WBBSE Solutions For Class 9 History And Environment Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its After Math

Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its Aftermath Introduction:

About the Second World War and its Aftermath :

The germs of the Second World War lay in the Treaty of Versailles (1919) which was imposed on defeated Germany after the First World War. It was a humiliating and shameful treaty for Germany which imposed drastic losses and unbearable burdens on her. The treaty made the Germans feel a desire to have the treaty nullified as soon as possible.

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The problems and needs of the victorious powers in the First World War. were also not settled by the Treaty of Versailles. The new states which had arisen in central Europe felt insecure about their fate.

There were also rivalries over political ideologies of democracy and dictatorship. There was also the challenge of communism. The western democratic countries were not happy with the growing power of the USSR and the spread of communism in Eastern Europe.

So the western democratic countries preferred to appease Germany and Italy. This emboldened Hitler. In 1938 he first occupied Austria and then Czechoslovakia, then Danzing on the Baltic Sea. On 1 September 1939, the German army marched into poland. So Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3 and the Second World War started.

The war, in the beginning, proved to be highly favourable to Germany. From the end of 1944, the war situation began to change in favour of the Allies. In early 1945 the Allies launched massive attacks on Germany and the German armies surrendered. Japan’s surrender came a few months later when the U.S.A dropped two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

The Second World War destroyed far more lives and properties than the First World War. In Germany, Russia and Japan several millions of people lost their lives.The signing of treaties after the Second World War did not mean the coming of peace.

Armed conflict ended but a cold war between two superpowers – the U.S.A and USSR started. International agencies like the U.N.O were set up to settle international issues and for the establishment of peace, but these have not been able so far to prevent the race for armament, in particular, nuclear armament which is a great menace to world peace even today.

One positive result of the war was that the war weakened the old colonial empires and forced them to grant independence to their colonies which they had held for generations.

Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its Aftermath Very Short Answer Type :

Question 1. Which treaty is known as a ‘dictated peace’?
Answer: The Treaty of Versailles is known as a ‘dictated peace’.

Question 2. What is the name of the republic that was established after 1918 in Germany?
Answer: The name of the Republic that was established after 1918 in Germany was known as the Weimer Republic.

Question 3. On which date did the Second World War begin?
Answer: The Second World War began in September 1939.

Question 4. Who was the Prime Minister of England when the Second World War started?
Answer: Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of England when the Second World War started.

Question 5. Who was the Prime Minister of France when the Second World War broke out?
Answer: Daladier was the Prime Minister of France when the Second World War broke out

Question 6. Who was the founder of the Nazi Party?
Answer: The founder of the Nazi Party was Hitler.

Question 7. When did Germany withdraw from the League of Nations?
Answer: Germany withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933.

WB Class 9 History Question Answer

Question 8. Which country was first attacked by Hitler during the Second World War?
Answer: Poland was first attacked by Hitler during the Second World War.

Question 9. Which port of Poland was demanded by Hitler?
Answer: Danzig, a port of Poland, was demanded by Hitler.

Question 10. Who was Hindenburg?
Answer: Hindenburg was the President of German Republic.

Question 11. Which country other than Germany and Italy was a part of the Axis group of nations?
Answer: Japan was a part of the Axis group of nations other than Germany and Italy.

Question 12. Which British Prime Minister appeased Germany?
Answer: The British Prime Minister who appeased Germany was Neville Chamberlain.

Question 13. When did Japan attack Manchuria?
Answer: Japan attacked Manchuria in 1931.

Question 14. Which British warships were drowned by German U-boats?
Answer: The British warships HMS Courageous and the HMS Royal Oak were drowned by German U-boats.

Question 15. Who was Mac Arthur?
Answer: Mac Arthur was the American military General.

Question 16. Which American naval base in the Pacific Ocean was attacked by Japan?
Answer: The American naval base at Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japan.

Question 17. In which year was Pearl Harbour attacked by Japan?
Answer: Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japan in 1941.

Question 18. In which year did Hitler attack Russia?
Answer: Hitler attacked Russia in 1941.

Question 19. In which year did Japan surrender to the Allies during the Second World War?
Answer: Japan surrendered to the Allies during the Second World War in 1945.

Question 20. When did the Second World War come to an end?
Answer: The Second World War came to an end in 1945.

Question 21. Where is Pearl Harbour located?
Answer: Pearl Harbour is located on the island of O’ahu in Hawaii.

WB Class 9 History Question Answer

Question 22. Who were the US Presidents during World War II?
Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman both served as United States Presidents during World War II.

Question 23. Name the World War II General who went on to become the President of the United States of America.
Answer: The World War II General Eischen hower went on to become the President of the United States of America.

Question 24. In which year was the Tehran Conference held?
Answer: The Tehran Conference was held in 1944.

Question 25. In which year was the San Francisco Conference held?
Answer: The San Francisco Conference was held in 1945. ©

Question 26. Who first popularised the term ‘Cold War’?
Answer: The term ‘Cold War’ was first popularised by Walter Lipmann.

