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AS History Paper 1: Germany (1918-1989) > 10. Historical Interpretations: Hitler's Foreign Policy and the Second World War > Flashcards

10. Historical Interpretations: Hitler's Foreign Policy and the Second World War Flashcards

1
Q

Name two previous German empires.

A

The First Reich (AD 800 to 1806)

The Second Reich (AD 1871 to 1918)

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2
Q

Who was the first leader of the Second Reich?

A

Otto von Bismarck (1871-1890)

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3
Q

What were the foreign policies of the First and Second Reichs?

A
  1. Territorial expansion through war and military strength
  2. Diplomacy with other nations and forming alliances (e.g. Second Reich – Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1882)
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4
Q

Why did Hitler call the Nazi regime the “Third Reich”?

A
  1. He believed that his foreign policy continued the work of previous German empires.
  2. He celebrated the triumphs of the First and Second Reichs, and wanted to make Germany as powerful as they had (e.g. he was positioned next to previous leaders in Nazi propaganda).
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5
Q

When did Germany and the Allies sign the Treaty of Versailles (TOV)?

A

June 28, 1919

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6
Q

After the TOV, and Germany’s territorial losses, how many Germans lived outside of German borders?

A

6.4 million

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7
Q

What happened to the German military after the TOV?

A

It was significantly reduced (max. 100,000 soldiers; no air force, submarines, tanks).

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8
Q

After the TOV, which area became a demilitarised “buffer zone” between Germany and France?

A

The Rhineland

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9
Q

How did Stresemann change the terms of the TOV (reparations)?

A

He negotiated the Dawes and Young Plans (1924; 1929), which made payments more manageable (e.g. longer time period given to make payments).

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10
Q

How did Stresemann go against the terms of the TOV (German military)?

A

Secret rearmament agreements were made with the USSR – a German tank-training school was set up in 1926; German tanks were being the built and tested in Russia by 1928.

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11
Q

What agreement was made about the Rhineland in 1930?

A

The Allies withdrew their troops (5 years earlier than planned).

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12
Q

What was the KWIA, set up in 1927?

A

The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics

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13
Q

Who was the director of the KWIA, and what did he believe in?

A

Eugen Fisher.

He supported eugenics - controlling human reproduction to improve the genetic quality of humans. Hitler used Fischer’s work to support his ideas of a racially pure and superior Aryan society.

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14
Q

How did Hitler overturn the work of Stresemann?

A

He withdrew Germany from the League of Nations in 1934, which Stresemann had negotiated in 1926.

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15
Q

When did Hitler write Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”)?

A

1925

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16
Q

What was the name of his later, unpublished work?

A

Zweites Buch (1928)

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17
Q

Identify three foreign policy aims outlined in Mein Kampf and Zweites Buch.

A
  1. Overturning the TOV;
  2. Expansion east & establishing lebensraum (“living space”) for German people;
  3. Seeking alliances with racially superior countries, such as Britain.
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18
Q

What theory influenced Hitler’s foreign policy?

A

Aryan racial theories – a hierarchy of human races.

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19
Q

Why did Hitler want to expand German territory east?

A

He believed the races of eastern Europe to be inferior.

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20
Q

How did racial theories influence Hitler’s foreign policy?

A

It determined where he wanted to expand (i.e. eastwards) and who he wanted to be in alliances with (i.e. Britain – seen as racially superior).

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21
Q

What was the name of the Nazi Party’s foreign office set up in 1933?

A

The Bureau Ribbentrop

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22
Q

Who was the leader of the Bureau Ribbentrop (Nazi foreign office)?

A

Joachim von Ribbentrop

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23
Q

What did Hitler declare in his speech to the Reichstag in 1933?

A

He would aim to overturn the terms of the Treaty of Versailles using diplomacy.

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24
Q

What did Germany and Poland sign in January 1934?

A

A non-aggression pact – an agreement that they would not go to war with each other.

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25
Q

What did the Nazis fail to negotiate with Poland between 1935 and 1937?

A

A military alliance

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26
Q

Why were the pacts / discussions with Poland at odds with Hitler’s foreign policy aims?

A

In Mein Kampf, Hitler stated his aim to expand eastwards in order to create lebensraum – Poland was in the east.

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27
Q

When did the Nazis attempt, but fail, to take control of Austria?

