How far were Hitler’s foreign policy moves opportunistic?

Question 1

What was the impact of World War One on the geography of central and Eastern Europe?

Answer 1

• Many new unstable states had been created through changing of borders.
• Self-determination e.g Estonia and Lithuania.
• Disputed borders.

Question 2

What was the most significant ideological divide in Europe after World War One?

Answer 2

Communist Russia and capitalist West.

Question 3

Why did the West perceive the Soviet Union as a threat, and what impact did this have on the relations between the west and the Soviet Union?

Answer 3

Communist party membership rose in the West - Soviet Union had set up Comintern, an organisation to spread communist ideas.

This affected international relations, because rather than making an alliance with Russia, the Western powers helped the “Whites” to fight the communist “Reds” in the Russian civil war.

Question 4

What was the new ideological divide from the mid 1930s?

Answer 4

Dictatorship vs democracy.

E.g dictatorships such as Germany, Italy and Japan

Question 5

What united the dictatorships of Germany, Italy and Japan?

Answer 5

• Hatred of communism
• Rejection of democracy
• Belief in the importance of a strong military
• Resentment of Treaty of Versailles
• Dictatorship by force.

Question 6

How did these ideological divisions shape Hitler’s foreign policy and contribute towards the outbreak of war?

Answer 6

• Soviet Union more of a threat than Nazi Germany.
  *Later, Britain sees Soviet Union as an ally against Germany.
• Stalin more inclined to enter alliance with Germany, as sees West with suspicion.
• Germany exploits situation - Hitler more inclined to invade Poland as he knew the USSR would support.

Question 7

Name three serious weaknesses of the League of Nations.

Answer 7

1. MEMBERSHIP - not all nations were part of the League. This made it weak as a worldwide organisation, as non-League countries did not have to work with it. Countries that had fought the Allies were not asked to join, nor was Russia.
2. BUREAUCRACY - The League was slow to make any decisions and members seldom agreed to economic sanctions, let alone military force. It needed the agreement of a significant majority in order to act.
3. ENFORCEMENT - It did not have its own army: member countries had to agree to supply troops, which most were reluctant to do. Its failure to act quickly, use force, and enforce decisions made it look increasingly weak.

Question 8

How did Hitler take advantage of the weaknesses of the League of Nations?

Answer 8

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘇𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆. Hitler knew it couldn’t protect its members or get them to act against what they saw as their own national interest. DIDN’T SEE IT AS A THREAT.

Question 9

Identify the three failures of the League of Nations in resolving disputes between countries after 1931.

Answer 9

1. The Mukden Incident 1931
2. Italy invasion of Abyssinia 1935
3. The Spanish Civil War 1936

Question 10

Describe the failure of the League of Nations in the Mukden Incident 1931

Answer 10

September 1931 - led to the Japanese takeover of Manchuria (north eastern China), which it ran as a satellite called Manchukuo from 1932. The League of Nations protested but Japan ignored the protests and withdrew from the League in March 1933.

Question 11

Describe the failure of the League of Nations in the Italian invasion of Abyssinia 1935

Answer 11

3rd October 1935 - Italy invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) after a dispute that was taken to the League of Nations in December 1934. By 1936, Italy had all of Abyssinia: the League had done nothing and two of its most powerful members had worked outside the League to agree on Italy’s takeover.

“The League of Nations ruled against Italy and voted for economic sanctions, but they were never fully applied. Italy ignored the sanctions, quit the League, made special deals with the United Kingdom and France and ultimately annexed and occupied Abyssinia after it had won the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.”

Question 12

Describe the failure of the League of Nations in the Spanish Civil War 1936

Answer 12

This was won by the fascists and strengthened Germany’s position leading to greater unity between Germany and Italy. Britain also stayed neutral during the Spanish Civil War which confirmed to Hitler that Britain would not intervene in his foreign policy.

Question 13

Why did the Soviet Union not become a member of the League of Nations until 1934?

Answer 13

It needed allies. Had been put off by Germany and Japan’s anti-communist stance.

Question 14

Why did relations between the Soviet Union and League of Nations become increasingly strained after 1936?

Answer 14

• Stalin’s purges and increasingly dictatorial behaviour
• USSR’s involvement in Spanish Civil War - Stalin refused to listen to GB and French efforts to end USSR’s involvement in war - saw League as weak.

Question 15

How did the weaknesses of the League of Nations influence Hitler’s foreign policy between 1933 and 1939?

Answer 15

Had the confidence to form an alliance without consequences from the League.

Question 16

Why did Britain pursue a policy of appeasement towards Germany in the years preceding 1939?

