Poland and the Outbreak of the Second World War

Question 1

What were the USSR’s views on the stuff happening in Europe?

Answer 1

They couldn’t understand why no one was standing up to Hitler, so decided to make a pact with him to protect themselves.

Question 2

What did the USSR and Germany do?

Answer 2

• Nazi-Soviet Pact in August 1939
• Agreed not to attack each other, and to carve up Poland when they invaded
• They agreed for Germany to invade Poland, and for the USSR to get Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, East Poland and Finland
• But Hitler didn’t intend to let them keep these areas anyway

Question 3

How did the USSR gain control of the Baltic States? What problem did this cause?

Answer 3

• Invited the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland one by one to Moscow
• They then pressed them into giving them airfields, all of their land (except Finland, where not all places were needed) and to fight for the USSR
• Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia all gave in their countries to Moscow
• Finland refused to give any help to the USSR, and to give up their land
• This resulted in war between the tow countries, which resulted in a general victory for Russia, the key point being however that Finland came off lighter than the original terms, and had given Russia a humiliating loss of casualties, compared to barely any Finnish
• It also prompted Hitler into thinking he could beat the USSR so accelerated his campaign there, and made frequent visits to Finland

Question 4

What started the war?

Answer 4

• 1st of September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland
• The British ambassador in Berlin handed Germany a note, saying if they didn’t pull out of Poland, a state of war would exist between the two
• Germany ignored this letter
• Britain declared that they were at war with Germany on the 3rd of September 1939