Unit 3 --> Causes For WW2 Flashcards
How did the Nazi-Soviet Pact lead to the outbreak of war in 1939? (3)
1-freed up Hitler to invade Poland (2 front war)
2-ended Bt’s hope of an alliance w/ russia –> people in Britain realised that nothing would stop Hitler now but war
3-Improved morale of British people for war, showed Hitler as an opportunist and a trickster who could never be trusted.
How did the ToV lead to WW2? 1 (2) 2 (3)
1)Harsh treaty resulted in German economy doing poorly & relying on US for support which resulted in:
-huge hatred towards Germany(blamed for starting war)which created serious German nationalism
2) *long term cause of WW2 bc:
- united Germany in hate for foreign nations
-caused the German economy to be reliant on foreign loans –> a desire among Germans to restore Germany to its former power
–>resulted in the Nazi party being able to come to power by promising to fix all of these problems
How did appeasement lead to the outbreak of war in 1939?
(3)
1-after German invasion of Sudetenland Hitler was encouraged to go even further
2-First he broke the promise not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia and then he invaded Poland
3- Hitler believed that Bt+Fr would not declare war
–>Some people have suggested that had Bt/Fr tried to stop Hitler that he would have backed down, maybe in the short-term, but he was a megalomaniac (extreme dire of power) who thought he was gifted with military genius. So WWII would have happened regardless.
How did Hitler’s foreign policy lead to the outbreak of war in 1939?
1 5
1)Hitler’s foreign policy led to war by being so aggressive that eventually the French and British could no longer ignore the fact that Hitler was trying to gain a dominant position in Europe
1-Hitler’s foreign policy was one of expansion.
2-He used the idea that the ToV was unfair to Germans as an excuse for this expansion
3- He used it, along with the idea of self-determination to justify the Anschluss with Austria
4-He used it to demand that the Sudetenland be given to Germany. He then used it to demand and get all of the rest of Czechoslovakia
5-When he finally used this rationale to invade Poland, the war started. This eventually led the French and British to be alarmed enough to declare war
Why was the failure of LoN to blame for WW2?
-too weak to keep peace –> encouraged Hitler to invade Poland
-LoN failures in dealing w/ Italy & Japan proved to Hitler that he could invade w/out interference from LoN
counter argument
-even if LoN was steady, they didn’t have an army + took very long to make decisions + USA missing
LoN could’ve never stopped Hitler
How was the depression a cause for WW2?
–> nations started looking out for their own interests
-led to Japan+Italy invading other countries
–> brought Hitler to power in Germany
-gained popularity by promising to solve economic issues
