Part 3 : the origins and outbreak to WW2 Flashcards
1
Q
what is a way to remember hitler’s foreign policy aims?
A
- his demands grew ‘LOUDeR’
- L - lebensraum
- O - overturn versailles
- U - unite german speaking people in a greater germany (including anschluss)
- De - Destroy communism
- R - rearmament
2
Q
why did britain and france let hitler get away with overturning the treaty of versailles?
A
they did not want to start another war
3
Q
even though it was international law, B+F let hitler get away with overturning the treaty because…
A
- rearmament
- harshness of the tofv
- threat of communism
- the great depression
- horrors of WW1
4
Q
what policy did britain and france follow from 1937?
A
appeasement - they tried to give hitler what he wanted in the hope of preventing a war
5
Q
why did britain and france need time for rearmament?
A
their armies were not big enough to fight and win a war
6
Q
why did the threat of communism encourage B+F to appease hitler?
A
they were concerned about the USSR and thought hitler could be a valuable ally against communism
7
Q
why did the great depression encourage B+F to appease hitler?
A
countries couldn’t afford to go to war during the Depression and their governments were preoccupied with problems at home
8
Q
what was the reaction of the USSR to hitler’s foreign policy aims?
A
- joseph stalin was worried by hitler’s determination to destroy communism
- by 1935, he was willing to put aside concerns about B+F in order to sign a mutual assistance treaty with france
- stalin would work with the allies to protect the USSR from hitler
9
Q
what was the reaction of the USA to hitler’s foreign policy aims?
A
- USA followed a policy of isolationism during the depression
- 1934 - a poll said that 70% of americans did not want to get involved if a second war in europe broke out
10
Q
when did the second world war break out?
A
early september 1939
11
Q
what were the five events which led to war?
A
- 1933 - hitler storming out of the disarmament conference
- 1934 - the dolfuss affair
- 13th january 1935 - the Saar plebiscite
- march 1935 - rearmament
- june 1935 - anglo german naval agreement
12
Q
when did hitler leave the disarmament conference?
A
1933
13
Q
describe hitler leaving the disarmament conference.
A
- the league of nations held a conference encouraging all nations to disarm
- when hitler became chancellor, he said he would disarm if everyone else did
- if they didn’t, then he would disarm to the same level as france
- when france refused, hitler stormed out of the conference and pulled germany out of the league of nations
14
Q
reactions to hitler leaving the disarmament conference
A
- there was very little the allies could do
- hitler claimed that he had acted in a reasonable and fair way and that it was the french who were being unreasonable
15
Q
when was the dolfuss affair?
A
1934
16
Q
describe the dolfuss affair of 1934.
A
- fearful that hitler would try to unite with austria in anschluss, the austrian chancelllor, englebert dolfuss, banned the nazi party in austria
- hitler ordered nazis to cause havoc in austria and they murdered dolfuss
17
Q
reactions to the dolfuss affair of 1934.
A
- mussolini moved his army to the austrian border in support of austria
- hitler was not ready to fight so he backed down
18
Q
when was the saar plebiscite?
A
13th january 1935
19
Q
describe the saar plebiscite of 13th january 1935.
A
- under the treaty of versailles, the saar had been controlled by the league of nations for 15 years
- in 1935, a plebiscite took place to decide whether germany or france should control this area
- 90% voted for germany and hitler used this as propaganda
20
Q
reactions to the saar plebiscite of 13th january 1935.
A
hitler gained valuable resources, like the coalfields of the saar, and there was nothing anyone could do as the plebiscite was fair and legal
21
Q
when did germany begin rearmament?
A
march 1935
22
Q
describe german rearmament of 1935.
A
- hitler held a rally where he announced that he had been rebuilding the german army and was reintroducing conscription
- he had also started to develop the Luftwaffe - an air force
23
Q
reactions to german rearmament of 1935
A
- april 1935 - britain, france and italy agreed that they would work together against hitler as the stresa front
24
Q
when was the anglo-german naval agreement?
