Topic 3: Why had international peace collapsed by 1939? Flashcards
(11 cards)
What was Hitler’s foreign policy?
1.Lebensraum->Expand German territory
2.Abolish TOV
3.Defeat communism against the Soviet Union
4.Unite all german speaking people together
What were the 7 key aspects of german rearmament?
-Violation of TOV
-Expansion of military forces
-Conscription
-Re-militarisation of Rhineland
-Economic impact
-Involvement in the Spanish Civil War
Why was German rearmament significant?
1933: Left the Disarmament Conference
1935: Introduced conscription (violating the Treaty)
1935: Anglo-German Naval Agreement – allowed Germany to build a navy 35% the size of Britain’s
1936: Reintroduced the Luftwaffe (Air Force)
Q: What happened in the Saar plebiscite?
Under League control since 1919
1935 plebiscite: 90.3% voted to return to Germany
Peaceful, legal process – seen as a victory for self-determination
Huge propaganda success for Hitler – increased domestic and international support
Q: How did the Spanish Civil War impact international peace and Hitler’s foreign policy?
Hitler supported Franco’s nationalists with arms, aircraft, and troops
1937: German Luftwaffe bombed Guernica – first use of aerial bombing on civilians
War allowed testing of weapons and tactics
Strengthened Hitler–Mussolini relations – led to Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)
What was the Anschluss and why was it important?
Hitler pressured Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg to allow Nazi influence
Schuschnigg called a plebiscite; Hitler invaded before it was held
German troops marched in unopposed – rigged plebiscite showed 99.75% support
Violated Treaty of Versailles again
What was appeasement and why was it pursued by Britain and France?
Policy of making concessions to avoid war
Britain led by Neville Chamberlain believed Hitler could be trusted
Reasons: fear of another war, military unpreparedness, economic issues, belief Treaty of Versailles was too harsh, fear of communism
What was the Munich Agreement and why was it controversial?
Sudetenland: home to 3 million ethnic Germans in Czechoslovakia
Hitler demanded it; claimed Germans were being mistreated
Sept 1938: Munich Conference – Britain, France, Germany, Italy (Czechoslovakia and USSR excluded)
Agreed to give Hitler the Sudetenland in return for peace
“Peace for our time” – Chamberlain
What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact and how did it contribute to war?
Non-aggression pact between Germany and USSR (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact)
Secret protocol: agreed to divide Poland
Stalin bought time to prepare for war; Hitler avoided a two-front war
What were the main causes of the Second World War?
Treaty of Versailles: harsh terms created resentment in Germany
Hitler’s foreign policy: aggressive expansionism
Weakness of the League of Nations: failed to stop aggression in Manchuria, Abyssinia, Rhineland
Appeasement: encouraged Hitler to push further
Nazi-Soviet Pact: removed Soviet threat, made war in Poland possible
Invasion of Poland (1 Sept 1939): Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 Sept
Why was the League of Nations’ failure in Abyssinia important?
Proved the League was weak and ineffective
Showed Britain and France were more concerned with keeping Italy as an ally against Germany than upholding collective security
Encouraged Hitler to take more risks (e.g. Rhineland 1936 happened during the Abyssinia crisis)
