why had international peace collapsed by 1939? Flashcards
between which years did Hitler rise to power?
1918-1933
why did Mussolini’s philosophy clash with the LoN? why would his beliefs be appealing to others?
he believed in fascism, which discards peace, emphasises the importance of war and struggle, revolves around authority and self-sacrifice. this clashed with the LoN because it describes war as noble and promotes it.
it would have been appealing to others, who were desperate and it gave people a reason to be angry
who is Mussolini?
Benito Mussolini was a fascist who founded the Italian fascist party in 1919. he inspired Hitler. he was initially a socialist. he ruled as prime minister from 1922-25 and as dictator from 1925-1943
what are some of the things Hitler states in Mein Kampf?
- blames Jewish people for the war and its consequences which could affect his future policy by having deep prejudices against Jewish people
- set on overturning treaty of versailles
- his aim is to secure more land for the German people - believes Germans are a superior race (Lebensraum)
- nationalism will only succeed when Jewish people are exterminated
- the Bolsheviks are bad and are a tyrannous regine
how did the outcome of WW1 shape Hitler’s plan?
Hitler was enraged when Germany surrendered and blamed Jewish people
How did Germany’s economy impact HItler’s political popularity?
As people became more desperate they turned to Hitler’s radical ideas, which gave them someone to blame
The Wall Street crash in 1929 also left 6 million unemployed and the great depression in 1930 also played a part in Hitler being able to garner favour
when was Hitler released from Prison?
20th December 1924
what is dolchstoss? how does it relate to Hitler?
it is a German word for stab in the back relating to the myth that the German army was undefeated in WW1, but betrayed by politicians, giving the German people someone to blame
what did Hitler do in Feb 1936?
organised the Bamberg conference to reunify the party which was effective and in 1936 he reconstructed the party to be more efficient
what was the new framework of Germany in the 30s?
Germany was divided into sections called the Gaue, which had its own Gaueleiter. The Gaue had its own sections called the Kreise which also had a Kreisleiter
how did the Nazis aim to garner support in the 30s?
by infiltrating existing social structures like children and doctors to gain supporters, as well as advertising legitimately (propaganda).
The propaganda was aimed to exploit people’s fear of uncertainty and instability. The Jews and communists were featured as enemies of the German people. it was aimed at the working class.
Joe Goebbels manipulated the media to spread the relevance of the Nazi party and portrayed Hitler as strong and stable
how was the ban on the Nazi party removed?
Hitler convinced the chancellor of Bavaria to remove it. This happened following his release from prison
by how much did wages fall from 1929-1932? why?
39% due to the impacts of the wall street crash (i think)
what were some impacts of the wall street crash (on Germany?)
- wages fell by 39% from 1929-32
- over 10,000 businesses closed down every year
- 1/2 lawyers in Berlin were Jewish. They had higher paying jobs and were singled out by the Nazis, who already had an antisemitic basis, so Jewish people were used as their scapegoat. this kickstarted antisemitic propaganda
what were the SS and the SA? what is the difference between them? when established?
The Nazi’s paramilitary organisation that was used to inflict fear on the Nazi’s opposition (using illegal methods) to support them. the SS was a subdivision of the SA with 300 members until 1929. They acted as Hitler’s bodyguards
the SA was established in 1925 and had a reputation for being violent. they had 3,000,000 members by 1933
how did Hitler and the Nazis manage to get conservative support?
in the 20s, right-wing politicians were frustrated with Germany’s economic status and lack of authority held by the Weimar Republic. They were against communism and supported Hitler because they wanted to use him to get power. they underestimated Hitler.
what happened in 1923 to Hitler and his votes? who helped in response?
his votes went down so Von Papen, Oscar von Hindenberg (son of president Hindenberg- top general in WW1) backed Hitler to become chancellor
what were Hitler’s main aims?
to rearm the country, lebensraum, expand his empire, genocide
when did Hitler come into power in Germany?
1933
what was rearmament?
thousands of unemployed workers were drafted into the army in the 30s. This not only reduced unemployment but grew the army and challenged the terms of the ToV.
the no planes went from 36-8250 and no soldier went form 100,000-950,000 and no warships went from 30-95 between 1932-1939.
Hitler also withdrew from the LoN.
in 1935 Hitler staged a military rally and in 1936 he reintroduced conscription to the army.
Re armament was popular and increased Nazi support
what was Hitler’s justification and the UK/France’s reaction to rearmament?
- H made a great public display of his desire to not rearm Germny and that he was only doing it because other countries refused to disarm
- he also used the excuse of high unemployment
- german people supported it
- Br thought that the limits of the ToV were too harsh and it would be a buffer against communism
- Br signed a naval agreement with Hitler in 1935, meaning G’s navy could be 35% of Britain’s
-France was angry
what happened in the Rhineland?
in March 1936, Hitler moved troops into the Rhineland, which borders Belgium and France. This violated the ToV and Locarno Treaty from 1925 (designed to protect France from Germany).
Hitler took a gamble with remilitarisation because he could’ve been forced to withdraw, making him look weak and humiliated + losing support from German army
- officers were ordered to pull out if the French retaliated because the German army was no match for the French army (lacking equipment and air support)
what was Hitler’s justification and the UK/France’s reaction to the Rhineland?
- Hitler claimed that Germany was under threat from the French and USSR treaty which was recently signed to protect each other from German attack.
- he argued that he should be able to place troops on his own frontier
- British people thought he had the right to do this so Hitler was fairly certain that Br wouldn’t intervene
-the league’s attention was on the Abyssinian crisis so they only condemned his actions - the French were divided on what to do and there was a french election and none of the french leaders wanted to put France into war and they refused to act without British support
what was the Saarland plebiscite? when was it?
it was in 1935. The LoN held the promised plebiscite for people to determine whether the region should return to German rule. Hitler was initially wary because many of his opponents had fled to the Saar. His propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, mounted a massive campaign in the Saar so the people would vote for the Reich. 90% of the population voted to return to German rule. this was due to propaganda, the area was mostly German, Hitler seemed to be restarting German greatness, and nazi intimidation. THis was entirely legal and was a morale boost for hitler.
It tells us the poeple liked him and he was able to get stronger
when did the Spanish civil war break out?
1936
who was fighting in the spanish civil war?
the supporters of the republican government and the right-wing rebels of General Franco
why was the spanish civil war significant?
it gained an international dimension and because it was ina European state
who did Stalin support in the Spanish civil war? How? who else supported them and how?
the Republican government in the form of weapons, aircraft, pilots. Thousands of volunteers from around 50 countries joined international brigades to support the republicans.
who did Hitler and Mussolini support in the spanish civil war?
General Franco
