Outbreak of WWII in Europe & Germany's Defeat Flashcards
What are the 3 factors which led to the LON’s failure to get countries to disarm?
In the 1920s and 1930s, there were efforts at disarmament to reduce chances of another war. The LON, however, was not successful in persuading major powers to disarm. Major powers who were also aggressive in nature were not stopped from engaging in conflicts. The London Disarmament Conference in 1930 failed as Britain and France refused to cooperate. Germany as well, went against this conference by rearming and re-conscripting in 1933.
Describe 2 events that showed how the LON was ineffective in maintaining world peace and resolving conflicts?
LON’s credibility was undermined when they were unable to stop Japan invading Manchuria in 1931. In fact, even after sending a representative to discover the main cause of the conflict, the LON did nothing with the Lytton Report and this led to Japan simply walking out of the LON. IN the 1930s, Italy invaded Abyssinia in the Abyssinian Crisis. The LON, instead of putting a stop to Italian aggression, imposed trade sanctions, but allowed important materials like oil, steel, and coal which were all vital resources to engage in war. In addition, Britain and Frace even gave parts of Abyssinia to Italy in secret.
What were 4 of Hitler’s Ideals which led to him embarking on an aggressive foreign policy when he came to power in 1933?
Hitler’s ideal of Lebensraum which means ‘living space’, creating a greater Germany to unite all German-speaking people, expanding the Aryan Race to the world and overthrowing the Treaty of Versailles.
Describe the major events leading to the expansion of Germany into Austria after Hitler became chancellor in 1933?
Hitler begun to conduct open rearmament in 1935 but instead of stopping Hitler, various European countries started rearming as well. In 1936, Hitler found his newfound ally, Italy which would then participate in the Spanish Civil War where they assisted the Nationalist party in securing a victory against the Republicans. This provided for the German troops to gain military experience and was a sign that the Germans are preparing for war themselves. IN the same year, Hitler would also remilitarise Rhineland, a move that was forbidden both in the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaty. This proved to be a watershed moment as Hitler himself had admitted that had there been any resistance, Germany would have to retreat with their “tails between their legs”. The British even described this incident as Hitler entering their own backyard and did not do anything to stop the Germans.
Describe 3 major events before and after Germany took over Austria.
Hitler started to move into Austria in 1938, signing an Anschluss with them and even though the Austrian people responded positively to this takeover of Austria, it was ultimately still an invasion. Hitler then moved on to take Sudetenland, which was part of Czechoslovakia. Instead of stopping Hitler, the Munich Pact was signed between Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. Curiously, Czechoslovakia and Soviet Union were not included in the conference. While Chamberlain declared this a success, Hitler called it “scrap paper”. Barely two weeks later, Hitler took the whole of Czechoslovakia.
Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
With Hitler’s takeover of Czechoslovakia, only one obstacle remained in Hitler’s path to start total war which was Russia. By signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Germany would gain an Ally in Russia and it would also avoid fighting a 2 Front War, which would have been disastrous as it would mean splitting the army and resources. Germany would also gain Poland, and with this also gain land and resources.
Why did Stalin want to sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
The treaty contained a clause where Poland would be split evenly between Russia and Germany which meant that Russia would gain Poland and with this, gained land and resources. Russia was also constantly excluded and were feeling very distrustful towards Britain and France. In fact, they were excluded from major decisions and events like Paris-Peace Conference, Munich Pact and LON. Russia would also be able to buy time to ensure that Stalin’s 3rd 5YP , also known as the Total War Policy, would come into full swing.
What was the policy of appeasement?
The policy of appeasement was a foreign policy stance adopted by the British towards Germany. The British government preferred to use negotiation in response to Hitler’s aggressive actions as long as his demands were reasonable. However, the threshold for this was not stated clearly; as Hitler’s demands gradually became bolder, Britain continued to give in until the German attack on Poland.
What did the Policy of Appeasement by Britain do?
In 1935, Britain and Germany signed the Anglo-Naval Agreement where Germany was allowed to rearm to 35% of the British Naval strength. This broke the Treaty of Versailles and was the first step in appeasing Hitler. This would soon be followed by their inaction with Hitler’s remilitarization of Rhineland, singing the Anschluss with Austria and allowed the takeover of Sudetenland in the Munich Pact.