Answer 16

• In the hope of keeping the peace and preserving the situation in Europe set up by the Treaty of Versailles.
• A genuine desire among politicians and the public not to go to war again because war, in any part of the world, would cause problems with colonies and trade.
• Government was doubtful that after the losses of the First World War, its colonies would want to join another war. Indeed, in 1938, both Australia and South Africa made it clear that they would not go to war against Germany.
• Britain faced colonial unrest and pressure for greater independence from colonies such as India and Egypt.

Question 17

What evidence is there that Britain pursued a policy of appeasement towards Germany?

Answer 17

• Anglo-Naval Treaty
• Britain not being harsh on Germany when it rearmed and invaded the Rhineland
• Chamberlain signing the Munich Agreement which resulted in Germany taking the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

Question 18

How did Britain’s policy of appeasement influence Hitler’s foreign policy and contribute to the war?

Answer 18

Encouraged Germany, Italy and Japan to seize more territory and encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive with each victory, giving him confidence and power to overturn the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 19

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟒, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫…

Answer 19

“It was the objet of British policy to serve peace by securing cooperation amongst all European countries. His Majesty’s Government most earnestly wished that Germany should work with all countries for that object.”

Question 20

What was France’s attitude towards Germany until 1939?

Answer 20

One of resentment and anger because of Germany’s failure to meet the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The one French attempt at imposing its will on Germany by force, the invasion of the Ruhr in 1923, had ended in failure. SO FRANCE TURNED TO APPEASEMENT.

Question 21

What 4 other difficulties was France experiencing in the interwar years?

Answer 21

1. France had a very real fear of German invasion, which showed itself most openly in the Maginot Line defences on its border with Germany and its desire to make European alliances.
2. Before the war, Britain and Russia had been strong allies. Now with Britain cooling and Russia a communist country, France felt ISOLATED so made a variety of alliances with the new European states e.g Czechoslovakia. It even made increasingly binding agreements with the USSR after 1932 such as its 1935 pact, and pushed Britain to join it.
3. While France had a large army, it had lost a quarter of its young men between the ages of 18 and 27 in the First World War and the quality of the army and its equipment was variable.
4. France faced political difficulties. It developed strong communist and fascists parties, just as Germany did. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟭 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟱, and there was trouble with colonial demands for independence. When a left-wing government came to power in 1936, it faced considerable criticism.

All this, combined with economic problems, made France weak at home and abroad, and certain it could not win a war.

Question 22

How did France’s policy of appeasement influence Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 22

Increased Hitler’s confidence in his Eastern European aggression.

Question 23

How did France’s fear of a German invasion influence the French foreign policy in Europe?

Answer 23

Turned to a policy of appeasement and desire to make European alliances.

Question 24

What dislikes did Italy and Germany both share?

Answer 24

• They were both dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles
• Shared an anti-communist outlook
• Shared a belief in autarky, strong government and military force.

Question 25

Which event led to the signing of the Rome-Berlin Axis in 1936?

Answer 25

Italy and Germany both helped Franco’s fascists in the Spanish Civil War, which led to the Rome-Berlin Axis agreement.

Question 26

What was the issue between Germany and Italy?

Answer 26

At first, their mutual interest in land on the Austrian border was an issue. When the Austrian Nazis tried to take over in 1934, Italian troops quickly moved to the border and made them back down.

Question 27

What did Hitler give up all claims of to create an alliance with Italy?

Answer 27

Hitler gave up all claims on the South Tyrol area of Austria to encourage an alliance.

Question 28

What evidence is there that Italy and Germany’s foreign policies were not always compatible?

Answer 28

Hitler and Mussolini found it difficult to trust each other and their foreign policy was not always compatible.
* Hitler refused military aid when Mussolini invaded Abyssinia, for example, saying his army wasn’t ready, while Mussolini did the same when Hitler was about to invade Czechoslovakia in 1938.
* Even when united in the Pact of Steel, an agreement to provide instant military support, they kept some war plans secret, for example, Italy’s invasion of Albania in April 1939, and Hitler’s invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia and then Poland in 1939.
* When war began in 1939, Mussolini told Hitler that he had expected a war in 1942 and could not join the war at once - despite the Pact of Steel.

Question 29

Indeed, until France fell in 1940, who was Hitler in contact with?

Answer 29

Until France fell in 1940, Hitler was still in contact with Britain, hoping to make an alliance and change sides.

Question 30

Once France fell, who seemed the stronger power for Italy?

Answer 30

Once France fell, Germany seemed the stronger power and Italy joined the war on Germany’s side.

