Conflict & Tension

Question 1

What happened at the End of WW1?

Answer 1

1917 -USA joined- provided Britain & France with equipment & fresh troops

-Russia left Nov 1917 (revolution)

1918 -Germany suffering starvation (due to blockades), mutinies & influenza outbreak -Germany surrendered 11th Nov (signed Armistice). Kaiser abdicates!

Question 2

What was the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 2

The Paris Peace Conference

• Jan 1919-Paris Peace Conference.
• 32 countries sent delegates. Defeated countries & Russia (Communist) not invited.
• Major decisions taken by “Big Three”
• This is where they come up with the ideas for the different peace treaties.

Question 3

Who was Woodrow Wilson and what did he want?

Answer 3

• His priority was world peace.
• Germany to be punished but not too harshly or will seek revenge
• ‘Fourteen Points’ (self-determination; freedom of seas, L of N)
• He was Lenient because USA hadn’t suffered much in WW1! Only lost 100,000 men

Question 4

Who was George Clemenceau?

Answer 4

-Make Germany Pay/REVENGE! French public demanded this.

Had seen Germany invade France twice in his life. - Get Alsace Lorraine back

France was severely damaged in WW1 (1.4 million men killed, industry damaged and 4,000 sq. mile farmland damaged)

Question 5

George Clemenceau Aims

Answer 5

Clemenceau’s Aims at the Paris Peace Conference

• Security for France – prevent another attack on its frontiers
• Keep Germany weak, make it difficult to recover
• Disarm them
• Gain back Alsace and Lorraine
• Reparations – Germany to pay France for the cost of the damage France had suffered in the war

Question 6

Who was David Lloyd George?

Answer 6

• Compromise between the two.
• Like Wilson, don’t punish G too harshly
• lost 1 million men from across their empire = British public anger.
• won an election campaign in Dec 1918 promising to ‘squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak’ and to “hang the Kaiser”! Probably only said it to win election!

Question 7

Aims of DDL

Answer 7

Lloyd George’s Aims at the Paris Peace Conference

 Maintain supremacy of navy and Empire

 Prevent settlement being too harsh – Germany may turn to communism and they needed the German economy to recover as Britain depended on their trade for money

Question 8

Terrirtorial Changes to Germany

Answer 8

Germany lost 10% of its land & 12.5% of its population!

• Alsace-Lorraine back to Fr
• Anschluss forbidden (unite with A-H)
• Saar coalfields under protection of League
• Eupen & Melmedy given to Belgium
• North Schleswig given to Denmark

East Europe

• Poland became an independent country
• Polish Corridor given to Poland (separating Germany from East Prussia) so they had access to the Port of Danzig

*

Question 9

Military Restriction of the TOV

Answer 9

Military Restrictions

• Army limited to 100,000 volounteers
• No conscription allowed
• No tanks, subs or aircraft
• Navy: 6 battleships, only 15,000 men
• Rhineland demilitarised

Germany Needed an army for protection and to stop civil war in its own country.

Question 10

Reparations

Answer 10

£6.6 billion To be paid over 42 years

Too much for Germany to pay – war had been costly for Germany too. Lost industrial land in the treaty so would struggle to make money to pay reparations. Longer reparations went on, longer it would take G to recover and Br needed them to trade with

Question 11

British Reactions to the TOV

Answer 11

Reaction of the People:

 Britons had little sympathy towards Germans because of wartime propaganda. Civilians had suffered food shortages too. Britons were ready to make Germany pay!

 During the general election, politicians based their campaigns on their promises to be harsh on Germany

 When the Treaty was signed the general feeling in Britain was that it was fair, but could have been much harsher.

Reaction of Leader:

 Lloyd George found the reparations harsh and damaging to trade, said that “we will have to fight another war in 25 years’ time, and at three times the cost!”

 Lloyd George was pleased that the British Empire gained extra colonies and now covered 1/3 of the globe. Also, the German navy was restricted so that Britain could ‘rule the waves’ without competition

Question 12

French Reactions to the TOV

Answer 12

Reaction of the People:

• They has lost the most so French people pleased that there was no longer a German threat in the Rhineland and that they would be receiving reparations. They were also given control of the Saar area for 15 years, Germany’s rich coalfields helping them financially.
• However, many were furious at the Treaty and thought it should have been much tougher. So much so that Clemenceau was voted out.

Clemenceau himself though the treaty was too soft, wanted more reparations and felt the saar should be permanently Frances.

Question 13

Reactions of Americans to Tov

Answer 13

Reaction of the People:

• America only joined the war in 1917 and so many people in the US felt that the Treaty was unfair on Germany. They also favoured isolationism- felt the US should not get involved in affairs in Europe
• Had wanted a fair treaty that guaranteed peace in the future, but felt they had got the opposite

Reaction of the Leader:

• In American politics, ToV was used to criticise Wilson, by his rival party, the Republicans. The Treaty was ratified (accept or give consent) by the Senate. Republicans argued that since the Treaty had not been based on the 14 Points it was not in America’s best interests and they refused to ratify it. This meant that American could not join the League of Nations
• Wilson feared a harsh treaty would result in America being dragged into another war.

Question 14

Strengths and weaknesses of the TOV

Answer 14

Strengths of the Treaty of Versailles

 Brought peace to Europe

 Set up international organisation, League of Nations to keep peace

Weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles

 Germany intent on revenge

 US government did not sign the Treaty of Versailles = whole settlement was less secure

US never joined LON

Question 15

Covenant of the LON

Answer 15

Wilson’s idea (one of his 14 points)

 Vision to bring world peace by working together and solving problems
 Based in Geneva, Switzerland (neutral country during WW1)

Covenant

26 laws that all members agreed to follow

• Disarmament – avoid future arms races
• Registration of all treaties to avoid secret alliances
• Collective security (if one state attacked another, all members would join together and act against the aggressor)

Question 16

What was the structure of the League?

