What two things did Hitler do that interrupted political order?
-He began to build up the military in Germany. The treaty of Versailles had put restrictions on Germany and left them incredibly crippled.
- He began to expand Germany’s territory. (The Saar district, Austria was annexed, and the Rhineland) The British and the French didn’t really do anything about this and even tried to appease him. They felt bad. Especially as originally the territories he was taking control of were originally German speaking.
Up until 1938-39, Hitler’s actions were accepted.
Why wasn’t Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia accepted?
He was invading the Czech part, there weren’t any Germans there. (No need for self-governance!) Britain and France threatened war, an ultimatum if Hitler took it a step further and invaded Poland. (March 1939, the policy of appeasement has ended)
What was the Munich Conference?
It was a discussion between Britain, France, Germany, and Italy about whether Germany should be allowed to invade and annex the German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia.
What was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?
It was an unexpected agreement made between Hitler and Josef Stalin. It was a non-aggression pact. They agreed not to go to war with each other and provide raw materials to the other. (like guns, raw materials) The catch was that they were both going to invade Poland, parts of Ukraine and Romania and divide it up between themselves. The existence of this pact was denied by many leaders within the USSR until the 1970s.
When did Germany invade Poland and explain what happened.
September 1, 1939. Hitler’s reasoning for doing this was because of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. He didn’t have to worry about a two front war. (Would only have to deal with Britain and France). The Polish were not ready for this invasion as they were still operating with WWI tactics like foot soldiers and horses and buggies. As well, Britain and France had been trying to avoid war at all costs and had told the Polish not to mobilize so the Germans wouldn’t feel threatened. Only 1/3 of their army was out. Poland was overwhelmed and surrendered only 27 days into the invasion. The Soviet Union also attacked them from the other side.
What does Blitzkreig refer to?
It refers to Germany’s new military tactics. (Lightening war - not a term that they themselves used.) It was invented by Heinz Guderlan, a German general who had convinced Hitler to take advantage of new tech. They had these division, Panzer divisions, that were completely motorized, allowing them to advance very quickly.
What are pincer movements?
Two groups of German soldiers would come from opposite sides to surround an enemy.
What was France’s maginot line?
It was a line of heavily fortified trenches/bases along the border of France, set up for war against Germany.
How did Britain and France respond to the Polish Invasion on September 1, 1939? What do some historians think of the countries’ leaders?
They declared war on September 3, 1939.
Neville Chamberlain and Eduoard Daladier are often criticized for the ways they tried to appease Hitler. But they were just trying to avoid war as they had lived through the first world war. They were the only leaders who voluntarily tried to stand up against Germany.
They still believed they could convince Hitler to stop this war.
What was the winter war?
The Winter War was the war between the Soviet Union and Finland. The Soviet Union invaded Finland but it did not go as smoothly as they hoped for several reasons. One of them was the fact that the military leaders in the Soviet Union had recently underwent a bit of a purge and the ones that remained were younger and less experienced. Finland put up a really good fight but did have to surrender some territory. The results of this war is what inspired Germany to invade the Soviet Union later.
What did Germany do in the early spring of 1940?
They launched attacks on Norway and Denmark. It took about 6 hours. They did this mainly to gain access to Sweden to get their iron ore. (Remember, this was a war of resources. )
What did Germany do in May 1940?
The Germans were finally ready to begin attacking the West. The allies were unprepared as they thought the Germans would attack the same way they had in WWI. On May 10, 1940, they invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg in hopes that French would come to protect them. (The Northern Feint) Then they went through the Ardennes forest, a very thickly wooded area with only four roads. They raced northward, instead of heading for Paris. They wanted to trap the British and French forces.
What happened at Dunkirk?
When it was clear that Germany was winning the war in France, the Blitz headed south. They continued with the same tactics until they reached a certain point. The British and French try to evacuate their soldiers back - 330, 000 soldiers are able to escape.
When did Italy join the war?
June 10, 1940. This was Mussolini being opportunistic. He joined the war because he felt that Germany was going to win and wanted to reap the benefits of this.
When does France surrender?
Paris is occupied on June 13, 1940 and on June 17 the French government is overthrown and a new one is put in place. (Marshal Petain had taken over the government and asked Germany for a peace treaty) Hitler allows France to keep a region called Vichy so that he has someone to lord his new territory over.
Explain the significance of the railcar at Compiegne
This is where the peace treaty was signed between Germany and France. The railcar was the same one that the peace treaty between Germany and France was signed in the first war. That one was quite humiliating for Germany/Hitler. (Ferdinand Foch acting haughty)
What were the terms of the French surrender?
Disarmament - Mirroring what happened to Germany in 1918.
German occupation of 60% of France. Mostly northern France, including Alsace and Loraine.
Vichy France
Britain alone?
By the end of June 1940, Britain was left alone to face France. Hitler actually didn’t want to keep fighting but Winston Churchill was determined and rejected all of Hitler’s attempts at negotiating.
The Battle of Britain
Britain had a very powerful navy which Germany was incapable of taking on. So, the German airforce began to bomb the British shipyards to try to weaken them. (Again, WWII was a very industrial war)
Britain’s modern air force?
Their air force was very strong and had not been affected at Dunkirk. They had radar towers set up across the coast that gave them advance warning of approaching enemy planes. Britain also had four engine bombers which could carry more bombs than the German planes could.
What was Operation Barbarossa?
(June 22, 1941) It was the name of Hitler’s plan to invade the Soviet Union. He said that the Germans needed more living space and this territory would provide that. He also felt that the Brits had a hope of the Soviets helping them so if he defeated them then they would surrender as well.
Did the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact factor into Operation Barbarossa?
In a way, yes. Josef Stalin refused to believe that Hitler would attack and did not mobilise troops for a long period of time. He didn’t want to provoke Hitler and their army was quite unprepared.
Describe the progress of Operation Barbarossa.
The attack began in Poland and the Soviet forces were taken by surprise. Millions of Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner. But, the initial invasion was set back by five weeks. (Started in June) This meant that they began to have to fight in the winter weather, which they were not ready for. Tanks and other weapons did not due well in the cold and the soldiers did not have the right gear.
What were the results of Operation Barbarossa?
The Germans had brought another two front war upon themselves and had basically guaranteed a Soviet-British alliance.
