Why had International Peace collapsed by 1939?

Question 1

Give four aims of the LoN?

Answer 1

1. Disarmament
2. International trade.
3. The prevention of conflict.
4. The prevention of secret treaties/promotion of open diplomacy.
   or 5. To improve living and working conditions for inhabitants of member nations.

Question 2

Which 3 major world powers were not in the LON initially?

Answer 2

USA, USSR, Germany.

Question 3

How did the LoN deal with Upper Silesia, 1921? Give two points.

Answer 3

Ensured a fair plebiscite and split the area between Germany and Poland as the plebiscite had demanded.

Question 4

What was agreed at the Locarno Treaty? Give three points (a clue: what wasn’t agreed?).

Answer 4

GER accepted the demilitarisation of the Rhineland and their Western borders.
FR and GER agreed to solve future disputes through the LoN.
No mention of Germany’s eastern borders.

Question 5

When did Germany join the LoN?

Answer 5

1926.

Question 6

Why did the USA not join the LoN initially? Give two reasons.

Answer 6

Congress voted against the USA joining the Lon in 1919.

The Senate rejected the Treaty in March 1920, following the Republican bid for an isolationist US foreign policy.

Question 7

Why did the USSR not join the LoN initially?

Answer 7

BR and FR did not recognise the Communist government and, indeed were supporting the White army in the Russian Civil War.

Question 8

Who was involved in the Vilna dispute, 1920?

Answer 8

Poland and Lithuania.

Question 9

Who was threatening war over the Aaland Islands, 1921?

Answer 9

Finland and Sweden.

Question 10

Which Italian ambassador was killed on the Greek border in 1923 and how did Mussolini respond?

Answer 10

Tellini.

Bombarding and invading the Greek island of Corfu, demanding compensation and an apology.

Question 11

What did the Japanese Government claim in January 1931 to initiate their invasion of Manchuria?

Answer 11

Claimed that China had sabotaged the Manchurian railway and so Japan invaded and installed a puppet government.

Question 12

How long did the LoN take to issue their report (the Lytton Commission) on who was to blame for the Manchuria crisis, and why was this?

Answer 12

A full year (September 1932).

LoN officials had to sail around the world to assess situation.

No instant communication/no reliable air travel.

Question 13

What was Japan’s response (in February 1933) to the Lytton report?

Answer 13

Announced they would invade more Chinese territory.

Question 14

On 24th February 1933, what was the vote in the Assembly to approve the Lytton report?

Answer 14

42 to 1.

Question 15

When did Japan withdraw from the LoN?

Answer 15

27 March 1933.

Question 16

Give four reasons why Mussolini had designs on Abyssina?

Answer 16

1. Revenge for 1896 (Adowa).
2. To create export markets and gain raw materials.
3. Prestige to distract from the growing economic discontentment.
4. To make Italy a convincing European power (BR and FR had many African colonies).

Question 17

What agreement was signed in early 1935 between Britain, France and Italy, which made Britain and France reluctant to side with Abyssinia?

Answer 17

Stresa Front.

Question 18

What three sanctions were imposed on Italy during the Abyssinian Crisis?

Answer 18

A ban on the sale of arms
A ban on loans
A ban on the exports of tin, rubber and metals

Question 19

Which British and French politicians were forced to resign after plans for a “backroom” deal were leaked to the French press?

Answer 19

Hoare-Laval (hence the Hoare-Laval Pact).

Question 20

What event in December 1934 was used by Mussolini as an excuse to invade Abyssinia?

Answer 20

The Wal-Wal incident.

Question 21

When did the Disarmament Conference begin?

Answer 21

February 1932.

Question 22

By July 1932, what four resolutions had it made?

Answer 22

1. Stopping the bombing of civilian populations.
2. Limiting the size of the artillery a nation could have.
3. Limiting the tonnage of tanks a nation could have.
4. Prohibiting (banning) chemical warfare.

Question 23

When did Hitler withdraw Germany from the Disarmament conference?

Answer 23

October 1933.

Question 24

What agreement in 1935 between the British and French undermined the idea of Disarmament, which limited the German navy to 35% of Britain’s fleet?

Answer 24

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

Question 25

How did Hitler publicise Germany’s rearmament in 1935?

Answer 25

Staged a massive military rally.

