Part 3 - The Road to War

Question 1

What were Hitler’s aims?

Answer 1

• Overturn the TofV
• Rearm Germany
• Lebensraum = living space to the east
• Volksdeutsche = unite all German-speaking people
• Anschluss
• Destroy Communism

Question 2

What was Hitler’s book called?

Answer 2

Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

Question 3

Why did Hitler reoccupy the Rhineland?

Answer 3

If he was going to invade the East Hitler needed to ensure he had a strong defence against the West.

Question 4

When did Hitler renter the Rhineland?

Answer 4

In 1935 France and the USSR signed the Franco-Soviet pact stating that they would defend one another if the other was attacked by Hitler.

Hitler said he felt threatened and on the 7th of March 1936 he sent troops into the Rhineland.

Question 5

Britain’s reaction to Hitler’s reoccupation of the Rhineland?

Answer 5

• Many felt Germany had a right to reclaim their own land
• Britain was dealing with the Italian invasion of Abyssinia
• Britain didn’t have the money to get involved in foreign affairs.

Question 6

France’s reaction to Hitler’s reoccupation of the Rhineland?

Answer 6

• Politics was messy in France and no one wanted another war.
• The French army was in Africa in case intervention was needed in Abyssinia

Question 7

Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland significant in the road to war.

Answer 7

• No one attempted to stop Hitler.
• Hitler went to overturn more on the TofV
• Britain and France started rearming.
• Mussolini realised that Hitler was going to be the major power in Europe so the Rome-Berlin Axis was signed.
• Hitler could focus on Lebensraum

Question 8

Step 1 of Anschluss?

Answer 8

In 1934 Dolfuss was replaced with Schuschnigg, after seeing how Dolfuss had been killed after banning the Nazi party Schuschnigg was quick to agree to a deal with the Nazis where they would support him and he would give Nazis positions of power in government.

Question 9

Step 2 of Anschluss

Answer 9

In January 1938 police raided the Nazi headquarters in Austria and found plans to overthrow Schuschnigg

Question 10

Step 3 of Anschluss?

Answer 10

Schuschnigg met with Hitler after the documents were found Hitler presented Schuschnigg with the following terms:
- Seyss-Inquart was to be appointed head of the police in Austria
- Nazis were to take the roles of ministers for finance and war.

Hitler gave Schuschnigg three day to complete the terms otherwise he would invade.

Question 11

Step 4 of Anschluss?

Answer 11

Schuschnigg knew that Hitler would claim that the Austrian people wanted Anschluss so he held a plebiscite to give the Austrian people a vote.

Question 12

Step 5 of Anchluss

Answer 12

Hitler demanded the plebiscite be postponed, Schuschnigg agreed. Hitler then forced Schuschnigg to resign and replace him with Seyss-Inquart.

Question 13

Step 6 of Anschluss

Answer 13

When Seyss-Inquart was appointed Chancellor of Austria he immediately claimed that Austria was in a state of emergency and Germany needed to restore peace.

Question 14

Step 7 of Anschluss

Answer 14

On March the 12th 1938 Nazi troops marched into Austria. On the 10th of April Hitler held a very bias plebiscite and 99% of Austrians voted for Anschluss.

Question 15

How did Britain react to Anschluss?

Answer 15

Many felt that Germany and Austria were essentially the same country and should be allowed to unite.

Most didn’t feel it was worth going to war over.

Question 16

How did France react to Anschluss?

Answer 16

France had its own political problems two days before Anschluss the French government resigned because of the economic issues.

Question 17

How did Czechoslovakia react to Anschluss?

Answer 17

With fear. They knew that they were next on the hit list. They looked to Britain and France for support.

Question 18

Why did Hitler target the Sudeten?

Answer 18

• Czechoslovakia had been set up under the TofV which Hitler wanted to overturn.
• The Sudeten was home to about 3 million German-speaking people, German-speaking Czechs said they had been persecuted by the Czechs Hitler used this as an excuse.
• The Sudetenland was a good place to launch an attack on Czechoslovakia.

Question 19

What was agreed at the Munich Agreement

Answer 19

Britain and France agreed to all of Hitler’s demands

Question 20

What did Hitler demand in the Sudeten crisis?

Answer 20

• The Czech army must leave must leave the Sudetenland.
  -Hungary and Poland should get part of Czechoslovakia

Question 21

How did other countries react to Hitler’s demands?

Answer 21

The French and British prime ministers were eager to prevent war so therefore gave in to Hitler’s demands.

The USSR was annoyed that Britain and France hadn’t included them in discussions.

Question 22

Why was the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia significant?

Answer 22

• This was the first time Hitler invaded a country where he had no claim
• Czechoslovakia was a strong country invading meant Hitler had resources for war.
• He broke any promises he had made to Chamberlain and Daladier showing appeasement didn’t work.

Question 23

Arguments for appeasement by Chamberlain?

Answer 23

• Many people felt the TofV had been too harsh
• No one wanted to have another world war.
• Hitler said he was a man of peace.
• The Great Depression meant Britain didn’t have the money to fight a war.
• The threat of communism meant Britain was glad that Germany was strong.
• The USA signed a neutrality acts meaning that Britain would not have the resources.

Question 24

Arguments against appeasement by Chamberlain?

Answer 24

• People missed opportunities to stop Hitler
• The more Hitler got the more he took and wanted
• Appeasement was morally wrong it left smaller countries occupied at the expense of powerful countries.
• The relationship with the USSR was strained by appeasement

Question 25

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 25

Both countries said they wouldn’t attack each other (this was the public part of the agreement)

In private they agreed to both invade Poland and spilt it between themselves

Question 26

Why didn’t the USSR trust Britain and France?

Answer 26

• Stalin joined the LofN in 1934 but noticed how weak Britain and France were.
• When Hitler invaded the Rhineland France did nothing
• The Allies signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler and didn’t consult the USSR
• Halifax the foreign minister and Chamberlain both hated Communism.

Question 27

Why did the USSR sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 27

• He wanted land back from Poland, and Hitler would do all the fighting.
• Signing the pact meant he would stay safe from Hitler’s invasions.
• Having Polish territory would act as a buffer zone.

Question 28

Why did Germany sign the Navi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 28

• It meant he didn’t face a war on two fronts when he invaded Poland.

Question 29

Significance of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 29

It made war inevitable, it could be considered the trigger to WW2.

Question 30

When did Hitler invade Poland?

Answer 30

On the 1st of September 1939 a German battleship opened fire at Danzig at the same time the Luftwaffe invaded Poland.

Question 31

When is war declared?

Answer 31

On the 3rd of September 1939 Chamberlain issued an ultimatum to Hitler:
Withdraw troops by 11am or we will be at war.

There was no response so Britain declared war, then France was soon to follow.

Question 32

What were the causes of WW2?

Answer 32

• Appeasement
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact
• The Treaty of Versailles
• The failure of the LofN
• The Great Depression
• Hitler foreign policies