Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 Revision

Who were the Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference?

Woodrow Wilson (USA), Georges Clemenceau (France) and David Lloyd George (Britain).

Why did Clemenceau want to punish Germany so harshly?

France suffered enormous damage and Clemenceau feared another German invasion.

Why did Wilson disagree with Clemenceau?

Wilson believed a harsh peace created resentment and future conflict; he wanted a fairer peace.

Why did Lloyd George want a compromise?

He faced public pressure to punish Germany but wanted to avoid destroying its economy and trade.

Why didn't the Big Three get everything they wanted?

Their aims conflicted, making the final treaty a compromise.

When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

28 June 1919 in the Palace of Versailles; it came into effect on 10 January 1920.

What was Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles?

The War Guilt Clause, making Germany and its allies accept responsibility for causing the war and provided the basis for reparations.

How large was Germany's reparation bill fixed at in 1921?

132 billion gold marks.

What military restrictions were placed on Germany by Versailles?

Army limited to 100,000 volunteers, with no conscription, navy 15,000, no air force, tanks, submarines, and a demilitarised Rhineland.

How much European territory and population did Germany lose?

Approximately 13% of its European territory and 10% of its population (6.5-7 million people).

Why was the Polish Corridor controversial?

It gave Poland access to the Baltic Sea but separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany.

What was the overall impact of the Treaty on Germany?

It weakened Germany economically/militarily, damaged national pride, and helped extremists like the Nazis gain support.

What was the League of Nations?

An international organisation established after WWI to maintain peace, encourage cooperation, and prevent conflict.

What were the League's main weaknesses?

The USA never joined, Germany and Japan later withdrew, and the USSR was expelled in 1939; no army, unanimity rule, and dependence on Britain and France.

How successful was the League in the Aaland Islands dispute (1920-21)?

Successful; decided they remained in Finland with protections for Swedish-speakers.

What happened in the Vilna dispute in 1920?

Polish forces seized Vilna; the League failed to force Poland to withdraw.

What happened at Corfu in 1923?

Mussolini occupied Corfu after Italian general's murder; the League referred the Corfu dispute to the Conference of Ambassadors, rather than resolving it itself, showing League weakness.

What happened in Bulgaria in 1925?

Greek forces invaded Bulgaria; the League demanded withdrawal and compensation, which Greece complied with.

What was the League's humanitarian work?

Assisted refugees, fought diseases like malaria, improved working conditions via ILO, and reduced slavery.

How did the Great Depression weaken the League?

Countries prioritised domestic problems, extreme nationalism grew, aggression increased, and nations resisted sanctions.

What happened in the Manchurian Crisis (1931)?

Japan invaded Manchuria and established Manchukuo in 1932, a puppet state under Japanese control; the Lytton Commission condemned it, leading to Japan leaving the League in 1933.

What happened in the Abyssinian Crisis (1935)?

Italy invaded Abyssinia; League imposed sanctions including bans on arms sales and some trade, but excluded oil and did not close the Suez Canal, failing to stop Italy.

What were Hitler's main foreign policy aims?

Reverse Versailles, rebuild military, unite German speakers, gain Lebensraum, destroy communism, and dominate Europe.

What was the Saar plebiscite (1935)?

90.7% voted to return the Saar to Germany, a major propaganda victory for Hitler.

Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936) important?

On 7 March 1936, it broke Versailles, strengthened Germany's military position, and showed Western inaction.

What was the Anschluss (1938)?

On 12 March 1938, the union of Austria and Germany, breaking Versailles and increasing German population/resources.

What was the Munich Agreement (1938)?

Agreement allowing Germany to take the Sudetenland in exchange for no further demands.

What was appeasement?

The policy of making concessions to aggressive countries to avoid war.

Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939)?

To avoid a two-front war, invade Poland without Soviet opposition, and buy time, with a secret protocol that divided parts of Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence.

Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in September 1939?

Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, breaking their guarantee; Britain and France declared war on 3 September 1939.

What was the Cold War?

A period of political, military, economic, and ideological tension between the USA and USSR after WWII.

