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History IGCSE > Road To War > Flashcards

Road To War Flashcards

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1
Q

Hitler’s 4 aims

A
  • Abolish the treaty of versailles. He beilievd it was injust. The treaty is a reminer of defeat and humiliations in WWI, he promised to revert it
  • Expan territory, wanted the territory taken from them in WWI. Wanted to unite with Austria and minorities in other countries and Czechoslovakia to have more space to live in ‘lebensraum’
  • Defeat communism. Beleived Balshucks wanted to take over Germany
  • Unite all German speaking people in one plac
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2
Q

How Hitler appealed to different groups to gain power: Junkers

A

Feared communism and wanted rearmament, promised to abolish communism, promised both

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3
Q

How Hitler appealed to different groups to gain power: middle class

A

Needed them for law and order and feared communism

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4
Q

How Hitler appealed to different groups to gain power: working class

A

Wanted jobs, promised to end with unemployment

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5
Q

How Hitler appealed to different groups to gain power: the church

A

Supported hitler because communists were atheists

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6
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1933

A

Took Germany out of the League of Nations; began rearming Germany

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7
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1934

A

Tried to take over Austria but was prevented by Mussolini

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8
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1935

A

Held massive REARMAMENT rally in Germany

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9
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1936

A

Reintroduced CONSCRIPTION in Germany; sent troops into the Rhineland; made and anticommunist alliance with Japan

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10
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1937

A

Tried put Germany’s new weapons in the Spanish Civil war; made an anticommunist alliance with Italy

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11
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1938

A

Took over Austria; took over the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia

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12
Q

Hitler’s actions between 1933 and 1939: 1939

A

Invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia; invaded poland; war

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13
Q

3 things that Hitler promised

A

. Promised a strong government
. Hitler believed that the Weimar Republic was weak, Hitler would get rid of it
. Promised to get rid of the treaty of Versiallles by taking back land and rearming

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14
Q

What other factors helped cause ww2

A

. The weakness of post war treaties
. Actions of leading powers such as Britain, France, the USA and USSR
. Thw worldwide economic depression

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15
Q

Main interpretations of historians about causes of ww2

A
  • Until the 1960s historians believed that Hitler planned it all step by step leading to the war
  • However in the 1960s: A.J.P Taylor came up with a new interpretation. He thought that Hitler was a gambler instead of a planner
  • He thought that Hitler took the logical next step to see what he would get away with, he was bald. Kept his nerve as other countries gave in to him and allowed to get away with each gamble, became balder and risked more
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16
Q

When did Hitker begin to rise

A

1923 when he attempted the Munich Putsch. Although he failed he used it as propaganda to gain piblicity. While he was in prison he wrote the main Kampf setting out his ideas, this time He decided to take power legally, using democratic system, which he then planned to destroy

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17
Q

Rearmament: Why did Germany want to have large armed forces

A

Because he believed that without large armed forces he wouldn’t be able to achieve his goals

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18
Q

Rearmament

A

Hitker came to power in Germany in 1933. One of his first steps was to rearm Germany’s armed forces. Thousands of unemployed workers gained jobs because of the army, solving quite a big part of the problem Germany had with unemployment. It also helped him deliver one of the promises he had of making Germany strong again and challenge the TofV

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19
Q

How did Hitler rearm

A

Although the German people would support rearment, it could cause alarm in other countries. So he started to rearm secretly. He made a great display of not wanting to rearm Germany -> that he was only doing it because other armies refused to disarm.

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20
Q

Rearmament: 1935 and 1936

A

In 1935 Hitler openly staged a massive military rally celebrating the German armed forces. In 1936 he even introduced Conscription again. He was breaking the TofV but guessed correctly that he could still get away with it. Rearmament boosted Nazi support.