A

July 1934

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28
Q

Why did the Nazis fail to take control of Austria in 1934?

A

Mussolini moved 40,000 Italian troops to the Austro-Italian frontier, forcing Germany to back down.

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29
Q

Which area voted to be a part of Germany in January 1935?

A

The Saarland (previously controlled by the LoN) – this was great propaganda success for the Nazis.

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30
Q

When did the Nazis announce that Germany was rearming?

A

March 16, 1935

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31
Q

Why was rearmament controversial?

A

It went against the terms of the TOV – an army of 550,000 was set up, and the existence of the Luftwaffe (airforce) announced.

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32
Q

When did Hitler announce his “Four Year Plan” for the economy?

A

1936

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33
Q

What did Hitler’s “Four Year Plan” for the economy focus on?

A

The development of a war economy and autarky (self-sufficiency), so Germany would not have to rely on other countries in time of war.

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34
Q

What area did German troops occupy in March 1936?

A

The Rhineland

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35
Q

Which country did Hitler send Joachim von Ribbentrop to form an alliance with in 1936?

A

Britain

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36
Q

When did Hitler and Italy sign the Rome-Berlin Axis?

A

November 1936

37
Q

What did the Rome-Berlin Axis between Germany and Italy state?

A

Mutual support (not military) and political, economic and ideological cooperation.

38
Q

Why was the Rome-Berlin Axis signed?

A

Germany and Italy were both supporting the Spanish fascists in the Spanish Civil War.

39
Q

Which countries signed the Anti-Comintern (anti-communist) Pact against the USSR in November 1936?

A

Germany and Japan (and later Italy in 1937)

40
Q

What did the Anti-Comintern Pact state?

A

Germany, Japan and Italy would do all they could to “safeguard their common interests” from communism.

41
Q

Why did Hitler sign the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in 1936?

A

It was useful for Germany to have an ally on the east of the USSR.

42
Q

What conference took place in November 1937?

A

The Hossbach Conference

43
Q

What did Hitler state in the Hossbach Conference (1937)?

A

He outlined three war scenarios for Germany for between 1943 and 1945.

44
Q

What did the Hossbach Conference (1937) demonstrate?

A

Hitler’s plans / intentions for war.

45
Q

When was the Anschluss (“Union”) with Austria?

A

March 11-13, 1938

46
Q

What did the Anschluss with Austria go against?

A

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles

47
Q

Why did the Nazis decide to take over Austria in 1938?

A
  1. They took advantage of political instability in Austria, created by Austrian Nazis.
  2. Germany’s relations with Italy were improved.
  3. Britain and France was preoccupied with situations at home (e.g. the resignation of Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in Britain).
48
Q

What did Hitler hint towards in a speech in September 1938?

A

Germany’s plans for war.

49
Q

How did Hitler break the terms of the Munich Agreement (1938) in March 1939?

A

Germany invaded Czechoslovakia

50
Q

What two regions in Czechoslovakia did Hitler take in March 1939?

A

Bohemia and Moravia

51
Q

How did Britain and France respond to the invasion of Czechoslovakia?

A

They issued a guarantee of Poland’s independence.

52
Q

What did Hitler and Mussolini sign in May 1939?

A

The Pact of Steel

53
Q

What did the Pact of Steel state?

A

Both sides promised military aid/support in the event of war.

54
Q

When did Hitler and Mussolini enter a military alliance?

A

May 1939

55
Q

How big was the German army by mid-1939?

A

103 infantry (soldier) divisions of 15,000 to 18,000 men

56
Q

How many fighter and bomber planes did Germany have by mid-1939?

A

2000 fighter and bomber planes

57
Q

How many tanks did the German army have by mid-1939?

A

3000 tanks

58
Q

What military tactic had the Nazis developed?

A

Blitzkrieg (“lightning war”)

59
Q

What type of warfare was Blitzkrieg best suited?

A

Small-scale, local wars (not a world war).

60
Q

What did Germany and the USSR sign in August 1939?

A

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

61
Q

What did the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) state?

A
  1. It was a non-aggression pact – they agreed to not go to war with each other.
  2. They agreed to invade Poland and divide eastern Europe between them.
62
Q

Why was the Nazi-Soviet Pact at odds with Hitler’s foreign policy aims?