Answer 16

Assembly- each member country sent a rep. Met once a year at HQ in Geneva. Decisions had to be unanimous! Discussed general topics e.g. revision of treaties, admission of new members.

Council - smaller group of 5 permanent members (Britain, France, Italy, Japan and later Germany). 4 non-permanent members elected for a 3yr period. Met several times a yr & in emergencies Aim was to resolve disputes be negotiation if possible. Had the power to veto decisions.

Secretariat - international civil service- record keeping, etc. Not always effective.

Permanent Court of International Justice - court of 15 judges chosen from LoN countries. Se tup in the Hague in Holland (neutral). Dealt with disputes between countries over international law e.g. terms of treaties. Aimed to settle disputes peacefully. Hand no means of enforcing its decisions, relied on goodwill of member countries to enforce decisions.

Agencies to deal with world’s major problems e.g. health and disease, slavery, refugees, labour. Hope that if world problems were tackled e.g. slavery then there wouldn’t be conflict.

Question 17

Powers of the League

Answer 17

If a country ignored the League’s decision, then the League could take action:

• Moral sanctions - turn opinion against the guilty country
• Economic sanctions - league members refuse to trade with guilty country
• Military force - Member countries’ armed forces could unite against the guilty country

Question 18

What was the International Labour Organisation?

Answer 18

International Labour Organisation:

• Aim: Bring workers, employers and governments together to improve working conditions
• Success: 1928- 77 countries agreed to set a minimum wage.
• Failures: 1919- tried to stop children under 14 from working; was ignored by most member nations because they thought it would cost too much

Question 19

What was the Permanent Health organisation?

Answer 19

The Permanent Central Opium Board

• Aim: To stop the creation of and distribution of opium- opium was legally used as a painkiller but some drug companies also sold it illegall
• Success: Blacklisted 4 large companies that were involved in trading illegal drugs
• Failures: Some historians claim that key members of the League were not really dedicated to stopping the sale of opium, as they made large amounts of money from it

Question 20

What was the Locarno Treaty?

How was it the failure of the League?

Answer 20

In early 1920s the relationship between G and Fr still hostile, Fr even invaded G when it failed to make reparation payments in 1923

In 1925, German foreign minister, Gustav Stresemann, invited Fr foreign minister to meet and improve relations. Since G wasn’t a member of the LoN the meetings were organised independently

 Signed 7 treaties collectively known as the LT

 Terms: G accepted the borders set up in the ToV; also signed by Britain, Italy, Belgium and Czechoslovakia- agreed not to go to war with any of the others and if one of the countries broke the treaty they would support the country and invade

 Failure Treaty marked the failure for LoN- should have been at the forefront of international peace but had nothing to do with it

Question 21

What was the Kellog-Briand Pact?
How was it a failure of the LON?

Answer 21

• 65 countries met in Paris
• Terms: agreed not to use war as a way to solve disputes (signed by G and USA=not member of the LoN)
• Failure Once again individual countries acted independently of the League, making it look like a place where countries air their problems and not a place where practical solutions could be found

Question 22

What was the Corfu Crisis?

Answer 22

In 1923, Tellini and some Italian soldiers were murdered on the border.

❖In response the Italian fascist leader, Mussolini, demanded 50 million lira in compensation and the execution of those responsible. Greece refused.

❖In retaliation, Italy invaded the Greek island of Corfu. Greece appealed to the League for help.

There were 4 important actions over Corfu:

❖Italy did not accept action by the League in Corfu.

❖The League responded quickly and ordered Italy to leave Corfu.

❖Italy refused and demanded the question be passed to the Conference of Ambassadors, which was responsible for overseeing the peace settlement.

❖The Conference of Ambassadors also ordered Italy to leave Corfu, but agreed that Greece should pay compensation.

 Consequence: Mussolini did withdraw his troops. In this instance when a larger country had threatened a smaller one with military action, the LoN had proved they could be ignored and overturned by other international groups The Corfu dispute had a number of results. It revealed the League would give preferential treatment to powerful and aggressive members, like Italy.

Question 23

Weaknesses of The League

Answer 23

X Absence of USA, USSR and Germany: undermined League’s power (USA was the major trading partner of many countries- trade sanctions would have been much more effective if USA stopped trading with a country)!

X Decisions had to be unanimous

X No permanent army (relied on member countries armies) X Little real power- relied on goodwill & persuasion

X Power of veto – Council could just veto decisions they did not like so problems not resolved.

The Depression

X Japan left in 1933; Italy left in 1937 (both permanent Council members)! Germany left 1933.

Question 24

What was the treaty of Trianon

Answer 24

Hungary: Treaty of Trianon (4 June 1920)

• Disarmament - army limited to a force of 35,000 volunteers and three patrol boats
• Reparations - apart from some shipments of coal, Hungary could not meet the demands for reparations. As a result the payments were suspended
• Land lost - Austro-Hungarian Empire dismantled.
  
  • Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania all gained land from Hungary.
  • The population of Hungary fell from 21 million to around 7.5 million

Question 25

What was Treaty of Saint Germain

Answer 25

Austria: Treaty of Saint Germain (10 Sept 1919)

• Disarmament - army limited to a force of 30,000 volunteers, no navy or air force
• Reparations - Austria did not pay much in reparations as her economy was so weak
• Land lost - Austro-Hungarian Empire dismantled
  
  • Tyrol lost to Italy
  • Dalmatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were lost to Yugoslavia
  • Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania all gained land
  • Austria’s population fell from 22 million to around 6 million

Question 26

What was the Treaty of Neuilly?