Question 31

While Hitler never fully trusted Mussolini, what did the Pact of Steel encourage him to do?

Answer 31

To go to war.

Question 32

Why was the USSR isolated in Europe?

Answer 32

By its communist ideology. The fascist dictatorships and the democratic nations of Europe were anti-communist, and the USSR was open to attack from both east and west.

Question 33

In what sense was Stalin’s aim similar to Hitler’s?

Answer 33

Stalin wanted to build up the USSR’s industry, agriculture and army to the point where the country was self-sufficient and safe from attack; he wanted to avoid war.

Question 34

How did Stalin react to the Nazi-Polish non-aggression pact?

Answer 34

Knowing any agreements made with any country were fragile, he reacted to the Nazi-Polish non-aggression pact by joining the League of Nations and supported the existing Spanish government, a League member, against the fascists supported by Germany and Italy.

Question 35

What did the USSR suggest to the Western powers and who agreed and didn’t agree?

Answer 35

The USSR suggested a variety of pacts and alliances to the Western powers. France agreed to some, but Britain didn’t, not wanting a communist ally.

Question 36

What was Stalin humiliated about?

Answer 36

Stalin was humiliated not to be asked to join the Munich Conference in 1938, but even after that he held talks with the Western Powers. However, he also held talks with Germany.

Question 37

Why was the USSR more inclined to enter an alliance with Germany in 1939?

Answer 37

From July to August 1938, the USSR was fighting with Japan on its eastern border. This made the USSR more likely to reach an agreement with Germany, otherwise it might have to fight Germany and Japan on two fronts.

Question 38

What foreign policy did the USA adopt in the 1920s and 1930s?

Answer 38

The USA followed a policy of isolationism and also of disarmament.

Question 39

By 1938, USA’s army was smaller than…

Answer 39

Belgium’s. However, this does not mean its attitude to Germany and other fascist governments was not important.

Question 40

What was USA neutral over?

Answer 40

The Abyssinian crisis and the Spanish Civil War.

Question 41

Despite staying neutral over the Abyssinian crisis and the Spanish Civil War, how did the USA intervene in European affairs in the 1920s?

Answer 41

• It still exported arms to Italy and Germany, who were supplying arms to Franco.
• Tried to set up various meetings in the 1930s to work for world peace, and it did intervene to try to persuade Hitler to withdraw from Czechoslovakia in 1938.

Question 42

How did the USA’s foreign policy encourage Hitler to go to war in September 1939?

Answer 42

The very fact that the USA openly said it would not go to war with Europe, and produced a permanent Neutrality Act in 1937 to underline it, encouraged Hitler to go to war.

Question 43

What side was Japan on in the First World War?

Answer 43

The winning side

Question 44

What did Japan initially join?

Answer 44

The League of Nations

Question 45

What was Japan dissatisfied with?

Answer 45

The results of the treaties that ended the war and with its treatment in the League, where it was not treated as an equal by the other Allies.

Question 46

How did Japan go against the League of Nations, which led to a ruling against the nation in 1933?

Answer 46

In 1931, Japan provoked China to war with the Mukden Incident. Over the next year, it took much of Manchuria and some of northern China, creating a new state, Manchukuo, which is said was independent of China, Japan or the USSSR. However, Japan chose Manchukuo’s ruler. Only Germany and Italy recognised the new state.

Question 47

Although Japan said Manchukuo was independent of China, Japan or the USSR, who chose Manchukuo’s ruler?

Answer 47

Japan

Question 48

Only two countries formally recognised the new state of Manchukuo - who?

Answer 48

Germany and Italy

Question 49

After the League of Nations finally responded to the Mukden Incident, what happened?

Answer 49

When the League of Nations finally ruled against Japan in 1933, Japan left the League and formed uneasy alliances with Italy and Germany.

Question 50

Why did it suit Germany to enter an alliance with Japan?

Answer 50

Germany was encouraged by the alliance in its aggressive policies because Japan was an enemy of the USSR, and it was useful for Germany to have an ally geographically on the other side of the USSR.

Also, if the USA decided to enter the war, Japan would be able to act against the USA in the Far East.

Question 51

What came as a shock to Japan?

Answer 51

The Nazi-Soviet Pact, but by that time, Italy and Germany were the only allies it had.

Question 52

The response of other powers to the aggressor states (Germany, Italy and Japan) affected what?

Answer 52

The timing of the outbreak of the war, but also the extent of the conflict when it ultimately occurred.

Question 53

What did Britain, France, the USA, the USSR all do at different times?

