conflict and tension - chapter 8 Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
why did hitler decide he wanted to invade the sudetenland
A
- by march 1938 he had broken the TofV on several occasions + nothing had been done by major powers
- he decided to take things one step further and invade a country that has nothing to do with germany
-> his quest for lebensraum meant he turned his gaze to czechoslovakia
2
Q
why did hitler target the sudetenland
A
- czechoslovakia had been set up under the TofV which hitler promised to overturn
-> he saw invading the sudetenland as the first step in destroying czechoslovakia and ‘righting’ another ‘wrong’ of the treaty - czechoslovakia had a big army and strong fortifications
-> the sudetenland was home to forts, railways and industries, which could all be used as part of hitlers war effort in years to come
-> the area had many factories producing glass and lignite (a type of coal) as well as the Skoda factory, which could be used to build tanks and other weapons - the sudetenland was home to around 3 million german-speaking people
-> as a minority group (around 20% of the population), the german-speaking sudetens claimed that they had been persecuted by the czechs and used this as an excuse to start riots
-> hitler used this as an excuse, he needed to step in to ‘save’ the german speakers - the sudetenland was a good base from which to launch an attack on czechoslovakia
-> the area jutted into germany, which surrounded it on three sides
-> hitler thought that owning the sudetenland would be a good strategic move, making his eventual invasion on the rest of czechoslovakia easier
3
Q
what tactics did nazis in the sudetenland use
A
similar ones as used in austria - demonstrations to weaken the gov
4
Q
what did hitler do in may 1938 and what result did it have on the rest of europe
A
- he made it clear he would fight for the sudetenland, claiming that german-speaking people were being treated badly by czechs and needed protection
- as tensions rose, europe help its breath -> having seen the devastating bombing campaigns of the spanish civil war, people were petrified that war could break out on the continent and that civilians would become the target of the luftwaffe
- politicians in britain and france racked their brains to find a way to stop hitler invading the sudetenland, knowing if he did, britain and france could be obliged to protect czechoslovakia and declare war
5
Q
what happened on the 15th september 1938 as a result of hitler saying he would invaded the sudetenland
A
- the british prime minister, neville chamberlain, flew to Berchtesgaden, hitlers holiday home in the german mountains, to meet with the führer
- hitler told chamberlain the crisis would only be resolved if he was allowed the sudetenland
- chamberlain was desperate to avoid war and agreed, so long as all actions were peaceful
- chamberlain’s actions are known as appeasement - the desire to avoid war by making concessions (giving things up) to others
- chamberlain then met the czechs and forced them to agree to hitlers terms
6
Q
what happened on the 22nd September 1938 after appeasement
A
- chamberlain returned to german and met hitler and Bad Godsberg, a town in western germany
- hitler changed his demands - he now wanted the sudetenland to be handed over by 1st october and insisted that hungary and poland should also receive czech land
- this was not what chamberlain had agreed too, hitler was demanding more and more and war seemed more likely
7
Q
what did hitler demand when he met chamberlain at Bad Godesburg
A
- the czechoslovakian army must leave the sudetenland and the area was to be handed over to hitler
- hungary and poland also wanted to claim land on their borders with czechoslovakia. hitler demanded that these claims be met
- hitler promised peace in europe in return for the sudetenland
8
Q
how did britain and france react to germanys demands at the munich conference
A
- chamberlain and daladier, the french president, were only too happy to attend the conference in munich and to accept hitlers demands
-> they felt they were able to say that they had prevented war and that czechoslovakia’s borders were safe as hitler promised that he would respect them
9
Q
what did the munich conference allow france and britain to say to czechoslovakia, and what really happened
A
- britain and france claimed that they had upheld their promise to czechoslovakia to protect it from hitler
- in reality, hitler had got everything he wanted
10
Q
when did hitler march his troops into the sudetenland and what happened to the czechs living there
A
10th october 1938
he marched his troops into an area that wasn’t his, with no international opposition
without the sudetenlands fortifications the czechs were defenceless and fell to nazi occupation
11
Q
how did the czechs react to the german invasion of the sudetenland
A
- the czech gov had not been consulted and now the people of the sudetenland found themselves as the newest members of greater germany
- the czechs were fearful as the german troops marched across the border - to them this was a real invasion
12
Q
how did the german sudetens reacts to the invasion
A
they greeted the nazis soldiers with flowers
13
Q