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21
Q

How did he increase his army? From 1932 to 1939

A

Warships: from 30 -> 95
Aircraft: from 36 -> 8,250
Soldiers: from 100,000 -> 950,000

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22
Q

Why did Britain not oppose to German rearment more strongly

A
  • Britain believed that the limits put on Germany’s armed forces by the TofV were too tight.
  • It also thought that a strong Germany would be a good buffer against communism
  • British had problems of their and did not want to be deeply involved in European affairs
  • It still had quite the economic depression -> Britain did no longer want to spend more money on increasing his armed forces
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23
Q

Why did France not oppose more strongly to german rearmament

A
  • France put its efforts into defending France with the Maginat Line, a line of heavily armed concrete forts built along of theFrench border with Germany.
  • Thy didn’t want to enter a conflict with Germany without the Maginat Line been finished
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24
Q

How did Italy, oppose Hitler’s early moves to expand German power

A

Mussolini placed army units in threatening positions on border of Italy and Austria,

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25
Q

Stresa pact

A

It was signed in 1935 by the ministers of France, Britain and Italy. It was signed in Stresa Italy.
- It was a formal statement against German rearmament and unite against Germany.
- However, it was a very uneasy peace because events in Manchuria and Abyssinia had shown that two of the most powerful nations, France and Britain were not prepared to make a country follow their laws.

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26
Q

Saarland: Why was the saarland so valuble

A

Contained coalfields, factories and railway centres. Was also valuable frontier with france land and France was Germany’s main enemy

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27
Q

Saarland: The saar plebiscite

A

It was signed in 1935, the plebiscite was for people to vote on whether their region should return to German rule. The choices were to remain under the Legaue’s control, to be under French control or return to Germany. Around 90% of the people in the Saar voted to return to the German rule
- This was entirely legal and withing the terms of the Treaty.
After the vote Hitler declared he had no further territorial intentions on France.
- This resulted in the first small step towards lebensraum. The result was also a claim of the support towards his government

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28
Q

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

A

In March 1936 Hitler sent troops taking advantage of the League being busy with Abyssinia and it wouldn’t pay much attention to Germany. The large area that fromed Germany’s western border with France and Belgium. The demilitarisation of the Rhineland was a term of the treaty of versailles in order to protect France from Germany. Thus was a great gamble for Hitler Because if he had been asked to withdraw, he would have been humiliated and the german army would not believe in him as much

29
Q

Remilitarisatiom of the Rhineland: France and Britain. Why did Hitler risk to do this?

A

Hitler knew the risks, but chose a right time
- France: France and the USSR had just signed a treaty to protect each other from Germany. Hitler used the agreement to claim that Germany was under threat. He argued that in the face of such threat he should be allowed to place troops on his frontier
- Britain: Hitker knew many people in Britain felt it fair that he placed troops in the Rhineland and wouldn’t interfere

30
Q

Rhineland: Following his actions why did Hitler offer new pacts to France and Britain ?

A

Because they were neighbouring countries, he wanted them to feel safe with germany so that they didn’t get in his way to make germany a powerful nation again.
- They both failed to respond in the end as they didn’t want to get involved in war as they didn’t have strong armed forces, France had political issues and were involved in Abyssinian crisis

31
Q

The spanish Civil war

A

A 1936 Civil war broke out in Spain between supporters of the Republican government and Right-wing supporters under General Franco. Hitler and Mussolini declared their support for Franco while thousands of volunteers from 50 countries joined international brigades to support the Republicans.

32
Q

The spanish Civil war -> contribution to the war: Germany

A
  • For Franco’s side
  • Aircraft, ammunition, weapons and troops
  • 16,000 troops, 600 aircraft and half a billion marks worth of war materials
  • The condor legion -> 45 fighter planes, 45 bombers and more dive bombers
33
Q

The spanish Civil war -> contribution to the war: Italy

A
  • Sent aircraft to help franco
  • Ammunition, weapons and troops
  • 73,000 troops, 759 aircraft, 157 tanks, 1800 big guns and 320 million round of ammunition
  • Belonged to non-intervention committee yet sent troops and weapons
34
Q

The spanish Civil war -> contribution to the war: Russia

A
  • 1000 aircraft, 900 tanks, 1500 guns and large quantities of ammunition. 1000 soldiers, advisers and technicians
  • Alos belonged to non intervention committee and continued to send
35
Q