A
june 1935
25
describe the anglo-german naval agreement of june 1935.
britain signed an agreement allowing germany to have a navy that was 35% of the size of the british navy
26
reactions to the anglo-german naval agreement of june 1935
hitler realised that britain was allowing him to break the terms of the treaty of versailles
27
why did hitler remilitarise the rhineland?
- was part of the tofv which he wanted to overturn
- wanted to take lebensraum in east europe but to do this he would have to invade other countries and he knew B+F would likely declare war if he did this so he had to protect his western borders by remilitarising the rhineland
28
what risk did hitler take when remilitarising the rhineland?
- german generals had advised hitler that the army was not strong enought to fight if britain or france chose to challenge it
- german financial ministers watned hitler that if his plan failed he would have to pay huge fines which germany couldn't afford
29
what was signed in 1935?
the franco-soviet pact
30
what was the franco-soviet pact of 1935?
a deal between france and the USSR in which each agreed to assist the other if attacked and as a result, hitler claimed he was under attack from france in the west and the USSR in the east
31
what happened on the 7th march 1936?
- hitler's troops entered the rhineland, many rode on bicycles and there was no air support
- they were greeted by civilians in the rhineland with gifts and flowers
32
when did hitler's troops enter the rhineland?
7th march 1936
33
why didn't britain stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
- the great depression
- thoughts of the british people
- preoccupation with other crises
34
why did the great depression mean that britain didn't stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
depression was causing problems at home which meant that britain was reluctant to do anything
35
why did the thoughts of the british people mean that britain didn't stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
- british people said that there was no need to stop hitler from 'marching into his own back garden'
- many felt that hitler had a right to defend his own borders and that this area was rightfully his
36
why did the preoccupation with other crises mean that britain didn't stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
- british leadership was preoccupied with the abyssinian crisis
37
why didn't france stop hitler's troops from remilitarising the rhineland?
- political distraction
- absence of the french army
- thought it was a battle they couldn't win
38
why did political distractions mean that france didn't stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
politicians were distracted as they were fighting a general election
39
why did the absence of the french army mean that france didn't stop hitler remilitarising the rhineland?
much of the french army was in tunisia in case they needed to intervene in the abyssinian crisis
40
why did france think hitler's remilitarisation of the rhineland was a battle they couldn't win?
many believed that the german army entering the rhineland was bigger than it was - they thought it was a battle they could not win
41
why was the remilitarisation of the rhineland important?
- hitler's increase in confidence
- meant war was getting closer
- french priorities changing
- hitler's power is demonstrated and leads him to make pacts with other countries
42
how did the remilitarisation of the rhineland increase hitler's confidence?
- he gained confidence that he could get away with violating the treaty of versailles
43
how did the remilitarisation of the rhineland mean that war was getting closer?
britain and france started rearming
44
how did the remilitarisation of the rhineland cause french priorities to change?
- french priority was now protecting its own border
- started ignoring treaties they had signed to protect other countries
45
how did the remilitarisation of the rhineland show that hitler was powerful and what did it lead to?
- showed he was powerful as he could overturn the treaty of versailles
- he signed the rome-berlin axis with mussolini
- he signed the anti-comintern pact with japan in november 1936
46
when did hitler sign the rome-berlin axis?
october 25th 1936
47
what was the rome-berlin axis?
treaty of friendship between germany and italy and signified their mutual anti-communist stance
48
when did hitler sign the anti-comintern pact?
november 1936
49
what was the anti-comintern pact?
with japan - they agreed to work together against the threat of communism and was joined by italy when it agreed the pact of steel with germany in 1939
50
when was the pact of steel signed?
1939
51
what was the pact of steel?
- a formal military and political alliance between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy signed in May 1939. It formalized their existing agreement, the Rome-Berlin Axis, and established mutual support in the event of war.
- this pact significantly solidified the Axis powers and was a key step towards the outbreak of WW2
52
how was anschluss affected due to the treaty of versailles?
- germany had been ruled by austria for 600 years
- but in the treaty of versailles they were forbidden to unite
53
how were two of hitler's foreign policy aims related to anschluss?
