Interwar Years Flashcards
Identify two causes of WWII and explain how one led to war.
Two causes of WWII was the Great Depression, and the rise of totalitarian governments. This was a major cause because not only did the US go into a depression state, the whole world did. Now that many nations were economically unstable, dictators like Adolf Hitler, could rise to power and create conflict.
In 1923, Adolf Hitler, the future leader of Nazi Germany, declared:
The day must come when a German government shall summon up the courage to declare to the foreign powers:
“The Treaty of Versailles is founded on a monstrous lie.” We fulfill nothing more. Do what you
will! If you want battle, look for it!
Source: Adolf Hitler,
Speech of August 1, 1923,
reprinted at www.nizkor.org
This excerpt would help support which thesis?
Hitler used resentment toward the Treaty of Versailles to gain power.
As a result of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany lost all its overseas colonies in Africa.
How did the loss of these colonies contribute to the outbreak of World War II?
The Nazis exploited German resentment of their colonial losses by engaging in territorial expansion in Europe.
Which of the following represents an economic effect of World War I?
The United States emerges as the world’s wealthiest nation.
The Great Depression began with the crash of the American stock market in 1929. However, it spread quickly to other developed countries. What was the effect of the Great Depression on Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan?
Dictators came to power in countries suffering economic collapse
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the rise of totalitarian governments in Germany, Italy, and Spain was largely the result of
severe economic and social problems that arose in Europe after World War I
The Treaty of Versailles was supposed to resolve the conflicts of WWI, but failed. Why?
The treaty only wanted to punish Germany. The treaty had no real set action to fix the bigger problems in the cause of the war.
The Treaty of Versailles was designed primarily to punish Germany for its responsibility for World War I. In what way did the treaty hurt the German economy?
It forced Germany to pay a huge sum of money for war damages
Identify two characteristics of fascism.
Extreme nationalism and one party rule
In his book Mein Kampf, Hitler outlined his political objectives which included…
the abolishment of the Treaty of Versailles, the defeat of Communism, territorial expansion.
Which of the following was the main goal of the French during the Paris Peace Conference?
To crush Germany completely
The Weimar Republic was established in Germany following World War I. An important factor leading to the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazi dictatorship that took Germany into World War II was…
the economic burden of war reparations (payments) to Germany’s former enemies.
What was one reason the Nazi programs and policies of the early 1930’s appealed to many people in Germany?
the people were frustrated with their current economic and political situation
This added to the death toll of World War One resulting in 50,000,000 more deaths globally?
Flu pandemic of 1918
The political cartoon above identifies a reason why the League of Nations became a cause of WWII. Which of the following statements best explains the political cartoon’s message concerning the League of Nations and how it was unable to prevent WWII?
The League of Nations lacked the membership of a strong and politically stable United States.
After World War I, the League of Nations was created to help resolve international conflicts before they led to war.
What did Japan’s successful invasion of Manchuria in 1931 indicate about the ability of the League of Nations to prevent World War II?
The League had little power to stop acts of aggression.
Britain and France suffered heavy casualties during World War I. Because of this, when faced with Axis (German, Italian, Japanese) expansion before World War II, these countries were…
unwilling to take actions that might start another war.
Which of the following best represents the number of casualties as a direct result of World War I?
35,000,000
The League of Nations was created after World War I as a forum for resolving international conflicts. However, the League was largely unsuccessful at this task. One factor that contributed to the ineffectiveness of the League was the
Decision of the U.S. not to join the League
World War II officially started two days after the German invasion of Poland on this date?
September 3, 1939
