The Second World War Flashcards
What was the international situation after the First World War?
Post-war problems cast a shadow over the prospect of peace. For example, faced with post-war social and economic problems, Britain and France were unable and unwilling to intervene in European affairs. The governments of Germany and Italy lost support as people were dissatisfied with the post-war arrangements. As post-war problems continued to trouble Europe, coupled with the economic crisis of the late 1920s, the International situation underwent a drastic change. Germany, Italy, and Japan all started invasions, intensifying the threat of another world war.
What were the three major post-war problems regarding international situation after the First World War?
Discontent of Germany and Italy, Japan’s rapid expansion, and weakened Britain, France and isolationist United States.
What was the background of the Paris Peace Conference?
In 1919, the victorious countries held the Paris Peace Conference to discuss the peace settlement. Leaders of the United States, Britain, and France dominated the conference. They were known as the “Big Three”. The defeated countries were not invited to the conference or consulted about the peace terms. They signed separate peace treaties between 1919 and 1920 and were punished. Germany was punished the most heavily.
Who were the “Big Three”?
The “big three” refers to the leaders of United States, Britain, and France in 1919. Wilson, the American president, wanted to maintain world peace; he proposed fourteen points as well as opposed punishing Germany harshly in order to avoid deepening the enmity among the powers.
Clemenceau, the French prime minister, wanted to weaken Germany permanently. He demanded Germany to return the French land gained in the Franco-Prussian war and demanded harsh punishment on Germany.
Lloyd George, the British prime minister, wanted to maintain a balance of power. He did not want to see Germany weakened too much. He also wanted to take over German colonies and maintain Britain naval supremacy.
What are the major settlements accomplished in the Paris Peace Conference?
Signing the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919: According to the treaty, Germany had to disarm, pay reparations and cede some land. It also had to accept the war-guilt clause, bearing full responsibility for causing the war.
Achieving national self-determination: In accordance with the principle of national self-determination, the defeated countries ceded territories to peoples of Eastern Europe. New independent nation-states, such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia, were established.
Forming a collective security system: President Wilson’s proposal to form an international peacekeeping body was adopted. In 1920, the League of Nations was set up. It aimed to maintain peace through collective security. Countries would take up collective actions to solve international conflicts.
Why were Italy and Germany discontent after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles?
Italy failed to get all lands promised: Italy did not get all lands promised by the Allied Powers at the Paris Peace Conference. The Italians felt betrayed for being unable to protect national interests. They wanted to have a strong leader to bring national glory.
Germany was punished too harshly: The Germans felt that the Treaty of Versailles was harsh, and it was unfair for Germany to accept the war-guilt clause. They wanted to take revenge and were discontent with their Weimar republic government. They longed for a strong leader to overthrow the treaty and rebuild national glory.
What is the hidden danger in national self-determination?
Most new Eastern European countries were weak. They easily become targets for expansion. These countries were founded according to the principle of national self-determination, but their populations still included other peoples. For example, three million Germans lived in the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia. This became an excuse for Germany’s expansion.
What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany?
The German army was reduced to 100,000; no tanks, submarines or fighter planes were allowed. The Rhineland would become a demilitarised zone. Germany had to give up all its colonies and cede 13% of its land to neighbouring countries. It also had to accept the war-guilt clause, and pay reparations amounting to 6.6 billion pounds over 42 years. In addition, Germany and Austria were forbidden to be unified.
Why did economic downturn happen after the First World War?
The European countries faced severe economic and social problems after WWI. Unemployment rates rose due to economic stagnation and the large number of demobilised soldiers. There was shortage of resources and production facilities, and infrastructure were damaged. Serious inflation and famine occurred.
After the war, the European countries did not cooperate to solve the economic crisis. They even restricted foreign trade to protect their own industries. Britain, France and Germany could only rely on American loans to stimulate their economies. The foreign trade of Asian countries like Japan was also adversely affected. The economic downturn sowed the seeds of the rise of totalitarianism in some countries.
What happened to Germany’s economy in the early 1920s?
hyperinflation: a continuous increase in the supply of money will devalue the currency. As the purchasing power of the money decreases, prices will increase correspondingly and inflation results. Hyperinflation takes place when this process happens very quickly.
After WWI, the Weimar Republic issued a large amount of banknotes. Hyperinflation thus occurred between 1921 and 1923. Large-scale demonstrations continued and some organisations attempted to overthrow the government. In 1924, the government issued a new currency and stopped printing large amounts of banknotes, gradually resolving the problem of hyperinflation.
What is the Great Depression?
Wall Street Crash: Between 1919 and 1929, the economy of the United States was booming. Industrialists borrowed lots of money from banks and invested heavily in the stock market. People also speculated actively. Share prices continued to rise. However, in October 1929, a massive sell-off of stocks caused a sharp drop in stock prices. The stock market crashed. Many investors lost all their money. About 100,000 companies closed down and the unemployment reached 13 million. The United States entered a period called the Great Depression.
The United States was the major creditor and financier of Europe. To save its economy, the United States demanded the repayment of loans. This hit the European economy very badly.
Moreover, the United States protected its domestic production by imposing high tariffs and quotas on imported goods. As the American demand for foreign goods fell greatly, many European and Japanese factories goods closed down. Unemployment rose sharply.
What was the impact of the Great Depression?
The Great Depression weakened the determination and ability of the international community to maintain peace. It also fuelled the rise of totalitarianism.
The United States focused on rebuilding its economy and became more self-isolated. It passed several neutrality acts in 1930 to prevent involvement in international conflicts.
Britain and France were badly hit, resulting in worsening social and economic problems. They were reluctant to use force to deal with international disputes, which was taken advantage of by aggressors.
The Great Depression caused an economic slump in Germany. Germans started to support Hitler and his Nazi Party. Similarly, the Great Depression sharply increased the unemployment rate in Japan. Japanese militarists proposed territorial expansion to solve economic problems. Their ideas became popular.
What is totalitarianism, and why did totalitarianism rise after WWI?
Totalitarianism refer to an ideology or a political system. In a totalitarian state, the ruler holds total authority over the state and controls all aspects of public and private life.
After WWI, political and social instability troubled many European countries and weakened people’s faith in democracy. The Germans and Italians were discontented with the decisions of the Paris Peace Conference. They longed for a strong government that could revive the country’s past glories. This led to the rise of Fascism and Nazism in the two countries. In Japan, as the party government was weak, the militarists were able to control the government in the 1930s.
What are the differences between totalitarianism and democracy?
- governance: a totalitarian ruler governed according to their own will; a democratic government ruled according to the laws and the will of people.
- power and responsibility: power was highly **concentrated **in the hands of the totalitarian ruler without checks and balances; there were a separation of power and a system of checks and balances in democratic governments.
- Political parties: totalitarian parties adopted a one-party system where opposition was eliminated; people were free to form parties with different political views and participate in democratic elections.
- People’s rights: secret police were set up to watch over the people and the media were strictly censored in totalitarian states; people enjoyed freedom of speech and of the press in democratic states.
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Foreign policy: totalitarian states generally advocated racial supremacy and the glory of the nation/leader, they supported foreign expansion; democratic states adopted appeasement policies in face of economic, political, and social problems.
examples of totalitarianism: Germany and Italy
examples of democracy: Britain and France
Why did totalitarianism rise in Italy?
As Italy failed to get all lands promised by the allied powers, the Italians criticised their government for its weaknesses. The government also failed to solve the post-war economic and social problems. The Italians lost faith in democracy and hoped for a strong leader and government. This provided an opportunity for the rise of Mussolini and the Fascist Party.
