The Second World War

How did Hitler use the Reichstag Fire to consolidate power?

After blaming the 1933 fire on a Dutch Communist, Hitler used fear to pass the Enabling Act, which suspended divil liberties and allowed him to rule by decree, laying the foundation for dictatorship.

What does “Gleinschaltung” mean and how did it function in Nazi Germany?

It means “coordination.” All institutions — political, cultural, educational — were aligned with Nazi goals. Opposition parties were banned, and civil society was absorbed or dismantled.

Why was the Enabling Act of march 1933 critical to Hitler’s dictatorship?

It legally gave Hitler and his cabinet emergency powers for four years, bypassing the Reichstag, effectively making democratic processes irrelevant.

What were the key steps Germany took toward WWII from 1935 to 1939?

• 1935: Rearmament & Saar Plebiscite

• 1936: Occupation of Rhineland

• 1938: Anschluss with Austria & Sudetenland crisis

• 1939: Invasion of Czechoslovakia and signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Why was the Munich Agreement considered a failure of appeasement?

Britain and France conceded the Sudetenland to Hitler in 1938 without Czech consent. Hitler then broke the agreement by invading the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939, proving appeasement ineffective.

What was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its immediate impact?

A Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. It allowed Germany to invade Poland on Sept 1, 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war.

What is Blitzkrieg and where was it applied?

“Lightning War”: fast coordinated attacks using air power, tanks, and infantry. It devastated Poland (1939), France (1940), and was attempted in the Soviet Union (1941).

What marked the turning point of WWII in the East?

The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43). German 6th Army was encircled and forced to surrender, marking a major shift in favor of the Allies.

What was the significance of D-Day (6 June 1944)?

Allied forces landed in Normandy, opening a Western front. It accelerated Germany’s defeat by forcing them to fight on both east and west fronts.

What triggered the US entry into WWII?

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 led the US to declare war on Japan, and soon after on Germany and Italy.

How did the Allied invasion of North Africa (1942) impact the war?

It helped the Allies gain a foothold to invade Italy and diverted German resources away from the Eastern Front.

How did early Nazi policies lay the groundwork for the Holocaust?

Anti-Jewish laws began in 1933, escalating with the Nuremberg Laws (1935) and Kristallnacht (1938). These institutionalized Jewish exclusion and normalized violence.

What was the purpose of the “Aktion T4” program?

A Nazi euthanasia program targeting the disabled and mentally ill, killing over 70,000 by gas or lethal injection. It became a blueprint for later extermination techniques.

What was the role of the Wannsee Conference (1942)?

High-ranking Nazis coordinated the “Final Solution” — the plan to systematically exterminate Europes’s Jews using industrial killing centers like Auschwitz and Treblinka.

What differentiated death camps from concentration camps?

Concentration camps (e.g., Dachau) were painful for political prisoners and forced labor. Death camps (e.g., Chelmno, Auschwitz) were built specifically for mass murder, mostly via gas chambers.

How did Germany violate the Treaty of Versailles before WWII?

Through rearmament, conscription, and occupying the Rhineland. The Allied failure to respond emboldened Hitler’s further aggression.

Why did Nazi propaganda and state terror work together so effectively?

Propaganda manipulated public opinion, while terror (e.g., SA, Gestapo, concentration camps) eliminated dissent, ensuring compliance and fear-driven loyalty.

How did the war affect civilians across Europe?

Civillians faced mass bombing (e.g., London Blitz), food shortages, forced labor, and genocide. WWII was total war — blurring the lines between military and civilian targets.

Why did the Nazis locate all six death camps in occupied Poland?

Poland had the largest Jewish population and was far from German cities — making secrecy easier and shielding the German public from the worst atrocities.