Why did Britain appease Germany?
Hitler was always seen as a possible ally Britain could nurture in their fight against communism, since communism was seen as a greater evil than Nazism. Britian did not protest the Germany’s remilitarization programme as they believed a strong Germany would be an effective deterrence against communism. Also, Britain was not prepared for war as she rearmed late and had channeled much of her attention to fixing her economy after the Great Depression instead of rearming. Additionally, the country was so damaged by war that the fear of another major war plagued Britain. Britain had also wanted to buy time to rearm. While Germany had started rearmament since 1933, Britain only started in 1938. In fact, the German army had outnumbered the British army by a ratio of 30:1. But by 1939, this had become 3:1, which was one of the main reasons why Britain managed to defeat Germany in the Battle of Britain.
Why was the policy of appeasement a failure? (2 Para)
The policy of appeasement was a failure due to its contribution to the outbreak of WWII. Britain justified most of Hitler’s actions as nationalistic and patriotic, with Hitler being a defender against communism. In addition, Britain trusted Hitler when he promised that there would be no more aggressive acts after the Anschluss with Austria. However, this turned out to be a ruse and Hitler continued to invade Sudetenland and Poland. Thus, the policy of appeasement failed to stop Hitler’s aggresive actions and policies. Eventually, Britain’s repeated appeasement led to the German invasion of Poland which Britain had no choice but to defend, hence signalling the start of WWII.
In addition, the policy of appeasement made Britain look weak and gave the impression that it was unable to stand up to Hitler. The best example to exemplify the failure of the appeasement policy is the Munich Pact in 1938, where Britain promised to support Czechoslovakia but failed to do so when they allowed Hitler to take over Sudetenland. Hence, showing how the policy of appeasement was a failure.
How did USA contribute to the war effort in terms of resources?
USA had the advantage of being the largest industrial power as it was able to effectively convert its factories to produce military resources. In fact, they were able to produce such resources at such a rapid rate that the Axis power could not keep up. These resources and materials were provided to the Allies via the Lend Lease Act, which replaced the initial Cash and Carry Plan. This made it easier and more convenient for Britain to gain more resources and aid, whose resources were almost exhausted by the end of 1941. In fact, the Lend Lease Act was also extended to the Soviet Union when it was invaded by Germany in 1940. Under the Lend Lease Act, almost US$50 billion was provided to the Allies and to the Soviet Union.
How did USA contribute to the war effort in terms of military power?
USA contributed up to 11 million fresh troops, who fought alongside Britain’s 4.5 million soldiers and France’s 2.5 million soldiers. This proved to make a huge difference as the German troops had been embroiled in war since 1936 and were, by now, war weary. On top of that, USA’s aircraft production was also faster than German plane production. The American bombers were thus able to bomb German oil fields and factories hindering their production. American technology, especially in the area of radar development, also allowed for the German U-boats to be detected and destroyed accordingly. The US Navy also provided escort roles for all Allied convoys to protect against attacks by German U-boats. Through this, the USA gained control over the Atlantic route and by 1943, Germany had recalled all its U-boats and the Allies managed to achieve control of the sea.
Why was attacking the USSR a mistake for Germany?
Germany was forced to fight a 2 Front War when it attacked the USSR in Operation Barbarossa, which was what it wanted to avoid in the first place. This meant that German resources would be split. One error made by Hitler was his ineffective command structure, which made it hard for generals to define what they were in charge of. One such example was the OKH and the OKW where they clashed with each other when planning for Operation Barbarossa which led to miscommunication and a late start to the operation meaning the Nazis had to fight in the harsh winter that rendered much of the German war machinery useless and many German soldiers died as they were unprepared.
Describe Germany’s inefficient use of resources.
Germany had a very inefficient use of resources such as how they were still producing antisemitic toys and resources were directed to the einsatzgruppen. There was also not enough labour to produce weapons as the Germans made use of slave labour who were Jews who sabotaged weapons that they were forced to produce. German women were also not encouraged to work as it went against Hitler’s Aryan Family policy.
