Historical Interpretations Flashcards
__________: Germany leaves the ____ __ ______ and Disarmament Conference in ______
- October 1933: Germany leaves the League of Nations and Disarmament Conference in Geneva
when + why was the League of Nations established
- the LoN was established in 1920 to encourage disarmament, diplomacy and to prevent war
outline the Non-Aggression Pact
- passed in January 1934
- Germany and Poland signed a Non-Aggression Pact saying that Poland could not join the USSR in an attack on Germany
- Poland stood between Germany + the USSR, so was a useful ally
outline the Rome-Berlin Axis
- passed in November 1936 following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
- Germany + Italy signed the Rome-Berlin Axis
- promised mutual political, economic and ideological cooperation - but, NOT in the case of war
outline the Anti-Comintern Pact
- passed in November 1936
- Germany + Japan signed the Anti-Comintern (communist) pact - agree to safeguard their common interests from Communism
- outlined the amount of aid to give if a war seemed likely + a military alliance if attacked by the USSR
- Italy joined this pack in 1937
outline the Pact of Steel
- passed in May 1939
- Germany and Italy promised mutual military + economic aid in the case of a war
outline German rearmament
- announced in March 1935
- official announcement of rearmament +Luftwaffe (German air force), conscription
- this included a peacetime army of 550,000
- was controversial as it went against the terms of the ToV
outline the Naval Agreement
- passed in June 1935
- Britain and Germany signed the Naval Agreement
- ignored the Tov and allowed Germany to have a navy 35% the strength of Britain’s
outline the remilitarisation of the Rhineland
- took place in March 1936
- German troops re-militarised the Rhineland
- this went against terms of ToV and the 1925 Locarno Pact
outline Anschluss of Austria
- March 1938
- achieved Anschluss through German invasion of Austria
- this overturned the ToV term of guaranteed Austrian independence (outlaw of any political union with German speaking Austria)
outline the Saar Plebiscite vote
- January 1935
- the people of the Saar Plebiscite voted to join Germany
- the Saarland for the previous 15 years had been under the control of the LoN
- this represented a great propaganda success
outline the Munich Conference
- September 1938
- Munich conference between Germany, Italy, Britain and France
- the Sudetenland was given to Germany as H agreed it was his ‘last territorial demand’ in Europe
outline the Czechoslovakian Crisis
- March 1939
- invasion of Czechoslovakia; Germany further invaded + occupied Sudetenland
- there were 3.5 million Sudeten Germans on the border of Czechoslovakia
outline the German invasion of Poland
- September 1939
- Germany invaded Poland
- was planned within the Nazi-Soviet Pact in Aug 1939
outline the Hossbach Conference
- November 1937
- was where Hitler outlined 3 war scenarios to the Chief of armed services + Foreign Minister
- the conference revealed how Hitlers policy was changing from one centered on diplomacy to one where military force could play a greater part
outline the Nazi-Soviet Pact
- August 1939
- Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed between Germany + the USSR
- they agreed not to go to war with each other + to invade Poland ad divide eastern Europe between them
- H signed this to prevent a war on 2 fronts (from the West and East)
outline Social Darwinism
- a theory that all humankind faces natural selection in which there is a struggle for the ‘survival of the fittest’
when were the previous 2 German empires
- The First Reich - 800-1806
- The Second Reich - 1871-1914
What 2 features of the previous German empires successes influenced Nazi foreign policy
- Both empires had gained land, and kept it, by war + military strength
- they worked hard diplomatically for acceptance by other nations, esp when first in power
- e.g The 2nd Reich had carefully created alliances with other nations.
