KQ3 Flashcards
(17 cards)
1
Q
What were Hitler’s main foreign policy plans
A
- abolish ToV - a constant reminder of German humiliation that had been signed by ‘November criminals’
- defeat communism - hitler head communism and believed that the bolsheviks had helped defeat Germany in ww1 and wanted to take over Germany
- Lebensraum
- carve out an empire in Eastern Europe in order to provide extra living space for expanding German population
- expand German territory: regain territory lost in 1919, unite with Austria, reabsorb German-speaking minorities in other countries
2
Q
What measures did hitler take to achieve German rearmament
A
- rearmament began in secret a first, then continued more openly
- 1934: League of Nations disarmament conference collapsed
- 1935: hitler staged a massive rally, celebrating the German armed forces
- 1935: Anglo-German naval agreement - Germany builds up naval strength to 35% pf RNagreement
- 1936: conscription re-introduced, breaking Versailles treaty
- thousands of unemployed workers drafted into army
- armaments spending increased from 7.4% in 1935 to 23% in 1939
- 30 warships in 1932/ 95 warships in 1939
- 36 military aircraft in 1932/ 8250 in 1939
- 100,000 soldiers in 1932/ 950,000 in 1939
3
Q
Why was hitler allowed to get away with rearmament
A
- rearmament began in secret
- many other countries were using rearmament to help tackle unemployment
- the collapse of the League of Nations disarmament conference in 1934 suggested that other countries weren’t serious about disarmament - so why should Germany be
- Britain had some sympathy with Germany when it claimed that the disarmament clauses of ToV had been too harsh
- a militarily strong Germany would be a buffer against the communist threat from the USSR
4
Q
What were the main developments in Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy
A
- 1935 Saar plebiscite
- 1936 remilitarisation of the Rhineland
- 1938 the Anschluss with Austria
- 1938 the Sudetenland
- 1939 invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia
- 1939 invasion of Poland
5
Q
1935 Saar plebiscite
A
- 90% voted to return to German rule, having being run by LoN since 1919
- entirely legal, boosted Hitlers ego
6
Q
1936 remilitarisation of the Rhineland
A
- a gamble that paid off
- France had just signed a treaty with the USSR to protect each other against Germany
- hitler used this to argue that Germany was under threat and should be allowed to place troops on her own frontier
- many in Britain felt Germany was only going into ‘its own back yard’
- the french would not act without British support
- the league issued a condemnation but no more (attention was distracted by Abyssinia at the time)
- another boost to Hitler’s prestige
7
Q
1938 Anschluss with Austria
A
- easier to do now that hitler and Mussolini were allies (Mussolini had prevented it in 1934)
- chamberlain felt it should be allowed and that Versailles had been wrong to forbid it
- Hitler used the Austrian Nazi party to stir up trouble and claimed that only an Anschluss could sort it out
- German troops marched in march to guarantee a trouble free plebiscite on the issue
- under the eye of Nazi troops 99.75% of Germans and Austrians voted for it
8
Q
1939 invasion of the rest of czechoslovakia
A
- march 1939
- Czechoslovakia in chaos
- German troops took over the ret of the country
- no resistance from Czechs
- Britain and France did nothing, except warn hitler that f he invaded Poland they would declare war on Germany, it was clear the appeasement was over
9
Q
1938 the Sudetenland
A
- Konrad Henlein, the leader of the nazis in the Sudetenland, stirred up trouble and demanded to be part of Germany
- hitler said that Germans in the Sudetenland were being mistreated by the Czechs and eh was prepared to fight Czechoslovakia for the Sudetenland
- international tension rose and war seemed likely
- after several meetings, the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy agreed at Munich to transfer the Sudetenland to Germany
- chamberlain aid his policy of appeasement would mean ‘peace for out time’
10
Q
1939 invasion of Poland
A
- by the Nazi-soviet pact Hitler and Stalin decided o divide Poland between them
- German troops invaded Poland 1st September 1939
- Britain and France declared war on 2nd of September
11
Q
How significant was German involvement in Spanish civil war 1936-39
A
- it was an opportunity for hitler to fight against communism, by sending German assistance to general franco’s right-wing rebels in their resistance against the communists who were supporting the Republican government
- gave hitler an opportunity to try it his new armed forces in combat conditions - the luftwaffe made devastating raids on cities such as guernica
- gave Hitler something in common with Mussolini, also heavily involved in the war
12
Q
Significance of anti-Comintern pact 1936-37
A
- hitler and Mussolini realised they bad much in common with the military dictatorship in japan
- 1936: Germany and japan signed the pact
- 1937: Italy signed the pact, which became known as the axis alliance
- their of the pact was to limit the influence of communism around the world and was aimed especially at the USSR
13
Q
Why did Britain and France follow policy of appeasement in the 1930’s
A
- communism: more or Reid about threat of Stalin than hitler. Germany would be a buffer against communism
- British empire - wast certain if all British empire and commonwealth would support Britain in a war against Germany
- the Great War: Britain and France were desperate to avoid another war like the first world war
- the USA: American leaders were determined not to be dragged into another war, so Britain and France were reluctant to fight Germany without the supports the USA
- ToV: many felted the ToV had been unfair on Germany and assumed that once this was put right, Germany would want to be a peaceful nation again
- economic problems: Britain an France were still suffering from the Great Depression, with large debts and unemployment and many felt that this should have a higher priority tan tackling hitler
14
Q
What were criticisms of policy of appeasement
A
- encouraged Hitler to be aggressive: each gable he got away with encouraged him to take further risks
- it put too much faith in Hitler’s promises: mistaken belief that hitler was trustworthy and honourable
- allowed Germany to become too strong: it was becoming militarily more powerful than Britain and France
- it alarmed the USSR: by sending a message that Britain and France would not stand in the way of Hitler’s plans to expand eastwards, thus contributing to the Nazi-soviet pact
15
Q
In what ways was appeasement viewed as the right policy
A
- supporters of communism said it was the only option available
- standing up to hitler would have meant war with Germany - but evidence available to chamberlain showed that Britain was not ready for this
- the British armed forces were badly equipped and had fallen behind the Germans
- appeasement bought time for British rearmament
- public opinion favoured appeasement
- the USA was against standing up to Hitler
16
Q
Why did hitler and Stalin sign the Nazi-soviet pact in 1939
A
- the USSR had joined the LoN in 1934, hoping for security against Germany, but Abyssinia crisis demonstrated the powerlessness of the league
- Stalin saw that Britain and France had not resisted German rearmament and some welcomed a stronger Germany as a force to fight communism
- the Munich agreement increased Stalin’s fears: he was not consulted and thought t demonstrated Britain and France’s powerlessness to stop hitler or maybe even they wanted hitler to take over Eastern Europe and Russia
- Britain, France and Russia entered negotiations in 1939, but chamberlain would not commit to an alliance
- France and Britain guaranteed to help Poland if it was invaded - Stalin interpreted this as support fr one of the USSR’s enemies
- Stalin also had designs on large areas of Poland an wanted to take over the Baltic states which he knew he couldn’t do i he had to fight Germany
- stain probably did no believe that hitler would stick to the pact forever, but he knew it would give him time to build up soviet forces against German attack when it eventually came
17
Q
A
