causes of ww2

Question 1

Abyssinia 1935

Answer 1

Italy invaded Abyssinia to gain land and power. Haile Selassie (emperor of Abyssinia) asked league to arbitrate, league banned both countries arm sales and suggested Italy should have some land, yet 100,000 Italian soldiers attacked using poisons gas. Britain and France then refused to intervene, however then made the Hoare-Laval pact with Italy to give Abyssinia to Italy.

Question 2

Manchuria 1931

Answer 2

Japan invaded Manchuria, claiming Chinese soldiers had sabotaged their railways and attacked a Japanese soldier. However Chinese did not fight back and appealed to the League in stead. League sent Lord Lytton to sort the dispute, yet he arrived a year later declared that Japan should leave. Japan left the League a year later after a special assembly was held, voting the Japan out.

Question 3

Vilna 1920

Answer 3

Because 30% of Lithuania’s population was Polish, poles marched in to seize the Vilna, Lithuania reached out to the league for help, they didn’t do anything. In the end, poles could not be forced to leave so vilna stayed in polish hands until the outbreak of WW2.

Question 4

Upper Silesia 1921

Answer 4

The TOV gave the people of the Upper Silesia choice on whether they wanted to be part of Weimar Germany or Poland. 700,000 voted Germany and 500,000 voted Poland. After a six-week inquiry the League split the Upper Silesia between the two based on recommendation of the commission. It caused resentment in Germany , but the treaty was still ratified by both countries.

Question 5

The Aaland Islands 1921

Answer 5

It was in equal distance of Sweden and Finland so they could not decide who should own it. However, it originally belonged to Finland so when the countries reached out to the League, the League said it should remain with Finland but no weapons should ever be kept there.

Question 6

Corfu 1923

Answer 6

Five Italian soldiers were killed by Greek gunmen on the Greek border, Italy accused Greece of planning the whole incident and demanded reparations. Greece refused to pay, as they thought Italians had set up the plan for an excuse to invade Greece. There was no evidence of Greece, then Italy sent its navy to corfu island (greek) an d bombarded the coastline. The league made Greece pay reparations and publicly apologise as they were under heavy influence of Italian PM Benito Mussolini.

Question 7

Bulgaria 1925

Answer 7

Bulgaria and Greece have a common border, a Greek soldier was killed, so the Greek army invaded Bulgaria. The League ordered both armies to stop fighting. Experts were sent to the area, Greece was blamed and had to pay £45,000 reparations.

Question 8

League of Nations

Answer 8

An organisation formed by Woodrow Wilson to prevent war by including all countries to prevente peace, founded on the 10th January 1920. But then USA did not join because they wanted ‘independence’ along with not allowing many countries to join so it failed.

Question 9

Treaty of Versailles

Answer 9

The TOV was a treaty to end WW1 ending the state was between Germany and allied powers, signed on the 28th June 1919. This lead to WW2 because of how harshly the TOV treated Germany forcing them to pay reparations and accept the ‘War Guilt Clause’.

Question 10

Disarmament

Answer 10

Because the TOV didn’t allow Germany to have submarines or Air Force, only allowing them to have an army of 100,000 men and a navy of 6 ships Germany were angry and wanted to show allied powers their strength

Question 11

Germany starts to re-arm in 1933

Answer 11

After the Nazi Party came into power, Adolf Hitler announced that he would rearm Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

Question 12

German election - 5th March 1933

Answer 12

The (NSDAP) Nazi Party got 44.5% vote in the German election getting 288 seats.

Question 13

The Enabling Act - 23rd March 1933

Answer 13

President Paul von Hindenburg had already appointed Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933, so after he died, when Hitler wanted to gain power he agreed to the enabling act to allow him to make laws without going through the parliament. It was voted 444 for and 94 against.

Question 14

The Knight of the Long Knives - June 30th 1934

Answer 14

Many members of the SA (a military group created by Hitler in 1921) including the leader Ernst Rohm were demanding that the Nazi party carry out a socialist agenda and that the SA take over the army. Because Hitler could not afford to be annoying business men or the German army his SS (hitlers personal bodyguards) were sent to murder 400 members of the SA, including Rohm and 100 of Hitlers enemies, along with the previous chancellor, Kurt von Schleicher. This removed any internal Nazi party oppositions and showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was.

Question 15

Saar Plebiscite - January 13th 1935

Answer 15

One of the areas taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles was the Saarland, a 2500 square km region on the border with France. Although small, it was a valuable area, containing coalfields, factories and railway centres. There was a referendum on territorial status that was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin for it to be returned to Germany. 99.3% of voters opted for reunification.

Question 16

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland - March 7th 1936

Answer 16

Whilst the league of nations were distracted by the Abyssinian crisis, it gave Hitler the opportunity to go into the Rhineland. Germany claimed the treaty was unfair on them and Hitler used that as an excuse to send German troops to the Rhineland, which was a demilitarised zone along the Rhine river and captured it. But by the time the league had noticed it was too late.

Question 17

Rome-Berlin Axis - 1936

Answer 17

Coalition formed between Italy and Germany, the agreement formulated by Italy’s foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano informally linking the two fascist countries promising that both countries would support each other in the event of another war.

Question 18

Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939

Answer 18

Republicans led by the communists fought against the Nationalists lead by Francisco Franco in Spain. Spanish coastline was captured 1937 by Nationalists, Guernica was bombed April 26th 1937, ending in Nationalists victory, causing fascism to run out.

Question 19

Gleiwitz Incident - 31st August 1939

Answer 19

Hitler killed two of his own German troops dressed as Polish and blamed it on Poland as an excuse to begin war and invade Poland. Germany attacked themselves with the commencement of the ‘Fall Weiss’ set for 5:45 AM. The Gleiwitz radio station went on the evening of the 31st.

Question 20

Nazi Soviet Pact - 25th August 1939

Answer 20

‘non-agression pact’ between Germany (Hitler) and Russia (Stalin) to help both in need. It was to divide Eastern Europe between them.
Hitlers benefits: Lebensraum - chance to invade Poland, take baltic countries, convinced Britain and France would stop taking Poland because of appeasement, they didn’t want to fight on two fronts.
Stalins benefits: gave him time to build an army, Germany was a threat, LON and France would not defend them, they were not invited to the Munich agreement - felt as if they were being sided against or left out