c&t part three: the origins & outbreak of WWII Flashcards
1
Q
chapter 8: why did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland?
A
knew F & B likely to declare war if he invaded other countries to take Lebensraum, so had to protect his western borders by remilitarising Rhineland
2
Q
chapter 8: what was the big risk that Hitler had for the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
A
- G generals had advised H that army not strong enough to fight if B/F chose to challenge it
- G financial ministers warned him that if plan failed he’d have to pay huge fines, which G couldn’t afford
3
Q
chapter 8: why didn’t Britain stop Hitler in the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
A
- GD causing domestic problems meant B reluctant to do anything
- B people said no need to stop H from ‘marching into his own back garden’; many felt he had right to defend his own borders & that area rightfully his
- B leadership preoccupied w Abyssinian crisis
4
Q
chapter 8: why didn’t France stop Hitler in the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
A
- politicians distracted as they were fighting a general election
- much of French army in Tunisia in case they needed to intervene in Abyssinian crisis
- many believed G army entering Rhineland bigger than it was - they thought this was battle they wouldn’t win
5
Q
chapter 8: events of the remilitarisation of the Rhineland
A
- 1935: Franco-Soviet Pact signed - deal between F & USSR where each agreed to assist other if attacked; as result H claimed he was under attack from F in west & USSR in east
- 7 March 1936: H’s troops entered Rhineland, many rode on bicycles & no air support
- civilians in Rhineland greeted troops w flowers
6
Q
chapter 8: why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important?
A
- H gained confidence he could get away w violating ToV
- B & F started rearming; war getting closer
- F priority now protecting its own border; started ignoring treaties they’d signed to protect other countries
- H showed he was powerful; signed Rome-Berlin Axis w Mussolini
—> H signed Anti-Comintern Pact w J in Nov 1936; agreed to work together against threat of Communism; I later joined alliance when agreed to Pact of Steel w G in 1939
7
Q
chapter 8: events of Anschluss in 1938/events that led to it (8 points)
A
- G ruled by A for 600 yrs, but ToV then forbade it
- 2 of H’s foreign policy aims were to unite G-speaking people & to destroy ToV
- 1934: Hitler had A Nazis murder Dollfuss, A chancellor, but backed down when M moved troops to A border
- 1938: A Nazis planned to get rid of new chancellor, Schuschnigg, but police stopped it. A Nazis imprisoned, but Schuschnigg still felt vulnerable; met w H & agreed to give key positions in A gov to Nazis in return for H’s support
- H’s puppet, Seyss-Inquart, appointed as minister for the interior, w full power over police in A. now had full control of A police force, who turned blind eye to Nazi terrorist attacks on A gov
- Schuschnigg planned plebiscite to prove A people didn’t want to be ruled by H, but H demanded delay & then forced Schuschnigg to resign
- H made Seyss-Inquart new chancellor. he was Nazi ‘puppet’; claimed A in state of chaos & asked H to restore order, so on 12 March Nazi forces entered A. crowds of A gathered in streets to cheer their arrival
- on 10 April plebiscite held, Nazis won 99% of vote
8
Q
chapter 8: when was Anschluss?
A
1938
9
Q
chapter 8: how did Austria react to Anschluss?
A
99% of people voted in favour of it, but polling stations heavily policed by Nazi ‘stormtroopers’, and the ‘yes’ box on ballot form was much bigger than ‘no’ one
10
Q
chapter 8: how did Czechoslovakia react to Anschluss?
A
- Czech people feared that H’s policy of Lebensraum meant they’d be invaded next
- B & F agreed they’d protect them if H did invade
11
Q
chapter 8: how did Britain react to Anschluss?
A
some decided that ToV too harsh on G, and since thought that G & A essentially same country, felt H should be allowed to unite them
12
Q
chapter 8: how did Germany react to Anschluss?
A
- H able to use Anschluss as great propaganda victory
- G people delighted to be uniting w A neighbours, and could see H was achieving his foreign policy aims of Volksdeutsche and creating a Greater G
13
Q
chapter 8: how did France react to Anschluss?
A
2 days before H’s invasion whole gov had resigned. F in no position to get involved
14
Q
chapter 8: why was the Anschluss important?
