Nazi Germany expands, Appeasement, nazi soviet pact, International peace collapse Flashcards
What did Hitler do to expand Nazi-Germany?
He defies the treaty of Versailles by sending German troops into the Rhineland on 1 March 1936. He takes a huge risk as the French army could easily have outnumbered the German forces.
Why did the British and French not act?
- France was in the middle of a difficult election campaign which made it difficult for them to act. They also needed British support before taking any action.
- Many British approved of what Hitler had done; this was German territory, and they thought the German army had a right to be there.
What was the importance of the Rhineland occupation?
1) It demonstrated that western democracies, like Britain and France, were not prepared to stand up to Germany and defend the treaty of Versailles.
2) It showed key divisions between France and Britain that Hitler could exploit.
3) Hitler took advantage of the fact that Britain and France were reluctant to get involved in any more conflicts after the Abyssinian crisis.
Why did Hitler want to invade Austria?
He wanted all German-speaking nations of Europe to be apart of Germany which is why he wanted Germany to reunite with Austria.
What did Hitler do to take over Austria?
The Austrian leader Schuschnigg met with Hitler. Hitler demanded that Austrian Nazis be allowed to join the Austrian government and be given control of law and order. Schuschnigg agreed to these terms as he was concerned about Hitlers threat of force.
What happened On March 9 1938 which Hitler did not like causing him to invade Austria?
Schuschnigg called a referendum to decide if Austrians wanted their country to remain independent. Hitler was outraged by this. German troops invaded Austria on 12 March unopposed. Hitler now had control of Austria.
Why did the British and French not act during the invasion of Austria?
- The French government resigned two days before Germanys invasion of Austria. They were not in a position to oppose the invasion.
- The British were against the idea of another European war. Germany uniting with Austria was not seen as a threat to Britain. Both Austria and Germany were German-speaking nations so it made sense for them to unify.
What was the consequence of Anschluss (Germany uniting with Austria)?
- Germany added 7 million people and an army of 100,000 ti its reich.
- The balance of power in south-eastern Europe shifted in favour of Germany increasing their influence in the Balkans.
- Czechoslovakia was now surrounded on three fonts by Germany.
What were Hitlers intentions with Czechoslovakia?
Hitler wanted to use the Sudeten Germans to create trouble in Czechoslovakia and, as he had in the Rhineland and Austria, use this as a reason for invading and restoring order.
His intention was to invade the whole country rather than a small part of Czechoslovakia. He viewed the Czechs and Slovaks as (subhuman)
Why did the British and French not support this is Czechoslovakia?
- Britain had no treaty in Czechoslovakia, leaders of the British armed forces could not see any way that Britain could help.
- France had signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia offering military support if attacked by Germany. But a change in government meant that France was not keen to go to war with Germany over Czechoslovakia.
- When representatives from a few European countries met at Munich Germany to discuss the Sudetenland problem. Neither the Czechs not their allies Russia were consulted. Hitler promised peace in Europe for Sudetenland. The Czechs had to either accept of face the German army alone. They accepted.
Partition of Czechoslovakia?
- Gemany entered the Sudetenland on October 1st 1938. Hitler now had control of the Czech fortifications and this would make his next act of aggression much easier.
- Czechoslovakia was further divided when, encouraged by Hitler, Hungary took control of the region of Ruthenia and Poland claimed Teshen.
- Czech military effectiveness had been fatally weakened. Britain and France had lost the help of a strong ally for the sake of a few months to rearm their forces.
- Russia was offended at being left out and more suspicious of Britain and France.
What does appeasement mean?
The policy of giving in to your principles and granting concessions to your enemies in order to avoid war.
What four factors led Chamberlain to believe in appeasement?
Chamberlain was. described as a pacifist and was traumatised by ww1. He was a believer in talk and negotiations.
Chamberlain thought that an aggressive policy towards Germany would split the British empire.
America was is no position to fight and were not too concerned with European affairs. British leaders had been convinced that soviet military help against Germany was of little use.
Appeasement would give Britain more time to rearm. Hitler wondered if he had not made a mistake and felt cheated by the Munich deal.
Why did Hitler sign the nazi soviet pack?
He hated communism but knew he had to make a deal with Stalin as he wanted a secure victory with Poland.
He wanted to prepare and plan a much larger was in the future against USSR.
Why did Stalin sign the Nazi-soviet pack?
Stalin did not trust Hitler. He knew in the future Hitler would attempt to involve the USSR.
He wanted to buy up time to prepare the USSR for war.