how did the USSR react the the sudetenland invasion
A
- the USSR was not consulted
-> britain and france had been trying to guarantee soviet support in case of war, but now stalin felt betrayed - hitler was getting closer to countries the USSR had close relationships with in eastern europe
-> stalin started questioning what he could do to prevent invasion and was convinced the answer did not lie in diplomacy with britain and france, who were losing a very powerful ally in the USSR
14
Q
what did chamberlain claim about the munich conference
A
he claimed it was a great victory for britain
15
Q
what happened the day after the munich agreement
A
chamberlain and hitler met and signed an anglo-german declaration
they agreed they would never go to war against each other
16
Q
why was the invasion of the REST OF czechoslovakia significant
A
- the was the first time hitler invaded a country where he had no claim
-> there were no german speakers (outside the sudetenland) and the country had not been german prior to the TofV
-> britain and france could no longer hide behind the claim that hitler was taking what was rightfully his - czechoslovakia was a strong country -> with support it could have fought the nazis, preventing a full-scale world war, but this opportunity was lost
- britain and france had alienated the USSR and lost a valuable ally against hitler
- hitler completed his invasion of czechoslovakia in 1939 -> he broke promises that he had made at the munich conference and the anglo-german declaration -> chamberlain had to admits appeasement failed
- chamberlain promised poland, who looked to be hitlers next target, that britain would guarantee its independence’\
17
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (navy related)
A
britain knew germany was building up its navy, so felt that if it made an agreement with hitler about how many ships he could have, then it could have some control over the growth in order to retain its naval supremacy
18
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (anschluss related)
A
- the allies werent very happy but there wasn’t much they could do about it
- no one was prepared to do anything about the uniting of two countries
19
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (war related)
A
- allies were desperate not to get dragged into a war, so didn’t get involved
- hitler and mussolini hadn’t declared war, they were only supporting franco, so it wasn’t their fault
20
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (disarmament related)
A
the french refused to disarm, so no one could force hitler to disarm
21
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (opinions of people related)
A
- many people thought they were german people anyways, so why bother stopping it
- 99% of people voted in favour of hitler
22
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (military related)
A
- many people felt that hitler could be a good buffer against the communist USSR and he would need weapons to do this
- the TofV had been unreasonable in its military restrictions, so germany should be allowed to ignore it
23
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (appeasement related)
A
- chamberlain tried to stop hitler when he met him
- however, he was convinced hitler was a reasonable politician + chamberlain was determined to use appeasement to stop innocent people dying
- he allowed hitler to take the sudetenland because his only alternative was to fight
24
Q
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (poland related)
A
- britain and france were on their final straw with germany
- they realised appeasement wasn’t working so promised they would protect polish independence
25
why didn’t britain or france do anything to stop hitler (lebensraum related)
- hitler was taking previously german-owned land
- britain and france felt that he was just ‘marching into his own back garden’ and should be allowed to defend his borders
26
arguments FOR appeasement
- avoided war
- many people felt the TofV had been to harsh and that it was only fair for hitler to overturn parts of it
- ww1 was still fresh in the minds of europeans -> around 17 million had been killed, including chamberlains son -> chamberlain would do anything to avoid others having to feel the same pain
- hitler kept telling the british he was a man of peace and they believed him
- many of hitlers actions gave people what they wanted -> the anschluss pleased 99% of austrian people, so it wasn’t democratically right
- when chamberlain returned to britain after the munich agreement, he was greeted as a hero -> they didn’t want war and he had represented the desires of the people
- the depression meant britain and france could not afford to fight
- threat of communism was more worrying than hitler -> a strong germany would stop the spread of communism from the USSR, so hitler needed to be able to build up his army
- britain wasn’t ready to fight -> rearmament didn’t start until 1936 and it would take atleast 4 years for britain to be ready for a full-scale war
- the usa said they would not get involved if europe went to war -> without support from them, and no league, britain and france had to fend for themselves
27
arguments AGAINST appeasement
