AQA · A-Level · History

    Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017

    The outbreak of war in Europe: appeasement; the Czech Crisis; the crisis…

    Full specification wording

    2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 (A-level only) – The coming of war, 1935–1941: The outbreak of war in Europe: appeasement; the Czech Crisis; the crisis over Poland and the Nazi-Soviet Pact; the outbreak of war; the reaction of Italy to the outbreak of war

    The outbreak of war in Europe stemmed from the failure of appeasement, highlighted by the 1938 Czech Crisis where Britain and France conceded the Sudetenland at Munich.

    Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 3 of 4
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    The outbreak of war in Europe stemmed from the failure of appeasement, highlighted by the 1938 Czech Crisis where Britain and France conceded the Sudetenland at Munich. Hitler's 1939 occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia shifted British policy to deterrence, guaranteeing Poland's borders. The crisis over Poland escalated when Hitler secured his eastern flank via the August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, dividing Eastern Europe. This enabled Germany to invade Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war. Despite the Pact of Steel, Italy reacted to the outbreak by declaring non-belligerence, as Mussolini knew his military was unprepared for a major conflict.

    What earns the marks

    • Evaluate the motivations behind British and French appeasement during the Czech Crisis, including military unpreparedness and public anti-war sentiment.
    • Analyse the strategic significance of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in removing the threat of a two-front war for Germany and sealing Poland's fate.
    • Assess the shift in British foreign policy from appeasement to deterrence following the dismantling of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
    • Explain Mussolini's decision to declare Italy a 'non-belligerent' in September 1939, contrasting this with his earlier commitments in the Pact of Steel.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Assuming the Nazi-Soviet Pact was a formal military alliance.

      Put it right: Describe it as a non-aggression pact with secret protocols for dividing Eastern Europe, not a mutual defence treaty.

    • Stating Italy entered the war in September 1939 alongside Germany.

      Put it right: Note that Italy declared 'non-belligerence' in 1939 and did not enter the war until June 1940.

    • Confusing the Sudetenland crisis with the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia.

      Put it right: Distinguish between the September 1938 Munich Agreement (Sudetenland) and the March 1939 occupation of Prague, which ended appeasement.

    Exam tips

    • When evaluating appeasement, avoid hindsight; analyse the policy based on the economic and military realities facing Chamberlain in 1938.
    • Link the Nazi-Soviet Pact directly to the outbreak of war by explaining how it gave Hitler the confidence to invade Poland without fearing Soviet intervention.
    • Use Italy's reaction to the outbreak of war to demonstrate the limitations of the Rome-Berlin Axis and the Pact of Steel.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the 2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 (A-level only) – The coming of war, 1935–1941: The outbreak of war in Europe: appeasement; the Czech Crisis; the crisis over Poland and the Nazi-Soviet Pact; the outbreak of war; the reaction of Italy to the outbreak of war lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    What was Italy's immediate reaction to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939?

    Listen

    The outbreak of war in Europe stemmed from the failure of appeasement, highlighted by the 1938 Czech Crisis where Britain and France conceded the Sudetenland at Munich. Hitler's 1939 occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia shifted British policy to deterrence, guaranteeing Poland's borders. The crisis over Poland escalated when Hitler secured his eastern flank via the August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, dividing Eastern Europe. This enabled Germany to invade Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war. Despite the Pact of Steel, Italy reacted to the outbreak by declaring non-belligerence, as Mussolini knew his military was unprepared for a major conflict. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Evaluate the motivations behind British and French appeasement during the Czech Crisis, including military unpreparedness and public anti-war sentiment. Analyse the strategic significance of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in removing the threat of a two-front war for Germany and sealing Poland's fate. Assess the shift in British foreign policy from appeasement to deterrence following the dismantling of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. Explain Mussolini's decision to declare Italy a 'non-belligerent' in September 1939, contrasting this with his earlier commitments in the Pact of Steel. A common slip: Assuming the Nazi-Soviet Pact was a formal military alliance. Instead, Describe it as a non-aggression pact with secret protocols for dividing Eastern Europe, not a mutual defence treaty. Exam tip: When evaluating appeasement, avoid hindsight; analyse the policy based on the economic and military realities facing Chamberlain in 1938.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart with eleven nodes. It begins with a node labelled Appeasement, which leads to Czech Crisis. The Czech Crisis leads to Concession of the Sudetenland at Munich, which leads to Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia. That leads to British policy shifts to deterrence, which leads to Guarantee of Poland's borders, which leads to Crisis over Poland. The Crisis over Poland leads to Nazi-Soviet Pact, which leads to Germany invades Poland, which leads to Britain and France declare war. Finally, Britain and France declare war leads to Italy declares non-belligerence.
    It shows how the failure of appeasement through the Czech Crisis led Britain to guarantee Poland, and how the Nazi-Soviet Pact enabled the invasion of Poland and the outbreak of war, to which Italy responded with non-belligerence.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Appeasement

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Nazi-Soviet Pact

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Non-belligerence

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Deterrence

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Appeasement
    A policy whose failure was a cause of the outbreak of war in Europe, and which Britain shifted away from after March 1939.
    Nazi-Soviet Pact
    An August 1939 agreement that secured Hitler's eastern flank and divided Eastern Europe, enabling Germany to invade Poland.
    Non-belligerence
    The stance Italy declared at the outbreak of war, despite the Pact of Steel, as Mussolini knew his military was unprepared.
    Deterrence
    The British policy that replaced appeasement after Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia, guaranteeing Poland's borders.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart with eleven nodes. It begins with a node labelled Appeasement, which leads to Czech Crisis. The Czech Crisis leads to Concession of the Sudetenland at Munich, which leads to Hitler's occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia. That leads to British policy shifts to deterrence, which leads to Guarantee of Poland's borders, which leads to Crisis over Poland. The Crisis over Poland leads to Nazi-Soviet Pact, which leads to Germany invades Poland, which leads to Britain and France declare war. Finally, Britain and France declare war leads to Italy declares non-belligerence.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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