Hitler and Appeasement Flashcards
Hitlers Rise
Beliefs - To have perfect Aryan Race - To sterilise “imperfect” people e.g Disabled or mentally ill
- To increase employment
- Make Germany great again
- Go against T.O.V
- Didn't like Jews or communists
Ways Nazi’s gained control:
- Imprisoned All Anti-Nazis, scared people with Gestapo and S.S and appealed to peoples emotions
Foreign policy aims:
- Hitler wrote mein kampf in 1924 stating his foreign aims as: - Make Germany a great power
- Unite all German speaking people
- Gain eastern territory as Lebensraum for german people
Hitlers Aim - Foreign policy
1) Abolish T.O.V
- Believed it was unjust
- Hated treaty
- Called leaders who signed - November Criminals
- Constant reminder of defeat in WW1 - Humiliation
- Wanted to Reverse treaty - Already stopped reperations
2) Expand German territory
- Wants to take T.O.V territory back
- Anschluss with Austria
- CZ.SL rejoins Germany
- Carve out Eastern Empire to gain lebensraum
3) Defeat communism
- Carve out russia - defeat bolshevism
- Hitler = Anti Communist
- Bolsheviks added to German WW1 defeat
- Believed communism would take over
Germany and Spanish Civil War
1936 - Civil war in Spain between Communists and Right wing rebels
- Communists supported republican Gov
- Right wings Rebels under Franco
- Hitler saw an opportunity to fight communism - and try out new weapons
1937: Germans bombed Cities devastating effects - Destruction of Guernica especially terrrible
Outcome = New force of modern weapons
What Hitler did about T.O.V pt1
Term: Limited Armed Forces
What he did: 1933 - Secretly Rearms
1935 - Celebrated Armed forces
1936 - Reintroduced Conscription
Reasons: - Reduce Unemployment
- Make Germany stronger
- Defend against Communism
Response: - Britain thought limits too strict
- GB signed naval treaty = 35% inc
- French = Angry
Term: Rhineland Demilitarised
Events: 7 march - German soldiers marched into Rhineland
-Hitler promised 25 year non aggression pact
Reasons: Showed German improvement
Making life back to how it was
Responses - Germany condemned but no action taken
What Hitler did about T.O.V pt2
Term: Forbidden Anschluss
Events: 1934 - Austrian Nazi party encouraged to rebel - Reunification stopped by Mussolini
1938 - Austria pressured into making Nazi leader head of police
12 march - Army entered Austria
14 March - Hitler paraded through Vienna
April - Plebiscite = 99.25% for Anschluss
Reasons: Helps Austrian Eco, Felt states belonged together, idea of self determination
Response - Protest but nothing done
Term: Sudetenland to CZ.SL
Events: 15 Sept 1938 - Hitler and chamberlain discuss
22 Sept - Hitler asked for more
30 Sept - Germany gets Sudetenland at Munich conference
Reasons: Czechs “mistreating” German speakers, All Germans should be together
Response: Britain used appeasement in Munich
What Hitler did about T.O.V pt3
Events: Signs Nazi-Soviet pact
Enters Poland
Reasons: Needs access to Prussia
Response from GB and France
- Promise to go to War
Appeasement
- Policy aimed to prevent aggressors from starting by agreeing to demands at a reasonable extent
- Followed by Britain and France for most of 1930’s when neither were willing to risk an aggressive power
Britain and Appeasement
- Politicians thought it would do Britain good to stay out of Europes affairs
- Most British people supported it
- Winston Churchill one of few who speak out against the policy
Arguments for appeasement
- At least Hitler is against communism - more concerned about USSR
- USA will not support Stand up to Hitler
- Attitude of Empire - commonwealth would not help
- must not repeat horrors of WW1 - Avoid at all costs
- Britain not ready for war
- Economic problems higher priority
- Hitler is right? T.O.V is unfair
Arguments against Appeasement
- Encouraged aggression from Hitler
- Puts too much trust in Hitlers Promises
- Allowed Germany to grow too strong
- It scared the USSR - Hitler wanted to expand east so appeasement meant no west support
End of appeasement
- March 1939 - CZ.SL invaded: Czechs forced to agree to special living terms under german rule > Hitler invaded rest of CZ.SL
Pact of steel
- Hitler forced Lithuanians to hand over Memel
- Spain: Madrid fell to facist franco supported by Germany and Italy
- Mussolini: Occupied Albania
Hitler and Mussolini drew countries closer together and signed pact of steel which agreed for them to act side by side
Poland 1939
- Hitler turned to Poland as next target
- Demanded return of polish corridor and Danzig from T.O.V
- Britain and France firmly supported Poland
- Future war over Poland hinged on attitude of soviets
- Hoped they would defend Poland if Nazis attacked
Nazi-Soviet Pact - Aug 1939
- Germans and soviets guaranteed not to fight each other in the event of war
- Secret agreement between them to divide territory if war began
- Hitler gave Stalin hand to occupy Romania, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania
Reaction to Pact
- News of pact shocked world
- Britain/France trying to get agreement with Stalin to threaten Germany in East
- Pact removed threat of war in East for Hitler
- Allowed him to deal with Poland
- Stalin was suspicious of Britain and France/Felt Hitler offered more
