Events in 1939 leading to the Outbreak of War in September

Question 1

After Hitler’s invasion in March 1939 Britain accepted appeasement was dead. Which
country did Britain promise to defend if Germany invaded them?

Answer 1

Poland

Question 2

What was signed in August 1939 between Germany and the USSR agreeing not to go to war
with each other and to secretly divide Poland?

Answer 2

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Question 3

List at least 4 causes of WW2?

Answer 3

Nazi-Soviet Pact,

Appeasement,

Hitler’s actions,

Harshness of the Treaty of Versailles,

Depression

Question 4

What was the immediate cause for the outbreak of war?

Answer 4

Hitler invading Poland

Question 5

Why was Poland a target for Hitler?

Answer 5

There were various reasons why Poland was a potential target for invasion by Hitler’s Germany.

❖It was made up of land such as East Prussia (split due to the Polish Corridor) taken from Germany by the hated Treaty of Versailles.

❖Its territory cut across Germany and divided it in two- Polish corridor.

❖Danzig, a city with a German population and run by the League of Nations, was located in Polish territory. This would allow Hitler to continue his plan of Volksdeutsche.

❖Hitler wanted Polish land for Lebensraum.

Question 6

How did Hitler ensure Italy’s support in the war?

Answer 6

He did this by making Italy sign the pact of Steel. This ensured that both nations would support one and another if war ever broke out.

Question 7

What actions did Hitler take to demonstrate that he had friendly relations with Poland?

Answer 7

In 1934, he signed a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland.

Question 8

What was the USSR’s relationship like with Britain and France?

Answer 8

Stalin did not trust Britain and France even though it made more sense for him to seek an alliance with these nations given the hostility of Germany and Hitler towards the USSR and communism.

Question 9

Why did the USSR not trust Britain and France?

Answer 9

By 1939 Stalin was suspicious of Britain and France for 7 key reasons:

❖Britain and France were leading figures in the League of Nations and Stalin had lost confidence in its ability to stop Hitler against Russia. This was because of its failures in the Manchuria, and Abyssinia crises and during the reoccupation of the Rhineland.

❖France did sign an agreement in 1934 agreeing to protect the USSR from Germany. But when Hitler marched his troops into the Rhineland in 1936 France didn’t act. Stalin felt that if France wouldn’t deal with aggression on their own back garden why would they help Russia?

❖In 1935 Britain signed the Anglo-German naval agreement which allowed Hitler to rebuild the German navy - this worried Stalin.

❖The policy of appeasement followed by Britain and France allowed Germany to rearm. Britain and France thought that a strong Germany could stop the spread of communism. The lack of trust was mutual between the nations.

❖Lord Halifax the British foreign minister and Neville Chamberlain both despised communism.

❖Britain and France did not even invite Stalin to the Munich conference in 1938 let alone consult him. Stalin was now convinced that they were not allies of the USSR.

❖When Britain decided it needed the USSR as an ally against Germany in April 1939 they decided to go to Russia to build relations. But a number of things suggested to Stalin they didn’t see this meeting as important. The British sent a diplomat Reginald Drax who had no authority to make decisions, he travelled by boat which was slow and he even questioned the power of Russia’s military.

Question 10

What was the significance of the USSR’s relationship with Britain and France?

Answer 10

The lack of trust between these nations was significant as it pushed Russia towards relations with Germany and ultimately they signed the Nazi-Soviet pact which was a trigger for the Second World War.

Question 11

Why did Hitler and Britian and France need an Alliance with Stalin?

Answer 11

Germany- to avoid a war on two fronts.

Allies- this would give them a sure advantage in the war and allow them to take on Germany on two fronts, surrounding her.

Question 12

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact and what did the Nazi-Soviet Pact say?

Answer 12

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a non-aggression pact between Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. It was also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact contained two main agreements between the USSR and Germany.

❖Germany and the USSR agreed not to go to war, even though both sides knew that war between them was inevitable.

❖They secretly agreed to partition Polish territory between them.

Question 13

Why did Germany sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 13

Germany had a number of reasons for signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

❖Hitler didn’t want to meet opposition from the USSR while Germany invaded Poland.

❖He didn’t want to enter a war on two fronts, in which Germany fought the USSR in the east and Britain and France in the west. This was a mistake made in the First World War - German troops were divided between two fronts and this weakened their army.

