Origins and Outbreak of WW2 Flashcards

1
Q

Why was there a rise in extremist dictatorship?

A

The Great Depression caused a lot of havoc. People welcomed a strong government who promised to put things right, leading to a rise of dictators. They also relied on them for protection against the communist revolution, and the expansion of countries. This lead to leaders such as Hitler’s popularity skyrocketing

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2
Q

What were the effects of the Great Depression?

A
  • vast unemployment
  • homelessness
  • starvation
  • lack of trust in the government
  • demands for change
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3
Q

What caused the Great Depression?

A

October 1929: Wall Street Crash and all loans that the US had given out were called for immediate repayment

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4
Q

What were Hitler’s aims?

A
  • Lebensraum
  • Overturn Versailles
  • Unite German Speakers (Volksdeutche)
  • Destroy communism
  • Rearmament
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5
Q

What was lebensraum?

A

German term for ‘living space’; to get the land he wanted, Hitler would have to invade other countries - an act of war

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6
Q

What was volksdeutche?

A

Uniting German speakers, it included Anschluss

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7
Q

What was Anschluss?

A

Reuniting Germany and Austria

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8
Q

What acronym could be used to remember Hitler’s aims?

A

LOUDER

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9
Q

What happened at the 1933 Rearmament conference?

A

Hitler claimed that he will disarm if everyone else did. When France disagreed, Hitler stormed out and pulled Germany out of the League

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10
Q

Who was the Austrian Chancellor in 1934?

A

Englebert Dollfuss

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11
Q

What did Dolfuss do to avoid Anschluss?

A

Banned the Nazi party in Austria

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12
Q

What was the Dolfuss affair?

A

Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to wreck havoc and they assasinated Dolfuss, because he banned the Nazi Party in Austria

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13
Q

When was the Saarland plebiscite held?

A

13 January 1935

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14
Q

What were the results of the Saarland plebiscite?

A

90% voted to rejoin Germany over France, which Hitler used as propoganda

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15
Q

When did Hitler announce that he had rebuilt the German army?

A

March 1935

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16
Q

What else did Hitler announce at the same time as announcing the reintroduction of the German Army?

A
  • he reintroduced conscription
  • he built the luftwaffe
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17
Q

When did the Anglo-German agreement occur?

A

June 1935

18
Q

What did the Anglo German Naval agreement settle on?

A

Hitler was allowed to rebuild the German navy to 35% of the size of the British navy

19
Q

What was the Rome Berlin axis?

A

An informal agreement between Italy and Germany to work together more

20
Q

When did the Rome Berlin axis occur?

A

1936

21
Q

What was the Anti Comintern Pact?

A

Germany, Japan and Italy signed a pact against communists, neither country would enter in an alliance with a communist country

22
Q

When was the Anti Comintern pact finalised?

A

1937

23
Q

Define appeasement

A

The policy of giving into some of the demands of a potentially hostile nation, in hopes of maintaining peace

24
Q

What were the arguments for appeasement?

A
  • people still remembered WW1 and wanted peace
  • British armed forces were already stretched by military commitments in the Empire + weren’t ready for another war
  • Politicians in other countries admired Hitler’s success - he had improved the economy and had built an impressive new infrastructure, so they didn’t want to fight him
  • the British feared communism, a strong Germany = barrier against the USSR
  • If Britain went to war, they wouldn’t be guaranteed support from USA and France
25
Q

What was the argument against appeasement?

A
  • Hitler became more and more demanding as time went on. He began asking for lands with a significant German population, eg: Saar, but later threatened countries were this wasn’t the case
  • Some politicians of the time warned of the dangers of appeasement. Churchill warned that a rearmed Germany was a threat
  • Hitler proved that he couldn’t be trusted to keep his promises and that he would use violence
  • Opportunities to stop Hitler when he was weak such as during the remiliterisation of rhineland
  • Appeasement is morally wrong
26
Q

When did the Sudetenland Crisis occur?