- to unite german-speaking people
- to destroy the treaty of versailles
54
anschluss: 1934
- hitler had austrian nazis murder dolfuss, the austrian chancellor, but backed down when mussolini moved troops to the austrian border
55
anschluss: 1938
- austrian nazis planned to get rid of the new chancellor, schuschnigg, but police discovered and stopped this plot
- austrian nazis were imprisoned, but schuschnigg still felt vulnerable
- he met with hitler and agreed to give key positions in the austrian government to nazis in return for hitler's support
56
who did hitler appoint as a key individual in the austrian government in 1938?
- hitler's puppet, seyss-inquart, was appointed as minister for the interior, with full power over the police in austria
- he now had full power of the austrian police force, who turned a blind eye to nazi terrorist attacks on the austrian government
57
what did schuschnigg organise to demonstrate that the austrian people did not want to be controlled by hitler?
- a plebiscite
- to prove that the people of austria did not want to be ruled by hitler
- but hitler demanded that this be delayed and then forced schuschnigg to resign
58
who did hitler make the new chancellor after forcing schuschnigg to resign and what did he do?
- seyss-inquart
- a nazi puppet and hitler controlled him
- claimed that austria was in a state of chaos and asked hitler to restore order
59
when did nazi forces enter austria?
12 march 1938
60
how did people of austria react to nazi forces entering austria?
crowds of austrians gathered in the streets to cheer the nazi soldiers' arrival
61
when was the plebiscite to prove the people of austria did not want to be ruled by hitler delayed to?
10th april 1938
62
what were the results of the austrian plebiscite on the 10th april?
the nazis won 99% of the vote
63
how did austrians react to anschluss?
- 99% of people voted in favour to anschluss but polling stations were heavily policed by nazi 'stormtroopers' and the yes box were bigger than the no box
64
how did czechoslovakia react to anschluss?
- the czech people feared that hitler's policy of lebensraum would mean that they would be invaded next
- britain and france agreed that they would protect czechoslovakia if hitler did invade
65
how did britain react to anschluss?
- some british people had decided that the treaty of versailles was too harsh on germany and since they thought that germany and austria were essentially the same country, they felt that hitler should be allowed to unite the two
66
how did germany react to anschluss?
- hitler was able to use anschluss as a great propaganda victory
- the german people were delighted to be uniting with their austrian neighbours
- they could see that hitler was achieving his foreign policy aims of volksdeutsche and creating a greater germany
67
how did france react to anschluss?
- two days before hitler's invasion the whole government was resigned
- france was in no position to get involved - politically unstable
68
what did the achievement of anschluss mean?
that hitler's next steps on the road to war were more easily achieved and he could now use the austrian army, access the east more easily through austria and the sudentenland of czechoslovakia was now bordered by germany and austria on three sides
69
when was the sudeten crisis?
1938
70
why did hitler want to invade sudetenland?
- was a part of czechoslovakia on the german border
- hitler planned to take lebensraum
- czechoslovakia had been created at the end of WW1
- after the invasion of czechoslovakia would be another step towards destroying the treaty of versailles
- about 20% of the sudeten population was german and in may 1938, hitler used this as an excuse to attack
- czechoslovakia's main defences were in the sudetenland so taking it would allow hitler to invade the whole country and there were natural resources and factories in the area that hitler could utilise in his war effort
71
what happened on the 15th of september 1938?
chamberlain meets hitler
72
when does chamberlain meet hitler?
15th september 1938
73
describe what happened when chamberlain went to meet hitler.
- he flew to Berchtesgarden to meet hitler
- chamberlain wanted to appease hitler to prevent war, so allowed hitler to take the sudetenland so long as his actions were peaceful
- chamberlain then met with the czechs and forced them to agree with hitlers terms
- 22nd september - chamberlain met hitler at bad godsberg, where hitler changed his demands
74
on chamberlain's meeting with hitler on the 22nd of september, how did hitler change his demands?
the sudetenland would be handed over to him by 1st october and hungary and poland must also be given czech land
75
what happened on the 29th of september 1938?
the munich conference
76
when was the munich conference?
29th september 1938
77
who met at the munich conference?