Answer 26

Bulgaria: Treaty of Neuilly (27 Nov 1919)

• Disarmament - army limited to a force of 20,000 volunteers, four torpedo boats, no air force
• Reparations - set at £100 million
• Land lost - land lost to Yugoslavia, Romania and Greece

Question 27

What was German Response to the Treaty?

Answer 27

The Germans hated everything about the treaty:

• They were angry that they had not been allowed to negotiate. They called Versailles a diktat or dictated peace
• Deutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, vowed: We will never stop until we win back what we deserve.
• Count Brockdorff-Rantzau, leader of the German delegation at Versailles said Article 231 - the war-guilt clause - was a lie. Germany officially denied the war-guilt clause in 1927.
• There was a revolution (the Kapp Putsch) against the treaty in Berlin in 1920.
• Germany hated reparations, and was forced to begin paying them in 1921. They defaulted in 1923 and eventually Hitler refused to pay altogether.

The Weimar Government was associated with failure in World War One since it had signed the Treaty of Versailles that had ended the war. Many nationalists believed the government had sold Germany out to its enemies by ending the war too early.

The November Criminals and the legend of the Stab in the Back were phrases used in many of Hitler’s speeches.

Question 28

What were the Early weaknesses and Successes of the League?

Answer 28

In the 1920s, the League was very successful in its work for a better world:

• took half a million PoWs home
• helped Turkish refugees
• attacked slave traders and drug sellers
• supported measures against leprosy and malaria

It was also quite successful in settling border disputes:

• settled a dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Aaland Islands
• stopped a war between Greece and Bulgaria

However, when it was faced with a strong nation prepared to ignore it:

• Italy in 1923 over Corfu - the League could do nothing

Question 29

Significant Failure of the LON

Answer 29

Significant failures

In the 1930s, the world economic depression encouraged nations to be more aggressive towards each other. Fascist dictatorships took power in Germany, Italy and Japan, which were intent on empire-building and these countries defied the League.

• Japan conquered Manchuria in 1932. The League objected, but could do nothing. When the League supported China, Japan left the League.
• Hitler announced that Germany was leaving the League in 1932.
• Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935. Although the League officially condemned the Italians, France and Britain were caught making a secret agreement to give Abyssinia to Italy.

These crises destroyed the authority of the League, and it was powerless to stop Germany after 1935. By the time of the Sudeten crisis of 1938, Britain and France were ignoring the League, and were trying appeasement instead.

Question 30

What was the aims of Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 30

Hitler’s aims were expressed in his book Mein Kampf (my struggle). There were three main aims in his foreign policy:

• revise the Treaty of Versailles. This meant recovering the land lost in 1919. It also meant rearmament
• unite all German-speaking people into one Reich (realm)
• expand eastwards to achieve Lebensraum (living space) for the German people. This would be at the expense of those Hitler believed were the inferior peoples who lived in Eastern Europe
• Destroy Communism

Question 31

How did Hitler begin to Rearm?

Answer 31

Rearmament started almost as soon as Hitler came to power but was announced publicly in 1935. The included revealing the existence of the Luftwaffe or Air force which had been forbidden under the terms of Versailles.

Conscription or compulsory military service was also introduced. This meant that all young men spent six months in the RAD (German Labour Front) and then they were conscripted into the army. The intention was to increase the German army to 36 Divisions in 1935. This was around 500,000 men. Both Conscription and the increase in the size of the army violated Versailles.

Britain, France and Italy reacted by forming the Stresa Front to condemn German rearmament. This unity lasted only a few months.

Question 32

Why and how did the Manchurian crisis happen?

Answer 32

o Manchuria was a province of China- had raw materials that Japan lacked. Wall St Crash meant Japan was keen to gain resources to trade goods and recover economy. Japanese army wanted an empire.

China was weak at the time - in chaos since 1911 revolution

o Japan owned South Manchurian railway

o Ideal opportunity for Japan to seize full control of Manchuria while China in no position to act!

 Sep 1931- explosion on railway- Japanese blamed on Chinese and used it as an excuse to take over the area!
 Feb 1932- Japanese set up a puppet government in Manchuria

Question 33

What was the LON reaction to the Manchurian crisis?

Answer 33

China appealed to the League. The League had to act carefully as Japan was a leading member of the League! The League told Japan to withdraw its troops but Japan refused!

The League set up a Commission of Inquiry under Lord Lytton. Took a whole year to issue report! Lytton said Japan had acted unlawfully & Manchuria should be a self governing state.

Japan ignored this & By 1933 they controlled all of Manchuria.

 Later 1933 – League of Nations formally condemned Japan’s actions. Japan ignores this and leaves the League!

 In 1937 Japan launched a major invasion of the rest of China!

THis showed how the Economic sanction would’ve been useless as US still been trading & WHEN AN AGGRESSIVE DICTATOR WANTED TO INVADE NEIGHBOURING TERRITORIES, THE L OF N WAS POWELESS TO PREVENT IT = GERMANY AND ITALY NOTES THIS!

Question 34

What was the Abyssinian Crisis

Answer 34

Italy had tried but failed to conquer it in 1896. Mussolini now keen to avenge that defeat, get its rich resources, and get glory for Italy.

Manchurian Crisis gave Mussolini the confidence

 L of N anxious to avoid a clash with Mussolini. Br and Fr thought he was their best ally against the growing threat of Hitler. They were joined together in the Stresa Front which opposed Hitler’s aims to change the Treaty of Versailles. French very keen to keep Italian support.

 Dec 1934 clash at Wal-Wal between Italy and Abyssinia. Dispute passes to League for a decision.

