Escalation of tension and outbreak of war Flashcards
1
Q
Why did Hitler want to remilitarise the Rhineland
A
- To be able to defend Germany’s borders in the West as he knew Lebensraum may provoke countries like Britain and France
2
Q
What was the Franco-Soviet pact 1935
A
- Agreement between France and USSR to support each other if attacked by Germany
3
Q
Hitler’s response to Franco soviet pact
A
- Claimed Germany was under threat
- Sent troops into Rhineland in March 1936
4
Q
How were troops greeted in Rhineland
A
- Welcomed by civilians who gave them flowers
-Hitler dependant on this as army was still small
5
Q
British reactions to remilitarisation of Rhineland
A
- Britons felt Germany had right to defend own borders
- British troops busy in Abyssinia
- Britain was struggling due to depression and couldn’t afford to intervene
6
Q
French reactions to Remilitarisation of Rhineland
A
- Politicians fighting to win a general election- didnt want to bring France into a war as it would lose them votes
- French army had been moved to Tunisia in case Abyssinian crisis needed intervention
- French generals believed Germany had a much bigger army than they did, and so believed they were underprepared to fight them
7
Q
LofN reactions to remilitarisation of Rhineland
A
- Busy dealing with Mussolini in Abyssinia
8
Q
Why was Remilitarisation of Rhineland significant in road to war
A
- Hitler gained confidence to do as he pleased
- Hitler turned attention to other ways of getting around TofV
- Britain and France started to rearm
- France felt that they couldn’t trust Britain to help if they were invaded by Hitler
- Mussolini decided Hitler was a force to be reckoned with so they signed Rome-Berlin Axis
9
Q
Britain as a potential ally for Hitler
A
- Hitler admired British monarchy and values
- suggested a non-aggression pact in 1936
- Britain instead strengthened their agreements with Belgium and France
10
Q
Italy as a potential ally for Hitler
A
- Hitler saw he had many things in common with Fascist Italy
- Signed Rome-Berlin axis with Mussolini to agree to work closely together
11
Q
Japan as a potential ally for Hitler
A
- Japan had a hatred for USSR due to previous wars
- Japan was invading much of China, but were worried of USSR stepping in
- Japan felt that agreeing a pact with Hitler would make China feel threatened and surrender to them
- Signed Anti-Comintern pact in Nov 1936
- Joined Pact of steel with Italy in 1940
12
Q
What was the ‘Pact of Steel’
A
- Formally named Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy
- Agreed that German and Italian armies would work together if a war broke out
- Japan joined in 1940
13
Q
Why did Hitler want to do Anschluss in 1938?
A
- Shared a culture and a language, and Austria ruled Germany for 500 years
- Hitler previously failed due to Mussolini, but now their relationship had improved
14
Q
How did Hitler impose Anschluss in 1938
A
- Schuschnigg agreed to allow Nazi control in Austria, due to intimidation
- Schucshnigg asked for a plebiscite to be held about Anschluss, however Hitler disagreed and forced him to resign as chancellor, making Nazi solicitor Seyss-Inquart the new chancellor
- Seyss-Inquart declared Austria as in a state of emergency, and called for Germany to restore peace
- German troops invaded, welcomed by Austrian peole
- Plebiscite was then held, where 99% supported Anschluss, due to Nazi intimidation of stormtroopers
15
Q
Austrian reactions to Anschluss
A
- Many agreed to it due to sense of pride, and hope that Nazis could make Austria Great again
- Many Austin Jews- concern over future
16
Q
German reactions to Anschluss
A
- Made Germany and Nazis stronger, as it contained many natural resources and brought him closer to lebensraum
17
Q
British reactions to Anschluss
A
- Many felt they were essentially the same country and should be allowed to unite
- Anti-war sentiments so people not wanting to get involved
18
Q
French reactions to Anschluss
A
- French suffering own political problems
19
Q
Czech reactions to Anschluss
A
- Brought about great fear, as they knew they would be next
20
Q
How did Hitler try and claim Sudetenland
A
- Argued that German speaking people in the region were being prosecuted by the Czechs, and that he needed to step in and help
21
Q
Why was the Sudetenland so important
A
- Hitler knew it could make him more powerful due to rich natural resources and factories
- Britain and France knew if Hitler invaded they would need to step in and stop him
22
Q
What did chamberlain do in Sudetenland crisis
A
- Flew to Berchtesgaden to meet Hitler
- Used ‘Appeasement’, meaning he allowed hitler to take control of Sudetenland if done peacefully, in order to avoid war
- He then forced Czechs to agree to Hitlers terms
23
Q
Hitler’s reactions to Appeasement
A
- Demanded after that Czech army should leave the area and hand over land to him
- Also demanded that Hungary and Poland should be given land in Czechoslovakia
- Promised peace in Europe
24
Q
USSR reactions to Sudetenland crisis
A
- Were not consulted and Stalin felt betrayed and angry at Britain and France
25
Q
What was the anglo-German agreement
A
- England and Germany agreed to never go to war against each other
- Signed after Munich conference after Sudetenland crisis
26
Q
Importance of invasion of rest of Czechoslovakia
A
- First time Hitler invaded with no claim- Britain and France could no longer say he was taking what was his
- Broke promises mad in Munich conference and Anglo-German agreement
- Britain promised to Poland that they would guarantee its independence
27
Q
Why did people agree with appeasement at the time
A
- Many felt treaty was too harsh and some could be overturned
- Remembrance of WW1 made people scared for war
- Many believed Hitler’s claims that he was a man of peace
- Great depression meant many countries couldn’t afford to fight
28
Q
Arguments against appeasement
A
- Hitler had said throughout 20s that his plan was to make Germany strong again no matter what- people should not have trusted him
- Opportunities such as Rhineland could have stopped hitler early
- morally wrong- playing games at expense of lives of people in countries involved
29
Q
Why did Hitler want Poland
A
- Next step in Lebensraum ,used to be German land
30
Q
What was Nazi-Soviet pact
A
- Non aggression agreement between USSR and Germany
- Hitler agreed to give USSR some polish land
31
Q
Why did Stalin agree to Nazi soviet pact
A
- Actions of Britain and France showed they did not trust him and wouldn’t protect him if needed do so
- Didnt really trust Hitler, so knew it would at least buy time and stop him from being invaded by him
32
Q
Significance of Nazi soviet pact
A
- Made war inevitable as Hitler knew he couldn’t face war on two fronts
- Made Britain formalise agreement to Poland that if they were invaded, Britain would step in
33
Q
What happened on 1st September 1939
A
- German battleship opened fire on port in Danzig
- 63 divisions of army and 1300 Luftwaffe aeroplanes invaded Poland
34
Q
What happened on 3rd September 1939
A
- Britain sent Germany ultimatum stating that if they were not to withdraw troops by 11am they would be in a state of war
- No reply came, and so Britain declared war
