Nazi Foreign Policy and WWII

Flashcards about Nazi Foreign Policy and the Second World War 1933-45

Who was Josef Goebbels?

Propaganda Minister of Germany from 1933-1945, Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War 1944-45, and Chancellor of Germany for a brief period in 1945.

What foreign policy event occurred in October 1933?

Germany withdrew from the Disarmament Conference and League of Nations

What foreign policy event occurred in January 1934?

Germany signed a 10 Year Non-Aggression Pact with Poland

What foreign policy event occurred in July 1934?

Nazis attempt Anschluss of Austria but opposed by Mussolini's Italy, It fails

What foreign policy event occurred in January 1935?

Saar plebiscite in Germany's favour.

What foreign policy event occurred in March 1935?

Hitler rejects military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles and Introduces conscription.

What foreign policy event occurred in June 1935?

Stresa Conference: Britain, France and Italy agree to prevent further violations of the Versailles Treaty and Anglo-German Naval Agreement - German Navy never to exceed 35% of British Navy

What foreign policy event occurred in March 1936?

Italy invades Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) and Italy leaves Stresa Conference as Mussolini withdraws guarantee of Austrian independence.

What foreign policy event occurred in June 1936?

German troops remilitarise the Rhineland and Spanish Civil War begins

What foreign policy event occurred in September 1936?

Four Year Plan announced and Rome-Berlin Axis is established.

What foreign policy event occurred in November 1936?

Germany and Japan agree Anti-Comintern Pact and German bombing of Guernica (Spain).

What foreign policy event occurred in February 1938?

Hossbach Memorandum and Joachim von Ribbentrop appointed Foreign Minister

What foreign policy event occurred in March 1938?

Anschluss between Germany and Austria

What foreign policy event occurred in September 1938?

Munich Agreement and Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia given to Germany

What foreign policy event occurred in March 1939?

Nazi occupation of rump state of Czechoslovakia and Hitler demands return of Danzig and the Polish Corridor, Memel occupied by German forces and Britain and France guarantee Polish independence

What foreign policy event occurred in May 1939?

Pact of Steel between Germany and Italy

What foreign policy event occurred on 23 August 1939?

Nazi-Soviet Pact

What foreign policy event occurred on September 1, 1939?

Nazi Germany invades of Poland

What foreign policy event occurred on September 3, 1939?

Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany

What foreign policy event occurred on September 17, 1939?

Soviet Union invades Poland

What foreign policy event occurred in April 1940?

Nazi invasion of Denmark and Norway

What foreign policy event occurred in May 1940?

Nazi invasion of Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg, Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister

What foreign policy event occurred between 27 May - 4 June 1940?

Evacuation from Dunkirk

What foreign policy event occurred on 10 June 1940?

Fascist Italy declares war on Britain and France

What foreign policy event occurred between June-September 1940?

Battle of Britain and Start of Luftwaffe Blitz of Britain

What foreign policy event occurred in August 1940?

Start of Luftwaffe Blitz of Britain

What foreign policy event occurred in October 1940?

Nazi Germany abandons Operation Sealion (invasion of Britain)

What foreign policy event occurred in February 1941?

German Afrika Korps sent to North Afrika

What foreign policy event occurred on 10 May 1941?

Rudolf Hess flies to Britain

What foreign policy event occurred on 22 June 1941?

Operation Barbarossa begins (Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union)

What foreign policy event occurred on 8 September 1941?

Siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg)

What foreign policy event occurred between October-December 1941?

Battle for Moscow

What foreign policy event occurred on 7 December 1941?

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour

What foreign policy event occurred on 11 December 1941?

Germany and Italy declare war on USA

What foreign policy event occurred on 5 September 1941?

Battle for Stalingrad (Volgograd) begins

What foreign policy event occurred on 31 January 1943?

Von Paulus surrenders at Stalingrad

What foreign policy event occurred on 12 May 1943?

Surrender of Axis forces (Germany, Italy, Japan) in North Africa

What foreign policy event occurred on 26 July 1943?

Mussolini overthrown in Italy

What foreign policy event occurred in July 1943?

Germany launches Operation Citadel against Soviet forces at Kursk

What foreign policy event occurred on 27 January 1944?

Siege of Leningrad ends

What foreign policy event occurred on 6 June 1944?