A
meant H’s next steps on road to war more easily achieved:
- could now use A army
- could access east much more easily through A
- Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia now bordered by G (and A) on 3 sides
15
Q
chapter 8: what year was the Sudeten Crisis?
A
1938
16
Q
chapter 8: where was the Sudetenland?
A
Czechoslovakia
17
Q
chapter 8: what were some reasons that Hitler wanted to take the Sudetenland?
A
- Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia, on the G border
- he planned to take Lebensraum
- Czechoslovakia’s main defences in there, so taking it allows Hitler to invade whole country. natural resources & factories in the area he could utilise in his war effort
- Czechoslovakia created at end of WWI, he felt invasion of it would be another step towards destroying ToV
- about 20% of pop. G, in may 1938 claimed they were being persecuted & used this as excuse to attack
18
Q
chapter 8: what happened when Chamberlain met Hitler on 15th September 1938?
A
- Chamberlain flew to Berchtesgarden to meet Hitler
- he wanted to appease him to prevent war, so agreed to allow him to take Sudetenland so long as his actions peacful
- Chamberlain then met w Czechs & forced them to agree to Hitler’s terms
- 22 Sept: Chamberlain met Hitler at Bad Godsberg, where Hitler changed demands: Sudetenland would be handed over to him by 1 Oct and Hungary & Poland must also be given Czech land
19
Q
chapter 8: when did Chamberlain meet with Hitler about the Sudetenland? (not the Munich conference)
A
15 Sept 1938
20
Q
chapter 8: what happened at the Munich Conference on 29th September 1938?
A
- Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini & Daladier (F president) met in Munich
- they accepted demands Hitler had made at Bad Godsberg
- Chamberlain & Daladier said they’d prevented war, as Hitler promised not to take any more land. Chamberlain said he’d guaranteed ‘peace in our time’
- Czechs not consulted!!!
- USSR not consulted, this made Stalin think he couldn’t trust B & F
21
Q
chapter 8: when was the Munich Conference?
A
29th Sept 1938
22
Q
chapter 8: when did Hitler invade the Sudetenland?
A
10th Oct 1938
23
Q
chapter 8: what happened when Hitler invaded the Sudetenland?
A
- troops marched in, but unlike events in Rhineland & Austria, Czechs saw this as real military invasion
- this was 1st time Hitler invaded a country that’d never prev been united w G
- Hitler completed invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. he’d broken promises made at Munich Conference & Chamberlain had to accept policy of appeasement failed
24
Q
chapter 8: what are some arguments for appeasement?
A
- war costs lives, so should be avoided
- ToV too harsh on G
- Hitler said he was man of peace
- Hitler’s actions gave ppl what they wanted e.g. Anschluss
- ppl of B didn’t want war
- war too expensive during GD
- Hitler could be ally against Communism
- B rearmament didn’t start until 1936 - B not ready for war
- USA wouldn’t support B & F
25
chapter 8: when did B start rearming?
1936
26
chapter 8: what are some arguments against appeasement?
- Hitler made no secret of fact he'd use violence
- opportunities to stop Hitler when he was weak, such as when Rhineland remilitarised, were missed
- Hitler grew confident
- appeasement morally wrong
- Czechoslovakia strong & modern, and so could've made stand against Hitler, but was forced to back down
- USSR alienated
27
chapter 8: summary of appeasement's failure?
- Hitler's foreign policy meant he'd invade other countries
- however, B & F reluctant to go to war, so followed policy of appeasement
- this taught Hitler he could do as he wanted & so Europe got closer to war, as he remilitarised Rhineland, forced Anschluss on Austria, invaded Sudetenland, & then took rest of Czechoslovakia
28
chapter 9: when was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?
