already begun rebuilding the German army, introduced conscription and building the Luftwaffe
- By 1939, he had an army of 1 million men
13
Q
What was the Stresa Front?
A
- april 1935
- a month after Hitler announced German rearmament
- agreement between France, Italy and Britain to work together against Germany
- aim was to reaffirm the Locarno treaties and to declare the independence of Austria would continue to inspire their common policy
- also agreed to resist any future attempt by Germany to change the ToV
- this was negotiated at the same time of the Abyssinian crisis but did not once mention Abyssinia
- Mussolini therefore felt comfortable in invading Abyssinia without intervention of the Allies
14
Q
What was the Anglo-German Naval agreement?
A
- June 1935- Britain signed an agreement with Hitler which bypassed the ToV and allowed Germany to rearm its navy
- German navy would be allowed to increase but limited to 35% of the tonnage of the British Navy
15
Q
What was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
A
- whilst the Abyssinian crisis was happening, Hitler ordered his troops to occupy the Rhineland
- was German territory on the border with France, Belgium and the Netherlands
- ToV had ruled it to be demilitarized
- Hitler wanted to expand eastwards to gain Lebensraum he sought, but knew that doing so would lead the Allies to declare war and invade Germany from West -> Hitler therefore needed to have German armed forces in the Rhineland to defend Germany
- France and Russia had just signed the Franco-Soviet Pact and it was officially ratified by the French Government in February 1936 - acted to protect each other from the attack from Germany
- Hitler used this as an excuse that Germany felt threatened + vulnerable
-Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland but he and his generals were nervous - it was a bluff as the German were in no position to stand up to the French army - only sent 22,000 soldiers - and had strict orders to retreat if any resistance was met
16
Q
Why was there no resistance when Germany remilitarised the Rhineland?
A
- France was preoccupied with domestic problems and had a general election
- French public opinion was also split as many believed that the French government antagonised the Germans with the Franco-Soviet pact
- number of german troops was overestimated by french and they thought that they couldn’t cope without British help
- much of french army was in tunisia -> Abyssinian crisis
-many British thought that germany had a right to revise the ToV -> was a part of Germany - allies weren’t united on how to act against Germany
- LoN and rest of world were focused on the Abyssinian crisis
- believed that the Nazis offered a buffer against spread of communism
