International Relations 1918-39 - The Outbreak of War

Question 1

Why did the Second World War break out in 1939?

Answer 1

Long-term resentment caused by the post-war treaties.
The failure of the League of Nations.
Hitler’s foreign policy and the actions of Germany.
The impact of the Depression after 1929.
The rise of political extremism.
Failure to stop aggressive countries.

Question 2

How did Hitler’s actions lead to the Second World War?

Answer 2

Between 1933 and 1939, Hitler’s actions went largely unchallenged by the international community and, as a result, he gradually became more and more aggressive.

Question 3

What were Hitler’s actions in 1933?

Answer 3

• Germany refused to make any more reparations payments.
• Germany left the League of Nations.
• Germany walked out of the World Disarmament Conference.
• Germany began to rearm in secret.

Question 4

What were Hitler’s actions in 1934?

Answer 4

• Hitler needed the security of a non-aggression pact with Poland, signed in January.
• During July, Hitler attempted to unite Germany with Austria (Anschluss) after he encouraged Austrian Nazis to rebel, and assassinate Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian chancellor.

Question 5

What were Hitler’s actions in 1935?

Answer 5

• In January 1935, the Saar plebiscite returned a 90% result in favour of the region returning to Germany. This was legal and in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, but was seen as a victory for the Nazis.
• In March 1935, Germany announced the reintroduction of conscription and the building of a military airforce, the Luftwaffe. Britain, France and Italy formed the Stresa Front in protest.
• In June 1935, Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Germany, allowing it to build a navy that was an agreed proportion of the size of Britain’s.
• In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia. Germany continued to trade with Italy despite the League of Nations’ economic sanctions

Question 6

What were Hitler’s actions in 1936?

Answer 6

• In March 1936, nineteen German battalions marched into the demilitarised Rhineland, in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles.
• In July 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out between the left-wing government and the right-wing General Franco. Germany sent troops to assist Franco.
• In November 1936, Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan, promising to work against the spread of communism and ensuring that neither would ally with the USSR.
• Following a speech by Mussolini in November 1936, Germany and Italy held an informal alliance called the Rome-Berlin Axis.

Question 7

What were Hitler’s actions in 1937?

Answer 7

• Hitler took the Spanish Civil War as an opportunity to test new Luftwaffe aircraft during the bombing of Guernica in 1937.
• In November 1937, Germany allied more closely with Italy when Italy signed the Anti-Comintern Pact.
• Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Britain. He pursued a proactive policy of appeasement.
• In 1937, Germany’s ally Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China.

Question 8

What were Hitler’s actions in 1938?

Answer 8

• In February and March, Hitler was successful in forcing a union between Austria and Germany. This was called Anschluss.
• He threatened to seize the Sudetenland in May 1938, but backed down at the prospect of war with the USSR and France, as well as Czechoslovakia.
• In September 1938, Hitler met with British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, and demanded the return of the Sudetenland, leading to the Munich Conference.
• The Munich Conference was held in late September 1938 between France, Italy, Germany and Britain. It was decided to allow Germany to extend into the Sudetenland.
• After the Munich Conference, Britain and Germany signed a non-aggression pact.

Question 9

What were Hitler’s actions in 1939?

Answer 9

• In March 1939, German forces invaded Bohemia and Moravia, the remaining Czechoslovakian territories.
• In response to the invasion of Czechoslovakia, Britain and France offered a guarantee to protect Poland if it was attacked.
• In May 1939, Germany and Italy signed the Pact of Steel. Japan would join this formal alliance in 1940.
• In August 1939, the USSR and Germany signed a non-aggression pact called the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
• On 1st September 1939, Germany invaded Poland.
• After Germany ignored their ultimatum, Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939. The Second World War had begun.

Question 10

What was Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 10

Hitler promised to make Germany great again, to solve the problems of unemployment and ‘right the wrongs of the Treaty of Versailles’. His foreign policy aims were designed to help him achieve this.

Question 11

What were the key aims of Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 11

• Hitler wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles. He thought the treaty humiliated Germany.
• Hitler wanted to take living space in the east. This was called Lebensraum.
• Hitler wanted to unite people with German blood and create a greater Germany. This was called Volksdeutsche.
• The Treaty of Versailles forbid Austria and Germany uniting. Hitler wanted Anschluss - the reuniting of Germany and Austria.
• Hitler wanted to rearm Germany and create jobs in munitions factories and the army. He thought this would make Germany great again.
• Hitler saw communism as an enemy and wanted to destroy it. He linked communism to Jews and thought they were ruining Germany.

Question 12

What actions resulted from Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 12

• Leaving the League of Nations in 1933.
• Defying the Treaty of Versailles from 1933.
• Rearming Germany from 1933.
• Threatening Austrian independence by supporting a coup by Austrian Nazis and attempting Anschluss in 1934.
• Signing the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935.
• Leading a strong campaign in the Saar plebiscite of 1935.

Question 13

What were the problems with Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 13

• If Hitler was to achieve Lebensraum (Living Room) he would have to invade other nations and this would be seen an act of war.
• If Hitler was to destroy communism he would need to destroy the USSR - a powerful and strong nation that would not surrender to Hitler.
• If Hitler was to achieve Volksdeutsche and reunite all German-speaking peoples he would have to take over land that was not German.
• If Hitler was to rearm Germany this would break the Treaty of Versailles, and other nations like France would question his motives and wonder why he needed to rearm.

