Impact Of War On Life On The Home Front Flashcards
What was the policy the British government had towards Germany for most of the 1930’s? (1 point)
Appeasement
What was appeasement? (1 point and an example)
- Trying to avoid a war by negotiation and compromise.
- Britain appeased Germany when they kept breaking the treaty of Versailles.
Explain why the British government followed a policy of appeasement during the 1930’s? (3 points)
- People did not want another war like WW1
- Britain could not afford a war
- Some British politicians thought that the treaty of Versailles had been too harsh on Germany
What was Anschluss in 1938? (3 points)
-The union of Germany and Austria that was forbidden by the treaty of Versailles.
-German troops marched into Austria in March 1938.
-They were invited in by Austrian Nazis.
Britain and France protested but did nothing to stop it.
What was the Sudetenland? (2 points)
- An area of Czechoslovakia that Hitler wanted after the Anschluss.
- The area had many German speakers.
Explain why the Munich Conference in September 1938 was important? (3 points)
- Chamberlain managed to avoid a war by giving in to Hitler and giving Germany the Sudetenland.
- Most people in Britain saw Chamberlain as a hero at the time showing that they supported the policy of appeasement.
- The agreement delayed war,. giving Britain more time to build up its army and air force.
How important was the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939? (3 points)
- Very important
- It showed that Hitler could not be trusted because he had ripped up the Munich Agreement.
- It arguably marked the end of the British policy of appeasement because Britain finally said that if Germany invaded Poland then Britain would declare war on Germany.
What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact? (2 points)
- This was signed by Hitler of Germany and Stalin of Russia in August 1939.
- They agreed not to attack each other and to both invade and share Poland.
Why was there a gap of a day between Germany invading Poland on Sept 1 1939 and Britain declaring war on Sept 3? (1 point)
Britain gave Hitler a final ultimatum to remove it’s troops, Germany did not reply.
How prepared was Britain for war in 1939? (3 well developed points)
Navy - This was quite well equipped with enough ships to defend the Britain.
Air Force - The RAF had very good fighter planes (spitfire and hurricane) but more needed to be built and more pilots needed to be trained. RADAR was a new invention and a big advantage for Britain. Bombers were effective, but more needed to be built.
Army - Conscription was only brought in May 1939. The army did not have enough trained soldiers or tanks.
Who was the British Prime minister at the start of WW2?
Neville Chamberlain
What was the “phoney war”? (2 points)
- The period of WW2 from Sept 1939 to April 1940 when virtually nothing happened.
- It ended when Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940.
Who became Prime Minister in May 1940?
Winston Churchill
How important was the battle of Britain?
Who won? and why? (3)
Very important
- This was when the German Luftwaffe tried to destroy the British RAF in the summer of 1940.
- Germany knew they had to do this if they were going to invade Britain by sea.
- The RAF won the battle and so save Britain from invasion.
- The main reasons for Britain winning were RADAR, the superior Spitfire and Hurricane fighters together with the skill of the pilots and the fact that German fighters could not stay in the air as long without having to go back to France to refuel.
