Interwar Europe: League of Nations, Axis Rise, and the Path to World War II

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, events, and concepts from the interwar period, the League of Nations, Axis rise, and the lead-up to World War II.

League of Nations

International body formed after World War I to guarantee territorial integrity, provide collective security, and pursue disarmament, but it suffered from major absences and structural weaknesses.

Purposes of the League of Nations

Guarantee territorial integrity; collective security; prevention/resolution of crises; and disarmament.

Weaknesses of the League of Nations

Key powers were absent or exited (Germany late to join, US never joined, USSR joined 1934 then expelled 1939); seen as a ‘victor’s club’; undermined by the Conference of Ambassadors; required unanimity for decisions; weak economic sanctions; no permanent military; not all members willing to contribute troops/money.

Conference of Ambassadors

Body that supervised treaties and, in effect, undermined the League’s authority.

Unanimity in the League Council

Decisions required all members to agree, which often prevented action.

Economic sanctions and embargoes

Sanctions were weak and non-League states could trade; embargoes could hurt member states.

Military force (League)

The League never used military force; it had no permanent army and troop contributions were uneven.

Depression (Great Depression)

Global economic crisis that undermined collective security and weakened the League’s effectiveness.

Fontainebleau Memorandum (1935)

British memorandum suggesting revisions to Versailles and a pragmatic approach to German concerns.

Stresa Front (1935)

Alliance of UK, France, and Italy to uphold Locarno and Austrian independence, later weakened by events in the 1930s.

Locarno Treaties

Series of treaties guaranteeing post‑WWI borders in Western Europe, reaffirmed by the Stresa Front.

Wal-Wal Incident (1934)

Clash between Ethiopia and Italy; commission ruled neither side to blame; UK/France-led arbitration; arms embargo hurt Ethiopia and did little to stop Italy.

Hoare–Laval Pact (1935)

Secret plan to allow Italy to keep most land seized in Abyssinia; sparked public outrage and resignation of Hoare and Laval.

Addis Ababa and Italian East Africa (1935–1936)

Fall of Ethiopia; Addis Ababa captured and Ethiopia merged into Italian East Africa; sanctions intensified then gradually lifted.

Oil sanctions on Italy (1936)

Partial economic sanctions that targeted Italy but were undermined by exemptions and limited enforcement.

Goering’s Four Year Plan (1936–1940)

Plan to mobilize Germany for war, build autarky, and prepare for blitzkrieg.

Autarky

Economic self-sufficiency aimed for by Nazi Germany under the Four Year Plan.

Blitzkrieg

Lightning war strategy intended to win quick victories through combined arms and rapid mobility.

Anschluss (Austria, 1938)

Germany’s annexation of Austria through surprise invasion and propaganda; violated Versailles and Open diplomacy.

Rome–Berlin Axis (1936)

Formal political and military alignment between Italy and Germany.

Anti‑Comintern Pact (1936; Italy joined 1937)

Alliance between Germany and Japan (and later Italy) aimed at countering Bolshevism and Western powers.

Hossbach Memorandum (1937)

Record of a meeting where Hitler outlined plans for expansion into Eastern Europe and lebensraum; objections from some generals.

Blomberg–Fritsch Affair (1938)

Resignations of two senior German military leaders linked to internal opposition to rearmament and militarization.

Munich Conference (1938)

Conference where major powers permitted Germany to annex the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in the name of appeasement.

Sudetenland

Czechoslovakian border region with a large German population that was ceded to Germany at Munich.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)

Germany’s March 15, 1939 invasion, effectively ending Czechoslovakia’s independence.

Memel/Namely Memel Annexation (1939)

Germany’s seizure of Memel (Klaipėda) from Lithuania in March 1939.

Pact of Steel (1939)

Military alliance between Germany and Italy formalizing their cooperation in war planning.

Nazi–Soviet Pact (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Aug 23, 1939)

Non‑aggression pact between Germany and the USSR with secret protocols to divide Poland and influence the Baltic states.

Invasion of Poland (Sept 1, 1939)

Germany’s invasion of Poland, marking the start of World War II in Europe.

Soviet invasion of Poland (Sept 17, 1939)

USSR invasion of eastern Poland in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

Spanish Civil War and Condor Legion

Germany/Italy supported Franco; the Condor Legion tested aircraft and tactics used later in WWII.

Non‑Intervention Agreement (1936)

Pact among major powers to refrain from military intervention in the Spanish Civil War; private aid continued.

Little Entente

Alliance of Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia (opposed to German expansion) in the interwar period.

Lebensraum

Hitler’s expansionist theory of living space in Eastern Europe to provide room for German population.