|
- Demilitarised
- The area on the east bank of the River Rhine, 50
miles wide at its narrowest, and including all of the Ruhr - i.e. the
area of Germany next to France - into which Germany was not allowed to
send any troops - a source of real resentment in Germany. Hitler invaded the Rhineland on 7 March 1936
- Anschluss
- Union with Austria - denied under the Treaty of
Versailles. This breached the principle of self-determination, since the
Austrians were a Germanic people - a source of real resentment in
Germany. In 1938, Hitler took over Austria.
- Corridor
- The strip of German land which connected Poland to the Baltic Sea (also Danzig, which was made a free city under League of Nations control) - not that this was against the rpincple of self-determination, since the people who lived in the corridor were Germans. The 'Polish Corridor' separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany
- a source of real resentment in Germany. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and reconquered the corridor, thus starting World War II.
- Great Depression
- After a stock market crash on Wall Street (the US stock exchange in New York), there was a world-wide depression. The Great Depression was the cause of a lot of problems in foreign policy. This brought Hitler to power in Germany, and allowed the Japanese army to dominate the government in Japan. Meanwhile, France, Britain and America were economically weakened and less able to resist aggression.
- Imperial Defence
- Britain's main problem during the 1930s was defending her empire. One of the reasons for appeasement was that Britain couldn't afford to defend her empire in the east against Japan at the same time as fighting a war against Germany in the west.
- Greater Germany
- One of Hitler's aims, expressed in Mein Kampf in 1924 - the uniting of all German peoples into one country.
- Lebensraum
- A German word meaning 'room to live' - another of Hitler's aims, expressed in Mein Kampf in 1924. By this, Hitler meant conquering land in eastern Europe (Poland and Russia) to supply Germany with space for colonisation, food and raw materials.
- Mein Kampf
- Hitler's autobiography, which he write in 1924, setting out his beliefs and aims.
- plebiscite
- … as held in the Saar in 1935.
- Einheitsfront
- Meaning: ‘United Front’ – The group which campaigned in the Saar (alongside the Deutsche-Front) fr unification with Germany.
- Wehrpflicht
- German word for conscription, introduced by the proclamation for the introduction of general conscription (1935)
- Wehrmacht
- Meaning: ‘defence force’ – the armed forces of Germany.
- Winterübung
- Meaning: ‘Winter exercise’ – the operation to occupy the Rhineland
- Sudetenland
- The area on the border of Bohemia in Czechoslovakia where many Germans lived and which was claimed by Germany in 1938. It was also the area which contained most of Czech industry and all the Czech defences.
- Berchtesgaden
- The first meeting between Chamberlain and Hitler during the Sudetenland crisis (15 September 1938). Hitler promised that this was the ‘last problem to be solved’, and Chamberlain decided Hitler was ‘a man who can be relied upon’ - he handed over the Sudetenland to Hitler.
- Bad Godesberg
- Having secured the agreement of France and Czechoslovakia to the Berchtesgaden agreement, this was the second meeting between Chamberlain and Hitler during the Sudetenland crisis (22 September 1938). Hitler increased his demands - the Sudetenland had to be handed over immediately, and other Czech lands had to be given to Poland and Hungary. Chamberlain refused, and war seemed likely.
- Munich
- The third meeting between Chamberlain and Hitler during the Sudetenland crisis (29 September 1938). Chamberlain, Mussolini and Daladier gave the Sudetenland to Germany. the Czechs were not even allowed into the room. On 30 September, Chamberlain returned to England with his famous piece of paper. ‘I believe it is peace for our time’, he told the cheering crowd.
- Goose-step
- The Nazi way of marching, throwing up the legs very high. A famous cartoon of 1936 showed a Nazi goose wandering into the Rhineland.
- 1000-year Reich
- Upon the conquest of Poland in September 1939, Hitler declared that he had created a 'thousand-year Reich (empire)'. It lasted, in fact, 6 years.
- Danzig
- A free city in the Polish Corridor, German until he First World War. In 1939, Hitler claimed it back, and sent 2000 Nazi stormtroopers to stir up trouble. people realised that he was going to march in (as he had done in Austria and the Sudentenland), and Chamberlain promised to defend Poland if Hitler invavded.
- Kristallnacht
- The Nazi attacks on German Jews on 8 November 1938 (called Crystal Night because of the huge amounts of broken glass glittering in the gutters). It was another factor in Britain abandoning appeasement, because it showed just what an evil regime Chamberlain was appeasing.
- National Register
- Although officially at peace with Hitler, Britain was preparing for war even in 1938. The National register (1 December 1938) drew up a list of who would do what during a war with Germany.
- Civil Defence Act
- The Civil Defence Act (5 April 1939) unveiled plans to evacuate children to the countryside in the event of a war.
- Military Training Act
- Introduced compulsory conscription (1 May 1939).
- Pact of Steel
- Hitler was preparing for war too - on 22 May 1939 he made a war alliance with Mussolini.
- Reginald Ranfurly Plunckett-Ernle-Erle-Drax
- The minor foreign office official who was sent to Russia by boat, who did not have authority to make any decisions, and who finally made the Russians decide to ally with Germany.
- Ribbentrop-Molotov
- Joachim Ribbentrop was the Nazi Foreign Minister and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov the Soviet Foreign Minister who together agreed the Nonaggression Treaty of 23 August 1939. Under the treaty both countries agreed to refrain from acts of aggression against each other if either went to war. Secret clauses allowed for the partition of Poland. This gave Hitler the freedom to invade Poland.
- Geheimes Zusatzprotokoll
- Meaning: ‘Secret additional protocol’ – he secret agreement between Germany and Russia 23 August 1939 agreeing 'spheres of influence' in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Poland.
- Polish Guarantee
- Chamberlain’s promise to defend Poland if Hitler invaded (this was the event which ended appeasement)
|
Your
Smartass List of