Question 26

How did Hitler greatly increase the size of the German army in 1936, while simultaneously violating one of the military terms of the ToV?

Answer 26

Reintroduced conscription.

Question 27

When was the Saar Plebiscite held, and by around percentage did it vote to re-join Germany?

Answer 27

1935/around 90%

Question 28

How did Hitler violate the ToV in March 1936?

Answer 28

Re-militarised the Rhineland.

Question 29

Why did the manner in which Hitler violated the ToV in March 1936 go unopposed? Give four points.

Answer 29

France had just signed a treaty with the USSR, so Hitler presented the militarisation of the Rhineland as a defensive measure against this move.
Many British felt Hitler had a right to had German troops on German soil.
Hitler rightly gambled that if Britain did not intervene, then France would not react alone.
French politicians were facing an election and didn’t want to be unpopular by calling for war.

Question 30

What evidence was there that Hitler was not entirely confident his violation of the ToV in March 1936 would succeed?

Answer 30

The Wehrmacht had ordered to pull out at the least sign of French resistance, as despite rearmament they were still in no way ready to fight France (they lacked any air support and necessary modern equipment).

Question 31

In which country did civil war break out in 1936?

Answer 31

Spain.

Question 32

Who supported the Republican side during this civil war?

Answer 32

The USSR/Stalin.

Question 33

Who did both Hitler and Mussolini support during this civil war in 1936?

Answer 33

General Franco.

Question 34

What was the name of the anti-communist pact made by Germany and Japan in 1936, later signed by Italy in 1937?

Answer 34

The Anti-Comintern Pact.

Question 35

How had Mussolini prevented Hitler from achieving Anschluss with Austria in 1934?

Answer 35

Sent Italian troops to the Austrian border.

Question 36

Give three points for how Hitler tried to pressure the Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg, to agree to Anschluss.

Answer 36

There was a strong Nazi party in Austria.
Hitler encouraged them to stir up trouble for the Austrian Government, and they staged demonstrations calling for unification with Germany, as well as riots. Hitler then informed the Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss (political union) would solve these problems. He pressured Schuschnigg to agree.

Question 37

When Schuschnigg tried to call a plebiscite on Anschluss, how did Hitler respond?

Answer 37

Sent German troops into Austria.

Question 38

What was the result of the Plebiscite on Anschluss?

Answer 38

99.75% in favour of Anschluss.

Question 39

What did Hitler gain from Anschluss in terms of military/economic resources?

Answer 39

Alongside the Austrian troops the German army gained, Hitler acquired arms and the rich gold and iron ore deposits in Austria to use in future military campaigns.

Question 40

In what area of Czechoslovakia did around 3 million Germans live in by 1938?

Answer 40

Sudetenland.

Question 41

Why was Czechoslovakia potentially far better able to defend itself from German aggression in 1938 than Austria had been? Give three points.

Answer 41

The Sudetenland fortifications were formidable.
The Czech army strong (and its weapons factories impressive, e.g. the Skoda weapons factories).
Its international support was, in theory, strong: the USSR would have been willing to support, while Britain and France had promised support.

Question 42

What four European leaders signed the Munich Agreement?

Answer 42

Mussolini, Hitler, Daladier and Chamberlain.

Question 43

What other countries helped themselves to Czechoslovakian territory, once the Germans had taken the Sudetenland?

Answer 43

Hungary and Poland.

Question 44

Where did Hitler invade on 15th March 1939?

Answer 44

The rest of Czechoslovakia.

Question 45

Give two reactions of the British public to the Munich Agreement.

Answer 45

British people welcomed the agreement.

93% of people did not believe it was Hitler’s last territorial demand.

Question 46

What was the name of the piece of Polish territory Hitler sought in 1939?

Answer 46

The Polish Corridor.

Question 47

When was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?

Answer 47

24th August 1939.

Question 48

What did Hitler gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 48

Hitler gained a chance to avoid war on 2 fronts, half of Poland and hopefully would undermine any British/French commitment to fight over Poland.

Question 49

What did Stalin gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 49

Stalin gained huge amounts of territory in eastern Europe as a defensive shield for the USSR against Germany.
Crucially it also gave him time to build up his army (after the 1937 purges) and avoided having to fight Germany alone and unprepared.

Question 50

On what date did Hitler invade Poland, which led Britain and France to declare war on Germany the very next day?

Answer 50

1st September 1939.