Hitler's Foreign Policy and the Road to World War II

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering Hitler's foreign policy aims, rearmament, treaty violations, the policy of Appeasement, territorial expansion, and the outbreak of World War II.

Under Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, what specific responsibility was placed upon Germany?

Germany was forced to accept responsibility for causing all the loss and damage caused by the war (the War Guilt Clause).

What total reparation sum was eventually imposed on Germany under Article 232 of the Treaty of Versailles?

German reparations were eventually set at $132\text{ billion}$ gold marks.

What military limitations were placed on Germany by Articles 160, 181, and 198 of the Treaty of Versailles?

The German army was restricted to $100{,}000$ men, the navy was restricted to six battleships with no submarines allowed, and Germany was forbidden from having an air force.

What territorial conditions were mandated for the Rhineland, the Saar, and Austria under Articles 42, 45, and 80 of the Treaty of Versailles?

The Rhineland was demilitarised (no German troops allowed), the Saar coalfields were given to France for $15$ years, and Germany was forbidden from uniting with Austria.

Which major world power among the Big Three failed to join the League of Nations, and in what year did Germany join?

The USA did not join the League of Nations; Germany joined later in 1926.

How did the League of Nations fail to handle international crises in Manchuria (1931–1933) and Abyssinia (1935–1936)?

In Manchuria, no action was taken after a long delay, making the League appear weak; in Abyssinia, members failed to agree on effective sanctions, and Britain and France attempted a secret deal to give most of Abyssinia to Italy.

What were Hitler's three primary foreign policy plans outlined in Mein Kampf (1924)?

1. Abolish the Treaty of Versailles. 2. Expand German territory to gain 'Lebensraum' (living space) in eastern Europe and Russia. 3. Defeat Communism/Bolshevism.

According to this chart, how did the strength of the German armed forces change between 1932 and 1939?

Warships increased from $30$ to $95$, military aircraft increased from $36$ to $8{,}250$, and soldiers increased from $100{,}000$ to $950{,}000$.

What did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 permit Germany to do?

It allowed Germany to build a navy up to $35\%$ of the size of the British Royal Navy.

What was the result of the Saar plebiscite conducted by the League of Nations in January 1935?

Around $90\%$ of the population voted to return to German rule, providing an entirely legal success and a major morale boost for Hitler.

What action did Hitler take in March 1936 regarding the highlighted region on this map, and what secret orders did his troops carry?

Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland, but his troops had orders to pull out immediately if French forces acted against them, as the German army was not yet equipped to fight.

What pretext did Hitler use to justify remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936?

He pointed to the mutual assistance treaty signed between France and the USSR, arguing that Germany was under threat and entitled to station troops on its own frontier.

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact signed in 1936–1937, and what alliance did it establish?

A pact signed by Germany and Japan in 1936 and joined by Italy in 1937 to limit Communist influence around the world (targeting Russia), establishing the Axis Alliance.

How was the Anschluss with Austria achieved in March 1938?

Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazis to riot, pressured the Austrian chancellor, and marched German troops into Austria to oversee a plebiscite, where $99.75\%$ reportedly voted in favour of union.

What were the key reasons Britain and France followed the policy of Appeasement toward Hitler?

They wished to avoid another war after the horrors of WW1, feared Communism and saw Germany as a buffer, were suffering from Depression debts and unemployment, lacked military readiness, believed the Treaty of Versailles was unfair, and knew the USA would not intervene.

What four major problems or risks were associated with the policy of Appeasement?

It encouraged Hitler to take progressively bigger gambles, put unwarranted trust in Hitler's promises, allowed Germany to grow stronger than Britain and France, and alarmed the Soviet Union by signaling that the West would not resist German expansion east.

How did Hitler escalate his demands for the Sudetenland between 15 September and 22 September 1938?

On 15 September, he demanded only parts of the Sudetenland where plebiscites favoured union; on 22 September, he demanded all of the Sudetenland by 1 October, claiming the Czech government was mistreating local Germans.

What were the terms and circumstances of the Munich Agreement signed on 29 September 1938?

Britain, France, Germany, and Italy agreed that Czechoslovakia must cede the Sudetenland to Germany; the Czechs and Soviets were completely excluded from the discussions.

According to this map, which countries annexed parts of Czechoslovakia between October 1938 and March 1939?

Germany took the Sudetenland (October 1938) and the remainder of Czechoslovakia (March 1939); Poland took Teschen (October 1938); and Hungary took Slovak border areas and Ruthenia (November 1938 to March 1939).

Why did Hitler's takeover of the remainder of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939 mark the end of Appeasement?

It proved Hitler could not be trusted and that his goal was outright invasion rather than rectifying the Treaty of Versailles; consequently, Britain and France warned that an attack on Poland would mean war.

What were the terms of the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed on 24 August 1939, and why did Stalin agree to it?

Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to attack each other and secretly agreed to divide Poland; Stalin agreed in order to gain $18\text{ months}$ of peace to build up the Soviet army before an inevitable German invasion.

What sequence of events occurred in September 1939 that initiated the Second World War?

Germany invaded Poland from the west on 1 September, Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September, and the Soviet army invaded Poland from the east on 17 September.