- people misjudged hitler -> they thought he was a reasonable politician but he had been saying all through the 1920s that the only way to make germany great again was to use violence -> they should have known better than to trust him
- people missed opportunities to stop hitler -> for example, his own generals said his army was not strong enough to fight france if they wanted to stop him remilitarising the rhineland -> if france acted then he would have back out and war may have been avoided
- the more hitler was given, the more his confidence grew and the more he took -> eg. he was ‘given’ the sudetenland so felt confident enough to take the rest of czechoslovakia
- it was morally wrong -> it left countries like czechoslovakia and austria occupied by the nazis who treated people brutally and with no mercy
- the appeasers forced czechoslovakia to back down to hitler because they didn’t want to fight, but it was a strong country so with a little support they may have stopped hitler
- appeasement alienated the USSR -> stalin was worried that hitler may invade them but didn’t feel he could rely on britain and france if he did -> britain and france would need the USSR is war broke out but their relationship was strained by appeasement
28
why did hitler want troops in the rhineland
- he knew that in order to gain lebensraum in the east he would have to invade other countries
- this would most likely provoke a response from countries like britain and france, so hitler had to start defending germany’s borders in the west
- the remilitarisation of the rhineland was key to this
29
30
what pact did france sign with the USSR in 1935
the Franco-Soviet pact
31
what did the Franco-Soviet pact state
that france and russia would support each other if either was attacked by germany
32
what did hitler use the franco-soviet pact to do
- claim that germany was under threat, having enemies on both the western and eastern front
- he responded by sending troops into the rhineland on 7th march 1936
33
what happened when hitlers troops entered the rhineland
- they were greeted by civilians who gave them flowers
-> hitler had been relying on such a welcome
- many of the troops had arrived on bicycle and there was no air support
- hitler knew his army was still small and instructed his generals that they were to retreat if they were greeted by any resistance
34
why didn’t britain react to hitler remilitarising the rhineland
- many brits felt that germany had the right to protect their own borders and so they shouldn’t intervene
- british troops were already dealing with the italian invasion of abyssinia
- the depression hit britain hard; the nation could not afford to get involved in foreign affairs
- many people believed hitler was simply reclaiming what was rightfully his
35
why didn’t france react when hitler remilitarised the rhineland
- politicians in france were busy fighting a general election. no one wanted to be responsible for plunging france into a war as this would lose them votes
- much of the french army had been moved to tunisia in case the invasion in abyssinia needed intervention
- french generals believed that the german army entering the rhineland was much larger and better equipped than it actually was. they were not prepared to risk their men
36
why did the league not react when hitlers troops remilitarised the rhineland
the league was concentrating its efforts on mussolini in abyssinia
37
could hitlers remilitarisation of the rhineland be stopped
- army generals had warned hitler that if france decided to uphold the treaty the german army was not big enough to fight
- financial ministers advised him that, if he failed, germany would have to pay crippling fees
- hitler was not in the position to fight so it was a huge risk sending his men into the rhineland
38
why was the remilitarisation in the rhineland a significant step in the road to war
- hitler grew confident that he could do as he pleased
- hitler turned his attention to considering how he might get around the other terms of the treaty, such as the anschluss
- britain and france started rearming
- france had treaties with several eastern european countries, saying it would protect them from nazi invasion, but with the rhineland strengthened, france now turned its attention to its own defences
- the relationship between france and britain was tested; the french felt they could not rely on britain if they were invaded. to please france, britain signed an agreement which strengthened the Locarno Treaty by reaffirming that they would protect each other, and belgium, if germany attacked
- mussolini decided that hitler was a force to be reckoned with and agreed to sign a pact, the Rome-Berlin Axis. the two also worked together to send weapons to spain, where there was a civil war. this allowed hitler to develop and test his weapons and allow his men to gain experience of war
- hitler was now ready to defend his western borders, which meant he could concentrate on lebensraum in the east
39
why was britain a potential ally for hitler and what happened
- hitler admired the british monarchy and many of britains traditions and values
- he was very keen to become allies and in 1936 he suggested a non-aggression pact that would last for 25 years
