Why had international peace collapsed by 1939 Flashcards
Q1: How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the outbreak of WWII?
A: It created resentment in Germany due to harsh terms like loss of territory, reparations, and “war guilt,” which Hitler later exploited.
Q2: Why did Italy and Japan also resent the peace treaties?
A: They felt they didn’t gain enough from WWI, despite being on the winning side—this led to aggressive foreign policies.
Q3: How did the Manchurian and Abyssinian Crises weaken the League?
A: They showed the League could not stop powerful aggressors and lacked enforcement power, encouraging further aggression.
Q4: What message did the League’s failures send to Hitler?
A: That Britain and France would not intervene forcefully, giving him confidence to break the Treaty of Versailles.
Q5: What were Hitler’s main foreign policy aims?
A: Overturn the Treaty of Versailles, unite all German-speaking people, gain Lebensraum (living space), and defeat communism.
Q6: Which actions by Hitler directly challenged the Treaty of Versailles?
A: Re-militarising the Rhineland (1936), Anschluss with Austria (1938), building up the army, and invading Czechoslovakia (1939).
Q7: What is appeasement?
A: A policy of giving in to an aggressor’s demands to avoid conflict, followed mainly by Britain under Neville Chamberlain.
Q8: Give one argument in favour of appeasement.
A: Britain was not ready for war in the 1930s and wanted to avoid another conflict like WWI.
Q9: Give one argument against appeasement.
A: It encouraged Hitler to become more aggressive, believing he could get what he wanted without consequences.
Q10: What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939)?
A: A non-aggression agreement between Germany and the USSR, secretly agreeing to divide Poland between them.
Q11: Why was the Nazi-Soviet Pact important in leading to war?
A: It allowed Hitler to invade Poland without fear of a Soviet response, directly leading to war.
Q12: Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in September 1939?
A: Hitler invaded Poland on 1st September 1939. Britain and France had guaranteed Polish independence, so they declared war on 3rd September.
