4: Outbreak of World War II in Europe – Review Flashcards

Thirty Q&A flashcards summarising the key causes, events, and policies that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe, including League of Nations failures, Hitler’s ambitions, the policy of appeasement, and the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

What mood characterized international relations in the decade immediately following World War I (1919–1929)?

A brief period of post-war optimism marked by economic growth and hopes that new institutions like the League of Nations would secure lasting peace.

How did the 1929 U.S. stock-market crash alter the international climate?

It triggered the Great Depression, undermined global trade, provoked protectionism, and created social misery that fueled extremist movements such as Nazism and Fascism.

What were two central aims of the League of Nations?

1) To resolve international disputes without war (collective security). 2) To achieve worldwide disarmament.

Why was the League of Nations’ World Disarmament Conference (1932–34) a failure?

Delegates could not agree on what constituted offensive versus defensive weapons, nations prioritized rearmament, and Germany quit the talks when its demand for parity was rejected.

Which crisis (1935–36) most publicly exposed the League’s weakness and why?

The Abyssinian Crisis; Britain and France imposed only partial sanctions on Italy, left the Suez Canal open, and secretly proposed the Hoare-Laval Pact, allowing Mussolini to conquer Abyssinia unopposed.

What alliance grew out of Italy’s successful conquest of Abyssinia?

The Rome-Berlin Axis, signed in November 1936 between Mussolini and Hitler.

List two reasons economic nationalism heightened tension in the 1930s.

Countries raised tariffs and recalled foreign loans, which shrank trade and spurred competitive rearmament.

Identify four key foreign-policy aims Hitler outlined in Mein Kampf.

1) Abolish the Treaty of Versailles. 2) Destroy Communism. 3) Gain Lebensraum in Eastern Europe. 4) Militarize Germany for expansion.

Why did Hitler withdraw Germany from both the League of Nations and the Disarmament Conference in 1933?

To pursue secret rearmament free from external scrutiny while portraying Germany as unfairly treated by other powers.

What was the significance of the 1935 Saar plebiscite for Hitler?

Over 90 % voted to rejoin Germany, providing Hitler a propaganda victory and additional industrial resources without firing a shot.

How did Hitler violate the Treaty of Versailles in March 1936?

By remilitarising the Rhineland, sending German troops into a zone that had been demilitarised under the treaty and the Locarno agreements.

What role did Germany play in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39)?

It provided troops, aircraft, and matériel to Franco’s Nationalists, gaining combat experience for the Luftwaffe and testing new weapons.

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact (1936) and who initially signed it?

An agreement between Germany and Japan (joined later by Italy) to oppose the spread of Communism, primarily targeting the USSR.

Define the policy of appeasement in the 1930s context.

Britain and France’s strategy of conceding to Hitler’s demands to avoid another large-scale war.

Give two reasons Britain and France pursued appeasement.

1) Deep fear of another devastating conflict. 2) Belief that some German grievances against the Treaty of Versailles were legitimate.

How did the Anschluss of March 1938 demonstrate appeasement?

Germany annexed Austria in direct violation of Versailles and Britain and France did nothing, partly because they viewed German-Austrian union as reasonable.

What territory was ceded to Germany in the Munich Agreement of September 1938?

The Sudetenland, a predominantly German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia.

Why did Chamberlain describe the Munich Agreement as bringing “peace for our time,” and why was that assessment wrong?

He believed satisfying Hitler’s territorial claim would prevent war; instead it emboldened Hitler to continue expansion.

State two major weaknesses of the League of Nations revealed by the 1930s crises.

1) Lack of participation or support from key powers (e.g., U.S. absence, Germany/Japan withdrawals). 2) Inability to enforce sanctions decisively against aggressors.

What were the main motives for Hitler to sign the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939?

To avoid a two-front war and secure Soviet neutrality while he invaded Poland.

What did the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Pact outline?

A division of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence, including the partition of Poland.

Why did Stalin agree to the Nazi-Soviet Pact despite ideological differences with Hitler?

He distrusted Britain and France, doubted their resolve, and wanted time to rearm before an inevitable clash with Germany.

What specific territorial demands did Hitler make on Poland in 1939?

The return of the Free City of Danzig and control of the Polish Corridor connecting Germany with East Prussia.

Which event on 1 September 1939 finally triggered World War II in Europe?

Germany’s invasion of Poland.

When did Britain and France declare war on Germany, and why?

On 3 September 1939; they concluded appeasement had failed and honored guarantees to defend Polish independence.

Explain how the Great Depression facilitated the rise of extremist regimes in Europe.

Economic collapse bred mass unemployment and disillusionment, making radical parties that promised swift solutions—like Nazis in Germany and Fascists in Italy—more appealing.

What was the purpose of the Washington Naval Conference (1921) and why did it matter?

It set capital-ship tonnage ratios to limit naval armaments, an early attempt at arms control though outside the League framework.

How did the Locarno Treaties (1925) differ from League initiatives?

They were negotiated separately by European powers to guarantee Western borders; they fostered brief optimism but were not enforced by the League.

Give one reason French leaders hesitated to disarm during the 1930s.

They feared German resurgence and demanded British or U.S. security guarantees before reducing their own forces.

What is meant by Lebensraum, and how did it shape Nazi strategy?

‘Living space’—the Nazi goal of expanding eastward into Slavic lands to secure territory and resources for the German people, underpinning plans to invade Poland and the USSR.