History GCSE Hitler's Foreign Policy

What does the S in scramcup stand for?

Saar plebiscite

What does the first C in scramcup stand for?

Conscription and re-armament

What does the R is scramcup stand for?

Rhineland (remilitarisation)

What does the A in scramcup stand for?

Austria

What does the M in scramcup stand for?

Munich agreement

What does the second C in scramcup stand for?

Czechoslovakia

What does the U in scramcup stand for?

USSR-Nazi pact (Nazi-Soviet pact)

What does the P in scramcup stand for?

Poland

When was the Saar plebiscite?

January 1935

What year was conscription re-introduced?

1935

What date did Hitler invade the Rhineland?

7th March 1936

How many soldiers and armed police were sent into the Rhineland during the 'invasion'?

32,000

What were the soldiers 'invading' the Rhineland ordered to do if they met opposition?

Retreat

What date did the Nazis invade Austria?

11th March 1938

What date was the Munich agreement?

29 September 1938

What did Chamberlain do by signing the Munich agreement?

Appease Hitler

What happened on the 15th March 1939?

Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia

What did Hitler taking the rest of Czechoslovakia confirm to most British people?

That war was the only way to stop Hitler (because it showed appeasement was not enough)

When was the Nazi-Soviet pact signed?

August 1939

Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Soviet pact?

He thought without help from the USSR Britain and France wouldn't declare war on him

When did Chamberlain announce the 'Polish Guarantee'?

April 1939

What did the Polish Guarantee state?

That Britain would defend Poland if Hitler invaded

What promise by Chamberlain ended appeasement?

The Polish Guarantee

What date did Hitler invade Poland?

1st September 1939

What date did Britain declare war on Germany?

3rd September 1939

Advantages of appeasement

It had lots of support from the people

Everyone wanted to avoid a war

Many people thought Hitler was right - The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh

Britain wasn't ready for war

It gave Britain the moral advantage - We did everything we could to avoid war

Lots of Austrians/Saarlanders wanted to be part of Germany

It gave us a chance to see if we could trust Hitler - when it became clear we couldn't it was easier to increase military spending and gain support for a war

Disadvantage of appeasement

It was pointless to negotiate with someone like Hitler

It encouraged Hitler

It made him dismiss Britain and France as threats

We lost opportunities to stop Hitler when he was weaker (e.g. Rhineland)

We got nothing but promises that can easily be broken

It was morally wrong to give away other countries we don't own

We sacrificed allies that could have helped us (e.g. Czechoslovakia)

We handed over supplies, weapons and soldiers to Hitler

It upset Russia who was prepared to go to war against Hitler because it looked like we were aiming Hitler towards Russia. We lost an ally

Having a war at an earlier point would have meant a much smaller, less damaging war

It didn't work. There was still a war

How many aircraft did the Czechoslovakians have when we handed the Sudetenland over to Germany and lost them as an ally?

1582 (Germany had 2500)

How many tanks did the Czechoslovakians have when we handed the Sudetenland to Germany and lost them as an ally?

489 (Germany had 720)

How many trained soldiers did Czechoslovakia have when we handed the Sudetenland to Germany and lost them as an ally?

2,000,000 (Germany had 2,200,000)

What percentage of Czechoslovakia's population lived in the Sudetenland when we handed it over?

33%

What large armaments works was in the Sudetenland?

The Skoda armaments works

What were Hitler's 4 aims?

To undo the treaty of Versailles i.e. Rearm and recover lost lands

To unite all Germans speakers

To expand eastwards for Lebensraum

To destroy the communist USSR

Where did Hitler clearly state his 4 aims?

His book Mein Kampf (My struggle)

Who had the Saar coalfields been put under the control of between 1919 - 1935?

The League of Nations (although France got the profit from it)

What did the Nazis do to try and win votes in the Saar Plebiscite?

Launched a big campaign, beat up communist and socialist rivals and sent troops to the border (although they were disbanded when Britain and France threatened to send in troops)

What percentage of Saarlanders voted to rejoin Germany?

90%

Which of Hitler's aims did the Saar plebiscite help achieve?

Undoing the Treaty of Versailles

Uniting all German speakers

Why could no one stop Hitler over the Saar plebiscite?

It was completely legal

What year did Hitler pull out of the World Disarmament conference?

1933

Why did Hitler pull out of the World Disarmament conference?

He stated that no other power was prepared to disarm and he would if they would

How did Hitler justify his reintroduction of conscription?

He claimed other countries were increasing their arms and Germany had to be able to protect itself

What year did Britain sign the a naval agreement with Germany?

1935

In the naval agreement between Britain and Germany, Germany's navy could only be what percent as large as Britain's?

35%

How many warships did Germany have in 1932?

30

How many warships did Germany have in 1939?

95

How many soldiers did Germany have in 1932?

100,000

How many soldiers did Germany have in 1939?

950,000

How many aircraft did Germany have in 1932?

36

How many aircraft did Germany have in 1939?

8250

What percentage of Germany's government spending went to armaments in 1932?

1%

What percentage of Germany's government spending went on to armaments in 1939?

23%

Which of Hitler's aims did introducing conscription and re-arming help Hitler achieve?

Undoing the Treaty of Versailles

How did the Rhinelanders feel about Hitler remilitarising their region?