A

Hitler had committed himself to expanding eastwards and defeating communism.

63
Q

Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A

To prevent a war on two fronts (from the west and the east).

64
Q

When did Germany invade Poland?

A

September 1, 1939

65
Q

When was the League of Nations set up?

A

January 10, 1920

66
Q

What was the aim of the League of Nations (LoN)?

A

To encourage cooperation and diplomacy between LoN member countries, and to avoid the outbreak of war (“collective security”).

67
Q

Why was the League of Nations so weak? (Three reasons)

A
  1. It did not have a military.
  2. It was slow to make decisions, as the majority of its members had to agree to them.
  3. Not all nations were a member.
68
Q

Identify two examples of the League of Nations failure to prevent invasions.

A
  1. Failed to intervene in the Mukden Incident – Japan’s takeover of Manchuria, China in 1931.
  2. Failed to prevent Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935.
69
Q

What was the outcome of Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1935?

A

Italy, Britain and France signed the Hoare-Laval Pact, which gave 2/3 of Abyssinia to Italy.

70
Q

What was the foreign policy adopted by Britain and France in the 1930s?

A

Appeasement – aimed to maintain peace in Europe and prevent another war.

71
Q

What did Britain and Germany sign in June 1935?

A

The Naval Agreement

72
Q

How big could Germany’s navy be under the Naval Agreement with Britain (1935)?

A

35% of the strength of the British fleet

73
Q

Why did Britain follow a policy of appeasement?

A

Britain wanted to avoid another world war, as it could not guarantee the support of its colonies if war broke out. They feared another war might cause problems in their empire.

74
Q

Why did France follow a policy of appeasement?

A

France was domestically unstable and weak (e.g. there were 11 governments between 1932 and 1935; communist and fascist parties were becoming more popular; WWI had severely weakened the French army).

75
Q

Why did appeasement influence Hitler’s foreign policy?

A

It gave Hitler greater confidence that Britain and France would not go to war, therefore encouraging his aggression.

76
Q

How did the actions of other countries encourage Hitler to remilitarise the Rhineland in 1936?

A
  1. The League of Nations had shown its weakness by this point – it could not intervene.
  2. Attention was away from Germany, as Italy had shown it’s aggressive & expansionist policy.
  3. France was focused on its upcoming election.
77
Q

What was the foreign policy of the USA in the 1930s?

A

“Isolationism” – refusal to get involved in the affairs of other countries.

78
Q

What evidence is there that the USA pursued “isolationism” as a foreign policy?

A

They signed three Neutrality Acts between 1935 and 1937 – it was illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms to countries at war.

79
Q

Why did the USA’s foreign policy influence Hitler’s foreign policy in Europe?

A

It reassured Hitler that the USA would not get involved in a European conflict, and gave him more confidence to be aggressive.

80
Q

When was the Munich Agreement?

A

September 29-30, 1938

81
Q

What conference took place in 1938 between Germany, Italy, Britain and France?

A

The Munich Agreement

82
Q

What was agreed at the conference in Munich in 1938?

A
  1. Germany was given the Sudetenland.

2. Hitler agreed that the Sudetenland was his ‘last territorial demand’ in Europe.

83
Q

How many German people lived in the Sudetenland?

A

3.5 millon

84
Q

Why did Hitler agree to the demands of the Munich Agreement in 1938?

A

Mussolini was unwilling to provide military support to Germany in war.

85
Q

What did Britain and France guarantee in March 1939?

A

They guaranteed Poland’s independence and to interfere if it was threatened.

86
Q

Why did Britain and France issue a guarantee for Poland’s independence?

A

It was in response to Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia, which broke the terms of the Munich Agreement.

87
Q

What agreement encouraged Hitler to invade Poland in September 1939?

A

The Nazi-Soviet Pact – the USSR promised not to go to war with Germany.

88
Q

Why did the USSR sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A
  1. Stalin had suggested an alliance between Russia, France and Britain in April 1939, but this was not agreed (fear of communism).
  2. The USSR was fighting a war against Japan from July 1938, and wanted to avoid a war on two fronts.
89
Q

When did Britain and France declare war on Germany?

A

September 3, 1939.

AS History Paper 1: Germany (1918-1989) (16 decks)

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