what 3 countries were dictatorships after the 1930s
- Germany under Hitler
- Italy under Mussolini
- Japan under military leadership
outline the 3 serious weaknesses of the League of Nations
- membership: not all nations were a member
- bureaucracy: it was slow to make decisions as the maj of members had to agree
- enforcement: it didn’t have a military
What did Poland acquire after signing the ToV
- Land including 800,000 German’s from the Polish Corridor
- was territorial/ land loss of Germany
outline the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- Territory: loss of territory - e.g. Austria’s independence was guaranteed
- disarmament: army reduced to 100,000; conscription was forbidden, Rhineland demilitarised, no air force, restricted navy
- reparations: sum was fixed at £6.6Bn
- blame: Germany had to take total responsibility of WW1
outline the failed political coup in Austria
- in July 1934
- there was a failed Nazi putsch/ political coup in Austria
- failed due to M moving 40,000 Italian troops to the Austro-Italian frontier, forcing Germany to back down
when does Germany leave the League of Nations
- Oct 1933
outline German rearmament
- G announced the existence of a Luftwaffe
outline Ribbentrop’s visit to London
- Hitler sent Ribbentrop to London as Germany’s new ambassador with the specified objective of securing an agreement with Britain
- H was committed to the idea of a British alliance as a way of securing his long term aim of crushing the USSR
when did Germany invade Poland
- Sept 1st 1939
when did Britain + France declare war on Germany
- Sept 3rd 1939
what were the 3 foreign policy aims outlined in Mein Kampf + Zweites Buch
1) overturning the Tov
2) east expansion + establishing Lebensraum
3) seeking alliances with racially superior countries - e.g. Britain
what were the foreign policies of the First + Second Reichs
1) territorial expansion through war + military strength
2) diplomacy with other nations + forming alliances (e.g. Second Reich made the Triple Alliance with Austria Hungary in 1882)
after the territorial losses of the ToV, how many Germans lived outside German boarders
- 6.4 million
what was the KIWA
- KIWA = the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Hereditary and Eugenics
- formed in 1927
- led by Eugen Fisher who was the origin of Hitler’s eugenic policies
what were the 3 reasons why Nazis decided to invade Austria in 1938
1) H took advantage of political instability in Austria - created by Austrian Nazis
2) G’s relations with Italy were improved
3) Britain + France were preoccupied with their domestic situations (e.g. resignation of Foreign Secretary Eden in Br)
how did Stresemann go against the terms of the ToV
- secret rearmament agreements were made with the USSR
- e.g. a German tank-training school was set up in 1926
- German tanks were being built + tested in Russia by 1928
how did Br + Fr respond to the invasion of Czechoslovakia
- they issued a guarantee of Poland’s independence
when did Hitler + Mussolini enter a military alliance
- May 1939
how big was the German army by 1939
- 103 infantry (soldier) division of 15-18,000
- were 2,000 fighter + bomber planes
name an example of the League of Nations failing to prevent invasions
- Mussolini’s Invasion of Abyssinia in 1935
when was the League of Nations formed
- Jan 1920
what was the foreign policy adopted by Br + Fr in the 1930s
- appeasement - aimed to maintain peace in Europe/ prevent another war
why did Britain follow appeasement
- Br followed appeasement as in the case of a war, Br couldn’t guarantee support of its colonies
- war would cause issues in their empire
why did France follow appeasement
- Fr was domestically weak + unstable
- e.g. there were 11 governments between 1932-35
- Communist + Fascist parties were becoming more popular
- WW1 had severely weakened the French army
what influence did Br + Fr’s appeasement have on Hitler’s foreign policy
- it gave H the confidence that Br + Fr wouldn’t go to war, therefore encouraging his aggression
what was the foreign policy pursued by the USA
- isolationism - it refused to get involved in international affairs
- e.g. they signed 3 neutrality acts between 1935-37 - it was illegal for Americans to sell/ transport arms to diff countries
how did the actions of other countries encourage H to remilitarise the Rhineland in 1936