 But! Italy ignores Britain and the League.

Oct 1935- Italy attacks Abyssinia causing destruction (modern weapons vs. poor country). This was a clear sign of aggression = under League rules actions should be taken.

 Emperor Haile Selassie appealed to the League

Question 35

Leagues Response to the Abbysinian Crisis?

Answer 35

This was clearly an unprovoked invasion of the weak by the strong- inexcusable!

For sanctions to work, they would need to be introduced at once. Br and Fr didn’t want to lose Mussolini as an ally and It took them two months to decide.

The League agreed on limited sanctions: - banned loans & sale of arms to Italy, & They did not ban iron, coal, steel or oil (all the things needed for an invasion!) (Mussolini later said that if coal and oil had been banned he would have stopped his invasion)

X Suez canal (owned by Br & Fr) wasn’t closed to Italy’s ships (Italy’s easiest route to Abyssinia)!

Question 36

What was the Hoare-Laval Pact?

Answer 36

Hoare-Laval Pact: Br & Fr foreign ministers made a plan to end the fighting. It was a secret agreement between Br, Fr & Italy. The pact would give Italy 2/3rd Abyssinia including the best areas. But- plan was leaked > outcry and failure of pact! Hoare & Laval forced to resign. This showed Br & Fr self-interests were put before L of N interests

May 1936 Italians captures capital of Abyssinia. Selassie makes another appeal to the League for help but the war was over. Abyssinia became part of the Italian empire.

Question 37

What was the Impact of the Abbysinian crisis?

Answer 37

Impact:

 Mussolini triumphed. Withdraws Italy from LoN in 1936

 Signalled the end of the L of N. Nobody took it seriously after this- of the Great Powers only Br, Fr and USSR remained in the League. Other means would have to be found to keep peace.

 Smaller countries knew the League wouldn’t protect them from invasion by aggressive dictators.

 Hitler saw this and exploited its weaknesses & was confident he could get away with acts of aggression! Marches his troops into the Rhineland whilst League is distracted

 End of Stresa Front

Question 38

What was Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 38

Hitler exploited Germans’ hatred of the T of V to gain support for his aggressive foreign policy Hitler’s aims: GASED!

G - GLORIOUS COUNTRY AND ARMY: Be a Great Power again. Use a rearmed army, navy + air force

A - ANSCHLUSS: Unite all German speaking people.

S - SPACE: LEBENSRAUM: Gain territory in the East to provide ‘living space’ for German people

ED - END/DESTROY: the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 39

What was the Dollfuss affair?

Answer 39

The Austrian Chancellor, Dollfuss, tried to crack down on the Socialists and Nazis - political factions that he thought were tearing the country apart. Dollfuss banned the Nazi party.

In 1934, Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in Austria. This turned into an attempt to overthrow the government. Chancellor Dollfuss was murdered but the attempted coup failed because the Austrian military intervened to back up the government.

In 1934, Italy had an agreement with Austria that it would protect Austria from outside aggression. The Italian dictator, Mussolini, honoured the agreement and moved Italian troops to the Austrian border to deter Hitler from invading.

Hitler realised that G wasn’t ready for war and backed down, arguing the Austrian Nazis acted alone.

Question 40

What did Shuschnigg do?

Answer 40

Events in Austria

The new Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg tried to preserve the country from German invasion by trying not to give Hitler an excuse for aggression. He tried to co-operate with Hitler as much as possible.

Schuschnigg signed the German-Austrian Agreement of 1936. This pact recognised the independence of Austria but the price was that Austria’s foreign policy had to be consistent with Germany’s. The agreement also allowed Nazis to hold official posts in Austria. Schuschnigg hoped this would appease Hitler. He was wrong.

Schuschnigg’s position was undermined in 1936 when Hitler and Mussolini formalised the Rome-Berlin Axis during their joint involvement in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). With Germany and Italy now firm allies, Austria had lost the protection of Italy and was vulnerable to German attack.

In 1938, Schuschnigg visited Hitler at his summer retreat at Berchtesgaden, near the Austrian border. Hitler demanded that Nazis be given key government posts in Austria. Schuschnigg compromised and the Nazi member, Seyss-Inquart, was made Minister of the Interior.

Hitler ordered Austrian Nazis to create as much trouble and destruction as possible in order to put pressure on Schuschnigg. If Hitler could claim that Austrian law and order had broken down he could justify marching German troops into Vienna to restore peace - despite the fact that he was responsible for the chaos in the first place.

Question 41

How did Anchluss occur?

Answer 41

 Why? Shared history, culture and language also where Hitler was born

 1938: now he has Rome-Berlin Axis and has remilitarised Rhineland and grown army, Hitler feels strong and confident enough to try again.

 Austrian Nazis campaigned in Austria for union with Germany >riots, fires, bombs!

 When the Austrian government banned the party and asked Hitler for help to stop the plotting, Hitler held a meeting with the Austrian leader Schuschnigg.

 Hitler put pressure on Schuschnigg to give all important jobs in his government to Nazis. He arranged riots and demonstrations to add to the pressure.

 Schuschnigg compromised by appointing the Nazi Seyss-Inquart as Minister of the Interior (in charge of police)

 France, and Britain both refused to help Austria

 March 1938 Schuschnigg announced his intention to hold a plebiscite to allow the Austrian people to decide for themselves. Hitler not prepared to take the risk of losing = moved troops to the Austrian border and demanded that Schuschnigg call off the plebiscite.

 Schuschnigg resigned replaced by leading Nazi Seyss-Inquart, who invited the Germans into Austria to restore order (imprisoned 80,000 of Hitler’s opponents)!