The spanish Civil war -> contribution to the war: France

A
  • Din’t get involved -> feared the conflict would spread
  • Non-intervention committe in 1936
  • Ignored that the USSR, Germany and Italy were supporting and intervening in the war
36
Q

The spanish Civil war -> contribution to the war: Britain

A
  • Din’t get involved -> feared that the conflict would spread
  • Non-intervention committee in 1936
  • Ignored the intervention of Germany, USSR and Italy in Civil War
  • Britain provided food and aid supplies to Spain
37
Q

Consequences of Spansih Civil War: Combat experience

A
  • Testing ground for Hitler and Mussolini for their new armaments -> specially their air forces
38
Q

Consequences of Spansih Civil War: encouraged Hitler

A
  • The war adverted attention from Hitler’s actions in Europe
  • Strengthened his tie with Italy
  • Tested new weapons and airforce
  • Gained access to raw materials in Spain
39
Q

Consequences of Spansih Civil War: Brought Hitker and Mussolini together

A
  • Both fought against communism
  • Mussolini joined Anti-comintern pact
  • Visisted each other’s country in 1937 and 1938
  • Axis alliance
40
Q

Consequences of Spansih Civil War: encouraged appeasement

A

Strenthened the ties between Germany and Italy

41
Q

Rome-Berlin Axis

A

1936
Germany + Italy
- Both leaders agreed to work together on common interests
Why it was agreed:
- They support eachother from political isolation
- Allows Hitler to take over Austria
Consequences of Agreement:
- Austria 38’
- Spanish Civil War 1937 -> they get involved

42
Q

Anti- Comintern Pact

A

1936
Japan + Germany (later Italy)
- It was agreed because they both wanted to get rid of communism
Consequences of agreement:
- Leads to Axis Alliance
- USSR starts getting isolated and Russia becomes paranoid -> starts to get alliances -> start to alliance with France and Britain

43
Q

Axis Alliance

A

1937
Italy + Japan + Germany
- It was agreed because all 3 wanted to get rid of communism
Consequences of agreement:
- Pact of steel 1939 -> Italy + Germany
-> Pact goes from agreement against communism to armed alliance between Italy + Germany to protect eachother
- Russia wants to have more allainces or is forces

44
Q

Anschluss with Austria: What happened to Austria after WWI

A

1919: Many national peoples became independent, with the right to form their own nations and the empire and empire Austria/Hungary broke apart
- Most Austrians, however spoke German and wanted to unite with Germany, however the treaty of Versailles prevented it from happening
- Austria suffered sever political problems, two leading parties, the right wing and the socialists kept their private armies which frequently crashed in the streets
-> There was a short Civil war in 1934, the socialists won

45
Q

Anschluss with Austria: what happened in 1934 in Austria

A

A short Civil war between the two leading parties, one is right wing and other is socialist
- In july 1934: Extreme right wing nazis tried to take over the government by killing a chancellor of Austria
-> After this: The new chancellor had to rely on Mussolini’s support in order to defend themselves from Germans as they had done previously. Italy previously prevented a Germany take over by thretening Germany that they would send troops to Austria. However the Rome Berlin Axis happened and Austria lots its main protector -> Nazis try to invade weak Austria
Chouncellor name: Shuschnig

46
Q

Anschluss with Austria: Schussing and Hitler meet.

A
  • First meet February 1938
  • When they met, Hitker threatened hin for an hour and handed him a list of demands
    -> The chief demand was that an Austrain Nazi called Seyss/Inquart must be given a government post as minister of interior, doing this meant that Hitker would have control of the police in Austrai
47
Q

Anschluss with Austria: shussing response to Hitler after first meeting

A
  • Tried to prevent Nazi take over organising a plebiscite
  • Three choices available:
    . Free and Germaniac Austria
    . Independent and social
    . A Christian and united Austria
  • Hitler was furious, he said that the plebiscite must be prostponed and Shussing must resign as chancellor. If the chancellor would not do as told Germany would invade Austria
  • Chancellor resigned
48
Q

