1. Appeasement and the Road to WW2 Pub Quiz Revision!

2. What were Hitler’s aims in Foreign Policy? Destroy the Treaty of Versailles Unite all German speaking people Achieve Anschluss with Austria Make Germany self-sufficient Create Lebensraum for German people – looking East Destroy the USSR and Communism

3. How did Hitler break the Treaty of Versailles? 1935 – Introduces conscription 1936 – Remilitarises the Rhineland 1938 – Anschluss with Austria Continued rearmament from 1933 onwards, including naval and air force build up Left League of Nations 1933 He agreed pacts with Britain (Naval Agreement 1935) and Poland (Non Aggression Pact 1934) to ease fears of German militarism

4. Remilitarising the Rhineland? March 1936 32,000 troops march into the DMZ Germany’s army would have had to have retreated had France and Britain opposed – they did not German army treated as heroes Hitler offered a European peace treaty to calm enemies Britain thought Germany was ‘going into her own back yard’ France too weak to oppose on her own Hitler had gambled and won – set the precedent

5. Anschluss – Failure then Success … 1934 – Failed attempt to unite with Austria. Dolfuss murdered but von Schuschnigg and Mussolini oppose Germany and Hitler backs down 1936 – Rome Berlin Axis – Germany and Italy now allied and they fought together in the Spanish Civil War 1938 – German Nazis start to incite trouble in Austria – von Schuschnigg asks for help but Hitler insisted he install Nazi’s into the Austrian govt (Seyss-Inquart) Von Schuschnigg arranges a plebiscite but German troops move to the border and encourage unrest in Austria. Von Schuschnigg resigns and Seyss Inquart is installed German Army invited to keep order in Austria and they imprison more than 80,000 opponents of the Nazi’s Hitler enters Austria and the two countires are united – the later vote sees Anschluss supported by 99% of the population eligible to vote Still no British and French reaction

6. Why did Chamberlain follow a policy of Appeasement? Genuinely believed it was the best way forward for Europe Did not want to relive the horrors of WW1 all over again Britain and France were in no position to go to war – economically or militarily Chamberlian believed he could trust and work with Hitler Did not believe that Britain needed to go to war for countries they were not allied with (Austria, Czechoslovakia)

7. The Sudetenland Crisis Large German speaking population in the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia Also where all of the Czech’s key industries and defences were located Hitler wanted to incorporate the Sudetenlanders into Germany – April 1938 he moves forces to the border Benes responds and Czechoslovakia prepares to defend itself. Crushes Nazi uprising in the border regions Chamberlain tried to negotiate at Berchtesgaden – agreed that the parts of the Sudetenland that were mostly German speaking would be given to Germany. A week later, at Godesberg, Hitler then demanded all of the Sudetenland. Chamberlain refused. War seemed likely. A week later in Munich, a four power agreement (no Czech representation) then gave the Sudetenland the Germany. Chamberlain also secured a peace agreement with Hitler and returned a hero …

8. After Munich … Early in March 1939 the Slovak minority were causing unrest in Czechoslovakia President Hacha invited Hitler in to stop the trouble On March 15 th 1939 the German army marched into Prague and took control Czechoslovakia had been annexed Britain and France did nothing – felt Hitler had been invited in However, Chamberlain no longer believed that appeasement would work and people like Churchill began to question even more forcefully the wisdom on the policy

9. Nazi – Soviet Pact? August 1939 Also called the Molotov – Ribbentrop Pact ‘A marriage of convenience’ – both sides gained time Secret clause to divide Poland – Germany and USSR wanted to reclaim land lost after WW1 Germany – wanted to avoid a war on two fronts USSR – felt abandoned by the West and thought they were pointing Germany towards them. Britain and France had refused to sign an agreement with him in the 1930’s Poland – sealed its fate, invaded by Germany in September and shortly afterwards by USSR from the East Triggers Britain’s entry into the war and, by implication, France too

10. Start of WW2 … Hitler’s Aggressive Foreign Policy Chamberlain’s policy of Appeasement French inaction USSR’s role in Nazi – Soviet Pact League of Nation’s refusal to act

11. What was the biggest crisis between 1955 – 1970?