 Hitler entered Austria in triumph- union established 14 March 1938

 A plebiscite was held> 99.75% agreed with Anschluss!

 Most Austrians wanted the union as keen to be part of glory of Hitler’s Reich

Question 42

Consequences of Anchluss?

Answer 42

Consequences:

• Germany added seven million people and an army of 100,000 to its Reich.
• Germany gained useful resources such as steel, iron ore and Austria’s foreign exchange reserves.
• The balance of power in south-eastern Europe shifted in favour of Germany, increasing their influence in the Balkans.
• Czechoslovakia was now surrounded on three fronts by Germany.

Question 43

Foreign reaction to Anchluss

Answer 43

Reactions:

• Most people in Britan felt that Austria and G were essentially the same country and therefore should be allowed to unite
• Britain didn’t see them as a threat.
• Fr was facing economic issues which caused problems in their own government

Question 44

Reasons For appeaseement?

Answer 44

 Fear of Communism.

 Britain needed time. Britain had more time to build up her armed forces

 Many felt Germany was treated too harshly at Versailles, so were only being given their rightful land and their grievances could be solved which would avoid war

 Economic costs of war Britain was still suffering from 1929 economic depression and could not afford a rearmament programme

public opinion was against war – WW1 loss of life haunted Britain.

Question 45

Reasons Against appeasement?

Answer 45

 Hitler couldn’t be trusted! 1933 onwards he had broken promises and the ToV e.g. Anschluss

 Germany was growing stronger Allowed Germany to grow stronger meant it would be far more difficult to defeat.

 Hitler was determined to conquer Eastern Europe. Plans clear in Mein Kampf - the policy of appeasement was clearly doomed from the start - Hitler just lied.

 Betrayal Lands protected by the Treaty of Versailles could argue they were being betrayed

 It encouraged Hitler Giving into Hitler only made him feel he could do what he wanted - without fear of being stopped and Britain looked weak

 Appeasement scared the USSR When Britain and France did not stand up to Hitler, the USSR became worried about German power - and began thinking about deals with Hitler

Question 46

What was the Sudeten Crisis?

Answer 46

Early in 1938, the German leader in the Sudetenland Konrad Henlein complains that Sudeten Germans are being mistreated by Czechs.

30 May 1938 – Hitler orders plans to destroy Czechoslovakia by 1 October.

12 September 1938 – Hitler makes a speech attacking Czechoslovakia.

15 September 1938 – Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, flies to see Hitler at the Berghof and agrees that Czechoslovakia should give all areas with 50 per cent German Sudetens to Germany. The British and French persuade the Czechs to agree.

22 September 1938 – Chamberlain is successful in persuading Edvard Beneš, President of Czechoslovakia, to accept Germany’s demands. Chamberlain meets Hitler at Bad Godesberg confident that the crisis was over. Hitler however had changed his mind and wanted the Sudetenland by 1 October. The talks break down and there is real fear now of a war in Europe. Chamberlain persuades Mussolini, the Italian dictator, to arrange a conference at Munich to discuss the issue of the Sudetenland.

Question 47

Why did Hitler want the sudetenland?

Answer 47

 Sudetenland=border region around Czechoslovakia

 Lebensraum- Sudetenland was home to around 3 million G speaking-people

 As a minority group (20% of the population) the G speaking Sudetens claimed that they had been persecuted by the Czechs. Hitler used this as an excuse; he needed to ‘save’ the G speakers

 Sudetenland was a good base from which to launch an attack on Czechoslovakia

Question 48

What was the Munich agreement?

Answer 48

The Munich Conference & Agreement, Sep 1938

 4 leaders: Hitler (Ger), Mussolini (It), Chamberlain (Br), Daladier (Fr)

 No representatives from Czechoslovakia or USSR

 Agreed:  Hitler could have the Sudetenland

 Britain and France guaranteed rest of Czechoslovakia would not be affected

 Czechoslovakia forced to accept

Question 49

Outcome of Munich Conference

Answer 49

1. Peace had been maintained by Chamberlain 2. Britain speeded up rearmament
2. Czechoslovakia had been betrayed
3. Hitler had gained the Sudetenland without fighting
4. Czechoslovakia had lost its defensive frontier and become vulnerable to invasion
5. Germany had gained the armaments and mineral resources of the Sudetenland
6. The USSR had been left out and felt betrayed – reason why they later sign Nazi-Soviet Pact

The occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia, March 1939

 Czech lost 70% industrial lands, Munich border, and mountain defences.

 The loss of the Sudeten Germans stirred other nationalities in Czech to demand a return to their nation states. Loss of the Sudetenland also meant a loss of Czech’s strong defensive system = Poland and Hungary took land from Czech.

 Slovaks now felt it was their chance – Hitler was only too happy to stir up this trouble.

 The Czech president appealed to Hitler for help & in the end had no choice but to invite the Germans into Czech. 15 March- Hitler took the rest of Czech claiming he was “restoring order”.

 Why wasn’t he stopped?: Hitler had been invited in.

Question 50

What was the Nazi soviet-Pact

Answer 50

 Shocked the world as Hitler hated Communism!

 Germany & Russia agree not to attack each other (non-aggression pact) & to divide Poland between them

 Hitler felt confident Br & Fr wouldn’t help Poland (they’d backed down over Czech)!

 Stalin signed because grew impatient with Britain’s delays and failure to sign a pact with him & was angry that he wasn’t invited to Munich. Needed to protect himself!

Question 51

Why did the Pact happen?

Answer 51

 Time to prepare for war Stalin said: ‘We secured peace for our country for eighteen months, which enabled us to make military preparations’. (1941)

Signing the pact bought time for USSR to build up its army ready for war

 Hope to gain Stalin was sure that Russia could only gain from a long war in which Britain, France and Germany exhausted themselves.