Anschluss with Austria: How did Hitler get invited to Austria

A
  • Because Seyys Inquart was now the only minister still in the office, so he invited Germany army to invade Austria
  • Troops entered first, followed then by Hitler
  • He was weldomed by cheering crowds in Linz, where he had gone to school
49
Q

Anschluss with Austria: The Gestapo

A
  • The Austrian Army -> they rounded up Austrian opponents
  • These opponents were arrested and sent to prison camps in Germany
  • 183,000 jews in Austria were deprived of their own civil rights for example the right to own property or right to be in public places
50
Q

Anschluss with Austria: How did major powers resct to Anschluss

A
  • Europe: Did nothing to stop it
  • Italy: made no protest
  • France and Briatin: delivered protests to German governemnts but didn’t perform any actions
51
Q

Appeasment

A

A policy that Britain and France had that meant they would allow Hitler’s demands aslong as they were reasonable in order to protect the TofV and avoid war

52
Q

Appeasment: Britain

A
  • They followed this policy because the Britis Government believed that arned forces were not ready for war against Germany
  • Britain started to rearm in 1935 and it was beleived that they were some way behind the Germans
  • Bristain also needed to make sure that it had support of other countries in its own empire or commonwealth, support was not guaranteed
53
Q

Arguments for Appeasments (6)

A
  • British people needed time, 1938 British people not able to fight war over Czechoslovakia which thought of far away on other side of Europe
  • Many politicians were m0re afraid of communism tha they where of Hitler, Hitlerr could act as buffer against communism and Russia
  • Many people believed that Germany had been treated unfairly in treaty of Versailles. Thought germany should get back some of land lost. Believed if Germany was treated fairly would have no excuse to threaten others
  • Britain and France had large debts, many from fighting ww1 and huge unemployment as result of depression
  • Britain army needed time to prepare armed forces, more planes and weapons could be built
  • The usa, American support had been vital for Britain’s success in ww1, wasn’t sure that it could face up to germany without guarantee of American help since 1919 as isolation a list
54
Q

Arguments against Appeasment (5)

A
  • Policy of appeasement encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive, the more he got away with the more Hitler thought Britain and france would never put up a fight
  • Appeasement made germany an aggressive country too strong as it took over countries. Austria gained soldiers, gold and iron ore. From czechoslovakia gained coal and weapons factories
  • Hitler could not be trusted, after every move, Hitler promised to not take over any country, however he broke his word before
  • Hitler took increasing risks and more and more dangerous moves. Britain and france needed to stop it before it made a later and bigger move
  • German arms were rearming publicly and increasing quickly year by year and was trying to catch up with other countries. It was going at such rate it was overcoming france and Britain
55
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): Context

A
  • Sudetenland mostly occupied by German people and Czechoslovakia without Sudetenland and its forts, railways and industries it would be defenceless. If a plebescite were to take place in the Sudetenland, Germany would win easily as the population os dominated by German people.
  • Czechoslovakia was attractive as it contained valuable resources as well as well as the as the country’s main border defences. The sudetenland also had A lot of arms works which were useful for Hitler’s plan of rearmament. Also engineering and power stations.
56
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): Konrad Henlein

A
  • He was the leader of a political party of german people in the Sudenetland
    -> He had meeting with Hitler and got financial help from him
    In 1938: Hitler openly supported Henleins demands for transfer of Sudetenland to germany and told Henlein and his followers to make trouble in the Sudetenland.
57
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): What did Hitler do after speaking to Henlein

A
  • He were to make impossible demands which Czech government would certainly reject and then followers would make riots, demonstrations etc to make it seem as if the government had no control over Sudetenland.
  • After, Henlein did what he had to do, the
    German army would then occupy the area on the grounds that it was going to maintain order as checks had failed to do so.
58
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): what wete the risks of Henlein occupying the grounds the Checks failed to keep order in

A
  • czechoslovakia was well equipped for fighting a war, its army was only slightly smaller tha Germany’s, had large airforces and factories etc.
  • Two powerful allies france and ussr who had promised to defend it under attack, risked war with those countries
59
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): why did france not intervene