- LoN had shown its weakness - it couldn’t intervene
- attention was away from G, as Italy had shown its aggressive + expansionist policy
- France was focused on its upcoming election
what did Br + Fr guarantee in March 1939
- they guaranteed Poland’s independence + to intervene if it was threatened
- this was made in response to Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia which broke the terms of the Munich Agreement
outline 4 intentionalist arguments
- H had a master plan for his foreign policy + for war from the start - was outlined in his book Mein Kampf (1925)
- H had a step-by-step plan (Stufenplan) to either: take over Eastern Europe, or to take over Europe, then the Middle East + the British colonies, then the rest of the world
- H always wanted to destroy the state of Poland, unite all German speakers + create a Lebensraum (Nazi racial empire)
- whether or not H had a masterplan, or he responded to events as they occurred, he intended to go to war - Nazi/ Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy took the world to war in 1939
outline 4 structuralist arguments
- G rulers, historically, followed a policy of expansionism - H/ Nazis simply followed this after 1933
- while H did want a German empire, he didn’t have a master plan, or intend to go to war in 1939 - he mainly reacted to events
- diff pressures affected H’s FP; from inside the party, from social groups, and external factors (e.g. econ)
- in terms of Poland, H wanted to eliminate what he regarded as a potential threat to Germany - war wasn’t at the forefront of his mind
outline the intentionalist debate
- they argue Hitler + Nazis aims drove the outbreak of war
- they intended to wage war
outline 3 aspects of German history that influenced Nazi foreign policy
- Aryan Racial Theory
- The Third Reich
- the First World War
outline the structuralist argument
- they argue that external influences were as significant, or more so, than Nazi foreign policy in the outbreak of WW2
outline Aryan Racial Theory as an influence on Nazi foreign policy
- the Nazi Aryan Race was an invention which drew on historic ideas of the superiority of Nordic + Germanic races and the Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest) theory
- Pan-Germanism (unification of all G-speaking people) was an excuse for the invasion of countries + killing of ‘inferior’ races for Lebensraum
- ART led the Nazis to favour alliances with countries such as Britain - but it didn’t stop them from allying with ‘inferior’ countries to gain temporary advantage
- ART influenced their: aim to expand G territory to unite G-speakers + create Lebensraum for ‘pure Germans’
- …aim to expand east/ taking land from those who were racially inferior
- …their germanisation policies implemented in the new territories (persecution of inferior races)
what are the 2 main similarities between Social Darwinism + Aryan Racial Theory
- like Social Darwinists, H believed humans could be classified collectively as races of which all have distinct psychological + physical genetic traits, thus, assimilation was impossible
- the survival of a race depended on its ability to reproduce, its accumulation of land to support the pop, + maintaining the purity of its gene pool - this struggle resulted in violent conquest
outline the Third Reich as an influence on Nazi foreign policy
- the nostalgia for earlier empires + the sense that power and land were Germany’s right influenced Hitlers desire + sense of entitlement for a strong powerful Reich
- H’s 3rd Reich was meant t be G returned to its rightful power/ place in Europe
- unlike the Weimar Gov who wanted to overturn the ToV + return to 1914, H wanted to overturn the Tov + expand further
- both empires had gained land through military strength + diplomatic acceptance from other nations
outline WW1 as an influence on Nazi foreign policy
- before 1933, the Weimar Gov had worked against the ToV - e.g. Reichstag members turning a blind eye to rearmament
- WG politicians opposed + also broke the terms of the treaty - e.g. secret rearmament agreement with USSR (e.g. training soldiers)
- Nazi FP aimed to overturn the ToV - e.g. targeting the divided states from the ToV such as Albania, Czech etc
