The Causes Of The Second World War Flashcards
What were hitlers main aims in the foreign policy
To overturn the treaty of versailles, expand german territory and destroy communism
What is rearmament
the process of equipping military forces with a new supply of weapons.
What did hitler announce in his 1935 military rally
He announced the introduction of conscription and revealed that he had built an airforce, the Luftwaffe
When did hitler order his troops to remilitarise the rhineland
7th march 1936
What is Anschluss
The political union of Austria with Germany
How did hitler unite germany with austria
encouraged Austrian Nazis to challenge the Austrian government. The Austrian chancellor planned to hold a plebiscite to allow the Austrian people to vote on whether they should join Germany, but Hitler thought this was too risky. He demanded Schuschniggโs resignation and on 12 March 1938 German troops entered Austria and it was absorbed into Germany.
How did hitler gain power of the sudetenland
Hitler claimed that the 3m German speakers were being mistreated by the Czech government. He demanded control of the Sudetenland. He initially accepted a deal that would give him the areas with the most Germans, but then changed his mind and said he would invade if he didnโt have all of the Sudetenland by 1st October 1938. Britain and France gave him the Sudetenland.
When and how did germany invade poland
Invasion of Poland: 1st September 1939. Germany invaded using Blitzkrieg tactics.
What are blitzkrieg tactics
Blitzkrieg, meaning โLightning Warโ, is a combined arms surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force
When did britain declare war on germany
When germany refused to withdraw from poland britain declared war on the 3rd september 1939
When did ww2 start and end
1 September 1939 โ 2 September 1945
How were hitlers actions toward s other countries
Aggressive and angered eventually provoking a response from britain and france
What is appeasement
Giving someone what they want in order to avoid conflict.
When was the appeasement policy introduced
The Munich Agreement is the best known example of appeasement. It was signed by Britain, France, Germany, and Italy in 1938.
When did neville chamberlain become british pm
1937
Give 5 reasons as to why britain followed a policy of appeasement
๏ง Wanted to avoid repeating the horrors of WW1
๏ง Many people thought that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and were therefore not prepared to go to war to defend it
๏ง Britain was still recovering from the effects of the Great Depression
๏ง They believed that a strong Germany would act as a buffer, preventing the spread of communism from the Soviet Union.
๏ง Britainโs army was not ready for war, it was not clear that the empire would be willing to fight and the USA did not want to be involved in another European conflict.
How did britain react when hitler invaded the rhineland
Britain believed Hitler was just marching into his own backyard
How did britain and france react to the Anschluss (Nazi Germany joined with the neighboring country of Austria)
Britain and france took no action against hitler, the british believed that the treaty of versailles was too harsh and a plebiscites in which 99.75% of Austrians voted for Anschluss convinced them that Austria was okay with the situation
How did britain and france react when germany invaded the sudetenland
Britain, france, italy and germany met at the Munich conference on 29th September 1938, they didnโt want to go to war with hitler, so they agreed that the Sudetenland should become part of germany, afterwards chamberlain said he believed they had ensured โpeace for our timeโ
Why was appeasement problematic
Because it allowed germany to become stronger and encouraged hitler to become more aggressive ad make further demands because he didnโt believe britain and france would stand up to him
When was the nazi-soviet pact signed
23rd august 1939
What did the nazi soviet pact state
That they couldnt go to war with eachother for 2 years and (secretly) to invade poland and divide it between them
Why did hitler sign the nazi soviet pact
To enable him to invade Poland without having to fight a war one 2 fronts and to stop the soviet union forming an alliance with britain and france
Why did Stalin sign the nazi soviet pact
He wanted parts of Poland that had historically belonged to Russia, he didnโt trust britain and france and he needed time to build up his armed forces to fight germany in the future
How did britain react to the nazi- soviet pact
They signed the anglo-polish mutual assistance pact on 25th august promising to defend Poland if germany attacked
How did the nazi soviet pact provoke the begining of ww2
The nazi soviet pact allowed hitler to invade Poland which provoked a response from britain and france because they were allies of Poland