- chamberlain
- hitler
- mussolini
- daladier
78
who was daladier?
the french president
79
what did the 4 leaders at the munich conference agree to?
they accepted the demands hitler made at bad godsberg
80
how did chamberlain and daladier feel about the happenings of the munich conference?
they had prevented war, as hitler promised not to take any more land and chamberlain said he had guaranteed 'peace in our time'
81
at the munich conference, hitler's demands at bad godsberg were accepted however....
the czechs were not consulted
82
at the munich conference...
the USSR was not consulted
83
how did the fact that the USSR was not consulted in the munich conference make stalin feel?
as though he could not trust britain and france
84
when did hitler invade the sudetenland?
10th october 1938
85
how did german troops invade the sudetenland?
they marched in, but unlike events in the rhineland and in austria, the czechs saw this as a real military invasion
86
on the 10th october 1938, at the invasion of the sudetenland, it was the first time hitler had...
invaded a country that had never previously been united with germany
87
when did hitler complete his invasion of czechoslovakia?
in 1939
88
at the complete invasion of czechoslovakia in 1939, what had hitler done?
he had broken the promises he had made at the munich conference and chamberlain had to accept that his policy of appeasement had failed
89
what did the other countries realise when hitler invaded czechoslovakia?
other countries finally realised that appeasing him was not working
90
arguments for appeasement
- versailles had been too harsh on germany
- war costs lives, so it should be avoided
- hitler said he was a man of peace
- hitler's actions gave people what they wanted e.g. anschluss
- the people of britain did not want war
- war was too expensive during the great depression
- hitler could be an ally against communism
- british rearmament did not start until 1936 - britain was not ready for war
- the USA would not support britain and france
91
arguments against appeasement
- hitler made no secret of the fact that he would use violence
- opportunities to stop hitler when he was weak, such as when he remilitarised the rhineland, were missed
- hitler grew confident
- appeasement was morally wrong
- czechoslovakia was strong and modern and so could have made a stand against hitler, but was forced to back down
- the USSR was alienated
92
who was hitler's next victim after the invasion of czechoslovakia?
poland, here he could take lebensraum, as well as continue to defy the terms of the treaty of versailles by invading land that was taken away from germany in 1919
93
USSR considered poland to be part of its...
sphere of influence, so invading meant Hitler could face a war on two fronts - Britain and France in the west and the USSR in the east
94
what did hitler have to do in order to invade poland?
- eliminate the threat of the USSR
- 23 August 1939 - Hitler and Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet pact
95
what was in it for germany to sign the N-S pact?
- hitler could invade poland without facing a war on two fronts
- britain and france had promised to protect poland, but the USSR would not interfere
- Britain and France would now face war with Germany without the USSR as their ally
- the USSR had a massive army, which would no longer be a threat to Germany
96
what was in it for the USSR to sign the N-S pact?
- stalin felt that britain and france had snubbed him by leaving him out of the munich conference and he throught they were weak by appeasing hitler
- he realised he could not trust them to help protect the USSR if hitler invaded
- britain and france had sent minor diplomats with no real authority to meet with stalin and hitler had sent a senior nazi ; he seemed to respect the USSR
- hitler agreed that stalin would be given polish territory and stalin would not even have to send troops
- stalin feared that hitler would invade the USSR but he wasn't ready to fight and becoming allies gave him time to prepare
- land in poland would act as a buffer zone if hitler did decide to invade the USSR
97
what did the nazi-soviet pact mean for the british and the french?
they realised that the policy of appeasement had failed
98
after the nazi-soviet pact, why was war inevitable?
- b+f realised that the policy of appeasement failed
- they had already agreed to protect poland if hitler invaded, and now they formalised this agreement
- without the threat of war on both fronts, hitler felt confident enough to invade poland
99
what happened on the 1st of september 1939?
- a german battleship attacked danzig and the german army and luftwaffe descended on poland
100
what happened on the 3rd of september 1939?
the british sent an ultimatum : hitler must leave poland by 11AM or britain would declare war and hitler sent no reply, so britain, followed by france, declared war
101
within four weeks of the british ultimatum...
poland was overrun and hitler thought that britain and france would back down, however he was wrong
102
when did the second world war break out?
