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France Flashcards

(75 cards)

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1
Q

after the events of WW1, what was France left with?

A

numerous problems

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2
Q

what were examples of the problems France faced post WW1?

A

-financial debt
-millions of death

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3
Q

what would the countries road to recovery be?

A

it would be long and difficult

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4
Q

what hampered any attempts to make radical change in the country?

A

political instability

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5
Q

was the country’s progress often too slow to keep up with international change?

A

yes

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6
Q

what did economic problems and social issues lead to?

A

the rise of extremist organisations

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7
Q

what did these extremist organisations seek to do?

A

they sought to make “France for the French”

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8
Q

how many French people died in the war?

A

1.4 million

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9
Q

how many were injured in the war?

A

4.2 million

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10
Q

what did the large number of deaths and injuries cause?

A

it caused the workforce in France to fall

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11
Q

what also contributed to France not having enough workers to achieve their desired goals?

A

a declining birth rate

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12
Q

what did France have to do as a result of the lack of workers?

A

they imported workers from colonies

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13
Q

what meant France’s economy was in decline and required radical change to fix?

A

a decline in international trade and mounting debt from wartime bonds

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14
Q

what did many of France’s allies from before WW1 no longer do?

A

they no longer sought to cooperate with France

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15
Q

when was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

A

1919

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16
Q

what did the signing of the Treaty of Versailles do?

A

it brought a formal end to the events of WW1

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17
Q

who was the Treaty particularly harsh to?

A

the Germans

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18
Q

what did the French demand the Germans do under Treaty of Versailles

A

“they repair the damage” done to the numerous towns and cities in France destroyed by German troops and artillery

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19
Q

what were the Germans forced to agree to under the Treaty?

A

-pay 6.6 billion in reparations
-reduce their military
-reduce territories
-sign a war guilt clause

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20
Q

what was the war guilt clause?

A

a clause which made Germany and its allies accept all responsibility for the events of WW1

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21
Q

why was the Treaty of Versailles significant? (2 reasons)

A

-as it formed the basis of French foreign policy in the period 1920-1939
-the reparations aided the reconstruction and recovery of France

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22
Q

what characterised French politics during the interwar period?

A

political instability

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23
Q

when did ‘Bloc National’ take control of the government in France?

A

1920

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24
Q

what was the ‘Bloc National’?

A

a coalition government between different parties

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25
what caused the 'Bloc National' t collapse?
fighting within the party over key political decisions
26
what replaced the 'Bloc National'?
the Cartel de Gauches
27
who was the 'Cartel de Gauches'?
a coalition between radicals, socialists and the Catholic Church
28
what caused the 'Cartel de Gauches' to collapse?
the members could not agree on passing key legislation required for France's recovery
29
what clear trend emerged in French politics?
that a partition or coalition would be elected but would quickly collapse
30
what did this trend lead to France having?
over 40 parties in power during the interwar period
31
what did France having over 40 parties in power over the interwar period mean?
progress in parliament was slow and rarely drastic enough to be significant
32
where did France fair better in restoring itself to pre-war conditions?
economically
33
what helped France to rebuild the destroyed French provinces in the east?
German reparations
34
by when was almost all of the damage in the east from WW1 repaired?
1928
35
where did much of France's income come from?
international trade
36
what was in decline after WW1?
international trade
37
when did international trade all but stop?
during the Great Depression of the 1930s
38
what did the reliance on foreign trade to bolster the economy do?
made France weak and susceptible to other countries economic declines
39
what was one of the greatest challenges facing France during this period?
their decline in political alliances internationally
40
what did the US refuse to do?
refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles
41
what did Britain not want to do?
did not want to be drawn into conflicts in Europe
42
what was Britains relationship with France like?
they were a strong allies
43
what was Russias relationship with France?
they were strong allies
44
when did France's relationship with Russia decline?
after the 1917 October Revolutions
45
what was Russia's new communist government suspicious of?
France
46
what were the French suspicious of?
communism
47
who did France from allies with? (countries surrounding Germany)
-Bulgaria -Poland -Czechoslovakia -Romania
48
why did France form these new alliances with countries around Germany?
to prevent Germany from expanding its empire
49
what was France forming these new alliances known as?
the "Little Entente"
50
was these new alliances effective in deferring Germany?
no they were inefficient in doing so
51
why were these alliances inefficient in deferring Germany
as none of the allied nations had a strong enough military to pose a threat to Germany other than France
52
who did France see as their greatest threat?
Germany
53
what did Frances actions to prevent Germany from invading do?
it put a strain on the two nations' relations
54
when did Germany default on their reparations?
1924
55
what happened when Germany defaulted on their reparations?
France and Belgium invaded the industrial Ruhr
56
why did France and Belgium invade the Ruhr?
to seize the natural resources until Germany paid their reparations
57
what did the invasion lead to?
-Dawes Plan - a reduction in the reparations
58
what was the Locarno Treaty?
a treaty signed by Belgium, Germany and France which clearly defined the borders between the nations
59
what countries signed the Locarno Treaty?
Germany, France and Belgium
60
what further aided the relations between France and Germany?
the Kellog Briand Pact of 1928
61
why did the Kellog- Briand Pact further aid relations between Germany and France?
as over sixty nations, including France, Germany, the US and Britain, denounced "war as an instrument of foreign policy"
62
what shattered the idea of a peaceful Europe?
the rise of the nationalist, jingoistic Nazi party in 1933
63
what were the Nazi party?
openly anti-Versailles
64
what did the Nazis spread?
hatred towards the French
65
what compounded French fears in 1935/1936
Germany expanded their military and invaded the demilitarised Rhineland
66
who refused to act following Germanys remilitarisation and invasion of the Rhineland?
Britain
67
why did Britain refuse to act?
as they saw themselves and Germany as the "two buttresses against communism in Europe"
68
how did France seek to prevent a German invasion?
they assumed a heavily defensive foreign policy
69
what did France construct to prevent a German invasion?
the Maginot Line
70
what was the Maginot Line?
a series of fortifications along the eastern front of France to keep out any German attackers
71
what did the Maginot Line encourage (despite being effective)
it encouraged complacency amongst the French Army
72
what did the French Army not do as a result of this complacency?
they did not invest enough into alternate methods of defence
73
where did the Maginot line stop at?
the Ardennes forest (believed to be impassable)
74
what happened as a result of complacency and unpreparedness?
the German Army invaded France through the Ardennes forest in 1940
75
when did France surrender to Germany?
6 weeks later

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