The Drift To War Flashcards
What were the causes of World War II
Treaty of Versailles Hitler's aims Hitler's actions weakness of League of Nations policy of appeasement nazi-soviet pact American isolation Japanese aggression
What was the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles 1919
After WWI Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles with the Victorious allies Britain France and America.
Germans resented the terms of the Treaty
What were Hitler’s aims in foreign policy
Hitler wanted to make Germany great again
The Nazi Party program (1920) said:
We Demand The Union of all Germans to form a greater Germany.
We demand the abolishing of the Treaty of Versailles.
We demand land for settling our surplus population
How did Hitler destroy the Treaty of Versailles
1He began rearmament which broke the Treaty of Versailles
2 then he sent the German army into the 3rhineland he supported Mussolini in the invasion of abyssinia
4then Hitler United germany and Austria
What was the League of Nations set up for
And what were its weaknesses
It was set up to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace.
We had a number of weaknesses:
America did not join the League
Decisions of the league had to be unanimous (all agree)
the league had no army to enforce its decisions.
What was the policy of appeasement
Britain and France gave in to Hitler’s demands because they followed a policy of appeasement. Hitler saw this as a sign of weakness so he continued to make more demands,
however the policy also allowed Britain to begin rearmament
What did the Soviet Union agree to in the Nazi Soviet pact of 1939
Agreed for 10-year non aggression pact and they also secretly agreed to divide Poland between them
What brought America in World War II
Japan expanded into China in the 1930s and also expanded into Indochina too.
this brought it into conflict with America which imposed economic sanctions on Japan.
Japanese attack Pearl Harbour in December 1941. This brought America into WWll
Explain American isolation
The country stayed isolated from conflicts around the world even though America is the most powerful country in the world at the time. They hope to avoid another world war . This is why they did not join the League of Nations after WWI