A

1938

27
Q

Where is the Sudetenland?

A

It was a part of Western Czechoslovakia which had a large minority population of Germans

28
Q

What happened during the Sudetenland Crisis?

A
  • May 1918: Nazis demand that the Sudetenland should become a part of Germany. Hitler moved their troops to the border and threatened war
  • Benes, the Czech leader, was ready to fight
  • Britain, France and the USSR had agreed to support Czechoslovakia if Hitler invaded
  • Conference called the Munich Agreement was held, in which the following was agreed
    The Sudetenland would be given to Germany if Hitler agreed not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia
  • This bought time for Britain to rearm.
  • Czechoslovakia and the USSR weren’t consulted on this decision
29
Q

When did Germany invade the whole of Czechoslovakia?

A

15 March 1939

30
Q

How did the invasion of Czechoslovakia strengthen Germany?

A
  • large Czech army removed as a threat
  • Czech airfields in the range of many German cities were now lost
  • Czech armament industry was now Germany’s
31
Q

How did the Czech invasion result in the end of appeasement?

A
  • proved Hitler was lying in the Munich Agreement
  • Hitler had taken non German land - Czechs weren’t Germans
  • Britain and France did nothing but appeasement had ended
32
Q

When was the Nazi Soviet Pact finalised?

A

23 August 1939

33
Q

What was the Nazi Soviet Pact?

A

An agreement between Hitler and Stalin not to attack each other

34
Q

What were the German benefits of the Nazi Soviet Pact?

A
  • invasion of Poland without facing a war on both fronts. Britain and France promised to protect Poland but the USSR would no longer interfere
  • USSR no longer Britain and France’s ally
  • USSR’s massive army no longer a threat to Germany
  • To gain territory without an actual fight
  • Poland could act as a buffer to stop attacks from the West
35
Q

What were the benefits of the Nazi Soviet pact to the USSR?

A
  • Stalin felt betrayed by Britain and France
  • he thought that B + F were being weak by appeasing Hitler and realised that he could not trust them if the USSR invaded
  • B + F sent minor diplomats to meet with Stalin, whereas Hitler sent a senior Nazi, which showed more respect
  • Hitler agreed that Stalin would gain Polish territory without actually fighting
  • Becoming allies gave Stalin time to prepare in case of an invasion
  • land in Poland would act as a buffer to stop attacks from the West
36
Q

When did Hitler invade Poland?

A

1st September 1939

37
Q

Describe the initial German attack on Poland

A

A German battleship attacked Danzig whilst the German army and Luftwaffe descended on Poland

38
Q

When did Britain sent Germany the ultimatum?

A

3rd September 1939

39
Q

Describe the British ultimatum sent to Germany

A

Stated that Germany should leave Poland but 11:00 am or Britain would declare war. Hitler sent no reply, so Britain and France declared war

40
Q

Why is Hitler responsible for the outbreak of world war two?

A
  • He wanted new land for Germany from other countries
  • he was prepared to bully and fight to get what he wanted, eg.: Austria
  • had an aggressive foreign policy
  • rearmed Germany to become a military power, suggesting that he always intended to go to war with the rest of Europe
41
Q

What was Chamberlain’s role in the outbreak of the second world war?

A
  • missed opportunities to stop Hitler, due to appeasement
  • Hitler was encouraged by the fact that Chamberlain kept giving him what he wanted → pushed him to invade Poland (immediate cause of war)
  • excluded Stalin from Munich Conference, therefore alienating him and prompting him to sign the Nazi Soviet Pact
42
Q

What is Stalin’s role in the outbreak of the second world war?

A
  • signed the Nazi Soviet Pact, despite Hitler wanting to destroy communism + gave Hitler Poland
  • size of USSR’s army meant that Germany had a powerful ally
  • Pact meant no war on two fronts, Hitler could easily invade Poland