A

Unwilling to fight germany in 1938 they were even less willing to do so, had no effective plans to attack Germany and needed 2 years to rearm

60
Q

Czehcoslovakia (Sudetenland): why did Britain appease

A

Due to the size of their empire which occupied one quarter of the globe, army could not afford to fight in more than one part of the world at the same time. For example, the Roayl navy couldn’t fight in Atlantic and Pacific Ocean at
the same time
- The British governement wanted to avoid fighting Japan at far East and fighting Germany in the West

61
Q

Munich Agreement

A

The final meeting held on the 29 of September, 1938
-> France, Brirain, Italy and Germany decided on the fate of Czechoslovakia.
- They decided to give Hitker what he wanted. They announced that Czechoslovakia was to loose the Sudetenland, they didn not consult the USSR or the Czechs. The following morning Chamberlain and Hitler publsihed a joint declaration.

62
Q

The Munich Agreement: crisis fared up again

A
  • This happened when Chamberlain flew to germany to talk with hitler about aspects of agreement and Hitler made new demands
  • Hitler demanded that German troops should be allowed in Sudetenland
    -> Britain and France didn’t accept it and were prepared to go to war. However this disn’t happen because Hitler agreed to talk again, suggested by Mussolini as he was not prepared to help Hitler in a war. This agreement took place in Munich
63
Q

The Munich Agreement: success?

A

Short term success delayed war, long term failure didn’t prevent Great Wat

64
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: Stalin’s fears

A

. Stalin had been worried about the threat Germany caused to the Soviet Union since 1933. Even so, stalin could not reach any kind of lasting agreement with Briatin and France in the 1930s. In 1934 he made the USSR a member of the league of nations in hope that the League would Protect them. However, all he saw was the lack of action over Abyssina and the Spanish Civil War. Britain and France had not opposed to German Rearment and some Britain welcomed Germany as a force to fight communism

65
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: Stalin’s fears and suspicions grew in the mid-1930s

A

. He signed a treaty with France in 1935 that said that France would help the USSR if Germany invaded the Soviet Union. But stalin was not sure he could trust the French to stick to it, particularyy when they failed even to to stop Hitler moving his troops into the Rhineland, which was right on their border
. The Munich agreement in 1938 increased Stalin’s concerns. He was not consulted about it. Stalin concluded that France and Britain were powerless to stop Hitler or, even worse, that they were happy for Hitlet to take over Eastern Europe and then the USSR

66
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: Stalin’s negotiations

A

. Despite his misgivings, Stalin was still prepared to talk with Britain and France. They met up in march 1939 but chamberlain was suspicious of the USSR and was unwilling to commit Britain.
. From Stalin’s point of view, France and Britain the made things worse by giving Poland a guarantee that they would defend it if it was invaded. Chamberlain meant the guarantee as a warning to Hitler. Stalin saw it as support for one of the USSR’s potential enemies
. Negotiations contnued through the Spring and summer of 1939. However Stalin received visits from the Nazi foreign minister Ribbentrop. They discussed a very different deal, a Nazi-Soviet Pact

67
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: Stalin’s decision

A

In August, Stalin made his decision. On 23 August 1939, Hitler and Stain, the two arch enemies, signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact and announced the terms to the world. They agreed not to attack one another. Privately, they also agreed to divide Poland between them

68
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: Why did Stalin sign the Pact?

A

It gave him territory that had once been of Russia, but that was not the main point. The real benefit was time. Stalin did not expect Hitler to keep his word, he knew he was Hitler’s number 1 target. But he didn’t trust Britain and France either, he didn’t think they were strong or relaible enough as allies against Hitler. He expected to fight Hitler at some point. So what he needed was time to build up his forces to protect the USSR from the attack he expected

69
Q

The Nazi-Soviet Pact: consequences

A

. The pact cleared the way for Hitler to invade Poland: September 1st 1939
. Britain and France demanded the withdrae from Poland or they would declare war, Hitker thought they would do nothing like always, yet, to Hitler’s surprise they kept their word
-> On 3 september they declared war on Germany

History IGCSE (7 decks)

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