They were happy about it (which encouraged Hitler)

Which event is arguably the last event that Britain and France could have confronted Hitler over without going to war?

The remilitarisation of the Rhineland

Why didn't Britain and France pay much attention to Hitler remilitarising the Rhineland?

They were worrying about Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia

Hitler correctly assumes the League of Nations would do nothing against him in the Rhineland because they did nothing against what other event?

Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia

Why was the British government alright with Hitler remilitarising the Rhineland?

They thought the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and if they let Germany undo it, future peace would be secured

The remilitarisation of the Rhineland helped Hitler achieve which of his aims?

Undoing the Treaty of Versailles

Who did Austrian Nazis murder in 1934?

The Chancellor of Austria, Engelbert Dolfuss

In 1934, after Austrian Nazis murdered Dolfuss, they tried to take over the Austrian government but were prevented from doing so by Mussolini and who else?

The new Chancellor, Kurt Von Schuschnigg

What event in 1936 brought Hitler and Mussolini closer?

The Spanish civil war (they both supported Franco)

What did Hitler and Mussolini sign in 1936?

The Rome-Berlin axis

What did Germany, Italy and Japan sign in 1937?

The anti-Comintern pact (to prevent the spread of communism)

What did Schuschnigg discover in January 1938?

The Austrian Nazis were planning a revolution

What did Hitler tell Schuschnigg to do, when he asked him for help about the Austrian Nazis planning a revolution?

He insisted Schuschnigg give them positions in government, including its leader

What was the name of the leader of the Austrian Nazi party?

Seyss-Inquart

What did Schuschnigg do about the Austrian Nazis planning a revolution?

He arranged a plebiscite asking the Austrian people if they wanted a union with Germany

What happened after Schuschnigg arranged the plebiscite?

Hitler moved troops to the Austrian border and threatened to invade, Austrian Nazis rioted in the streets, Schuschnigg resigned and Seyss-Inquart invited the Germans in to restore order

What date did Hitler enter Austria?

12th March 1938

What date was a union between Austria and Germany established?

14th March 1938

What date was the Austrian plebiscite held?

10th April 1938

What percentage of people voted for a union with Germany in the Austrian plebiscite?

99.75%

How many opponents of Hitler's were arrested and imprisoned when the Germans entered Austria?

80,000

Why didn't Mussolini intervene with the Anschluss?

Because of the Rome-Berlin axis

Why didn't Britain and France intervene with the Anschluss?

They didn't want to go to war over Austria

Which of Hitler's aims did the Anschluss with Austria help achieve?

Undoing the Treaty of Versailles

Unite all German speakers

How many German speakers lived in Czechoslovakia (mostly in the Sudetenland) in 1938?

3 million

Who was the leader of the Czechoslovakian Nazi party?

Konrad Henlein

What did Hitler urge Henlein to demand from the Czechoslovakian government?

Concessions to Sudeten Germans

When did German troops start gathering on the Czechoslovakian border?

April 1938

Who was the president of Czechoslovakia in 1938?

Edvard Benes

What did Benes do when German troops stared gathering at his border?

Mobilised his troops to resist them

What happened on the 12th September 1938?

Sudeten Nazis, encouraged by Hitler, rioted but they were crushed by the Czechoslovakian government

How did Hitler react to the Czechoslovakian government crushing the Nazi riot?

He threatened war

Who met at Berchtegaden in the alps on the 15th September 1938?

Chamberlain and Hitler

After his meeting with Hitler at Berchtegaden, Chamberlain met with the Czechoslovakians and persuaded them to give Hitler what?

The parts of the Sudetenland where the population was mostly German

On the 22nd September 1938 Chamberlain met with Hitler again and told him what he'd agreed with the Czechoslovakians. How did Hitler react?

He said he wanted the whole of the Sudetenland and threatened to go to war

Who was at the Munich conference?

Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler and Mussolini

What was agreed at the Munich conference?

The Sudetenland would be given to Germany

When did Germans armies take the Sudetenland?

1st October 1938

What happened the day after the Munich agreement?

Hitler and Chamberlain signed a separate deal promising to consult each other over any problems and not to go to war

Which of Hitler's aims did the Munich agreement help achieve?

Uniting all German speakers

Lebensraum

What made the taking the Sudetenland different from the other places the Nazis had taken?

It hadn't been part of Germany before WW1 (It had been part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire) so this wasn't recovering lost lands

What did other minorities in Czechoslovakia, especially the Slovaks, do after the Sudetenland was given to Germany?

Started asking for more freedoms for themselves

As well as the Germany taking the Sudetenland, which 2 other countries took a bit of Czechoslovakia at the same time?

Poland (October 1938) and Hungary (November 1938)

Because of the discontent population, what did Emil Hacha (The new Czechoslovakian president) do?

Appealed to Hitler for help and in the end, he had to invite the Nazis in

Why couldn't Britain and France stop the German takeover of the rest of Czechoslovakia?

The Germans had been invited in

What made the takeover of Czechoslovakia different from the other events?

Hitler couldn't justify it by saying he was correcting the Treaty of Versailles or uniting German speakers

Which promise had Hitler broken by invading Czechoslovakia?

His 1938 promise to Chamberlain to consult him over any problems