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Interwar Flashcards

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1
Q

What is Weimar Republic?

A

Democratic government of Germany after the Kaiser’s abdication following WWI. Shift from monarchy to a multi-party parliamentary state.

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2
Q

What are the November Criminals?

A

Weimar officials that signed the armistice and Treaty of Versailles, “betraying” Germany by making peace with allies.

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3
Q

What is the Spartacist Uprising?

A

Communist revolution in Berlin, crushed by anti-communist Freikorps (paramilitary).

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4
Q

What is the Kapp Putsch?

A

Right-wing coup to overthrow Weimar, boost military and national pride; failed due to workers’ strike.

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5
Q

What are the Freikorps?

A

Unofficial group of ex-soldiers who opposed communism and supported right-wing causes.

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6
Q

What is Hyperinflation?

A

Rapid rise in prices and money losing value. The Ruhr invasion led to worker passive resistance, which the Weimar Republic funded. This forced excessive money printing, triggering rapid inflation.

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7
Q

What is the Ruhr?

A

Germany’s richest industrial area, invaded by France and Belgium when Germany failed to pay reparations.

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8
Q

What is the Beer Hall Putsch?

A

Hitler and SA storm beer hall to force Bavarian leaders to join his coup; leaders betray him, army resists, and police crush revolt. Hitler jailed and shifts to legal path to power.

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9
Q

What is the War Guilt Clause?

A

Article in Treaty of Versailles that blamed Germany and its allies for starting WWI and causing damage.

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10
Q

Who is Ebert?

A

Social Democrat; first Chancellor and President of the Weimar Republic

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11
Q

Who is Ludendorff?

A

WWI general and war hero; supported Hitler in the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.

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12
Q

Who is Stresemann?

A

Foreign Minister; stabilized economy, negotiated the Dawes Plan (reparations based on ability to pay), and signed the Locarno Treaties to improve relations with Allies.

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13
Q

Who is Hitler?

A

Leader of the Nazi Party; promoted anti-Semitic and anti-communist ideology. Gained power legally, ending democracy and establishing a dictatorship.

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14
Q

Who is Hindenburg?

A

Weimar Republic President, legally appointed Hitler as Chancellor.

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15
Q

Who is Bruning?

A

Appointed Chancellor during the Great Depression, but was ineffective due to lack of support.

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16
Q

Who is Papen?

A

Became Chancellor after Brüning, failed to make substantial changes, but helped pave the way for Hitler’s rise.

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17
Q

Who is Schliecher?

A

Last Chancellor of Weimar Republic; replaced by Hitler, unable to stabilize government.

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18
Q

What is Article 48?

A

Allowed the President to pass emergency decrees without Reichstag consent, though the Reichstag could cancel them with a majority vote.

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19
Q

What is Totalitarianism?

A

Political system where the state has absolute control over all aspects of life – no political opposition allowed.

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20
Q

What is Fascism?

A

Political ideology that emphasizes extreme nationalism, dictatorship, economic self-sufficiency (Autarky), and great military strength.

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21
Q

Who are the Blackshirts?

A

Paramilitary group supporting Mussolini’s fascist regime, used violence and intimidation.

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22
Q

What is the March on Rome?

A

Threat by Mussolini and Blackshirts to forcefully seize power by marching onto Rome. King fears civil war, appoints Mussolini as Prime Minister.

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23
Q

Who is Mussolini - “Il Duce”

A

Italian fascist leader who created the Fascist Party, became Prime Minister in 1922, and established a totalitarian state in Italy.

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24
Q

What is the Acerbo Law?

A

Introduced by Fascist Party; party with most votes (at least 25%) gets two-thirds of the seats in parliament.

