The Outbreak Of War

Question 1

What was Hitlers next move after the suden crisis?

Answer 1

• his next victim would be Poland.
• however this was risky was he could face war on two sides.
• Britain and France in the west and the USSR in the east because the USSR saw Poland was a country in their influence circle.
  This was why Hitler was in the First World War, so he has to eliminate the ussr threat.

Question 2

What was in the Nazi-Soviet pact for Germany?

Answer 2

• Hitler con invade Poland without facing war on two fronts as USSR said they would not interfere.
• Britain and France now did not have USSR as an ally.
• the USSR had a massive army which would no longer be a threat to Germany.

Question 3

What was in the Nazi-Soviet pact for the USSR?

Answer 3

• Stalin felt snubbed by Britain and France due to the Munich conference, he thought appeasement was weak so now he had to protect the USSR from Germany himself and he could not trust them to do it.
• Hitler sent a senior nazi, while Britain and France sent minor diplomats with little influence, Stalin felt Germany respected the USSR more.
• Hitler agreed that Stalin could have Poland territory and he didn’t even have to send troops.
• Stalin feared Hitler would invade the USSR and they were not ready, becoming allies gave them more time to prepare.
• land in Poland would act as a buffer if Hitler tried to invade the USSR.

Question 4

Discuss the invasion of Poland and the declaration of war?

Answer 4

• the nazi-soviet pact proved to Britain and France that appeasement has failed.
• they now formalised agreement with Poland to protect them if Hitler invaded, war was almost inevitable because Hitler felt confident he could invade without the threat of the USSR.
• On 1st of September, 1939 Germany sent a battleship into Danzig and the German army and Luftwaffe descended on Poland.
• on 3rd September, 1939 Britain sent an ultimatum - that Hitler must leave Poland by 11am or Britain would declare war, Hitler ignored this and Britain and then France declared war.
• Poland was overrun within 4 weeks, Hitler now felt strong and he thought Britain and France would backdown.

Question 5

Give a short term reason for war?

Answer 5

• Germany not pulling out of poland.

Question 6

Why could Hitler be responsible for war?

Answer 6

• wrote in his book Mein Kampf that he would make Germany strong again with violence.
• his foreign policy aims meant he had to invade other countries.
• broke the treaty of Versailles which was international law.
• invaded Poland.

Question 7

Why could chamberlain be responsible for war?

Answer 7

• missed opportunities to stop Hitler due to appeasement.
• failed to act when Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland, if he did act then war could of been prevented as Germany were not strong enough to fight at that point.
• Gave the Sudetenland to Hitler without consulting the Czechs, enabled Hitler to strengthen its army.
• excluded Stalin from Munich conference, this alienated Stalin and prompted him to sign nazi-soviet pact.

Question 8

Why could Stalin be responsible for war?

Answer 8

• signed the Nazi-soviet pact despite Hitler wanting to destroy communism.
• the size of the USSR’s armed forces meant that Hitler now had a powerful ally.
• pact meant Hitler could invade Poland as he wouldn’t have to fight a war on two fronts.