Conflict and Tension: The Inter-War Years, 1918–1939
What's covered
Key facts
Article 231 was the "War Guilt Clause" — it forced Germany to accept sole responsibility for causing the First World War, providing the legal basis for reparations.
The League failed to stop Italy's 1935 invasion of Abyssinia.
In March 1938 Hitler engineered the Anschluss, marching German troops into Austria after forcing its government to collapse.
Britain's view of the Versailles settlement began to soften through the 1920s as many British leaders (influenced by Keynes's 1919 critique) came to feel the treaty had been too harsh on Germany.
Sanctions on Italy in the Abyssinia crisis excluded oil; the Hoare-Laval Pact secretly proposed giving Mussolini most of Abyssinia, fatally discrediting the League.
Appeasement was the 1930s British and French policy of conceding to Hitler's demands in order to avoid another world war.
The USA did not join the League of Nations because the Senate refused to ratify the Versailles treaty — isolationist senators feared entanglement in future European wars, despite Wilson having proposed the League.
In the 1920s the League successfully resolved the Aaland Islands dispute (1921) and stopped Greece's invasion of Bulgaria (1925).
Britain and France appeased because of memory of WW1, military unpreparedness, doubts about Versailles' fairness, and fear of communism.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919, ending WWI between the Allied powers and Germany.
Sample questions
A taste of the 35 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Why did Britain's view of the Versailles settlement begin to soften in the 1920s?
- •Britain feared that Germany was about to launch a new invasion of France within months
- •Britain wanted even tougher reparations imposed on Germany than France had demanded
- ✓Many British leaders came to feel the treaty had been too harsh on Germany
- •Public opinion in Britain turned strongly against the League of Nations and disarmament
What were the main aims of the League of Nations set up in 1920?
- •Creating a permanent European army to deter any aggressor nation
- ✓Peaceful dispute settlement, disarmament, and enforcing peace treaties
- •Rebuilding European economies with American loans and investment
- •Redistributing colonial territories fairly among the major powers
What was the policy of 'appeasement' pursued by Britain and France in the 1930s?
- •Building up military strength to deter German aggression
- ✓Conceding to Hitler's demands to avoid another world war
- •Offering Germany financial aid to stabilise its economy
- •Secret negotiations with Hitler to join a defensive anti-Soviet alliance
What did the Treaty of Versailles impose on Germany?
- •Allowed unlimited rearmament of Germany
- •Made Germany pay tribute to Britain only
- ✓Reparations, lost land, military limits, war guilt
- •Restored Kaiser and Hohenzollern dynasty
What were the key weaknesses of the League of Nations from its foundation?
- •It was dominated by communist nations who undermined capitalist members
- •It was too large — over 100 members made any decision impossible
- •The League had no permanent headquarters, making coordination impossible
- ✓USA never joined, no army, only sanctions, decisions required unanimity
Why did Britain and France follow a policy of appeasement towards Hitler?
- •Economic depression meant neither country could fund any military response
- ✓Fear of another war, unpreparedness, harsh Versailles, fear of communism
- •They genuinely believed Hitler's aims were limited to the Sudetenland
- •They secretly wanted Hitler to destroy Russia before attacking the West
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