Interwar Expansion, Nationalism & Independence Movements – Key Facts

100 question-and-answer flashcards covering the causes, events and responses to German, Italian and Japanese expansion; key concepts of appeasement and League failures; Cuban independence and José Martí; Castro’s revolution; and the emergence of Nazi authoritarianism.

What was Mussolini’s main foreign-policy goal under Fascism?

To build a new Roman Empire, making Italy a great power through aggressive expansion and militarism.

Which four ideological aims did Hitler outline in Mein Kampf that drove Nazi foreign policy?

Overturn the Treaty of Versailles, unite all German-speakers (Pan-Germanism), gain Lebensraum in Eastern Europe, and defeat communism.

Why did both Italy and Germany pursue autarky during the 1930s?

The Great Depression exposed their economic weaknesses; self-sufficiency and conquest of resource-rich areas were seen as solutions.

How did the Great Depression push Mussolini toward the 1935–36 invasion of Ethiopia?

Domestic unemployment and falling grain prices increased pressure to secure raw materials and prestige abroad.

What was the Four-Power Pact (July 1933)?

A Mussolini-sponsored agreement between Italy, Britain, France and Germany that reduced the say of small states in European diplomacy.

Define appeasement in the 1930s context.

The policy—mainly by Britain (and France)—of conceding to aggressive demands to avoid another war.

Give two key reasons Britain followed appeasement.

War-weariness after WWI and economic weakness from the Depression (also fear of communism, military unpreparedness, sympathy for German grievances).

What agreement let Germany build a navy 35 % the size of Britain’s in 1935?

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland (March 1936) a success for Hitler?

France refused to act without Britain, and Britain saw it as Germany "marching into its own backyard."

What did the 1938 Anschluss violate?

The Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of St Germain, both of which forbade union between Germany and Austria.

Which conference ceded the Sudetenland to Germany?

The Munich Conference (September 1938).

List two consequences of appeasement by 1939.

Encouraged further German aggression and undermined the League of Nations/collective security (also alienated USSR, allowed German rearmament).

State three founding aims of the League of Nations.

Prevent war, promote disarmament, and encourage economic cooperation to resolve disputes peacefully.

Why did the United States refuse to join the League of Nations?

Isolationism, dislike of the Versailles Treaty, fear of being dragged into wars without Congressional approval, and anti-European sentiment.

What percentage voted to rejoin Germany in the 1935 Saar plebiscite?

Over 90 %.

What was the purpose of Hitler’s 1934 Ten-Year Non-Aggression Pact with Poland?

To secure Germany’s eastern border temporarily and weaken France’s alliance system while rearming.

Explain the significance of the Hossbach Memorandum (Nov 1937).

It revealed Hitler’s intention to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia as steps toward wider expansion and war.

Which two countries signed the Pact of Steel in May 1939?

Germany and Italy.

What secret clause was included in the Nazi-Soviet Pact (Aug 1939)?

Division of Poland and Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence.

What triggered Britain and France to declare war on Germany?

Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.

Give two motives for Italy’s 1935–36 invasion of Abyssinia.

Revenge for the 1896 defeat at Adowa and desire to build an empire/distraction from domestic issues.

Why did League sanctions on Italy fail in 1935–36?

They excluded vital resources like oil and did not close the Suez Canal, so Italy could keep fighting.

What was the Hoare–Laval Pact?

A secret 1935 British-French offer to give most of Abyssinia to Italy in exchange for peace; public outrage killed it.

Name the opposing sides in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39).

Republicans (left-wing coalition) vs. Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco.

Why did Mussolini intervene in the Spanish Civil War?

To spread fascism, gain a Mediterranean ally, and emulate the Abyssinian ‘success’.

What strategic reason drove Italy’s 1939 invasion of Albania?

To secure a Balkan foothold and match Hitler’s rapid gains (e.g., Czechoslovakia).

What resource was notably NOT sanctioned against Italy by the League?

Oil.

Define Lebensraum.

‘Living space’: Nazi concept of expanding eastward to secure land and resources for the German people.

What resource riches made Manchuria attractive to Japan?

Coal, iron, timber, farmland and other raw materials Japan lacked.

How did the 1921–22 Washington Naval Conference affect Japanese nationalism?

Naval limitations fostered resentment and a sense of Western betrayal, fueling militarism.

Which 1931 incident provided Japan a pretext to seize Manchuria?

The Mukden (South Manchurian Railway) Incident.

What puppet state did Japan create in Manchuria?

Manchukuo (1932).

When did Japan withdraw from the League of Nations?

27 March 1933, after condemnation of the Manchurian invasion.

What clash in July 1937 sparked full-scale war between China and Japan?

The Marco Polo Bridge Incident.

What phrase captured Japan’s Pan-Asian imperial vision?

"Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

Identify one social tool the Meiji government used to instill nationalism.

The Imperial Rescript on Education (1890) that glorified emperor worship and military virtues.

How did Chinese political instability benefit Japanese expansionism in the 1930s?

Warlordism and civil war weakened central authority, making northern territories easier to seize.