Question 14

How did Hitler react to the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 14

As soon as he came to power, Hitler demonstrated his disdain for the Versailles Settlement.

Question 15

How did Hitler respond to the reparations of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 15

Germany refused to make any more reparation payments after Hitler took power.

Question 16

What did Hitler do about the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 16

Germany walked out of the World Disarmament Conference in 1933, and began to secretly rearm.

Question 17

What did Hitler do about the League of Nations?

Answer 17

To Hitler, the League of Nations represented the hated Versailles settlement. Germany left the League of Nations in November 1933, after a plebiscite on the question, in which 95.1% of Germans agreed to leave.

Question 18

What did Hitler do about rearmament?

Answer 18

As soon as Hitler became leader of Germany, the country began to rearm.

Question 19

How did Hitler stop German disarmament before rearming?

Answer 19

Germany walked out of the World Disarmament Conference in October 1933, following a disagreement over French disarmament.

Question 20

How did Hitler rearm Germany?

Answer 20

From 1933, Germany was rearming in secret.
In March 1935, Hitler announced the reintroduction of conscription and his intention to build up an army of 36 divisions.
1935 also saw the foundation of an official German military airforce, the Reich Luftwaffe.
Hitler expanded the German navy to include submarines, and created a new naval force called the Kriegsmarine in 1935.

Question 21

How did other countries react to Hitler’s rearmament of Germany?

Answer 21

• Britain, France and Italy responded by forming the Stresa Front in protest against Germany’s actions.
• Soviet Russia responded by signing non-aggression pacts with both France and Czechoslovakia.

Question 22

What was the reaction of other countries to Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 22

Hitler was very open about the fact that he wanted to rebuild Germany, and the only way he thought this could be done was through war. Britain, France, the USA and the USSR, all reacted differently to Hitler’s actions.

Question 23

What was Britain’s reaction to Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 23

Neville Chamberlain for much of the period leading to war thought that Hitler didn’t really want war, and took a placatory approach to Hitler’s foreign policy, known as Appeasement.

Question 24

What were the reasons for Britain’s reaction to Hitler’s foreign policy

Answer 24

• Many British people were still scarred by war and didn’t want another, so they were happy to turn a blind eye to Hitler’s actions.
• Opinions about the Treaty of Versailles were now different. People now felt that it had been too severe, so felt Hitler’s foreign policy was fair, and he should be able to reverse the treaty.
• Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR in 1934, so people saw this as an indication that Hitler didn’t want war.
• It was thought that a strong Germany could help stop the expansion of communism.
• Not everyone agreed with a more lenient approach to Hitler. Winston Churchill thought appeasement was a mistake.

Question 25

What was the impact of the international reaction to Hitler’s foreign policy?

Answer 25

The impact of this on international relations was that Hitler’s actions were allowed to go unchecked and he grew in confidence. This was the beginning of the road to war.

Question 26

What was appeasement?

Answer 26

Appeasement is the deliberate policy of giving concessions to an aggressive country in order that it will be satisfied and avoid conflict. Britain, followed by France, increasingly took this approach with Germany, Italy and Japan from 1935 onwards.

Question 27

What was the idea of the policy of appeasement?

Answer 27

The Treaty of Versailles shaped the idea of appeasement. People felt what Hitler was asking for was reasonable, given the harshness of the treaty against Germany. They believed once Germany was given back what it had lost, Hitler would stop and war would be avoided.

Question 28

What were the reasons that people followed the policy of appeasement?

Answer 28

The key reasons for following appeasement included the suffering experienced in the First World War; people wanted peace. Countries could not afford another war, and people felt the Treaty of Versailles was unfair on Germany.

Question 29

Who was responsible for the policy of appeasement?

Answer 29

Appeasement began under the British Prime Ministers, Ramsay MacDonald and Stanley Baldwin (who signed the Anglo-German Naval Treaty). Neville Chamberlain was most proactive in addressing German grievances and is seen as the figurehead of the policy.

Question 30

What were Churchill’s views on the policy of appeasement?

Answer 30

Winston Churchill was a British politician at the time, who later became prime minister as an opponent of appeasement. He said ‘an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last’. Churchill was confident Hitler would not stop.

Question 31

Why was the policy of appeasement abandoned in 1939?

Answer 31

• In March 1939 Germany invaded the Czechoslovakian territories of Bohemia and Moravia, despite its guarantees at Munich.
• This showed Hitler would not be content with merely righting the wrongs of Versailles.
• Instead, he was actively aiming to conquer new territory to which Germany had no claim.
• It was clear to the western powers that Hitler’s aim was to dominate Europe and rule it by force.

Question 32

What was the consequences of the appeasement policy?

Answer 32

Many people have argued that the policy of appeasement meant several opportunities to stop Hitler, and therefore avoid war, were missed; for example, the reoccupation of the Rhineland. Hitler himself said he would have stood down if he met opposition.

Question 33

What was the significance of the policy of appeasement?

Answer 33

The policy of appeasement was significant due to the role it played in the causes of the Second World War. At the time it had many critics and historians have since argued that the policy served to make Hitler stronger over time and ultimately led to the Second World War.