WW2 Flashcards
1
Q
State Hitler’s aims:
A
Abolish ToV
- Germany’s armed forces to be severely limited
- Rhineland to be a Demilitarised zone
- Germany forbidden to unite with Austria
- Sudetenland taken into the new state of Czechoslovakia
- Polish corridor given to Poland
- He believed it was unjust
- He hated it and called ‘November criminals’ to the Germans who signed it
Expand German territory
- ToV had taken territories from Germany
- He wanted to carve out an empire in Eastern Europe to give extra ‘lebensraum’ for Germans
Defeat communism
- He was anti-communist
- He thought that if Germany carved out of the Soviet Union, everything would be better
2
Q
How did Hitler rearm?
A
- Hitler came to power in 1933
- Unemployed people joined the army
- Reduce unemployment
- Deliver his promise (make Germany strong again)
Warships
- 1932 (30)
- 1939 (95)
Aircraft
- 1932 (36)
- 1939 (8,250)
Soldiers
- 1932 (100,000)
- 1939 (950,000)
3
Q
What was the Saar Plebiscite?
A
- Saar ruled by LoN since 1919
- 1935 LoN promised plebiscite to vote for people to return to Germany
- Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels mounted a massive campaign to persuade the people of the Saar to vote for the Reich
- 90% voted to return
4
Q
What was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
A
- March 1936, Hitler moved troops to Rhineland
- Remilitarisation of Rhineland / ToV (designed to protect France from invasion from Germany
- France had signed a treaty with the USSR to protect each other from Germany
- As the troops moved into the Rhineland, Germany over lacked equipment and France was above them with army
- The LoN was on the Abyssinian Crisis which was happening exactly at the same time
- France refused to act without Britain because they didn’t want a war although they didn’t know Germany was much more weaker than France
5
Q
What happened in the Spanish Civil War?
A
- 1936 a civil war broke out in Spain between supporters of the Republican government and right-wing rebels under General Franco
- Stalin’s USSR’s supported the Republican government (In the form of weapons, aircraft and pilots)
- Hitler and Mussolini declared their support for General Franco
- Britain and France refused to intervene but then they did
- Mussolini sent thousands of Italian troops (‘volunteers’)
- Germany sent aircrafts and pilots who took part in most of the major campaigns of the war
- Thanks partly to Hitler’s help, the Nationalists won the war and a right-wing dictatorship ruled Spain for the next 36 years
- This made Hitler and Mussolini strengthen their bonds
- The Spanish Civil War encourage dHitler to reverse the ToV
- The USSR became increasingly suspicious of Britain and France because of their reluctance to get involved in opposing fascism
6
Q
What was militarism and the Axis?
A
- Hitler and Mussolini has shown that their arm forces were effective and that they were ready to use them
- Mussolini had triumphed in Abyssinia and was aggressively trying to assert his authority in the Mediterranean and North Africa
- East Japan = in control by general Tojo
- They wanted to extend Japan’s empire across Asia so it could compete with other world powers, particularly the United States
- 1937 - Japan took their next step invading China
- 1936 - Germany and Japan signed an Anti-Comintern Pact, to oppose communism
- 1937 - Italy also signed it
- Axis alliance formed
7
Q
What happened in 1938 with Austria? (Anschluss)
A
- Hitler made it clear in mein kampf that he felt that the 2 states belonged together as one German nation
- Many in Austria supported the idea of Union with Germany since they were economically weak
- 1934 - Germany tried to invade Austria but Mussolini stopped him
- 1938- Now Hitler and Mussolini are allies
- Strong Nazi party in Austria
- Hitler encouraged the Nazis to stir up trouble for the government
- Staged demonstrations calling for Union with Germany . They caused riots
- Hitler told the Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss (Political Union) could sort out these problems
- Schuschnigg reported to Britain and France that Hitler was pressurising him but they didn’t do anything so he had no choice but to call a plebiscite (referendum)
- 99.75% voted for Anschluss
- Chamberlain believed that Austrians and Germans had a right to be united and that the ToV was wrong to separate them
8
Q
What was appeasement?
A
- Britain and France not prepared to defend ToV
- Giving Britain time to rearm against Hitler
9
Q
State the Czech fears in the Sudetenland, 1938:
A
- Edvard Benes, leader of Czechoslovakia, was horrified by the Anschluss
- He knew that Czechoslovakia would be next
10
Q
State Hitler’s threats to the Sudetenland:
A
- He had designs on Czechoslovakia
- Sudetenland included a large number of Germans
- Henlein, leader of the Nazis in Sudetenland, stirred up trouble among the Sudetenland Germans and they demanded to be part of Germany
11
Q
State the preparations for war in the Sudetenland:
A
- Britain, France and USSR had promised to protect Czechoslovakia
- People expected that it would bring heavy bombing of civilians
12
Q
State what happened during the Crisis talks:
A
- Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler on the 15th of September
- Hitler said that he wanted parts of the Sudetenland but then on the 19th of September he said he wanted all of the Sudetenland
13
Q
What happened in the Munich Conference?
A
- Meeting on the 29th September with Mussolini’s help
- They decided to give Hitler what he wanted
14
Q
State the consequences of the Munich Conference:
A
- Hitler knew that Britain would not risk war
- Sudetenland was given to him
15
Q
What happened at the end of appeasement?
A
Czechoslovakia, 1939
- German troops took over the rest of Czechoslovakia on the 15th of March
- There was no resistance from the Czechs
- Britain and France told Hitler that if he invaded Poland, they would declare war on Germany
