Special Sub-Topic: The Road to World War II Click Here To Play: The Road to World War II

On what date was the remilitarization of the Rhineland?

7 March 1936. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the Germans were not allowed to have troops in the Rhineland.

In 1926 Germany and several other European countries signed the Treaty of Locarno. What was the main benefit of the treaty for Germany?

It ended Germany's international 'pariah' status. In this treaty, signed in 1926, Germany voluntarily accepted its Western borders as defintive and understook not to alter any of its other borders by force. Soon afterwards Germany was admitted to the League of Nations and was once again accepted as a 'respectable' country - unlike, for example, the Soviet Union. It was regarded as the one of the greatest achievements of Gustav Stresemann, who was German Foreign Minster from 1923-29. In 1933, however, Hitler pulled Germany out of the League.

Article 231 in the Treaty of Versailles contains which famous clause?

war guilt clause. This stated that Germany was solely responsible for the outbreak of World War One. This meant that the allies could saddle Germany with massive reparations and other punitive measures.

On 16 March 1935, Hitler informed the British Ambassador in Berlin, Sir Eric Phipps, that Germany was about to do something forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. What?

Introduce conscription. Under the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans had only been allowed to retain a very small armed forces. This was the public proclamation of Hitler's intention to rearm.

What year did Hitler become the German dictator?

1933. He was appointed Reichskanzler on 30 January 1933 and rapidly established a total grip on the country. In August, 1934 on the death of President Hindenburg he proclaimed himself Führer of Germany. (He had been Führer of the Nazi Party - the NSDAP - since 1920).

Of which agreement did Chamberlain proclaim that he had achieved 'peace for our time'?

Munich Agreement & Munich Pact & Munich Accord & Munich Accords. Well, at least he could claim that he had managed to delay war slightly. However, at the time his agreement to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia was widely viewed as very 'statesmanlike'!

Who formed the Stresa Front?

France, Italy and Britain. Formed primarily to keep Germany within her borders and out of Austria. This informal alliance quickly fell apart as mistrust set in.

Who was the Soviet foreign Minister who signed the Nazi - Soviet Pact on 23 August 1939?

Molotov. This agreement was formed between Ribbentrop, the German foreign minister and Molotov. The agreement allowed for the division of Poland between the two countries and was in essence a non-agreesion pact, leaving Nazi Germany free to attack France without cause for concern for her Eastern Borders.

What policy did America pursue throughout most of the inter - war years?

isolationism & neutrality & isolation. After WWI, America never wanted to be involved in war on this scale again and pursued a policy of isolationism or political neutrality.

On which date did Germany invade Poland?

1 September 1939. Two days later Britain and France which had treaty obligations to defend Poland's independence, declared war on Germany. One of the most important results was that the war that followed wasn't a 'local' war in Eastern Central Europe, but something much bigger.