Answer 53

Made concessions to the aggressors. The extent of the concessions which had been made meant that when first Britain and France, and then the Soviet Union and the United States, decided to resist, Germany and Japan were considerably strengthened and had much greater forces at their command. The resulting war would inevitably be a major one.

Question 54

By 1939, as a result of other countries’ concessions to the aggressors, what had Germany done?

Answer 54

Germany had succeeded in removing all its grievances from Versailles apart from the German-Polish border. It had broken up the Czech state, struck a body blow at France’s alliance system, and was in the process of a steady economic penetration of Eastern Europe. Germany was once more the dominant power on the continent.

Question 55

Britain summary

Answer 55

• Wanted to avoid another world war.
• Policy of appeasement allowed Hitler to have confidence to overturn the T of V.
• Had an empire and colonies to think about.
• Anglo-German Naval Agreement.
• Hitler miscalculated what Britain would do when he invaded Poland in 1939.

Question 56

France summary

Answer 56

• More hatred towards Germany - made isolated agreements with USSR.
• Political problems at home e.g constant turnovers of government, trouble with colonial demands for independence.
• Appeasement - increased Hitler’s confidence.

Question 57

Italy summary

Answer 57

• From 1936, Italy makes pacts with Germany such as the Rome-Berlin Axis 1936, Pact of Steel 1939. Makes Hitler more confident.
• Fascist under Mussolini 1922
• Don’t fully trust each other.

Question 58

USSR summary

Answer 58

• Felt threatened an isolated in Europe BUT did make pact with France.
• Joined League in 1934 but met with suspicion and mistrust
• Civil war 1917-1922. Soviet Union communist.
• Signed Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939. Angered by British attitudes. Carve Poland. Hitler exploits divisions between Britain and Soviet Union.

Question 59

USA summary

Answer 59

• Not a member of League of Nations.
• Isolationism and disarmament.
• Neutrality Act 1937 increases Hitler’s confidence.

Question 60

Japan summary

Answer 60

• Anti-Comintern Pact 1937
• Mukden Incident. Japan left league.
• Useful for Hitler to have an ally the other side of the USSR.

Question 61

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Actions of other countries in revealing the fundamental weaknesses of the League

Answer 61

• The actions of other countries had revealed the fundamental weaknesses of the League of Nations in protecting its members (such as through disarmament) and encouraging cooperation between countries to settle disputes diplomatically (not militarily).
• e.g In September 1931, the Mukden Incident led to the Japanese takeover of Manchuria, China. The League of Nations protested but Japan ignored the organization and withdrew from the League in 1933.
• e.g In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). The League demanded that Italy leave and it did not. Instead, Italy, Britain and France signed the Hoare-Laval Pact independently of the League, which gave two-thirds of Abyssinia to Italy.

Question 62

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Italy

Answer 62

Mussolini’s response to the putsch of the Austrian Nazis in 1934 encouraged Hitler to back down, postpone Germany’s Anschluss with Austria, and revealed the importance of a German-Italian agreement for Hitler’s to pursue his foreign policy aims. In response, Hitler gave up all claims on the South Tyrol area of Austria after 1934 to encourage an alliance between the two nations. From 1936 (with the Spanish Civil War and signing of the Rome-Berlin Axis), Mussolini’s growing friendship with Hitler suggested that an agreement over Austria would be possible and provided Hitler with the opportunity to support the Austrian Nazi movement in 1938. Later, it was Mussolini who urged Hitler to negotiate the Munich Agreement of 1938. The Pact of Steel (1939) and Italy’s agreement to provide instant military support was an encouragement for Hitler to go to war. Germany was no longer isolated.

Question 63

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: USSR

Answer 63

The USSR was isolated in Europe by its communist ideology. The USSR suggested a variety of pacts and alliances to Western powers. France agreed to some (such as a non-aggression pact in 1932 and limited support in time of war in 1935), but Britain dragged its heels, not wanting a communist ally. It was the limited progress of Anglo-French negotiations with the USSR which encouraged Stalin to become increasingly convinced that the Western democracies had no real sympathy for the concerns of the USSR (the USSR was excluded from the negotiations of the Munich Agreement). This created a suitable atmosphere in which talks between the USSR and Germany were re-established in July 1939, leading to the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact the following month. Germany was no longer isolated.

Question 64

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: France

Answer 64

France’s appeasement policy increased Hitler’s confidence in his Eastern European aggression. While France had a large army, it had lost a quarter of its young men between the ages of 18 and 27 in World War One. The country also faced political difficulties. The government changed 11 times between 1932 and 1935, and strong communist and fascist parties had formed. All this, combined with economic problems, made France weak at home and abroad, and certain it could not win a war.

