Anschluss

Which countries were keeping a close eye on the Nazis after the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

Britain, Japan, Italy and Spain

Did Britain support the Nazis?

Britain was cautious when dealing with the Nazis, so strengthened alliances with other countries but also used appeasement to avoid war from breaking out

How did Britain react to Germany offering a non aggression pact?

Hitler did this because he didn’t want to fight with Britain when he started invading other countries, but Britain declined and strengthened alliances with other countries, fearful of war, specifically Belgium and France

How long was the proposed non aggression pact supposed to last for between Britain and Germany?

25 years

What did people want to use to postpone or avoid war?

Appeasement

Why did Britain use appeasement?

They needed time to build up their army and persuade the public to fight

Did Spain support the Nazis?

Hitler had a good relationship with Spain as the two were allies, and although they collaborated numerous times, they were never on the Axis side

Why did Hitler have a good relationship with Spain?

Hitler sent troops to help Franco during the Spanish civil war - when Franco won, he remained friendly with Hitler

What did hitler gain from sending troops to fight in the Spanish civil war?

They earned experience and he could test out new weapons, as well as gaining an ally

What policy could Hitler step towards achieving by helping Franco and how?

Destroying communism as the USSR supported Franco’s enemies in the civil war, who lost, ensuring that there wasn’t a strong communist state in Spain

Did Italy support the Nazis?

They were allies who fought on the same side in the First World War

In what ways did Mussolini and Hitler collaborate for a shared interest?

They formed the Rome-Berlin Axis, which formalised their alliance with each other and ensured that Mussolini was no longer isolated in Europe as he gained a stronger relationship with Germany after his relationships with Britain and France had suffered due to Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia

In what way did Italy oppose Germany?

Mussolini threatened Hitler with war if he achieved Anschluss with Austria during the Dollfuss Affair

Did Japan support the Nazis?

Yes, since they had similar enemies and they both signed the anti-Comintern pact - during the Second World War, they formed part of the Axis powers

What did Japan gain from allying with Germany?

Japan aimed to threaten China into surrender, and they could work together to destroy communism

What did Hitler gain from the alliance with Japan?

He could prevent the spread of communism around the globe, particularly by the USSR

When did Italy and Germany form their alliance?

May 1939

When did Japan join the alliance to form the triple alliance?

1940

What is Anschluss?

Uniting with Austria

Why did Hitler want Anschluss?

They had similar cultures and shared a language (Austria had ruled Germany for 600 years previously), they had previously united in World War One, and Hitler was Austrian.

What else would Anschluss achieve for Hitler?

It would lead to the unification of all of the German speaking people and help in destroying the Treaty of Versailles

Why had Hitler previously failed to unite Austria?

Mussolini had threatened Hitler with war, which Germany’s army wasn’t strong enough for

Why was Hitler able to attempt Anschluss a second time?

He had strengthened the German army significantly and formed an alliance with Italy

Who replaced Dollfuss after he was murdered?

Schuschnigg, who was worried that he would be murdered, so formed an agreement with the Nazis to support him if he gave them key positions in the Austrian government

What happened in January 1938?

Police raided the Austrian Nazi party HQ and discovered plans to overthrow Schuschnigg

What did Austrian Nazis do at the same time at the police raid?

Performed demonstrations against the government, led by Austrian Nazis

What terms was Schuschnigg forced to agree to?

Seyss-Inquart was named minister for the interior with full power over the Austrian police, and the Nazis took over the roles of ministers of finance and war

What did Hitler threaten Schuschnigg with?

Threats to invade Austria if he didn’t follow Hitler’s instructions

What did Schuschnigg decide to hold in an attempt to keep Germany and Austria separate?

A plebiscite

Why was Hitler threatened by the plebiscite?

He knew that if the Austrians voted to remain separate, Hitler would no longer have an excuse to invade

What date did Hitler demand the plebiscite to be held on?

11th March 1938

Why did Schuschnigg agree to Hitler’s decision of a date for the plebiscite?

He was worried that he would lose the support of Britain, Italy and France if he rebelled and defied Hitler

Who took over as Austrian Chancellor when Schuschnigg was forced to resign?

Seyss-Inquart

What did Seyss-Inquart do as soon as he became chancellor?

He called Hitler in to help restore peace as he claimed that Austria was in a state of chaos.

When did the Nazis invade Austria?

12th March

How badly was the invasion planned?

Quite badly, since tanks had to fill up at petrol stations and commanders used tourist guides for instructions on how to get to Vienna

Did the Nazis face any opposition and why?

No because Seyss-Inquart had invited them in, so they were only met with cheering

What happened on the day the plebiscite took place?

There was heavy storm trooper presence to intimidate voters

What date was Hitler’s forced plebiscite?

10th April

what was the result of the plebiscite?

99% of Austrians voted for Germany to take control through Anschluss

Why did many Austrians agree with Anschluss?

They believed that it would make Austria great again

Why did some people dislike the Allies?

They forced Austria to agree to the Treaty of St Germain as a consequence of losing World War One

Why did many Germans believe that Hitler had saved Austria?

They wear shown propaganda newspapers featuring Austria’s supposed chaos (which had actually been started due to the actions of Austrian Nazis)

Why was Austria useful for Germany?

It was rich in steel, iron ore and other natural resources which could be used in Nazi rearmament

How did Hitler increase his popularity?

The successes of Anschluss was a very popular move

What were British reactions to Anschluss?

Mainly indifferent as they believed that Austria and Germany were essentially the same country, so they should be allowed to unite. However, some disagreed as they thought that Germany should have negotiated first rather then sending the troops in straight away

Which British figure was against Anschluss?

Winston Churchill

What were French reactions to Anschluss?

They didn’t particularly care either because the entire French government had resigned due to unrest caused by economic issues

What were Czechoslovakian reactions to Anschluss?

Full of fear as they knew that they would be next in line for invasion, so they turned to France and Britain for support

Did France and Britain agree to help Czechoslovakia?

Yes, especially France as it was bound by an alliance to support Czechoslovakian independence, and Britain because it would support its French ally

Did Hitler threaten Czechoslovakia?

No - he gave his word to Britain that Czechoslovakia wasn’t in any danger and had nothing to fear

What were the consequences for Hitler of Anschluss?

He gained access to the east for lebensraum, 100,000 men from the Austrian army, Austrian resources helping to fuel Germany’s rearmament

Why was Czechoslovakia under significant threat from Germany?

It was now bordered on three sides by Germany and contained Germain speaking people, particularly in the Sudetenland