Outbreak Of WWII Flashcards
What were the aims of Hitler’s foreign policies?
-Abolish the treaty of Versailles
- Lebensraum (living space in Eastern Europe)
- Build a greater German Reich
- Defeat Communism
What land did Hitler want?
RHINELAND
- Getting this back would start to break terms of Versailles
THE POLISH ‘CORRIDOR’
- The Polish corridor cut Germany into two and separated it from East Prussia. It also contained Danzig which was a powerful port controlled by the LoN
AUSTRIA
- Austria was a wealthy nations made up of 8 million german-speaking people many of which wanted to unite with Germany.
THE SUDETENLAND
- Was the richest part of Czechoslovakia and contained coal and copper mines, power stations, good farming land and the Skoda arms works (biggest in Europe)
- 3 million people that lived there were Germany speaking as before the war it was part of the Austrian empire.
What happened at the disarmament conference ?
- 1932 the LoN began a major conference discussing international disarmament.
- Germany was in attendance as it had been in the league since 1926
- The conference was still in session when Hitler came into power in 1933 and he claimed he wanted world peace and claimed that Germany would disarm if all nations did the same .
- Hitler knew France would refuse and used this as an excuse to leave the conference and the LoN and claimed that Germany would not be treated differently to other nations
- After this Germany began to rearm in secret
What was the Ten-Year Non-Aggression Pact ?
-A pact with Poland made 1934
- This pact guaranteed the borders of Poland as drawn up by the peace treaties.
- Hitler did this to give the impression that he was not a threat to other countries.
What happened when Hitler announced that he was rearming and when he reintroduced conscription?
- By 1935, Hitler had a new airforce with 2,500 aircraft and an army of 300,000 men.
- 1935 he announced that Germany was rearming and would introduce conscription and its army would increase to 550,000 men
- In response to this Britain , Italy and France signed the Stresa Front condemning Hitler for his actions.
What was the Anglo-German Naval agreement
- 1935, an agreement between Britain and Germany which stated that Germany would be allowed to build up its navy to 35% of Britains navy with no submarines
- This meant that they could go further than the treaty of Versailles
What happened during the occupation of the Rhineland?
- During the Abyssinian crisis in 1936, Hitler ordered the German army to reoccurs the Rhineland.
- A combined force of 10,000 soldiers and 22,700 armed police marched into the Rhineland on the 7th March .
- France did not act against them as they were going through serious political difficulties and Britain viewed it as Germany , ‘ moving into their own backyard’
- Hitler later revealed that German soldiers had orders not to shoot if they were opposed by British or French troops but they were left unchallenged.
What were the consequences of the Rhineland ?
- Breaks Treaty of Versailles
- Perlude to the Rome - Berlin axis
- Germany no longer vulnerable on its western border and allows Hitler to peruse aggressive actions in Europe
- Hitler gained confidence that Br and Fr would not act
- Discredits LoN
What was the Saar Plebiscite ?
- January 1935 the Saar was returned to Germany after 15 years.
- About 90% of people voted to be part of Germany.
What were Hitlers attempts at an Anschluss with Austria ?
- 1934 the Austrian Counsellor, Dollfuss, had been murdered and the Austrian Nazis urged Hitler to seize power. However he was forced to back down when Mussolini sent Italian troops to the Austrian border.
- 1938 - following the Abyssinian crisis Hitler and Mussolini were allies which meant no one could object to an Anschluss. The nazi party acted :
-Austrian Nazi party stirred up trouble and Hitler pressures Schusnigg to appoint Seys-Inquart as Interior Minister .
-Schusigg attempted to call a plebiscite but Hitler threatened to invade. - Schussig forced to resign and Seys-Inquat requested German troops to enter Austria
- Hitler called a plebiscite and 99% voted for a union
- Austria was renamed Ostmark
What were the consequences of the Anschluss?
- Another key terms of Versailles broken
- Germany more powerful
- Western parts of Czechoslovakia surrounded by Germany/ Austria
- Sudetenland vulnerable
- Achieving a Germany- Speaking Reich
- Access to the Austrian economy, troops and resources
- Increased Hitlers confidence AGAIN
- Strengthened alliance between Hitler and Mussolini
What happened with the Sudetenland and the Munich agreement?
- 1938 - Hitler ordered Henlein to make demands and to stir up trouble in Czechoslovakia
- Hitler threatened to invade to protect the German- speaking people
- Chamberlain flew over to have crisis talks with Hitler
- There is a meeting at Munich that included Britain , France , Italy and Germany but no Czechoslovakia nor the soviets and it is agreed to give the Sudetenland to Germany
- Hitler promised it was the last demand in Europe and Br and Fr agreed to talk and not fight.
What were the consequences of the Munich agreement ?
- Contributes to German speaking Reich, destroying the ToV and moves east for Lebensraum
- Germany gains lots of resources
- Soviets no longer trust Br and Fr as potential allies
- Made Fr and Br look very weak and gave Hitler confidence to do whatever he wanted
- Czechoslovakia left vulnerable as it’s lost its border defences
- Br accelerated in rearmament
What was wrong with appeasement ?
- It allowed Germany to grow too strong
- It encouraged Hitlers aggression
- It scared the USSR
- It put too much trust in Hitler
Why did Britain follow the policy of ‘Appeasement’?
- Hitler is standing up to communism
- The USA won’t support Britain if they stand up to Hitler
- Hitler was right about the ToV being unfair
- Britains own economy was more important
- Britain was not ready for war
- Britain did not want to repeat the horrors of the Great War