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25
What is the Corporate State?
Economy organized into corporations representing different sectors, aiming to bring workers and employers together to cooperate under state control and avoid conflicts.
26
What is the Lateran Treaty?
Agreement between Mussolini and the Catholic Church. Gave Church more power in Italy (e.g. education, marriage) and won Catholic support for Fascism.
27
What is Autarky?
Policy of economic self-sufficiency — reduce imports and produce everything domestically.
28
What is Proportional Representation?
Voting system where parties get seats based on vote percentage; often results in many small parties and political instability.
29
What is the OVRA?
Mussolini’s secret police; used fear and violence to suppress opposition and control the public.
30
Who is Matteotti?
Socialist leader who criticized Fascists and was assassinated. Sparked the Aventine Secession (Parties left Parliament in protest), marking the shift from parliamentary rule to Fascist dictatorship.
31
Who is Victor Emmanuel?
Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister during the March on Rome, enabling the rise of his fascist dictatorship.
32
Who is Hitler - Fuhrer?
Führer was the title after merging the chancellorship and presidency (after Hindenburg's death), allowing Hitler to establish his dictatorship, with the military swearing an unconditional oath to him.
33
What are Nazis?
National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) - Led by Hitler, it promoted extreme nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism,
34
Who are Brownshirts (SA)?
Paramilitary group of the Nazi Party, acting as thugs to fight political opposition. Played a key role in Hitler’s rise to power and consolidation as Führer.
35
What is a Chancellor?
The second most powerful position in Germany, responsible for leading the government and making key policy decisions.
36
What is the Reichstag?
The German parliament that passed laws, with members elected through proportional representation.
37
What is Lebensraum?
Nazi concept of "living space," advocating for Germany's territorial expansion, especially in Eastern Europe, to accommodate its growing population.
38
What is the Aryan Race?
A term used by Nazis to describe the "superior" race, primarily Germans, used to justify the persecution of Jews and other groups deemed "impure."
39
What is the Enabling Act?
The Enabling Act gave Hitler the legal power to pass decrees without Reichstag approval, effectively granting him absolute control for four years.
40
What is the Night of the Long Knives?
A purge of political rivals and SA members, aimed at pleasing the military which opposed sharing power with the SA.
41
What is the Gestapo?
Secret police under Nazi regime, responsible for suppressing opposition through intimidation, surveillance, and terror.
42
What is the Nuremberg Laws?
Stripped Jews of their rights to vote and marry non-Jews. Led to increased violence against Jews, which often went unpunished.
43
What is Anti-Semitism?
Discrimination against Jewish people. It was a central idea of the Nazis which drove them to systematically persecute Jews.
44
What is Kristallnacht?
(Night of Broken Glass): Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed, contents looted. Many Jews were killed or arrested, marking a significant escalation in their persecution.
45
What is Propaganda/Indoctrination?
Nazi methods to control public opinion through biased media and education, promoting their ideology and suppressing opposition.
46
What is the SS?
Elite Nazi paramilitary group loyal to Hitler, responsible for enforcing Nazi policies and carrying out atrocities, more organized and brutal than the SA.
47
What are Concentration Camps?
Places where Jews, political enemies, and other groups were imprisoned, forced to do work, and often killed.
48
What is Reichswehr/Wehrmacht?
The Reichswehr was Germany's military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles. The Wehrmacht replaced it in 1935, becoming Nazi Germany's unified military force, including the army, navy, and air force.
49
What is Luftwaffe?
German air force of Nazi Germany. Responsible for aerial warfare and supporting military in WWII
50
Who is Goering?
High-ranking Nazi official, creator of the Gestapo, and key figure in the economic and military expansion of Nazi Germany. Oversaw the Luftwaffe.
51
Who is Goebbels?
Responsible for propaganda - spreading Nazi ideology through media playing an important role in maintaining Hitler's power
52
Who is Himmler?
Nazi official and head of SS. Oversaw the concentration camps and carried out the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
53
Who is Heydrich?
Nazi official who helped organize the SS and Gestapo, and played a major role in planning the Holocaust.
54
Who is Rohm?
Leader of the SA who was arrested and executed during the Night of the Long Knives, as he was seen as a threat to Hitler’s power.
55
What are the Locarno Treaties?
Agreements where Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany agreed to respect their borders; helped Germany gain entry into the League of Nations
56
What is the Dawes Plan?
Agreement to ease Germany's reparations by reducing payments, withdrawing French troops from the Ruhr, and providing U.S. loans to help stabilize the economy.
57
What is the Young Plan?
Reduced Germany's reparations significantly and gave more time to pay, easing economic strain.
58
What is the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
Agreement signed by many nations (including Germany, Italy, Japan, USA) to outlaw war as a tool of foreign policy.
59
What is the Saar?
German region rich in coal, placed under League of Nations control after WWI, with coal mines given to France until a 1935 plebiscite, when the region returned to Germany.
60
What is the Rhineland?
A demilitarized zone between France and Germany, reoccupied by Hitler in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. The move faced little resistance from France or the League of Nations.
61
What is Anschluss?
Unification of Austria and Germany. Hitler invaded Austria, then staged a plebiscite to legitimize the annexation, which resulted in a majority vote in favour of the union.
62
What is Sudetenland?
Region in Czechoslovakia with a large German population. Hitler demanded its annexation, and through the Munich Agreement, Britain, France, and Italy appeased Hitler by allowing him to take the land.
63
What is Czechoslovakia?
Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, placing the country under German control. This violated the Munich Agreement and marked the first time Hitler occupied a non-German majority nation.
64
What is Munich Agreement?
Italy, Germany, France, and Britain agreed to let Hitler annex the Sudetenland—an act of appeasement, as Britain and France believed it would satisfy his last territorial demand and secure peace.
65
What is Appeasement?
Giving in to an aggressor's demands to avoid conflict—used by Britain and France to try to prevent war with Hitler.
66
What is Poland?
Country east of Germany with a German minority and many Jews; Hitler invaded it for Lebensraum, sparking the start of WWII.
67
What is the Spanish Civil War?
Conflict between Fascists and Communists in Spain; Hitler and Mussolini backed the Fascists, Stalin backed the Republicans—served as a testing ground for new military technology before WWII.
68
What is Abyssinia?
African nation invaded by Mussolini. The League of Nations' sanctions failed, and Germany’s refusal to impose any helped strengthen ties between Italy and Germany.
69
What is Manchuria?
Region in China invaded by Japan for its resources. Japan faced with little resistance by League of Nations, which inspires Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia?
70
What is the Rome-Berlin Axis?
The official alliance between Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, formed after the Abyssinia Crisis, marking a stronger bond between the two nations.
71
What is the Anti-Comintern Pact?
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan agree to support each other in opposing the spread of communism, particularly from the Soviet Union.
72
What is Nazi-Soviet Pact?
Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact, dividing Poland between them. Germany avoids a two-front war, and the Soviets gain time to rearm, despite their conflicting political ideologies.
73
Who is Daladier?
French Prime Minister who, along with British leaders, signed the Munich Agreement, allowing Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in an attempt to avoid war.
74
What is the Maginot Line?
A defensive line of fortifications built by France along its border with Germany, designed to prevent a German invasion.
75
What is Stresa Front?
Agreement between France, Britain, and Italy to oppose Germany's aggression and protect Austria. However, Hitler invaded Austria with little resistance, making the agreement ineffective.
76
What is Anglo-German Naval Agreement?
Agreement between Britain and Germany allowing Germany to rebuild its navy to 35% of Britain’s. It defied the Treaty of Versailles to avoid a naval arms race.
77
Who is Chamberlain?
British Prime Minister, who pursued appeasement with Hitler, notably signing the Munich Agreement to avoid war.

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