Who was José Martí?

Cuban writer and nationalist who founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party (1892) and became the ideology leader of independence.

State two goals of the Cuban Revolutionary Party.

Full independence from Spain and prevention of U.S. annexation; promotion of racial and class equality in a democratic republic.

What ended the Ten Years’ War (1868–78) without granting Cuban independence?

The Pact of Zanjón (1878).

Why did Martí oppose U.S. annexation of Cuba?

He feared it would replace Spanish colonialism with U.S. imperial control, undermining Cuban sovereignty.

Which 1898 event pushed the U.S. into war with Spain over Cuba?

The explosion of the USS Maine in Havana harbor.

Name two key social problems in colonial Cuba that fueled nationalism.

Continued slavery/racial inequality and economic dominance by Spanish elites over the sugar economy.

What was the Platt Amendment (1901)?

U.S. legislation allowing intervention in Cuba’s affairs, limiting true Cuban sovereignty after independence.

Which social group topped colonial Cuba’s hierarchy?

Peninsulares – Spanish-born residents holding top political and economic posts.

In what year was slavery abolished in Cuba?

1886.

Complete Martí’s famous quote on unity: “There is no white Cuba and no black Cuba; .”

“only one Cuba.”

When did Fidel Castro found the 26 July Movement?

July 26, 1955.

Why is the Granma landing (Dec 1956) considered pivotal?

Though a military fiasco, surviving rebels reached the Sierra Maestra, launching the guerrilla war that toppled Batista.

What was Operation Verano (1958) and why did it fail?

Batista’s large offensive against guerrillas; poor morale, terrain, and popular support for rebels led to failure.

How did Batista come to power in 1952?

He led a military coup cancelling elections, undermining Cuba’s constitutional system.

Who was Huber Matos and why was his 1959 arrest important?

A revolutionary commander who opposed Cuba’s communist turn; his arrest signaled Castro’s intolerance for internal dissent.

What role did Radio Rebelde play in the Cuban Revolution?

Broadcast guerrilla victories and propaganda, boosting national and international support for Castro.

In which year did the Bay of Pigs invasion occur?

1961.

What nationwide campaign in 1961 spread literacy and revolutionary ideals in Cuba?

The Cuban Literacy Campaign.

Why did Castro nationalise U.S. assets in 1959-60?

To break economic dependence and fund social reforms, asserting Cuba’s sovereignty.

What German law gave Hitler dictatorial powers in March 1933?

The Enabling Act.

What was the purpose of the Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)?

To purge SA leaders and other rivals, securing Hitler’s control over the Nazi movement and army loyalty.

What emergency decree followed the Reichstag Fire?

The Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending civil liberties and allowing mass arrests of opponents.

How did Article 48 weaken Weimar democracy?

It let the president rule by decree, a loophole Hitler later exploited to bypass parliament.

What were the Nuremberg Laws of 1935?

They stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage/relations between Jews and non-Jews.

Name one economic measure that helped Germany recover in 1924.

The Dawes Plan (reparations revision) or introduction of the Rentenmark to stabilise currency.

How did the 1929 Great Depression aid Nazi electoral success?

Mass unemployment and despair eroded faith in Weimar parties, boosting Nazi votes.

What electoral system did the Weimar Republic use?

Proportional representation.

What was the SA’s primary function before 1934?

Paramilitary intimidation of political opponents and protection of Nazi rallies.

What elite body replaced the SA as Hitler’s main tool of repression?

The SS (Schutzstaffel).

Who headed Nazi propaganda?

Joseph Goebbels.

Why was the Sudetenland vital to Czech defense?

It housed the nation’s border fortifications and heavy industry; losing it left Czechoslovakia militarily exposed.

When was the Rome-Berlin Axis formed?

October 1936.

Which three powers formed the Stresa Front in 1935?

Britain, France and Italy – to oppose German rearmament.

Name the four signatories of the 1933 Four-Power Pact.

Italy, Germany, Britain, France.

How did Britain describe Germany’s move into the Rhineland?

As Germany “marching into its own backyard,” suggesting little will to intervene.

Which vital resource did League sanctions fail to ban during the Abyssinian crisis?

Oil (petroleum).

In which month and year did Italy finish conquering Abyssinia?

May 1936.

What year did Italy leave the League of Nations?

1937.

The secret protocol of the Pact of Steel committed Italy and Germany to align what two policies?

Their military and economic policies.

What was Hitler’s view of war according to Nazi ideology?

War was inevitable and desirable as a test of national strength and racial survival.

Define militarism in interwar Japan.

Dominance of the military in politics, glorification of warfare, and use of force to achieve national goals.

What is autarky?

Policy of economic self-sufficiency aimed at reducing dependence on foreign imports.

Appeasement is often said to have reached its peak with which 1938 agreement?

The Munich Agreement.

Why did Japan covet Manchuria’s territory?

Its vast size, low population, farmland and mineral wealth promised resources for Japan’s growing empire.

In which year did Japan formally exit the League after Manchuria condemnation?

1933.