The collapse of international peace by 1939 Flashcards
When did the Disarmament Conference begin?
February 1932
By July 1932, what four resolutions had the Disarmament Conference made?
- Stopping the bombing of civilian populations.
- Limiting the size of the artillery a nation could have.
- Limiting the tonnage of tanks a nation could have.
- Prohibiting (banning) chemical warfare.
When did Hitler withdraw Germany from the Disarmament conference?
October 1933
What did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement do, and when?
1935; limited the German navy to 35% of Britain’s fleet.
How did Hitler greatly increase the size of the German army in 1936, while simultaneously violating one of the military terms of the ToV?
Reintroduced conscription.
When was the Saar Plebiscite held, and by around percentage did it vote to re-join Germany?
1935; around 90%
How did Hitler violate the ToV in March 1936?
Re-militarised the Rhineland.
Why didn’t Britain or France oppose Hitler’s remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
- France had just signed a treaty with the USSR, so Hitler presented the militarisation of the Rhineland as a defensive measure against this move.
- Many British felt Hitler had a right to had German troops on German soil.
- France would not act alone.
- French politicians were facing an election and didn’t want to be unpopular by calling for war.
According to a British phrase of the time, by remilitarising the Rhineland Hitler was merely doing what?
Marching into his own back yard.
In which year did the Spanish Civil War begin?
1936
Which major country supported the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, and which countries supported the Fascists?
USSR; Germany and Italy.
What was the name of the Spanish fascist leader in the Civil War?
Franco
What was the name of the town that Germany famously bombed during the Spanish Civil War?
Guernica
Why was the Spanish Civil War useful to Hitler?
Allowed the German air force to practice its new bombing techniques, and showed that Britain and France would not get directly involved with wars in Europe.
What was the name of the anti-communist agreement made by Germany and Japan in 1936?
The Anti-Comintern Pact.
Who joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937?
Italy
What was the name given to the German takeover of Austria?
The anschluss
Give three things Hitler used to pressure the Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg, to agree to Anschluss.
- The strong Nazi party in Austria.
- Hitler encouraged them to stir up trouble for the Austrian Government, and they staged demonstrations calling for unification with Germany, as well as riots.
- Hitler then informed the Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss could save Austria
When Schuschnigg tried to call a plebiscite on Anschluss, how did Hitler respond?
Sent German troops into Austria.
What was the result of the Plebiscite on Anschluss?
plebisite = referendom
99.75% in favour of Anschluss.
In what area of Czechoslovakia did around 3 million Germans live in by 1938?
Sudetenland.
Why was Czechoslovakia potentially far better able to defend itself from Germany than Austria had been? Give three points.
- The Sudetenland fortifications were formidable.
- The Czech army strong and its weapons factories impressive.
- The USSR would have come to Czechoslovakia’s aid, and Britain and France had promised support.
Which four European countries signed the Munich Agreement?
Britain, France, Italy, Germany
Where did Hitler invade on 15th March 1939?
The rest of Czechoslovakia (i.e. the bits Germany had not been given at Munich).