- the response of the Allies also encouraged Nazi FP - the Allies took a blind eye to G’s infringement of the terms as they saw the ToV as too harsh - e.g. the Naval Agreement 1935, Remilitarisation of the Rhineland 1936
outline 3 ideas that Nazi Foreign Policy was a continuation of German govs that came before
- from the late 1800s, far righters in Germany argued for Lebensraum at the expense of those in East Europe (as H did)
- antisemitism was prevalent across Europe for nearly 2000 years - Judaism was viewed as a negative characteristic rather than a religion
- H viewed NFP as a continuation of previous regimes - e.g. in N propaganda, H positioned himself next to Bismarck (Chancellor of 2nd Reich) + H called his regime the 3rd Reich
outline 3 ideas that Nazi Foreign Policy was a change from German govs that came before
- race was never the driving force behind any other German Govs’ FP - H’s actions were unique
- the ToV had a huge impact on NFP - one of H’s aims was to overturn the Treaty - even the Weimar Gov had turned a blind eye to signs of rearmament
- an aggressive FP was key to H, many areas outside of FP were targeted towards preparing G for war - unlike previous regimes - e.g. 4 Year Plan, Autarky, prepping boys to be soldiers, encouraging W to be mothers to provide workers + soldiers
what is Bolshevism
- Bolshevism = Communism
outline the strengths of Poland
- had Mutual Assistance Pact with France
- very independent
- took land from Czechoslovakia in 1938
- had a large army
outline the weaknesses of Poland
- its unlikely Western powers would defend Poland - too far away geographically
- could not trust its neighbours as Allies
- Army wasn’t mechanised/ modernised
outline evidence from Hitler’s Mein Kampf (1925) of his master plan for Foreign Policy
- H wanted to secure the existence of the race incorporated in this state - Aryan Race, Pan-Germanism
- wanted a large space to ensure the independent existence of a nation - Lebensraum, Anchluss 1938, Sudetenland 1938
- H describes as 1925 in its hopelessness of our present political impotence - wanted to overturn the ToV
- saw England + Italy as the only suitable European allies - Pact of Steel 1939, Ribbentrop’s visit to Britain
what is the acronym for how Hitler achieved his foreign policy aims
Rearmament
Uniting German speakers
Lebensraum
Expansion
Strategic alliances
how did the ideological division (Comm vs Cap) shape Hitler’s FP + contribute to WW2
- initially, USSR seen as more of a threat than Nazi G (later Britain sees USSR as an ally against Germany)
- Stalin is more inclined to enter alliances with Germany as he views the West with suspicion - Hitler exploits this situation
- H is more inclined to invade Poland as he knew USSR would support it
outline 3 failures of the League of Nations in resolving international disputes after 1931
- Japan Manchuria 1931: LoN protested, but not enough - Japan left LoN
- Italian Invasion of Abyssinia 1935: allowed Italy to have 2/3 of Abyssinia
- Spanish Civil War 1936: LoN did nothing
how did France’s fear of a German invasion influence French FP
- France instated the Maginot Line Defences on its boarder with Germany
- also desired to make European alliances
which countries were enabling agents for Hitlers expansionist vision
- the USSR
- Italy
- Britain
- France
how was the USSR an enabling agent for H’s expansionist vision
- USSR fully knew that war with G would come, but Stalin’s greed for territory + the need to buy his army time led him to sign the Nazi Soviet Pact 1939
- led to H believing war with Poland would be local only
how was Italy an enabling agent for H’s expansionist vision
- Italy destabilised the political environment + distracting Western democracies which helped H remilitarise the Rhineland + expand further East
how was Britain an enabling agent for H’s expansionist vision
- their policy of appeasement meant that H was convinced Western democracies could be pushed without consequence
how was France an enabling agent for H’s expansionist vision
- France’s domestic chaos prevented it from combating Nazi aggression + convinced France it could stay safe behind the Maginot Line
outline Britain reasons for why the British - Soviet Union alliance in 1939 failed
- Br was wary of an alliance with Russia in case it provoked war with Germany
- Br were wary of negotiating due to their fear of Communism
outline USSR reasons for why the British - Soviet Union alliance in 1939 failed