What were the main ideological differences between the USA and USSR?

USA: capitalist, private ownership, multi-party elections. USSR: communist, state ownership, one-party rule.

What was agreed at the Yalta Conference (1945)?

Germany/Berlin divided into zones, Stalin promised free elections in Eastern Europe, Stalin agreed to join the war against Japan within three months of Germany's defeat, and UN creation.

Why did the Potsdam Conference increase tension?

Leaders disagreed on Germany/reparations/Eastern Europe, and USA tested an atomic bomb.

Why did Stalin want control over Eastern Europe?

To create a buffer zone against invasions and spread Soviet influence.

What happened in Czechoslovakia in February 1948?

Communists used political pressure to take over the government, increasing Western fears.

What was the Truman Doctrine (1947)?

A policy committing the USA to supporting countries threatened by communism, providing $400 million to Greece/Turkey.

What was the Marshall Plan (1947)?

US economic aid ($13.3 billion) to rebuild Europe and prevent communism.

Why did Stalin impose the Berlin Blockade (1948)?

To protest Western currency reform and force the West out of West Berlin.

How did the West respond to the Berlin Blockade?

Organised the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city by air until the blockade was lifted in May 1949.

When was NATO created?

4 April 1949.

When was the Warsaw Pact formed?

14 May 1955.

When did the Korean War begin?

25 June 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea.

Why was the USA able to get UN support for Korea?

The USSR was boycotting the Security Council and couldn't veto.

Why was the Inchon Landing (1950) important?

On 15 September 1950, UN forces landed behind North Korean lines during the Inchon Landing, regaining the initiative and capturing Seoul.

When did the Korean War end?

An armistice was signed on 27 July 1953, creating a demilitarised zone near the 38th parallel.

Who was Fidel Castro?

The revolutionary leader who overthrew Batista in January 1959; Cuba's shift towards communism and close Soviet alignment developed afterwards.

What was the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961)?

A failed US-backed CIA invasion using Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro.

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)?

A 13-day confrontation after the USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, resolved by their removal, US promises not to invade, and a secret US agreement to remove missiles from Turkey.

What was the Domino Theory?

The belief that if one country became communist, neighbouring countries would follow.

Who led South Vietnam with a corrupt, authoritarian regime until his assassination in 1963?

Ngo Dinh Diem.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964)?

Gave President Johnson broad authority to increase US military involvement in Vietnam.

What was the Tet Offensive (1968)?

A major coordinated communist offensive that shocked the US public and damaged support for the war.

What was Vietnamization?

Nixon's policy of transferring fighting to South Vietnamese forces while US troops withdrew.

When did the Vietnam War end?

Saigon fell on 30 April 1975, reunifying Vietnam under communist rule in 1976.

What happened during the Hungarian Uprising (1956)?

Hungarians rebelled against Soviet control; Imre Nagy announced withdrawal from Warsaw Pact, but Soviet forces crushed it.

What was the Prague Spring (1968)?

Alexander Dubček's period of political reform in Czechoslovakia ('socialism with a human face'), crushed by Warsaw Pact invasion.

What was the Brezhnev Doctrine?

Stated the USSR could intervene in communist countries if the system was threatened.

When was the Berlin Wall built?

13 August 1961, by East Germany and the USSR to stop mass emigration to the West.

What was Solidarity?

An independent Polish trade union movement founded in 1980 under Lech Wałęsa that challenged communist rule.

What were Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika?

Glasnost meant political openness/freedom of information; perestroika meant economic restructuring.

Why did the Weimar Republic face unpopularity from the start?

Associated with WWI defeat, the armistice, and the Treaty of Versailles.

What was the 'stab-in-the-back' myth?

The false claim that the German army was betrayed by politicians and Jews at home, not defeated in WWI.

What was the Kapp Putsch (1920)?

A right-wing attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic, defeated by a general strike.

What were the key flaws of the Weimar Constitution?

Proportional representation led to unstable coalitions, and Article 48 allowed rule by emergency decree.

What caused hyperinflation in Germany in 1923?