3rd september 1939
103
what was the short-term spark which ignited war?
hitler ignoring demands from britain and france to withdraw from poland
104
why was hitler responsible for the outbreak of the second world war?
- mein kampf
- foreign policy aims
- breaking the tofv
- invading poland
105
contribution of hitler writing mein kampf to the oubreak of the second world war?
stated in it that he would use violence to make germany strong again
106
contribution of hitler's foreign policy aims to the outbreak of the second world war?
- included lebensraum, building a greater germany, uniting german speaking people and destroying the tofv
- this meant he had to invade other countries
107
contribution of hitler breaking the tofv to the outbreak of the second world war?
broke the treaty of versailles, which was international law
108
contribution of hitler invading poland which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
prompted britain and france to declare war
109
why was chamberlain responsible for the outbreak of the second world war?
- appeasement
- failure to act at the remilitarisation of the rhineland
- blindly handed over the sudetenland without consulting the czechs
- excluded stalin from the munich conference
110
contribution of the policy of appeasement which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
missed opportunities to stop hitler
111
contribution of the failure of chamberlain to act at the remilitarisation of the rhineland which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
at this stage, the nazis weren't ready for war - if chamberlain had acted, hitler would have been forced to stop
112
contribution of the blind handover of the sudetenland without consulting the czechs which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
allowed hitler to invade a country he had no claim to, which enabled him to strengthen his army
113
contribution of the exclusion of stalin from the munich conference which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
alienated stalin and prompted him to sign the nazi-soviet pact
114
how did stalin contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- nazi-soviet pact
- USSR as an ally
- enabled hitler to invade poland
115
contribution of stalin signing the nazi-soviet pact which led to the outbreak of the second world war?
- he signed the nazi-soviet pact despite hitler wanting to destroy communism
- the pact meant that hitler would not have to fight a war on two fronts, so he was able to invade poland
116
contribution of the USSR as an ally to germany which led to the outbreak of the second
- the size of the USSR's armed forces meant that hitler had a huge and powerful ally
117
what were the other factors which contributed to the outbreak of the second world war?
- japan
- mussolini
- the big three
- american isolationism
- fear of communism
- the great depression
- the weakness and the collapse of the league of nations
118
how did japan contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- invaded manchuria in 1931, walked out of the league of nations in february 1933 and then mainland china in 1937 - some historians say this was the start of the second world war
- signed the anti-comintern pact and the pact of steel with hitler
119
how did mussolini contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- he invaded abyssinia which destroyed people's confidence in the league of nations
- 1938 - he did not intervene when hitler carried out anschluss which convinced hitler that he could do as he pleased
- signed the anti-comintern pact and the pact of steel with hitler
120
how did the big three contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- treaty of versailles was resented by germany and inspired hitler's foreign policy - to reunite german speaking people, build a greater germany and claim lebensraum
- by the 1930s, many people felt that versailles had been too harsh and turned a blind eye when hitler began to break it
121
how did american isolationism contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- made the league weaker, so certain countries were prepared to act more aggressively and risk the outbreak of all-out war, because they didn't fear military action from the USA
- as a result of the USA's absence from the league, economic sanctions were useless because aggressive countries could trade with the USA
122
how did the fear of communism contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- britain and france allowed hitler to grow strong as they thought germany could act as a buffer zone against communism
- their actions upset stalin, who agreed to the nazi-soviet pact as he felt they would not support him if hitler attacked
123
how did the great depression contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- america demanded back loans from germany as a result of the depression, which led to the collapse of the german industry and more people voting for hitler, who was making many promises to them
- some countries, such as japan and italy, acted more aggressively in order to secure supplies of raw materials and build empires
124
how did the weakness and collapse of the league of nations contribute to the outbreak of the second world war?
- hitler saw that he could get away with invading other countries without being punished, just like japan had done in manchuria, and mussolini had done in abyssinia
- major countries such as the USA were not members of the league, meaning that it was not a forceful military or economic threat ; the league did not have its own army