- USSR refused to involve the LoN in their peace talks
- a Br alliance offered very little to USSR except a war with Germany - an alliance with G could offer Stalin the chance to take Poland again
- USSR had already been offered an alliance with G, so were in no hurry to ally with Br unless it gave them what they wanted
outline how Hitler underestimated Poland’s desire to fight
- Oct 1938: P + G met to discuss boarders - P was an authoritarian dictatorship which introduced antisemitic decrees, so seemed like a possible German ally
- BUT, P had its own plans - e.g. expanding its influence - by mid 1930s, Poland was spending 50% on the army
- in 1932, P signed a non-aggression pact with USSR - wasn’t scared of Germany
- when Br provided the Polish guarantee, P took it seriously + gave them the confidence to resist the Nazis
outline how H misunderstood the Allied promises to defend Poland
- H didn’t believe Fr + Br would wage war to defend Poland
- Br + Fr increased their pace of rearmament from Mar 1939
- the vague clauses in the Polish Guarantee gave H the confidence that BR + FR wouldn’t defend Poland
- H was able to overstep the Allies + their terms in the past (e.g. remilitarisation of the Rhineland) - gave him confidence for his Invasion of Poland
outline how Hitler overestimated the strength of the Pact of Steel
- the Pact of Steel gave H confidence as he believed the Italian threat to BR + FR interests in the Mediterranean + North Africa would stop a war over Poland developing into a major war
- M had significant influence + control over Albania + part of the Balkans
- Mussolini claimed to be the ‘new Caesar’ + made claims to have a large + modern army
- when the war did begin, M didn’t perform well
outline the Polish Guarantee
- 31st March 1939
- was a Guarantee by BR + FR saying that if Poland were invaded, they would defend it
- had clauses such as that the guarantee wouldn’t be invoked if Poland showed ‘provocative and stupid obstinacy’ - this increased H’s confidence that BR + FR wouldn’t follow through with it
outline the background to the Poland - German feud
- tensions worsened after the ToV which granted Poland German land (Polish corridor)
- Non-Aggression Pact 1934: G surprised many by signing a non-aggression pact with Poland, likely to avoid a two-front war
- failed negotiations 1935-1937: G attempted to negotiate with P for military support but failed, esp regarding an alliance against the USSR
- growing G confidence 1936-1938: P’s reluctance to ally with G convinced H that he could expand further into Czechoslovakia + Austria
- 1939: G signed the Pact of Steel + Nazi-Soviet Pact - ensured P was surrounded
- G’s invasion Sep 1 1939: H invaded P, expecting no major resistance from BR + FR, who then declared war
outline how H underestimated the Allied preparation for WW2
- everything the Allies did 1935-39 encouraged H to believe they were weak
- but, British rearmament had been progressing with radar now installed to protect against German bombing
- from 1935, Br had been developing modern planes - e.g. spitfires, that would successfully defend Britain
- this increased Allied confidence
- H; when war broke in 1939, Br only had an army of 900,000 compared to G’s 13Mn
when war broke in _, Br only had an army of _ compared to G’s _
- when war broke in 1939, Br only had an army of 900,000 compared to G’s 13Mn
outline how Hitler miscalculated the importance of the Nazi Soviet Pact
- the N-S Pact made H more confident that he could invade Poland + not worry about intervention from the West
- all parties knew G would only be fighting on one front (the Western front) if G went to war with Br + Fr
- H believed this + G having the powerful ally of the USSR would be enough to stop BR + FR fulfilling the Polish Guarantee
outline evidence supporting the idea that Germany was always going to invade Poland
- the ToV gave land + Germans to P
- H always wanted it/ had expansionist ideas in his Mein Kampf
- H wasn’t in a position to invade in 1934 + was biding time
- didn’t believe BR + FR would help P
outline evidence opposing the idea that Germany was always going to invade Poland
- Germanys Non-Aggression Pact with Poland 1934
- wanted Poland as an ally against USSR
- wanted road + rail links through Polish Corridor
- BR + FR were willing to protect independence