- hitler wanted the two countries to agree not to fight each other if a war broke out
- some british politicians wanted to cooperate with hitler to avoid or postpone war
-> they needed time to rearm, raise funds and persuade the british public that they had to fight, but they had no plan to sign up to an official alliance
- in the locarno treaty they had agreed to support germany if france attacked, but this also said they would support france if germany were the aggressors
- after the remilitarisation of the rhineland, the british strengthened their agreement with france and belgium
40
why was spain a potential ally for hitler and what happened
- in 1936 a bloody civil war broke out in spain between a group of nationalist fascists, led by general franco, and the democratic republicans
- hitler and mussolini sent troops and weapons to help franco. hitler had several reasons to do this:
-> he could test out new weapons such as his luftwaffe. his troops would also get experience of fighting in a war
-> in franco won hitler would have gained an ally
-> the communist USSR was supporting francos enemies and hitler had sworn to destroy communism. if the republicans won in spain, hitler feared that this would become a strong communist state in the west. he was determined not to let this happen
- franco was delighted to have two new strong allies
- by 1939 he was able to defeat the republicans and became the dictator of spain
- much of his victory was thanks to the support he received from the nazis
41
why was italy a potential ally for hitler and what happened
- hitler could see he had many things in common with fascist italy, yet mussolini had prevented him from invading austria after the dollfuss affair in 1934
- but by 1936 things had changed
- hitler and mussolini made the Rome-Berlin Axis
-> this was not a formal agreement, but the two countries said they would work more closely together
- mussolini’s relationship with britain and france had suffered
- agreeing to work with hitler meant mussolini was no longer isolated in europe and he could continue to build a ‘new Roman empire’ safe in the knowledge he had an ally if other countries declared war in retaliation
42
why was japan a potential ally for hitler and what happened
- in 1905 japan had fought against the USSR and there was still rivalry and hatred between the two countries
- the communist USSR had developed into the Comintern: a group dedicated to spreading communism
- on 25th november 1936 germany and japan signed the anti-comintern pact, an agreement that they would work together against communism, which was later joined by mussolini
- by 1936 japan had invaded much of china
- however the japanese military was aware that china’s neighbour, russia, may step in to support china at any time
- in agreeing to this pact with hitler, japan hoped that china would feel threatened and surrender to japan
43
japan, italy and germany as potential allies:
- they entered talks to agree a triple alliance between them
- however, they could not agree the focus of it: japan wanted the pact to four on destroying the USSR while mussolini wanted it to be a pact against britain and france
- because of this disagreement, japan was not involved in agreeing the first pact on 22nd may 1939
- japanese relations with the USSR had been strained ever since the invasion of manchuria
- the formal name of this agreement was the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy, however mussolini nicknamed it the Pact of Steel
-> their armies would work together in any war that broke out
- having hitler on his side was an advantage for mussolini, especially as his relationship with britain and france was declining
- japan joined the Pact of Steel in 1940, making the three allies in WW2
44
why did hitler want to unite with austria
- austria had ruled germany for 600 years
-> they had similar culture and shared a language
- they had united in WW1
- hitler was born there
- he felt the two countries belonged together
- it would get him closer to fulfilling two of his foreign policy aims: uniting all german-speaking people in a greater germany and destroying the treaty
45
why did hitler try to fulfill the anschluss again
- him and mussolini had better relations now
- since britain and france did nothing when he remilitarised the rhineland, he was convinced nothing would stand in his way
46
austria reaction to anschluss
- like germany in TofV, austria lost a lot of pride and land in the treaty of saint germain
- as a result of this treaty, the country had also faced bankruptcy in 1921 and the great depression left people feeling hungry and hopeless
- people in austria had watched hitlers rise in german with interest and many were delighted to unite with the nazis, as they believed it might make austria great again
- 93% voted in favour of aschluss
- however, austria was home to around 180,000 jews, who knew that aschluss marked a new era of uncertainty and danger for them
- as soon as the nazis invaded, anti-semitic attacks took place on the streets of austria
- jews were arrested at random and imprisoned or forced to scrub the streets or public toilets with their sacred prayer cloths
- thousands of jews left austria as fast as possible
