History GCSE Conflict and Tension

When did WWI end and how?

11 Nov 1918, Armistice signed

Who were the 'Big Three' at Versailles?

Wilson (USA), Clemenceau (France), Lloyd George (Britain)

What were Wilson’s aims at Versailles?

14 Points, self-determination, League of Nations, fair peace

What were Clemenceau’s aims at Versailles?

Revenge, security, weaken Germany, reparations

What were Lloyd George’s aims at Versailles?

Balance punishment, trade, protect empire, limit France and a strong Germany to act as buffer to communism

When did the Paris Peace Conference begin?

Jan 1919

How many countries attended Paris Peace Conference?

32

When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

28 June 1919, Hall of Mirrors

What did Article 231 state?

War Guilt Clause: Germany blamed for WWI

How much were reparations fixed at?

£6.6 billion (1921)

What military limits were imposed on Germany?

Army 100k, no conscription, no tanks/aircraft/submarines, navy 6 battleships

What lands did Germany lose in ToV

Alsace Lorraine, North Schleswig, Polish Corridor, Danzig,

What happened to the Rhineland?

Demilitarised, Allied troops for 15 years

What happened to the Saarland?

Run by League 15 years, coal to France

Which territories did Germany lose to France & Poland?

Alsace-Lorraine (France), West Prussia/Posen (Poland)

How many Germans lost by territorial changes?

~6 million

How much land did Germany lose?

13% of land

How much iron & coal lost?

50% iron, 15% coal

How did Germans react to Versailles?

“Diktat,” November Criminals

Who resigned rather than sign Versailles?

Scheidemann

Who signed Versailles for Germany?

Müller, Bell

What was the Diktat imposed on Germany

Treaty of versailles as they had no choice

Why was the Weimar Republic formed and what did it do

The German Kaiser left and they were a temporary democratic government.

Which treaty punished Austria?

Treaty of St Germain (1919)

Which treaty punished Hungary?

Treaty of Trianon (1920)

Which treaty punished Bulgaria?

Treaty of Neuilly (1919)

Which treaty punished Turkey first?

Treaty of Sevres (1920)

Which treaty replaced Sevres?

Treaty of Lausanne (1923, Atatürk victory)

Why did USA reject Versailles?

Senate opposed League, isolationism

When was the League of Nations founded?

Jan 1920, Geneva

Who never joined the League?

USA

Who inspired League ideas?

Woodrow Wilson

What were the League’s main aims?

Prevent war, collective security, disarmament, improve lives

Why was the League weak from the start?

No army, USA absent, Britain/France self-interested

What was League structure?

Assembly (all states), Council (big powers), Permanent Court, Secretariat

How did League help POWs/refugees?

Repatriated 400k WWI prisoners

What health successes did League achieve?

Defeated leprosy, malaria, created international health organisation

How did League succeed in Aaland Islands (1921)?

Finland & Sweden accepted ruling

How did League fail in Vilna (1920)?

Poland kept Vilna, League powerless

What happened at Corfu (1923)?

Mussolini bombarded Corfu, Greece paid compensation

What was agreed in Locarno Pact (1925)?

Germany accepted western borders with France/Belgium

When did Germany join the League?

1926

What was agreed in Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)?

65 nations renounced war

Why is 1920s called League’s “Golden Age”?

Settled minor disputes, humanitarian work

Why did Japan invade Manchuria (1931)?

Needed resources after Depression, staged Mukden Incident

What was Mukden Incident?

Japanese army staged railway explosion

How did League respond to Manchuria?

Lytton Report (1-year delay), condemned Japan

When did Japan leave League?

1933

Why was Manchuria a failure?

No USA, no army, sanctions failed, too slow

Why did Italy invade Abyssinia (1935)?

Mussolini wanted empire, revenge for Adowa 1896, distract from Depression

What triggered Abyssinian Crisis?

Wal Wal oasis clash Dec 1934

How did League respond to Abyssinia?

Sanctions on arms/exports but not oil/coal

What was Hoare–Laval Pact?

Secret 1935 plan to give Italy 2/3 Abyssinia

Why did sanctions fail on Italy?

Britain/France feared losing Mussolini vs Hitler

What was the impact of Abyssinia?

League discredited, Italy left League, Mussolini turned to Hitler

When was Hitler appointed Chancellor?

Jan 1933

Who appointed Hitler Chancellor?

President Hindenburg

What were Hitler’s foreign policy aims?

Abolish Versailles, rearm, Lebensraum, unite Germans

When did Germany leave League?

1933

When did Hitler announce rearmament?

1935

When did Hitler reintroduce conscription?

1935

How big did Hitler claim the army was by 1939?

1 million men

What was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935)?

Germany navy up to 35% of Britain’s

Why was Anglo-German Naval Agreement controversial?

Undermined Versailles, angered France

When did Hitler remilitarise Rhineland?

March 1936

Why was Rhineland a gamble?

German army weak, Hitler would retreat if opposed

How did Britain & France respond to Rhineland?

Appeasement, no action

What did Hitler gain from Rhineland?

Popularity boost, tested appeasement, stronger borders

What was Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)?

Alliance Italy & Germany

What was Anti-Comintern Pact (1936–37)?

Germany, Italy, Japan vs Communism

When did Hitler intervene in Spanish Civil War?

1936–39

What happened at Guernica?

Luftwaffe bombed town, tested Blitzkrieg

Why was Spanish Civil War important for Hitler?

Tested weapons, allied with Mussolini, fought communism

When was Anschluss?

March 1938

How did Hitler achieve Anschluss?

Pressured Schuschnigg, Nazi plebiscite, German troops marched in

Who opposed Anschluss in Austria?

Schuschnigg

How did Britain & France react to Anschluss?

Appeasement, no action

Why did Hitler want Anschluss?

Unite Germans, Lebensraum, resources, undo Versailles

What was Sudeten Crisis (1938)?

Hitler demanded Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Why did Hitler want Sudetenland?

3m German speakers, Skoda arms factories

Who was Czech leader during Sudeten Crisis?

Edvard Beneš

How did Chamberlain respond to Sudeten Crisis?

Met Hitler 3 times, led to Munich Agreement

What was Munich Agreement (Sept 1938)?

Gave Sudetenland to Hitler, “peace for our time”

How did Britain react to Munich?

Public celebrated, Churchill critical

When did Hitler invade rest of Czechoslovakia?

March 1939

Why was Czechoslovakia invasion significant?

Showed Hitler wanted more than uniting Germans

How did Britain respond to Czechoslovakia invasion?

Ended appeasement, guaranteed Poland

What was Nazi-Soviet Pact (Aug 1939)?

Hitler & Stalin non-aggression, secret deal to split Poland

Why did Stalin agree to Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Gain land, buy time, mistrust West

Why did Hitler agree to Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Avoid two-front war, secure Poland

When did Germany invade Poland?

1 Sept 1939

When did Britain & France declare war on Germany

3 Sept 1939

Why did Britain follow appeasement in 1930s?

Avoid war, buy time to rearm, public support

Why did appeasement fail?

Encouraged Hitler, betrayed allies, let Germany grow strong

Who opposed appeasement in Britain?

Winston Churchill

What was Hossbach Memorandum (1937)?

Hitler outlined expansionist aims

Which Nazi leader managed rearmament?

Hermann Göring

How did Nazi propaganda support foreign policy?

Promoted unity, Lebensraum, anti-Versailles

Which crisis showed League depended on Britain/France?

Abyssinia 1935–36

Why did Britain & France avoid strong action in 1930s?

Focused on Depression recovery