Why Had International Peace Collapsed By 1939

Question 1

Hitler’s Aims : Mein Kampf

Answer 1

• Book written by Hitler whilst in prison for role in Munich Lutsch
• Title means ‘my struggle’
• Hitler clearly sets out aims

Question 2

Hitler’s Aims : Abolish Treaty of Versailles

Answer 2

• Believed Treaty was unjust

- German leaders who signed it were ‘November Criminals’ of the ‘Stab in the back’

Question 3

Hitler’s Aims : Expand German Territory

Answer 3

• Determined to regain land lost in treaty
• Believed the ‘Master Race’ needed lebensraum (living space)
• Space could be found in Eastern Europe

Question 4

Hitler’s Aims : Defeat Communism

Answer 4

• Hitler hated Bolshevism/Communism
• Believed it responsible for Germany’s defeat
• Germany should expand into the Soviet Union and destroy Communism

Question 5

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Disarmament Conference

Answer 5

• Claimed to support disarmament
• Unwillingness of other to disarm forced him to rearm
• Eventually withdrew from Conference and League

Question 6

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Rearmament

Answer 6

• As soon as came into power, ordered secret programme of rearmament
• Dismantle Treaty of Versailles, provide stimulus for German Economy, restore German pride

Question 7

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Military Rally

Answer 7

• 1935

- Openly staged military rally showing complete disregard for Treaty

Question 8

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Naval Agreement

Answer 8

• 1935

- Agreement with Britain to expand navy

Question 9

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Saae Plebiscite

Answer 9

• Run by League of Nations since 1919
• League held plebiscite for people to vote on returning to Germany
• Hitler wary as many opponents fled to Saar
• 90% voted to return to Germany

Question 10

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Remilitarisation of Rhineland

Gamble

Answer 10

• 1936
• Moved troops into Rhineland
• Gamble because his forces were weak and Britain and France could force him into humiliating withdrawal
• France signed pact with USSR to protect each other form German attack (justifies his actions as was under threat)
• Predicted British would not intervene as many agreed Germany had the right to secure its own borders

Question 11

Hitler Dismantles the Treaty : Remilitarisation of Rhineland

Pay-off

Answer 11

• League condemned Remilitarisation but more concerned with Abyssinian crisis
• Britain not prepared to risk war
• French were angered but desperate to avoid war

Question 12

Spanish Civil War

Answer 12

• 1936

- Between Government and right-wing rebels led by General Franco

Question 13

Spanish Civil War : Germany and Italy Intervene

Answer 13

• International community supported Government forces
• Hitler and Mussolini supported Franco
• Mussolini sent troops
• Hitler sent pilots and aircraft

Question 14

Spanish Civil War : Bombing Raids

Answer 14

• German airforce (Luftwaffe) bombed Spanish cities (Guernica)
• Helped Franco win

Question 15

Spanish Civil War : Consequences

Answer 15

• Hitler and Mussolini formed Axis Alliance
• Britain and France horrified by show of destructive force
• Chamberlain became convinced war with Germany must be avoided

Question 16

Anschluss

Answer 16

• Meant union between Germany and Austria
• Forbidden under Treaty of Versailles
• 1934 Hitler tried to take over but stopped by Mussolini
• Allies by 1938

Question 17

Anschluss : Calls for Anschluss

Answer 17

• Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazi Party to hold demonstrations and riots
• Hitler pressurised Austrian leader Schuschnigg to agree to plebiscite
• Schuschnigg appealed to Britain and France but was refused

Question 18

Anschluss : Plebiscite

Answer 18

• Hitler sent troops to oversee it
• 99.75% of Austrians voted for Anschluss
• Britain and France did nothing to oppose it
• Chamberlain felt two countries had a right to unite
• Lord Halifax suggested to Hitler that Britain would not stand in its way

Question 19

Anschluss : Consequences

Answer 19

• Hitler emboldened
• Germany gained Austria’s rich deposits (gold and iron core)
• Clear Britain and France would not go to war to defend Treaty of Versailles

Question 20

The Sudetenland

Answer 20

• Next on Hitler’s list (part of Czechoslovakia)
• Benes (leader) asked Britain and France to promise to defend the Sudetenland
• They reluctantly did

Question 21

The Sudetenland : Hitler Threatens War

Answer 21

• 1938
• Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler
• Hitler moderated his demands
• Demanded all of Sudetenland by 1st October (war)
• British navy mobilised
• War seemed imminent

Question 22

The Sudetenland : Munich Agreement

Answer 22

• Mussolini brokered final meeting in Munich
• Britain, France, Italy decided Sudetenland would be given to Germany
• War averted

Question 23

The Sudetenland : ‘Peace in our Time’

Answer 23

• Chamberlain returned to Hero’s welcome
• Pledged not to go to War
• Told people he had secured ‘peace in our time’

Question 24

Czechoslovakia: Chaos

Answer 24

• Following Munich Agreement Czechoslovakia descended into chaos
• German troops marched into Sudetenland in 1938
• Hungary and Poland also helped themselves to parts of Czechoslovakia

Question 25

Czechoslovakia: Take-over

Answer 25

- 1939 15th March - Took over ret of Czechoslovakia - Czechs realised had been abandoned and offered little resistance

Question 26

Czechoslovakia: Consequences

Answer 26

- Policy of Appeasement lay in tatters - Hitler’s next target was Poland - Britain and France said would declare war if he invaded - Hitler did not believe them

Question 27

Nazi-Soviet Pact : Stalin’s Fears

Answer 27

- Stalin knew Hitler wanted to destroy Communism - Sought security by joining League - Signed Treaty with France in 1935 to protect each other - Stalin saw weakness in League during Abyssinian Crisis - Stalin saw weakness in France and Britain during Munich Conference - USSR, France, Britain held talks 1939 but failed to produce military alliance - Stalin felt vulnerable

Question 28

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Answer 28

- Ribbentrop (Nazi Foreign Minister) visited USSR in 1939 - Signed Nazi-Soviet Pact - Promised not to attack each other - Agreed to split up Poland between themselves secretly

Question 29

Nazi-Soviet Pact : Stalin

Answer 29

- Gave him territory from Poland - Gave him time - Believed Hitler would betray him - Britain and France would fail to support him - Needed time to prepare to fight Germany alone

Question 30

Nazi-Soviet Pact : Consequences

Answer 30

- 1st September 1939 - Germany invaded Poland - 3rd Britain and France declared war on Germany

Question 31

Was Policy of Appeasement Justified? YES

Answer 31

- Britain and other powers had more pressing concerns than Hitler - Rise of Stalin and USSR led to fears about spread of Communism - Stronger Germany would act as a buffer zone - Memories of terrible loss in WW1 were fresh in Britain and France - Another war had to be avoided - Britain and France had only begun rearming in 1935 - Intelligence showed they were lagging behind Germany - Britain needed to play for time - Britain and France had inly won WW1 with help of USA - Britain would need support of Empire to defat Hitler - Grip on many colonies was weakening - Britain and other countries accepted that some terms of Treaty of Versailles were unreasonable - Could not a afford a war after the Depression and WW1

Question 32

Was the Policy of Appeasement Justified? NO

Answer 32

- Policy based in mistaken assumption that Hitler would be satisfied once he got what he wanted - Each success encouraged him to be more daring and aggressive - 1935 it was clear Germany was pursuing its massive rearmament plan - Hitler had put Germany on path to war - Hitler was a gambler and a risk taker - Needed to be stopped, longer left more powerful Nazi Germany became - Appeasement encouraged Hitler - Britain and France’s inactiveness In Abyssinia and Manchuria convinced Hitler he could get away with anything