History Quiz on Appeasement and War

APPEASEMENT TO WAR

• Appeasement is a policy of making concessions to avoid conflict.
• Nations avoided war due to the economic hardship of the Great Depression.
• The memory of World War I lingered, making war undesirable.
• Compromises were made when nations like Italy, Germany, or Japan acted aggressively.
• This policy was criticized for sacrificing some nations to protect the world from war.

MANCHURIA

• In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria to expand its empire.
• Japan was dissatisfied with the outcome of WWI and sought more influence, territory, and power.
• The world did not intervene due to the start of the Great Depression and a lack of resources to support struggling Manchuria.

GERMANY REARMS

• In 1933, Hitler ordered Germany to begin producing military arms.
• Germany started building planes, tanks, submarines, and weapons.
• This violated the Treaty of Versailles, but no nation could respond effectively amidst the Great Depression.

SPANISH CIVIL WAR

• Spain remained neutral in WWI but experienced significant societal problems due to the Great Depression.
• In 1935, a civil war erupted in Spain.
• Francisco Franco led a fascist group in an attempt to gain power against communists, royalists, democrats, and anarchists.
• Germany and Italy helped Franco with troops and military equipment.
• The rest of the world largely ignored the conflict.

PICASSO

• Pablo Picasso, a famous 20th-century painter, witnessed the Spanish Civil War firsthand.
• He painted the war's horrors in his Cubist style.
• Picasso painted Guernica, depicting the bombing of civilians in the town of Guernica.
• The painting captures the suffering, futility, and atrocities of war.
• Guernica is currently displayed at the United Nations in New York City.

RHINELAND

• In 1936, Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles and remilitarized the Rhineland zone.
• The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from having troops in this area near France's border.
• No country acted to stop Germany due to a lack of resources and a belief that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh.

ANSCHLUSS

• Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf, expressed a desire to unify all Germanic peoples under a single nation.
• In 1938, Hitler organized a coup in Austria to bring the German Austrians under Germany's control.
• This unification is known as the Anschluss.
• France and Italy protested, but other nations did not intervene.
• Hitler's actions motivated his belief that he could act without repercussions.

MUNICH AGREEMENT

• To resolve the crisis surrounding Czechoslovakia, a conference was held. Countries attempted to negotiate with Hitler.
• Czechoslovakia bordered Germany and had a German population in the Sudetenland.
• Britain and France appeased Hitler by allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for promises of no further territorial claims.
• This decision was based on the belief that Hitler would honor his word, and that military intervention would be disastrous.
• Subsequently, the rest of Czechoslovakia came under control of Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

POLAND

• Hitler sought to invade Poland to further his expansionist aims.
• Germany and the Soviet Union had a non-aggression pact, and secretly agreed to divide Poland.
• This pact enabled the invasion of Poland and initiated World War II.
• Britain and France had guaranteed Poland's safety, but were slow to respond.
• The invasion of Poland prompted a declaration of war from Britain and France against Germany.
• Canada joined the war effort some time after.

WAR

• War's declaration, required nations to choose a course of action.
• The United States remained neutral, alongside countries like Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, and Sweden.
• Some nations, such as Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, and Egypt, sided with Germany.
• China struggled with inner conflicts, as well as warlords and Japanese invasion.

BLITZKRIEG

• Germany's success depended on quick military invasions as part of their Blitzkrieg strategy.
• Multiple nations like Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway fell quickly to Germany.
• This strategy required the use of advanced military techniques, including tanks and air power.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

• Following the fall of France, Winston Churchill became the new British Prime Minister.
• He adopted a firmer policy towards Germany, advocating for a stronger stance than appeasement.
• Churchill had consistently spoken out against the appeasement policy during the previous peace talks.
• He recognized the threat posed by Germany and took a firm stance to secure the safety of Britain.

This quiz covers significant historical events leading up to World War II, including the policy of appeasement, Japan's invasion of Manchuria, and Germany's rearmament. It explores the economic and political factors that influenced these actions and the global response during the Great Depression.