❖He wanted to deal with the threat from Britain and France and secure the Polish territory before entering into a war with the USSR.

Question 14

Why did Russia sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 14

Stalin was aware of Hitler’s intentions and knew their two countries would end up at war. However, in 1939 the Nazi-Soviet Pact suited his short-term ambitions.

❖He mistrusted the western powers like Britain and France and didn’t believe they would protect the USSR from Germany, especially after the Soviet Union was excluded from the Munich Conference.

❖He hoped that war between Germany, Britain and France would give the USSR time to build up its army and strengthen its defences.

❖He hoped to gain Polish territory, much of which had been taken from Russia at the end of the First World War.

❖He also viewed the Allies as weak because of the policy of appeasement.

Question 15

What did Stalin personally say about the about the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?

Answer 15

Stalin said this agreement was a ‘definite gain for Russia and loss for Germany’

Question 16

How did Britain and France react to the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 16

The Nazi-Soviet Pact had huge implications for Britain and France, both of whom were stunned by the news.

❖This was a blow for Britain and France, and Chamberlain was blamed for Stalin choosing to side with Hitler. Opinion polls showed 84% of the British population had hoped for an alliance with the USSR.

❖It had been previously believed that only the USSR could protect Poland from Hitler. The pact was a huge blow to the Polish.

❖However, at the time there was a great mistrust of the communist Soviet Union, which helps to explain why Chamberlain didn’t pursue an alliance with them more aggressively.

Question 17

When did the Nazi-Soviet Pact end?

Answer 17

It remained in effect for almost two years. It was broken by the Germans when they invaded the USSR on 22nd June, 1941.

Question 18

When was the invasion of Poland?

Answer 18

1st September 1939

Question 19

Why did the invasion of Poland happen?

Answer 19

There were 4 key reasons why Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939 including:

❖Hitler believed he could defeat Poland quickly and it was an important step in achieving Lebensraum.

❖Hitler had promised Germany to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and Volksdeutsche (unite all German peoples). Danzig in Poland was a German port but it was made independent under the treaty, however 90 percent of the population were German.

❖Hitler’s relationship with the USSR was strategic. Signing the Nazi-Soviet pact meant he would not need to fight a war on two fronts making the invasion of Poland possible.

❖Hitler’s previous dealings with Chamberlain and Daladier and their policy of appeasement had convinced him that his actions would go unchallenged.

Question 20

Why did the invasion of Poland happen?

Answer 20

1. 31st March 1939 Chamberlain declared he would protect Poland’s borders if Hitler launched an invasion. The Anglo-Polish military alliance was formed between both nations.
2. At 4.45am, on the 1st September at sunrise German naval forces attacked the Polish port of Danzig. They attempted to justify this by falsely accusing the Poles of launching an attack across the German border.
3. The Germans next launched a full scale invasion on the ground and in the air using German Luffwaffes. They quickly destroyed the Polish air force.
4. Poland asked for Britain and France to support them against the German attack.
5. Britain and France spent the next 2 days trying to get Hitler to stand down. On the final day (3rd September 1939), the British sent an ultimatum stating that Hitler must leave Poland by 11:00 am or Britain would declare war
6. When Hitler ignored all demands to stand down, Britain honoured the Anglo-Polish military alliance and, followed by France declared war on the 3rd September.

Question 21

What was the significance of the invasion of Poland?

Answer 21

The invasion of Poland was the trigger cause of the Second World War. Nations like Britain and France could no longer turn a blind eye to Hitler’s actions and had to fight against him.

Question 22

What did Hitler do to achieve his foreign policy aim of rearmament?

Answer 22

Hitler expanded the German Army above 100,000 men, reintroduced conscription, built the Luftwaffe (air force) and built up the Kriegsmarine.

Question 23

What did Hitler do to achieve his foreign policy aim of lebensraum?

Answer 23

One of Hitler’s key aims was Lebensraum (land in the east) by 1939 he had achieved this in a number of ways:

❖The invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938.

❖The invasion of Poland in 1939.

Question 24

What did Hitler do to achieve his foreign policy aim of Volksdeutsche?

Answer 24

One of Hitler’s key aims for Volksdeutsche. He promised to unite all German-speaking people and all people of German blood. He achieved this by 1939 in a number of ways:

❖Taking control of the Saar in 1935.
❖Anschluss with Austria in 1938. This also helped him achieve another aim of reuniting with Austria.
❖The invasion of the Sudetenland in 1938.
❖The invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938.
❖The attack on the port of Danzig in 1939.