 Unhappy with Britain Stalin was insulted by Britain’s slowness to negotiate, and did not trust Britain. When the Anglo-Soviet alliance failed, he turned to Germany.

 Germany Hitler wanted the alliance because only Russia could keep Britain’s promise to defend Poland. He believed that, if he got a promise of peace with Russia, Britain would be forced to back down over Poland and Danzig.

Question 52

Why did the USSR sign the Pact ?

Answer 52

• Signing the pact bought time for USSR to build up its army ready for war
• Hope to gain Stalin was sure that Russia could only gain from a long war in which Britain, France and Germany exhausted themselves.

Question 53

Why did Germany sign the pact

Answer 53

• it destroyed attempts by the West to bring the Soviet Union into an alliance against Germany
• Poland would be isolated
• Germany avoided being dragged into a war on two fronts
• Germany gained vital raw materials from the Soviet Union that helped rearmament

Question 54

Why did Hitler attack poland?

Answer 54

Why Poland?

• Danzig had 90% German population. Danzig= independent state ran by Poland
• Hitler wanted to overturn Treaty of Versailles
• Lebensraum
• Gained confidence thanks to appeasement and success during Sudetenland crisis/Munich conference and Czechoslovakia – thought Britain and France would back down, scared of war.
• Nazi Soviet Pact – could act without a worry of war with the USSR

Question 55

Events in Poland?

Answer 55

• Poland refused to give in to Hitler’s demands that they hand over Danzig
• Britain and France had guaranteed Polish independence after Czechoslovakia and so warned Hitler they would go to war with Germany if they invaded Poland – no more Munichs!
• Collapse of Czechoslovakia had been last straw for appeasers
• Public opinion now favoured opposing Hitler
• 1st September 1939 – Germany invaded Poland Chamberlain asked Hitler to withdraw but this failed> 3 Sep-Br declare war on Germany

Question 56

Reasons for Outbreak of War

Answer 56

• Appeasement
• The depression
• The Nazi-soviet Pact
• Failure of the League(Abbysinia and the Manchurian crisis)
• Hitler’s foreign policy

Question 57

How did Hitler show off rearmament?

Answer 57

German Rearmament was prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles. As a result, when Hitler started to rearm it had to be done in secret. Hitler also needed to buy time so that the German armed forces would be prepared properly. In order to do this, Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with Poland. This eliminated the military threat from Poland and gave Hitler the time he needed to rearm.

In 1935, Hitler showed off the rearmament effort at the Rearmament Rally, officially called the Freedom to Rearm Rally. This included his new aircraft for the Luftwaffe and the large increase in the number of soldiers. It was at this rally which Hitler showed that he was taking rearming seriously. He promised that Germany would introduce conscription for boys over age of 19. This meant that the German army swelled to around 1 million personnel.

Rearmament was popular in Germany as it reduced unemployment and also increased support for the Nazi Party.

Question 58

What was the saar plebiscite?

Answer 58

The Saar plebiscite happened on 13th January, 1935.

Under the terms of Versailles, the coal-mining Saar region on the French and German border could hold a plebiscite (people’s vote) after 15 years of League of Nations rule on who should control the region - Germany or France

Question 59

Why did Hitler want the saar and it’s significance?

Answer 59

Hitler wanted the Saar plebiscite for 2 key reasons:

• ❖He wanted to show the world that German-speaking people wanted to unite together under the Nazi regime.
• ❖The area was rich in coalfields, which was a vital resource for industrial production and to build weaponry.

The result of the plebiscite was that 90 percent of the people voted to rejoin Germany.

The plebiscite was significant as it provided Hitler an excellent propaganda victory in justifying his actions in uniting all German-speaking people. And Hitler also gained key resources to build his industry and weapons as he prepared for war.

Question 60

What was the Anglo German Naval Agreement?

Answer 60

June 1935 - The Anglo-German Naval Agreement was an agreement between Britain and Germany that set the size of the German Kriegsmarine (navy) at 35% that of the Royal Navy.

There were 3 main terms:

• ❖It allowed Germany to have a fleet 35% the size of the Royal Navy.
• ❖It allowed Germany to have 45% of the number of British submarines.
• ❖This guaranteed British naval supremacy.

Question 61

What was the signifcance of the Anglo-German Naval agreement?

Answer 61

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty by allowing Germany to have more ships than agreed. It showed that Britain was more concerned with protecting itself than upholding the Treaty of Versailles. It also undermined the Stresa Front which was an effort to try and limit Hitler’s growing power.

Question 62

What was the Spanish Civil war?

Answer 62

The Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939) saw right-wing Nationalists, led by General Franco, fight against the left-wing Republicans. Germany and Italy supported the Nationalists with planes, tanks and weapons. The USSR supported the Republican forces.

The British government did not want the Spanish Civil War to escalate into a Europe-wide conflict and so signed up to the Non-Intervention Committee.

• Many people were concerned that this war could spread - this encouraged support for the British Government policy of non-intervention.
• Some people on the Left ignored this and volunteered to fight in Spain. Many of them believed that only force would stop the spread of fascism.

For some in the British political establishment, Spain confirmed their doubts about Britain’s policy of appeasement. Anthony Eden, who had been a supporter of the government’s non-aggressive approach, began to believe that Britain should take a firmer stance with Europe’s fascist dictators, and resigning his office in 1938.

Fear of the bomber

On 26 April 1937, Nazi German and Italian bombers attacked the Basque city of Guernica. Over the course of three hours, they destroyed three-quarters of the ancient town, killing and wounding hundreds.