23 Aug 1939
29
chapter 9: how would G benefit from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
- Hitler could invade Poland w/o facing war on 2 fronts. B & F had promised to protect Poland, but USSR wouldn't interfere
- B & F would now face war w Germany w/o USSR as ally
- USSR had massive army, which would no longer be threat to G
30
chapter 9: how would the USSR benefit from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
- Stalin felt B & F snubbed him by leaving him out of Munich Conference & thought they were being weak by appeasing Hitler, realised he couldn't trust them to help protect USSR if Hitler invaded
- B & F had sent minor diplomats w no real authority to meet w Stalin. Hitler had sent senior Nazi; seemed to respect USSR more
- Hitler agreed Stalin would be given Polish territory - Stalin wouldn't even have to send troops
- Stalin feared Hitler would invade USSR, but not ready to fight. becoming allies gave time to prepare
- land in Poland would act as buffer zone if Hitler did decide to invade USSR
31
chapter 9: how did B & F feel about the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
- N-S Pact meant they'd realised policy of appeasement had failed
- they'd already agreed to protect Poland if Hitler invaded, & now they formalised this agreement, war seemed inevitably
32
chapter 9: what were the events after the N-S Pact that led to WWII being declared?
- w/o threat of war on 2 fronts, Hitler felt confident enough to invade Poland
- **1 Sept 1939**, G battleship attacked Danzig and G army & Luftwaffe descended on Poland
- **3 Sept 1939**: B sent ultimatum - Hitler must leave Poland by 11:00 or B would declare war. Hitler sent no reply, so B followed by F declared war
- Poland was overrun within 4 weeks, & Hitler thought B & F would back down - he was wrong
33
chapter 9: when did WWII break out?
3rd Sept 1939
34
chapter 9: how was Hitler responsible for WWII?
- wrote in book Mein Kampf that he'd use violence to make G strong again
- foreign policy aims included Lebensraum, building greater G, uniting G speaking ppl, & destroying ToV, which meant he had to invade other countries
- broke ToV, which was international law
- invaded Poland, which prompted B & F to declare war
35
chapter 9: how was Chamberlain responsible for WWII?
- missed opportunities to stop Hitler, bc of appeasement
- failed to act when Hitler remilitarised Rhineland. at this stage Nazis not ready for war - if he'd acted, Hitler would've been forced to stop
- gave Sudetenland to Hitler w/o consulting Czechs, then allowed him to invade a country he had no claim to, which enabled him to strengthen his army
- excluded Stalin from Munich Conference, which alienated Stalin & prompted him to sign N-S Pact
36
chapter 9: how was Stalin responsible for WWII?
- signed N-S Pact despite Hitler wanting to destroy Communism
- size of USSR's armed forces meant Hitler had huge & powerful ally
- pact meant Hitler wouldn't have to fight war on 2 fronts, so was able to invade Poland
37
chapter 9: what other factors had a role in the outbreak of WWII?
- Japan
- Mussolini
- The Big Three
- American Isolationism
- weakness & collapse of LoN
- fear of Communism
- Great Depression
38
chapter 9: how was Japan responsible for WWII?
- invaded Manchuria 1931, walked out of LoN Feb 1933, & then mainland China 1937 - which some historians say was start of WWII
- signed Anti-Comintern Pact & Pact of Steel w Hitler
39
chapter 9: how was Mussolini responsible for WWII?
- invaded Abyssinia which destroyed ppl's confidence in LoN
- 1938: didn't intervene when Hitler carried out Anschluss, which convinced him he could do as he pleased
- signed Anti-Comintern Pact & Pact of Steel w Hitler
40
chapter 9: how was The Big Three responsible for WWII?
- ToV resented by G & inspired Hitler's foreign policy - to re-unite G speaking ppl, build greater G & claim Lebensraum
- by 1930s, many felt that ToV too harsh & turned blind eye when Hitler started to break it
41
chapter 9: how was American isolationism responsible for WWII?
- made LoN weaker, so certain countries were prepared to act more aggressively & risk outbreak of all-out war, bc didn't fear military action from USA
- as result of USA's absence from LoN, economic sanctions useless bc aggressive countries could trade w USA
42
chapter 9: how was the weakness & collapse of the LoN responsible for WWII?
- Hitler saw he could get away w invading other countries w/o being punished, just like J in Manchuria & Mussolini in Abyssinia
- major countries (like USA) not members of LoN, meaning was not a forceful military or economic threat; LoN had no army
43
chapter 9: how was the fear of Communism responsible for WWII?
- B & F allowed Hitler to grow strong as thought G could act as buffer zone against Communism
- their actions upset Stalin who agreed to N-S Pact as felt they wouldn't support him if Hitler attacked
44
chapter 9: how was the Great Depression responsible for WWII?