Question 25

What were the key reasons that caused the Second World War?

Answer 25

The key reasons that caused the Second World War include:

• the Treaty of Versailles,
• the failure of the League of Nations,
• the Great Depression,
• Chamberlain and appeasement,
• Hitler and his aggressive foreign policy, a fear of communism,
• Stalin and the Nazi-Soviet Pact,
• America’s policy of isolationism.

Question 26

How did The Treaty of Versailles cause the Second World War?

Answer 26

The Treaty of Versailles was a long term cause of the Second World War, and contributed to the outbreak of war in a number of ways:

❖From the moment the treaty was signed, many argued that it was too harsh. The severity of the terms caused long term bitterness amongst the German people. Hitler was able to manipulate this ill feeling for his foreign policy aims.

❖It wasn’t only Germany that felt the treaty was harsh, many world leaders shared this belief. So when Hitler began to act on his foreign policy, people were sympathetic to his actions (for example, the re-occupation of the Rhineland).

❖One of the key terms of the treaty was the creation of Poland. This happened by taking territory from Germany and the USSR. This caused long term bitterness, and eventually led to the Nazi-Soviet pact.

❖One of the consequences
of the Treaty of Versailles was that many German-speaking people found themselves living in new nations such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. Hitler aimed to reunite all German-speaking people.

Question 27

How did The League of Nations cause the Second World War?

Answer 27

The failure of the League of Nations contributed to the outbreak of war in a number of ways:

❖The League had structural weaknesses. One way it could stop international conflict was with economic sanctions, but with the absence of the USA these measures were ineffective. This motivated dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.

❖When the League did try to act nations such as Britain and France would undermine the League if it benefitted them, for example the Hoare-Laval Pact. This showed that the League was ineffective, and encouraged dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.

❖As dictators like Hitler and Mussolini became more powerful, the League’s continued failures only encouraged them further. The events in Manchuria and Abyssinia proved that the League was powerless to stop countries that broke the rules.

Question 28

How did the Great Depression cause the Second World War?

Answer 28

The Great Depression affected most nations across the globe. It created an environment in which the Second World War was possible in a number of ways:

❖The situation in nations created by the Great Depression made dictators like Hitler popular. People were suffering from poverty and high unemployment, and were promised solutions for this. One way to achieve this was through aggressive foreign policy.

❖Leaders like Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy came at a time when other nations were also suffering from the social and economic problems of the Depression, and were preoccupied with solving their own problems rather than getting involved with foreign affairs.

❖Two of the measures that the League of Nations could use to manage international conflict were made especially difficult during the Depression. It could not impose economic sanctions as nations couldn’t afford to harm trade. They also relied on member’s armies as they didn’t have one of their own, but members couldn’t afford the cost of a war.
How did appeasement cause the Second World War?

Question 29

How did appeasement cause the Second World War?

Answer 29

Appeasement was a short term cause as it served to strengthen Hitler’s position and enabled him to prepare for war in a number of ways:

❖The First World War left the people of Europe with mental scars from the horrors of war and they wanted to avoid another war at all costs. This meant that there were many missed opportunities to stop Hitler for example the reoccupation of the Rhineland.

❖Appeasement was also followed due to a fear of communism and this soured the relationship between Britain and the USSR.

❖A negative consequence of appeasement was that it eroded the little trust that Joseph Stalin had in Britain and France. The Munich Agreement was the trigger that led to Stalin signing the Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler.

❖Chamberlain was wrong to trust Hitler. Hitler had made many speeches since the 1920s about his intentions and Chamberlain’s inaction enabled Hitler the time to get Germany ready for war.

Question 30

How did Hitler cause the Second World War?

Answer 30

Hitler caused the Second World War in a number of ways:

❖Hitler’s foreign policy was very aggressive, and a short term cause of the Second World War:

❖Hitler was very open about his ambitions from early in his career. He wrote in his book, Mein Kampf that the only way to restore German pride and strength was through violence, by overturning the Treaty of Versailles, and by reuniting all German-speaking people. These actions are what led to war.

❖Hitler saw communism as an enemy and wanted to annihilate it. In order to achieve this aim he would have to invade the USSR.

❖Hitler’s foreign policy aim of Lebensraum could only be achieved by invading other countries.