The bombing of Guernica heightened fears of the consequences of any war. The British Prime Minister at the time, Stanley Baldwin, stated:

Question 63

What was upper Silesia?

Answer 63

Upper Silesia was an industrial area on the border between Germany and Poland.

Poland and Germany disputed the territory in 1921. Upper Silesia was awarded to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles, but most of the region’s population was German.

Upper Silesia was disputed by Poland and Germany for a number of reasons including:

• ❖As a result of the Paris Peace Settlement, the boundaries of many countries were redrawn.
• ❖Upper Silesia was on the border of Germany and Poland and both nationalities lived there, which caused conflict.
• ❖It was also an important area for iron and steel production. Both countries wanted to make a claim on this.
• In 1921 a plebiscite was organised by the League to decide whether Upper Silesia would become German or Polish territory. Britain and France sent troops to ensure the vote was democratic.
• ❖Germany won 60% of the votes, but Poland argued that many of those that voted for Germany did not live in Upper Silesia.
• ❖The League chose to split the area into regions based on the vote. Poland received many of the industrial areas, while Germany received the rural areas.
• ❖At first this was accepted by both Poland and Germany.
• ❖However, the final settlement was considered unfair by the Polish, who argued that Poland had half the population of Upper Silesia but only one third of the land.
• ❖Germany claimed it had lost three quarters of the coal mines under the agreement.
• ❖Germany complained to the League and was awarded the right to import coal at a discounted rate.

The dispute is a significant case study of success for the League. Both countries protested but were willing to accept the League’s judgement, and therefore were able to find an acceptable compromise.

Question 64

What was the Stressa Front?

Answer 64

The Stresa Front was a coalition formed between Britain, France and Italy to oppose the foreign policy actions of Hitler. It was an agreement to resist any further attempts by Germany to change the Treaty of Versailles.

he coalition was in response to Germany’s announcement of its intention to rearm and the ‘Freedom to Rearm Rally’. Britain, France and Italy hoped that the Stresa Front would prevent Hitler from any future attempts at changing the Treaty of Versailles.

The Stresa Front was short-lived.

• ❖It was undermined by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in June 1935 because by signing the agreement Britain had allowed Hitler to enlarge his navy. Therefore, Britain had undermined the Stresa Front.
• ❖The invasion of Abyssinia worsened Britain and France’s relationship with Italy.

The Stresa Front was significant in the fact it was a failure. This was a real opportunity to stop Hitler’s actions progressing however Britain’s actions undermined this.

Question 65

What was the Depression?

Answer 65

In 1929 the American economy crashed. The country was plunged into a devastating depression. This would last throughout the 1930s. America traded with countries across the world and had lent a lot of money during and after the war, so global economies were also affected. The whole world faced economic depression and in desperate times people lost faith in their governments.

Some people turned to extremist parties such as the Nazis in Germany who promised to make Germany strong again by overturning the Treaty of Versailles.

The League was powerless to do anything to help people or control these new party leaders who were willing to resort to violence to get money.

Question 66

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was the main reason for the outbreak of the war(16 marks)

Answer 66

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a cause for the outbreak of war. The pact was between Germany and USSR, and it said that they would not attack eachother if there was war. Also Poland would be split half and half between them. This made the invasion inevitable and also gave Russia some time to build up its defences and its army. The invasion was inevitable because Germany knew that they could invade Poland without having to fight Russia. Britain and France promised Poland that they’d defend them, so when Germany invaded in September 1939 Britain, France and Germany all declared war on eachother that would last for six years.

Some historians argue that appeasement was the main cause. Neville Chamberlain and France had given Hitler chances before Germany invaded Poland and didn’t stand up to him, which made him more aggressive because he wanted more lebensraum. For example, the re-militarisation of the Rhineland was not opposed, which lead to Hitler invading other lands, like when Germany annexed Austria the year before because he knew that he wouldn’t be challenged. Finally, when Germany took over the Sudetenland, Britain and France had agreed to let him keep the land at the Munich conference, and Hitler betrayed that agreement when he took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. Therefore, appeasement led to the invasion of Poland and the start of the war because Hitler thought that France and Britain would stay out of it again, like they had in 1938.

Hitler’s aims were also a reason because Hitler would only have been able to achieve his aims by starting a war. He wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles and get lebensraum for the German people, which meant that he had to take over land in Poland and Czechoslovakia because that was where the land was. The League of Nations couldn’t stop him after it failed in the Abyssinian crisis when Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1936 and the League of Nations only gave a moral sanction to Italy and Mussolini took the whole country. This meant that Hitler wasn’t afraid to act aggressively because he saw that the League was not able to deal with invasions, which gave him a reason to invade Poland and start the war.

In conclusion, the Nazi-Soviet Pact was important but not the most important reason for war in 1939. Appeasement was the most important reason for war because it made Hitler more aggressive in achieving his aims because he knew that his biggest rivals were afraid to stop his army, like they showed when he invaded the Sudetenland. This is why he signed the Nazi Soviet pact, because it gave him permission to invade Poland which he wouldn’t have done if he was afraid of Britain and France

Question 67

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was the main reason for the outbreak of the war(16 marks)

Answer 67

To some extent, the Nazi-Soviet Pact was a main reason for the outbreak of war in 1939 this was due to the international tension that it created. The pact was signed between Germany and the USSR which acknowledged that they would not go to war with each other. Additionally, a secret pact was made which allowed Hitler to invade Poland and as a result would share polish territory with Russia. Poland traditionally belonged to Germany and Russia and neither of them wanted the other to make take full control of the country. Germany and Russia had opposing ideologies and were far from allies, however in order for Hitler to continue with his aims he needed to prevent a war on two fronts. By making this pact with Russia it took away this threat. Hitler was now able to invade Poland therefore this led to war due to the fact that both Britain and France had agreed to protect Poland if they were invaded. This also weakened the opposition from Britain and France as they would not have Russia as an ally in the war. Therefore it could be argued that the Nazi-soviet pact led to war due to the fact that Russian support made it possible for Germany to invade Poland which ultimately led to Britain and France to declare war on Germany.