- USA demanded loans back from G as result of GD; led to collapse of G industry & more ppl voting for Hitler, who was making many promises to them
- some countries (e.g. J & I) acted more aggressively in order to secure supplies of raw materials & build empires
45
chapter 9: summary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact and the build-up to the breakout of WWII?
- Hitler signed N-S Pact, in spite of hating Communism, bc meant he could avoid war on 2 fronts when he invaded Poland
- Stalin signed it to gain territory & time to prepare for war w Hitler
- Stalin knew Hitler would attack, but felt he couldn't rely on USSR's old allies, B & F
- pact gave Hitler confidence to attack Poland, but when he did B & F stood by promise to protect Poland & declared war
- WWII started on 3rd Sept 1939
46
chapter 7: when did Hitler become chancellor of Germany?
1933
47
chapter 7: what were Hitler's foreign policy aims? (LOUDR)
- Lebensraum
- Overturn ToV
- Unite Germany speaking people (Volksdeutsche) in a Greater Germany (included Anschluss)
- Destroy Communism
- Rearmament
48
chapter 7: what was the reaction of Britain & France to Hitler's foreign policy/why did they choose appeasement?
- didn't want to start another war
- needed time to re-arm; armies not big enough to fight & win a war
- many in B thought Hitler being reasonable bc ToV too harsh
- they were concerned about USSR and thought Hitler could be valuable ally against Communism
- countries couldn't afford to go to war during GD & govs preoccupied w problems at home
- people could remember horrors of WWI
49
chapter 7: when did Britain & France's policy of appeasement begin?
1937
50
chapter 7: what was the reaction of the USSR towards Hitler's foreign policies?
- Joseph Stalin, leader of USSR, worried by Hitler's determination to destroy Communism
- by 1935 willing to put aside concerns about B & F in order to sign mutual assistance treaty w F
- Stalin would work w allies to protect USSR from Hitler
51
chapter 7: what was the reaction of the USA towards Hitler's foreign policies?
- USA followed policy of **isolationism** during GD
- 1934: poll said 70% of Americans didn't want to get involved if 2nd war in Europe broke out
52
chapter 7: what happened in 1933 when Hitler left the Disarmament Conference & what was the reaction? (road to war)
events:
- LoN held conference encouraging all nations to disarm
- when H became Chancellor said he'd disarm if everyone else did; if didn't then he'd disarm to same level as F
- when F refused H stormed out & pulled G out of LoN
reaction:
- v little allies could do
- H claimed he'd acted in reasonable & fair way and that F being unreasonable
53
chapter 7: what happened in the 1934 Dollfuss Affair & what was the reaction? (road to war)
events:
- fearful H would try doing Anschluss, Austrian chancellor, Englebert Dollfuss, banned Nazi Party in Austria
- H ordered Nazis to cause havoc in Austria & they murdered Dollfuss
reaction:
- Mussolini moved army to Austrian border in support of Austria
- H not ready to fight so backed down
54
chapter 7: what happened in the 1935 Saar plebiscite & what was the reaction? (road to war)
events:
- under ToV, Saar had been controlled by LoN for 15 yrs
- 13th Jan 1935: plebiscite to decide whether G or F should control area
- 90% voted for G; H used this as propaganda
reaction:
- H gained valuable resources, like coalfields of Saar, and nothing anyone could do as plebiscite was fair & legal
55
chapter 7: what happened in the March 1935 Rearmament & what was the reaction? (road to war)
events:
- H held rally where he announced he'd been rebuilding G army & was reintroducing conscription
- he'd also started to develop Luftwaffe
reaction:
- April 1935: B, F, & I agreed they'd work together against H as the Stresa Front
56
chapter 7: what happened in the June 1935 Anglo-German Naval Agreement & what was the reaction? (road to war)
events:
- B signed agreement allowing G to have navy that was 35% of size of B navy
reaction:
- H realised B allowing him to break terms of ToV
57
chapter 7: summary of chapter 7/Hitler's foreign policy aims?
- H's foreign policy aims meant he needed to invade other countries; to do this he'd need to build army & break ToV
- other countries reluctant to intervene. between 1933-35 v little anyone could do to stop H taking actions that'd lead to war
