All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What was the purpose of the Rome-Berlin Axis?
Answer: Alliance between Italy and Germany. Coordinated fascist policies and military cooperation between the two powers.
Flashcard 2: What was the outcome of the Beer Hall Putsch for Hitler?
Answer: Imprisonment and writing Mein Kampf. Failed coup attempt led to Hitler's trial, conviction, and ideological development.
Flashcard 3: What was the primary goal of the Axis Powers?
Answer: Territorial expansion and dominance. United Germany, Italy, and Japan in their quest for imperial expansion.
Flashcard 4: Who was the British Prime Minister known for appeasement policies?
Answer: Neville Chamberlain. Led Britain's diplomatic efforts to avoid war through concessions to Hitler.
Flashcard 5: What was the significance of the Munich Agreement of 1938?
Answer: Allowed Germany to annex Sudetenland. Demonstrated appeasement's failure as Hitler broke promises within months.
Flashcard 6: Identify the treaty that ended World War I and angered Germany.
Answer: The Treaty of Versailles. Imposed harsh reparations and territorial losses that fueled German resentment.
Flashcard 7: Which event is considered the immediate cause of World War II?
Answer: Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939. This violation of international agreements triggered Britain and France to declare war.
Flashcard 8: What was the policy of appeasement regarding Nazi Germany?
Answer: Conceding to Hitler's demands to avoid conflict. This strategy temporarily delayed conflict but encouraged further aggression.
Flashcard 9: Which ideology sought to expand German territory for living space?
Answer: Lebensraum. 'Living space' justified Nazi expansion into Eastern Europe and beyond.
Flashcard 10: Which two countries signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936?
Answer: Germany and Japan. Created an alliance against communist influence and Soviet expansion.
Flashcard 11: What was the result of the Spanish Civil War relevant to WWII?
Answer: Tested new military technologies and tactics. Served as a rehearsal for WWII tactics and weapons systems.
Flashcard 12: Which policy aimed to keep the U.S. neutral in European conflicts?
Answer: Isolationism. Reflected American desire to avoid entanglement in European power struggles.
Flashcard 13: What was the Soviet Union's initial stance on World War II?
Answer: Neutral, due to the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The pact temporarily aligned Soviet and German interests against Western powers.
Flashcard 14: What action did Germany take in March 1936 that violated the Treaty of Versailles?
Answer: Remilitarization of the Rhineland. Hitler tested Western resolve by violating the demilitarized zone agreement.
Flashcard 15: What was the impact of the U.S. Neutrality Acts in the 1930s?
Answer: Limited U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts. Prevented American aid to democratic nations fighting fascist aggression.
Flashcard 16: What was the outcome of the Beer Hall Putsch for Hitler?
Answer: Imprisonment and writing Mein Kampf. Failed coup attempt led to Hitler's trial, conviction, and ideological development.
Flashcard 17: Which country's civil war in the 1930s was a precursor to WWII?
Answer: Spain. Became a proxy war where fascist and democratic powers tested military capabilities.
Flashcard 18: Which clause of the Treaty of Versailles held Germany responsible for WWI?
Answer: War Guilt Clause. Article 231 assigned full responsibility for war damages to Germany.
Flashcard 19: What was the significance of the Sudetenland crisis in 1938?
Answer: Tested the policy of appeasement. Revealed appeasement's failure when Hitler continued aggressive expansion afterward.
Flashcard 20: What was the role of propaganda in Nazi Germany?
Answer: Promoted Nazi ideology and anti-Semitism. Manipulated public opinion to support aggressive policies and racial persecution.
Flashcard 21: What was the impact of the Great Depression on international relations?
Answer: Increased economic instability and nationalism. Economic hardship fueled extremist movements and weakened democratic governments.
Flashcard 22: What was Japan's goal in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?
Answer: Establish dominance in Asia. Promoted Japanese hegemony under the guise of anti-Western liberation.
Flashcard 23: What was the impact of the Great Depression on international relations?
Answer: Increased economic instability and nationalism. Economic hardship fueled extremist movements and weakened democratic governments.
Flashcard 24: What was the main reason for the U.S. to shift from isolationism?
Answer: Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack forced America to abandon neutrality and join the war.
Flashcard 25: What was the Anschluss of 1938?
Answer: Annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. United Austria and Germany under Nazi control without military resistance.
Flashcard 26: What action did Germany take in March 1936 that violated the Treaty of Versailles?
Answer: Remilitarization of the Rhineland. Hitler tested Western resolve by violating the demilitarized zone agreement.
Flashcard 27: Which agreement allowed Germany to rearm in violation of the Treaty of Versailles?
Answer: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Permitted German naval expansion while appearing to maintain treaty limitations.
Flashcard 28: What was the significance of the Sudetenland crisis in 1938?
Answer: Tested the policy of appeasement. Revealed appeasement's failure when Hitler continued aggressive expansion afterward.
Flashcard 29: Which Japanese invasion in 1931 marked early aggression in Asia?
Answer: Invasion of Manchuria. Violated international law and demonstrated the League's inability to enforce peace.
Flashcard 30: Which country did Italy invade in 1935, challenging the League of Nations?
Answer: Ethiopia. Mussolini's aggression exposed the League's weakness in enforcing collective security.