However, others may argue that appeasement was the main reason for the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. This is due to the fact that the policy of appeasement led to rise in confidence of Hitler’s Germany which resulted in them continuing their invasions. For example when Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland this went directly against the Treaty of Versailles. However due to the fact that he was not challenged about this it gave him the confidence to continue with his foreign policy of Lebensraum. Anschluss was another violation of the treaty and once again as no one stood up to Hitler when he united the two countries it proved to Hitler that he could get away with breaking the terms of the Treaty again. Appeasement happened because Britain and France were not in a strong enough position militarily or economically to challenge Hitler and ultimately he continued to push forward his expansionist policies. The Munich Agreement in 1938 is another example of this where Chamberlain agreed to give Germany a part of the Sudetenland and as a result of this Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. Once again as he was not openly challenged he went ahead and invaded Poland. As previously mentioned this led to a world war as Britain and France had agreed to protect Poland and had no choice but to declare war.

Furthermore, closely linked to the policy of appeasement are Hitler’s aims and policies which could also be argued as a reason for the outbreak of Second World War. Hitler made no secret of the fact that he openly despised the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and that he wished to destroy this. Germany was treated harshly in the treaty and lost out economically, socially and politically. Hitler had wanted to reinstate Germany as a world power and strived to do this by regaining land which was lost during the First World War through his policy of Lebensraum. Hitler also wanted to rearm Germany and unite the German speaking people. As a result of these policies Hitler pursued an aggressive expansionist policy which ultimately led to his invasion of Poland.

Furthermore the failure of the League of Nations could be argued as another reason why war started in 1939. The league had been set up in 1920 to maintain world peace following on from the First World War however time and time again it failed to deal with threats to peace. Ultimately leading to its demise and therefore was not in a position to deal with Hitler’s invasions. The League of Nations had failed to deal with a number of crises throughout the years such as Manchuria and Abyssinian where aggressor countries such as Japan and Italy were able to get away with invading countries and not being challenged. The league did not hold much power as they had no standing army and countries which should have supplied these were suffering economically and could not provide soldiers. In addition the fact that the US was not part of the league meant that economic sanctions were useless as many countries had America as their main trading partner. Therefore the weakness and failure of the League meant that it was unable to address the challenges which Hitler posed and therefore this gave Germany the confidence to continue invading countries.

Overall, in my judgement, appeasement was the main reason for the outbreak of World War Two due to the fact that encouraged aggression from Hitler. He was allowed to get away with far too much which gave him the confidence to continue invading countries to fulfil his aggressive expansionist policies. Although some may argue that it was Hitler’s foreign policies which were the main reason for war due to the fact that his policies were expansionist and aggressive, however this argument is weakened by the fact that if Hitler had been challenged earlier when he went against the Treaty of Versailles then he may have been prevented from invading Poland and therefore Britain and France would not have declared war.

Question 68

Why was Appeasement a reason for causing war?

Answer 68

However, others may argue that appeasement was the main reason for the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. This is due to the fact that the policy of appeasement led to rise in confidence of Hitler’s Germany which resulted in them continuing their invasions. For example when Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland this went directly against the Treaty of Versailles. However due to the fact that he was not challenged about this it gave him the confidence to continue with his foreign policy of Lebensraum. Anschluss was another violation of the treaty and once again as no one stood up to Hitler when he united the two countries it proved to Hitler that he could get away with breaking the terms of the Treaty again. Appeasement happened because Britain and France were not in a strong enough position militarily or economically to challenge Hitler and ultimately he continued to push forward his expansionist policies. The Munich Agreement in 1938 is another example of this where Chamberlain agreed to give Germany a part of the Sudetenland and as a result of this Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. Once again as he was not openly challenged he went ahead and invaded Poland. As previously mentioned this led to a world war as Britain and France had agreed to protect Poland and had no choice but to declare war.

Question 69

What was the rhineland?

Answer 69

The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from placing its military in the Rhineland. The Rhineland was to be demilitarised. The Rhineland stayed this way until March 1936. It was at this point which Hitler felt he had the best chance of success. The rearmament process was well underway. It was however, a risky move. If Hitler had been defeated here he would have lost the support of the German army.

Hitler calculated that he would have the best chance of success in March 1936. France and the USSR had signed an agreement in which they promised to defend each other against attack by Germany. Hitler used this a pretext to support remilitarisation, as Germany was now threatened. Whilst Hitler knew that Britain wouldn’t intervene he was less sure about France.

Hitler issued orders to his forces that if they faced resistance from France, then they should withdraw from the Rhineland. Hitler had been worried as France was still far stronger than Germany. However France did not intervene and neither did the League of Nations. France would not act without Britain and the League of Nations were busy dealing with the Abyssinian Crisis. Success here, was a confidence boost for Hitler which would encourage him to take further risks in the future.

Question 70

Consequences of Guilt clause

Answer 70

Article 231 of the Treaty required that Germany take the blame for starting the First World War. It is perhaps the part of the Treaty which upset the German people the most, as they didn’t feel Germany was responsible for starting the war.

The Treaty of Versailles was deeply unpopular in Germany, not the least because most people didn’t believe that Germany had been defeated. Those who agreed to the Treaty terms were accused of having “stabbed Germany in the back” (“Dolchstoss”). The Treaty linked Germany to defeat and international weakness.