The collapse of peace by 1939

Question 1

When did the Disarmament Conference begin?

Answer 1

February 1932

Question 2

By July 1932, what four resolutions had the Disarmament Conference made?

Answer 2

1. Stopping the bombing of civilian populations.
2. Limiting the size of the artillery a nation could have.
3. Limiting the tonnage of tanks a nation could have.
4. Prohibiting (banning) chemical warfare.

Question 3

When did Hitler withdraw Germany from the Disarmament conference?

Answer 3

October 1933

Question 4

What did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement do, and when?

Answer 4

1935; limited the German navy to 35% of Britain’s fleet.

Question 5

How did Hitler greatly increase the size of the German army in 1936, while simultaneously violating one of the military terms of the ToV?

Answer 5

Reintroduced conscription.

Question 6

When was the Saar Plebiscite held, and by around percentage did it vote to re-join Germany?

Answer 6

1935; around 90%

Question 7

How did Hitler violate the ToV in March 1936?

Answer 7

Re-militarised the Rhineland.

Question 8

Why didn’t Britain or France oppose Hitler’s remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

Answer 8

1. France had just signed a treaty with the USSR, so Hitler presented the militarisation of the Rhineland as a defensive measure against this move.
2. Many British felt Hitler had a right to had German troops on German soil.
3. France would not act alone.
4. French politicians were facing an election and didn’t want to be unpopular by calling for war.

Question 9

According to a British phrase of the time, by remilitarising the Rhineland Hitler was merely doing what?

Answer 9

Marching into his own back yard.

Question 10

In which year did the Spanish Civil War begin?

Answer 10

1936

Question 11

Which major country supported the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, and which countries supported the Fascists?

Answer 11

USSR; Germany and Italy.

Question 12

What was the name of the Spanish fascist leader in the Civil War?

Answer 12

Franco

Question 13

What was the name of the town that Germany famously bombed during the Spanish Civil War?

Answer 13

Guernica

Question 14

Why was the Spanish Civil War useful to Hitler?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

What was the name of the anti-communist agreement made by Germany and Japan in 1936?

Answer 15

The Anti-Comintern Pact.

Question 16

Who joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937?

Answer 16

Italy

Question 17

What was the name given to the German takeover of Austria?

Answer 17

The anschluss

Question 18

Give three things Hitler used to pressure the Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg, to agree to Anschluss.

Answer 18

1. The strong Nazi party in Austria.
2. Hitler encouraged them to stir up trouble for the Austrian Government, and they staged demonstrations calling for unification with Germany, as well as riots.
3. Hitler then informed the Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss could save Austria.

Question 19

When Schuschnigg tried to call a plebiscite on Anschluss, how did Hitler respond?

Answer 19

Sent German troops into Austria.

Question 20

What was the result of the Plebiscite on Anschluss?

Answer 20

99.75% in favour of Anschluss.

Question 21

In what area of Czechoslovakia did around 3 million Germans live in by 1938?

Answer 21

Sudetenland.

Question 22

Why was Czechoslovakia potentially far better able to defend itself from Germany than Austria had been? Give three points.

Answer 22

1. The Sudetenland fortifications were formidable.
2. The Czech army strong and its weapons factories impressive.
3. The USSR would have come to Czechoslovakia’s aid, and Britain and France had promised support.

Question 23

Which four European countries signed the Munich Agreement?

Answer 23

Britain, France, Italy, Germany

Question 24

Where did Hitler invade on 15th March 1939?

Answer 24

The rest of Czechoslovakia (i.e. the bits Germany had not been given at Munich).

Question 25

When was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?

Answer 25

24th August 1939

Question 26

What did Hitler gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 26

He avoided war on 2 fronts; half of Poland; a weakening of any British/French commitment to fight over Poland.

Question 27

What did Stalin gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 27

1. Territory in eastern Europe as a defensive shield for the USSR against Germany.
2. Time to build up his army.
3. Avoided having to fight Germany alone and unprepared.

Question 28

On what date did Hitler invade Poland, which led Britain and France to declare war on Germany the very next day?

Answer 28

1st September 1939.

Question 29

Why did Stalin see Britain and France as poor allies?

Answer 29

He did not believe Britain and France they would fight Hitler due to appeasement, and he did not trust them as he was not invited to Munich. He also knew they feared communism.

Question 30

When was the Munich Agreement signed?

Answer 30

September 1938

Question 31

What was the name of the policy given to the British and French approach of trying to negotiate with Hitler, rather than stand up to him?

Answer 31

Appeasement

Question 32

What is usually seen as the best example of appeasement?

Answer 32

The Munich Conference.

Question 33

Why could appeasement be seen as sensible?

Answer 33

1. Britain was not ready for war.
2. Britain and France wanted Hitler to help stop communism spreading across Europe.
3. Many people in Britain felt the ToV had been too harsh on Germany so did not mind Hitler undoing some of its provisions.