Operation Overlord - D-Day landings in Normandy

What foreign policy event occurred on 13 June 1944?

Start of V-I rocket campaign against Britain

What foreign policy event occurred on 17 January 1945?

Warsaw liberated

What foreign policy event occurred on 27 January 1945?

Auschwitz liberated

What foreign policy event occurred on 20 April 1945?

Red Army reaches outskirts of Berlin

What foreign policy event occurred on 30 April 1945?

Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide

What foreign policy event occurred on 1 May 1945?

Josef Goebbels commits suicide

What foreign policy event occurred on 2 May 1945?

Berlin surrenders to the Red Army

What foreign policy event occurred on 7 May 1945?

Admiral Karl Donitz (new President of Germany) authorises unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

What foreign policy event occurred on 8 May 1945?

Victory in Europe - VE- Day

What foreign policy event occurred on 6 August 1945?

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

What foreign policy event occurred on 9 August 1945?

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

What foreign policy event occurred on 2 September 1945?

Japan surrenders. Victory in Japan - VJ - Day

What were the Aims of Nazi Foreign Policy up to 1939?

Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe, Reversing the Treaty of Versailles and Anschluss (union with Austria).

What is the Intentionalist Interpretation?

Emphasizes Hitler's determination to carry through a pre-determined foreign policy

What is the Structuralist Interpretation?

Focuses on a number of factors determining German foreign policy.

What is the Contentionalist Interpretation?

Hitler wanted to dominate Europe

What is the Globalist Interpretation?

Hitler wanted global German supremacy, including lands in the Middle East and Africa

What was the situation in 1933 regarding the German military?

the German military had been severely restricted by the military terms of the Treaty of Versailles

What nations surrounding Germany had taken steps to defend themselves?

Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia had formed the Little Entente

What were key reactions to Germany withdrawing from the Disarmament Conference and League of Nations?

show displeasure and incite objections from other League members.

What did Germany's withdrawal from the Disarmament Conference and League of Nations intend to do?

show displeasure and incite objections from other League members. + Hitler had taken his first of many gambles in foreign policy and this had worked out well for Germany.

what was the outcome of the Saar Plebiscite

In 1935, following a plebicite, 90% of the people of the region voted for a return to German control

What was announced regarding Rearmament in March 1935?

Hitler publicly renounced the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, Conscription (compulsory military training) was introduced and Plans for rearmament were announced.

What was the Stresa Conference?

Britain, France and Italy formed the Stresa Front. They would take action against it + It was the last joint action to be taken by former Allies of World War I.

What did the Anglo-German Naval Treaty state?

The German Navy would be allowed to be 35% of that of the British

What were the benefits for Nazi Germany from the Anglo-German Naval Treaty?

It ended the unity of the Stresa Front and laid the foundation of a good relationship with Britain.

What did the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland involve?

German troops entered the Rhineland violating both the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and Locarno Treaties .

What was the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland a turning point of?

often regarded as a lost opportunity to challenge the expansionist policies of Hitler before Germany became too powerful.

what was an important turning point of the Spanish Civil War

Germany used the opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Luftwaffe

What was the German Position by 1936 like?

The balance of power in Europe had changed, The Stresa Front had collapsed, Hitler had successfully violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in a number ways and The Rhineland had been remilitarised and this has been thought of as the last chance to stop Germany before it became too powerful.

What was the purpose of the Hossbach Meeting?

to test who would be supportive of a more radical direction in foreign policy

Summary of matters covered within Hossbach Meeting

Three main issues were covered at the meeting:(1) The future aims of German foreign policy such as lebensraum "a question of space" for the racial community (2) (i) Germany's problems could not be solved by either autarky or through overseas colonies (ii) Britain and France were hostile powers. It was the first time Hitler identified Britain as a hostile power. (iii) His priorities were to annex Austria and destroy Czechoslovakia (iv) Germany's problems could only be resolved through force.(v) Britain was not well placed to oppose Germany because of problems within her Empire. France could not oppose Germany because of internal difficulties. (3) 3 scenarios outlined whereby Hitler might achieve his aims:(a) Action to be taken between 1943-45 (b) If internal problems in France (such as a civil war) were to make the country incapable of war against Germany then action could be taken against Czechoslovakia(c) If France became involved in a war with another country she could not take action against Germany, eg war between France and Italy as a result of the Spanish Civil War

Conclusions regarding the Hossbach Meeting

Accepted as marking a more radical direction in German foreign policy, Demonstrates that Hitler wanted Austria and Czechoslovakia and Hitler had not planned for war with Britain and France in 1939

Consequences of the Anschluss:

A Greater Germany within central Europe had been created, Germany was now strategically better placed to threaten Czechoslovakia, Germany had gained important raw materials and manpower

what interest did Hitler have in Sudetenland?

