3. Road to war Flashcards
(34 cards)
What were Hitler’s aims, as laid out in Mein Kampf, 1924?
Reverse the TofV (called Friedrich Ebert and his government the ‘November criminals’)
All Germans in one Germany (Anschluss, Sudetenland…)
Empire in eastern Europe (Lebensraum = living space)
Defeat Communism/Bolshevism (thought that Germany would be next to be attacked by it. )
Anti-semitism (thought Aryan race was superior)
From 1933-1939, what were Hitler’s actions?
1933: Germany exits the League Begins rearming 1934: Tries to take Austria but Mussolini moves up his troops. 1935: Massive rearmament rally - rearmament goes public. 1936: Reintroduces conscription Militarises the Rhineland Signs Anticomintern with Japan. 1937: Spanish Civil war Italy joins Anticomintern (Axis Alliance) 1938: Takes over Austria + Sudetenland 1939: Czechoslovakia, Pact of steel, Nazi-soviet pact, Poland WAR.
Who introduced the idea in the 1960s, that Hitler was a gambler and that other factors also caused WWII?
British Historian AJP Taylor
Why did Hitler want to rearm?
Reduce unemployment
Make Germany strong again (Third Reich)
Challenge the TofV
Why did Hitler guess right that no country would stop him from rearming?
Other countries were using rearmament to solve unemployment.
LoN disarmament conference was a disaster
Britain believed disarmament on TofV was too tight + wanted a good buffer against communism.
Steps in Hitler’s rearmament
1933: starts to rearm secretly
1935: Makes rearmament public; massive rally + Anglo-German Naval Agreement.
1936: reintroduces conscription
From 1932 to 1939 army went from 100,000 men to 950,000 men
What was the Saar before 1935?
A region ruled by the LoN since 1919.
What happened in the Saar, 1935?
The promised plebiscite was held.
90% voted to remain part of Germany.
This was partly due to Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who mounted a massive campaign to persuade the people.
What were the effects of the annexation of the Saar to German territory?
Hitler gets massive propaganda + confidence + morale.
His idea of all Germans in one Germany reinforced.
Why was remilitarising the Rhineland ‘risky’?
He not only broke TofV but also the Locarno Treaties.
French army was stronger than Germany’s. (German generals had orders of retreat if the French opposed)
Why did Hitler invade the Rhineland in March, 1936?
- France had just signed the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance (against Germany): he could argue Germany was under threat and had the right to defend itself.
- French govt. was weak due to the Hoare-Laval crisis = elections where being held in France.
- Britain felt that Hitler had the right to remilitarise the Rhineland.
- LoN was occupied with the Abyssinian Crisis.
Who supported the Republican Government during the Spanish Civil War?
USSR (weapons, aircraft, pilots)
Volunteers from other European countries that joined International Brigades.
France (although little)
Who supported Franco during the Spanish Civil War and how did they do so?
Mussolini sent troops (‘volunteers’)
Franco sent the Luftwaffe - Condor Legion (helped in transporting troops from North Africa to Iberian Peninsula + civil bombardments like Guernica’s)
How did the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39, helped cause the war?
German+Italian forces gained experienced + tactics (Blitzkrieg = lighting war)
Mussolini + Hitler strengthen their alliance = Pact of Steel, 1939.
Other countries get to see the horrors of new warfare and are fearful to stop Hitler and possibly go to war.
Anglo-German Naval Agreement, 1935
Germany and Britain agree Germany can increase its navy up to 35% of the British.
What evidence was there about the Militarism of the other Axis Powers? (Japan+Italy)
Japan:
Nationalist Commanders (General Tojo); wanted to build empire of the Sun (Manchuria, Jehol, Second Sino Japanese war, 1937)
Italy:
Abyssinia, 1936; Spanish Civil war.
What happened with Austria in 1934?
Hitler tried to take over but Mussolini moved his troops up to the Brenner Pass (frontier with Austria)
So Hitler backed up.
How did Hitler annex Austria in 1938?
Hitler tells the Austrian Nazi party to stir up trouble
Hitler persuades Schuschnig to put Nazi leader, Seyss Inquart as minister of Interior. (press+police…)
Schuschnig calls a plebiscite (a free, united, Christian… Austria)
Hitler sees this as an insult, Schuschnig resigns + Seyss Inquart becomes chancellor.
Seyss-Inquart calls the German troops to ‘control’ the plebiscite.
99.75% VOTED FOR ANSCHLUSS
Austria is annexed (Ostmark region)
What supposed Anschluss in 1938 to Hitler?
- Soldiers+population
- Weapons
- Gold+ Iron
- Breaks TofV
- All Germans in one Germany, he was born in Branau, Austria.
What was appeasement?
Appeasement was Britain’s foreign policy during the 1930s that consisted of giving Hitler’s reasonable demands in order to avoid war. Neville Chamberlain, 1937, was strongly associated with this policy.
Arguments for appeasement (7)
- Strong Germany would act as a buffer against communism.
- Britain needed time to rearm (it started at 1935)
- Britain needed to be sure that the countries in the Commonwealth would support it.
- Debts from WWI + Depression made Britain poor and couldn’t afford another war.
- TofV was too harsh and some of Hitler’s proposals were reasonable.
- The USA had turned isolationist, wouldn’t support Britain in another war.
- Remembered horrors of WWI, wanted to avoid another war.
Arguments against appeasement (4)
- Hitler wasn’t trustworthy
- Gave Germany time to rearm even more.
- Hitler wanted more and more; he had to be stopped.
- It made the USSR sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact, 1939
Which cartoonist openly criticised Appeasement?
David Low
Why did Czechoslovakia seem difficult for Hitler?
Gb + FR + USSR had promised support to Czechoslovakia.
The Czech leader, Benes, was prepared to fight.
