Developmentof Flashcards
When was the German Anschluss (union) with Austria decided?
March 1938
What was one of Hitler’s foreign policy aims to do with Austria?
Unite all Austrian speakers to create a Greater Germany ‘reuniting’ Germans living in Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland with the Reich
Why was it quite easy for Hitler to achieve a ‘bloodless victory’ in his Anschluss?
. Austria already had a strong Nazi party and were historically quite antisemitic (similar principles)
. Became clear that Britain, France and Italy wouldn’t intervene with the union to try and support Austrian independence
How did Hitler go about achieving his Anschluss with Austria?
. Chancellor Schusnigg had previously banned Nazi demonstrations in Austria but the popularity was there nonetheless
. Hitler pressured Schusnigg to announce a referendum to decide on union with Germany vs maintaining Austrias sovereignty on the 13th March
. Hitler threatened invasion and crossed border unopposed on the 12th march and secretly pressured Schusnigg to resign
. 10th April: results of a plebiscite showed rigged approval for Anschluss
How was the 10th April 1938 plebiscite in Austria rigged?
. ‘99.7%’ seemed to approve the Anschluss
. Before the plebiscite, 80,000 people who didn’t support support were rounded up and sent to concentration camps (not the concentration camps we know now)
How did the Anschluss with Austria show Hitler’s defiance of the TOV?
The Anschluss with Austria was banned under the treaty but it was a long-term ambition of German ambitions so was carried through with anywa
What was Hitler’s territorial target after Austria and why?
Czechoslovakia - included a large German minority in an area called the Sudetenland
- Hitler needed to unite all German speakers so wanted to invade
How were the Allied powers actually pretty useless in preventing the beginnings of WW2?
. Weren’t willing to take German emigrants (Evian conference)
. Didn’t fight for Austrian independence
. Britain and France agreed for Germany to take over the Sudetenland which should have risked war
Clearly, many of the European allies were taking a ‘not my problem’ stance that would come back to bite them
When did German take over the Sudetenland and the rest of Czechoslovakia?
September 1938: Sudetenland
March 1939: occupation of rest of Czechoslovakia
How had Hitler always had a consistent policy on Jewish emigration?
Always spoke of making Germany Judenfrei or ‘Jew free’
How did Jewish emigration shift in the lead up to WW2?
was initially voluntary emigration but as war approached, policies became more radical and the focus moved to forced emigration
Late 1938 - autumn 1941: was the solution to the Jewish problem for the Nazis