Printing money to pay debts and finance passive resistance during the French occupation of the Ruhr.

What was the Munich Putsch (1923)?

Hitler's failed attempt to overthrow the Bavarian and German governments, resulting in his imprisonment and writing of Mein Kampf.

Who was Gustav Stresemann?

German Chancellor and Foreign Minister who stabilized the economy, introduced the Rentenmark, and improved international relations.

What was the Dawes Plan (1924)?

Reorganized German reparations and secured American loans to aid recovery.

How did the Great Depression affect Germany?

American loans were withdrawn, factories closed, and unemployment soared to 5.6-6 million by 1932.

When was Hitler appointed Chancellor?

30 January 1933, by President Hindenburg.

What was the Reichstag Fire Decree?

Suspended civil liberties after the Reichstag Fire on 27 February 1933, allowing suppression of opponents.

What was the Enabling Act (1933)?

A law allowing Hitler's government to pass laws without the Reichstag, establishing his dictatorship.

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

A purge from 30 June-2 July 1934 where Hitler had Ernst Röhm and SA leaders murdered, securing army support.

What were the SS and Gestapo?

The SS was the Nazi security organisation; the Gestapo was the secret state police.

What was the Hitler Youth?

A Nazi organisation for boys promoting physical fitness, military training, and loyalty to Hitler.

What role did the Nazis expect women to have?

Motherhood and family life (Kinder, Küche, Kirche).

What were the Nuremberg Laws (1935)?

Laws stripping Jews of citizenship and banning marriages between Jews and Germans.

What was Kristallnacht (1938)?

A violent nationwide pogrom on 9-10 November 1938 against Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues.

When did Nazi Germany surrender?

8 May 1945 (VE Day).

How was the Weimar Republic established in 1918?

German Revolution, Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication, Ebert and the armistice.

What was the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919?

Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, communist revolution attempt and Freikorps suppression.

Why did France occupy the Ruhr in 1923?

Germany's failure to meet reparations, French response and German passive resistance.

What were Stresemann's main foreign policy achievements?

Locarno Treaties (1925), Germany joining the League (1926), Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928).

What were the cultural achievements of Weimar Germany?

Architecture, art, cinema, literature and developments in social freedom during the 1920s.

What were the main beliefs of the Nazi Party?

25-Point Programme, nationalism, anti-Semitism, anti-communism, Lebensraum and Führerprinzip.

Why did the Nazi Party gain little support before 1930?

Limited appeal, failed Munich Putsch, economic stability and Hitler's imprisonment.

How did Nazi electoral support change between 1928 and 1932?

2.6% in 1928, 18.3% in 1930, 37.3% in July 1932 and 33.1% in November 1932.

Why did Hindenburg appoint Hitler Chancellor in January 1933?

Papen's influence, conservative fears of communism and the belief Hitler could be controlled.

How did Hitler establish a one-party dictatorship by July 1933?

Banning opposition parties, dissolving trade unions and eliminating political opposition.

How did Hitler become Führer in August 1934?

Hindenburg's death and the army's personal oath of loyalty to Hitler.

How did Goebbels use propaganda to control Germany?

Radio, newspapers, films, rallies, censorship and carefully controlled information.

How did the Nazis control the churches?

Reich Church, Concordat, Confessing Church and opposition from religious leaders.

How did young people resist Nazi rule?

Edelweiss Pirates, Swing Youth and the White Rose.

What groups besides Jewish people were persecuted by the Nazis?

Roma, disabled people, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and political opponents.

What was the Final Solution?

Nazi decision to systematically murder European Jews during WWII, including the Wannsee Conference in January 1942.

How did WWII change life inside Germany?

War economy, rationing, bombing, increased demands on civilians and eventual defeat.

What were the aims of the Big Three at Versailles?

Wilson's Fourteen Points, Clemenceau's desire for security and Lloyd George's desire for a balanced settlement.

What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

War guilt, reparations, military restrictions, territorial losses and the Rhineland.

Why was the League of Nations weakened by its structure and membership?

No US membership, lack of armed forces, unanimity rule and limited enforcement powers.