Question 65

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: USA

Answer 65

In the 1920s and 1930s, the USA followed a policy of isolationism and also of disarmament. The USA was neutral over the Abyssinian crisis and the Spanish Civil War. The very fact that the USA openly said it would not go to war in Europe, and produced a permanent Neutrality Act in 1937 to underline it, encouraged Hitler to go to war.

Question 66

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Britain

Answer 66

Britain’s attitude to Germany until 1939 was to avoid and alliance, but to pursue a course of appeasement in the hope of keeping peace and preserving the situation in Europe set up by the Treaty of Versailles. Britain’s appeasement policy encouraged Germany, Italy and Japan to seize more territory.

Question 67

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Britain and France

Answer 67

The actions of Britain and France suggested that they would not interfere militarily in territorial changes in eastern Europe. Because of this, Hitler appeared to believe that Britain and France would not go to war over Eastern Europe. He remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936, took Austria in 1938, negotiated concessions in Czechoslovakia, and overturned these concessions, without causing war.
e.g the British government did not see the Rhineland as a major issue – after all, it was legally Germany territory. Also, France had a general election pending and showed no inclination to intervene.

Question 68

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Japan

Answer 68

During the Mukden Incident (1931), Japan demonstrated the weakness of the League of Nations in directing international cooperation. Germany was also encouraged by the alliance with Japan and Italy (such as the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1936) to pursue more aggressive policies. Japan was an enemy of the USSR, positioned geographically on the other side of the USSR and, if the USSR decided to enter a war, Japan would be able to act against the USSR in the Far East.

Question 69

Evidence the actions of other nations were instrumental in the outbreak of WW2 in September 1939: Changing international atmosphere

Answer 69

Hitler seized the initiative to remilitarise the Rhineland in March 1936 in response to the changing international atmosphere.
E.g. Mussolini’s act of war by invading Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935 violated the policies of the League of Nations and destroyed Italy’s relationship with Britain and France. The event revealed the impotence of the League and focused Anglo-French diplomacy on Italy, the aggressor.

Question 70

Appeasement of Britain and France

Answer 70

• Britain and France adopted this policy due to domestic problems (overcoming the depression/desire to avoid another world war).
• France was having political problems at home.
• Many in Britain believed that the T of V had been too harsh and therefore supported Hitler’s desire to overturn the T of V - (Anglo-German Naval Agreement).
• Britain wanted time to prepare for war.
• Britain and FR were therefore prepared to allow Germany to expand into the Sudetenland the Rhineland and Anschluss

Question 70

Appeasement of Britain and France

Answer 70

• Britain and France adopted this policy due to domestic problems (overcoming the depression/desire to avoid another world war).
• France was having political problems at home.
• Many in Britain believed that the T of V had been too harsh and therefore supported Hitler’s desire to overturn the T of V - (Anglo-German Naval Agreement).
• Britain wanted time to prepare for war.
• Britain and France were therefore prepared to allow Germany to expand into the Sudetenland, Rhineland and Anschluss.

Question 71

Example of other influence affecting the move towards war

Answer 71

World economy/depression

Question 72

How did the depression that began in the USA after the 1929 Wall Street Crash contribute to the Second World War?

Answer 72

The depression that began in the USA after the 1929 Wall Street Crash hit economies worldwide, creating problems that governments found difficult to deal with.

The resulting discontent led to growing support for extreme left or right wing political movements and helped parties such as the Nazis take power.

The depression also made countries more inward looking. They traded less, they couldn’t afford to buy as much and sold less because other countries were in the same position.

Britain set up favourable trade agreements with its colonies, which it kept when the economy began to recover. This meant it did not set up trade links with the new Eastern European countries, leaving them more likely to trade with Germany or the USSR.

Question 73

How did the depression that began in the USA after the 1929 Wall Street Crash affect Britain, which affected the move towards the war?

Answer 73

Britain set up favourable trade agreements with its colonies, which it kept when the economy began to recover. This meant it did not set up trade links with the new Eastern European countries, leaving them more likely to trade with Germany or the USSR.

Question 74

How did the Second World War nearly begin in 1938, not 1939?

Answer 74

France, Yugoslavia and Romania had signed a mutual aid treaty with Czechoslovakia. For a while it seemed they would fight to honour it.

War was averted at the Munich Conference, where Hitler agreed Germany’s territorial expansion would stop with the Sudetenland.

Question 75

What did Mussolini tell Hitler to do regarding Czechoslovakia?

Answer 75

Asked Hitler not to invade Czechoslovakia, but to negotiate.