Part of the plan for lebensraum + It contained 3 million German speakers from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, It contained important raw materials: coal, copper, lignite (brown coal) and the valuable Skoda armaments works and German ownership of the Sudetenland would make the rest of Czechoslovakia vulnerable

What agreement was reached at the Munich Conference?

The Sudetenland would become part of Germany immediately from 1 October 1938

What were the consequences of the Munich Agreement?

Hitler had again gained territory through stirring domestic politics and using aggression, The rest of Czechoslovakia became vulnerable to attack and Important raw materials were now owned by the Third Reich

Why was the Occupation of Czechoslovakia significant?

The terms of the Munich Agreement had been violated. It was now clear that Hitler could not be trusted

What was the Pact of Steel?

On 22 May 1939 the Rome-Berlin Axis became an offensive military alliance when Germany and Italy agreed the Pact of Steel and The two nations promised to support each other if one was involved in war with another power

What did the Nazi-Soviet Pact establish?

Nazi Germany and the communist Soviet Union promised not to attack each other and Secret clauses divided Poland between the two nations.

What led to the Outbreak of War in 1939?

his policy of lebensraum was likely to require military force at some point , the traditional aspect of British foreign policy had been to prevent any single power from dominating Europe and The response of Britain and France to the invasion of Poland was misjudged.

Why was the defeat of Poland so swift?

Blitzkrieg tactics quickly defeated the Poles and The invasion by the Soviet Union from the East on 17 September destroyed the Polish defences

What was the Phoney War?

Little progress in the war was made in the west

What significant event occurred on 22 June 1940?

France signs an armistice ending her participation in the war

How successful was the evacuation of Dunkirk?

338,000 men brought back to Britain (139,000 French troops)

Why was the Battle of Britain significant?

Between 1940-41 Britain was the only major power actively fighting against Nazi Germany.

Why was the delay of Operation Barbarossa a fatal error?

a fatal error!German troops were to suffer badly during the winter of 1941-42.and a critical delay!

What strategic errors occurred throughout Operation Barbarossa?

It was a widespread attack which ultimately failed and Germany was fighting a war on two fronts and By December 1941 Germany had also declared war on the USA!

Why was the outcome of the Battle of El Alamein so significant?

This was to be very significant in that Allied forces were able to cross into Italy and begin to fight northwards into Nazi Germany + It was the first significant military defeat for Nazi Germany

why was Stalingrad important for Hitler to capture

Hitler made the capture of Stalingrad a top priority given its strategic importance and fact that it was the city of Stalin. Its capture would harm the morale of the Soviet people.

why was the Battle of Stalingrad significant?

proven out to be the most significant turning-point of World War(i) Germany was only able to launch one more serious offensive against the Soviet Union for the remainder of the war: the Battle of Kursk, July 1943.(ii) After the failure at Stalingrad Goebbels made his appeal to the German people

Why were the Normandy Landings so successful?

The US General Dwight Eisenhower was in overall command of the allied offensive Operation Overlord + The invasion was launched on 6 June taking Germany by surprise Germany had believed that the attack would be centred on Calais which was the shortest crossing point of the English Channel

Why was the Ardennes Offensive a blunder?

the Ardennes Counter-Offensive left Germany with no reserves and the German Army now faced spring offensives from both the east and the west

Why did the German nation fight to the end?

There was no legal way to remove him, Assassination attempts failed, The Fuhrer cult had been successfully well promoted to the point where there were Germans who thought of Hitler as a messiah figure, The terror apparatus was well established and Many leading Nazis were deeply involved in war crimes and could not expect leniency from the Allies who would only accept unconditional surrender

What sections of society were impacted by war?

Germany As A Whole, Women and The Workforce