Question 27. Name two superpowers which were the main rivals in the Cold War.
Answer:

The superpowers who were the main rivals in the Cold War were:

(1) United States of America and
(2) Soviet Russia.

Question 28. Name two parties in the Cold War.
Answer:

The two parties in the Cold War were:

(1) United States of America and
(2) Soviet Russia.

Question 29. What does NATO stand for?
Answer: NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Question 30. What does SEATO stand for?
Answer: SEATO stands for South East Asia Treaty Organisation.

Question 31. In which year was Truman Doctrine proclaimed?
Answer: Truman Doctrine was proclaimed in.1947.

Question 32. In which year was Marshall Plan proclaimed?
Answer: Marshall Plan was proclaimed in 1947. :

Question 33. Who is the author of the poem “The White Man’s Burden”?
Answer: The author of the poem “The White Man’s Burden” is Rudyard Kipling.

Question 34. What is the concept of ‘The White Man’s Burden’?
Answer: ‘The White Man’s Burden’ is the idea that white people are superior to then on white races and so, colonial rulers have a duty to take care of and ‘civilise’ the native inhabitants of their colonies.

Question 35. When and between whom was the Russo-German Non-Aggression pact signed?
Answer: The Russo-German Non-Aggression pact was signed ch 23 August 1939 between Russian foreign minister Molotov and German foreign minister Ribbentrop.

WB Class 9 History Question Answer

Question 36. After which incident did U.S.A join the Second World War?
Answer: When Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbour, U.S.A joined the World War II.

Question 37. What was the direct cause of Second World War?
Answer: The direct cause of Second World War was Hitler’s attack on Poland.

Question 38. Which day is known as the ‘D-Day’ (Deliverance Day)?
Answer: 6th June 1944 is known as the ‘D-Day’.

Question 39. Who followed the polic
Answer: The Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier, the Premier of France followed this policy.

Question 40. Name the countries which took part in the Second World War.
Answer: The countries which took part in the Second World War were Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain, France, Soviet Union, U.S.A, Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Bulgaria, Albania, Norway, Denmark, etc.

Question 41. What is meant by Third World countries?
Answer: A group of developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America which achieved independence after the Second World War were known as the Third World countries.

42. What is a Non-Alignment policy?
Answer: Non-Alignment policy which aims at ensuring international peace means keeping away form the two military blocks led by U.S.A and USSR and solving all international conflicts and disputes peacefully through cooperation.

Question 43. When did the Second World War come to an end?
Answer: The Second World War came to an end on 2 September 1945.

Question 44. For how many years did the Second World War continue?
Answer: The Second World War started on 1 September 1939 and ended on 2 September 1945 so the war continued for 6 years.

Question 45. What was the aim of the Versailles Treaty
Answer: The Treaty of Versailles aimed to weaken Germany both economically and militarily.

Question 46. In which year was the Battle of Britain fought?
Answer: The Battle of Britain was fought in 1940.

Question 47. What was the main reason of the defeat of Germany in the Second World War?
Answer: The main reason of the defeat of Germany in the Second World War was the conspiracy of the German generals and the discontent of the soldiers.

Question 48. Name the Czar of Russia who established his capital at Leningrad.
Answer: The Czar of Russia who established his capital at Leningrad was Peter the great.

Question 49. When was the U.N.O established?
Answer: U.N.O was established on 24 October 1945.

WB Class 9 History Question Answer

Question 50. Why was Hitler in favour of union between Germany and Austria?
Answer: Hitler was in favour of union between Germany and Austria as a sizeable number of Germans lived in Austria.

Question 51. Under whose leadership did the Russian army defeat the Germans?
Answer: Under the leadership of Marshall Zhukov the Russian army defeated the GermAnswer:

Question 52. How did the U.S.A become the arsenal of democracy?
Answer: U.S.A became the arsenal of democracy when the American Senate enacted the Land-Lease Act in March 1941 and allowed the US government to offer warships, war planes and other weapons to the Allied powers to fight against Fascism.

Question 53. Which Act made the U.S.A. the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’?
Answer: The Land Lease Act enacted by the American Senate in 1941 made the U.S.A. the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’.

Question 54. Which day is regarded as a date which will live in infamy in the U.S.A.?
Answer: The day is regarded as a date which will live in infamy in the history as Japan bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbour on this day.

Question 55. When was ‘Victory-in-Europe Day’ observed?
Answer: Germany surrendered to the Allied Powers formally on May 7, 1945, and the whole of Europe observed May 8, 1945, as ‘the Victory-in-Europe Day’.

Question 56. What was the Grand Alliance?
Answer: U.S.A, Great Britain and Soviet Russia formed an alliance against the Axis powers which is known as the Grand Alliance.

Question 57. Who followed the ‘one by one policy’?
Answer: Hitler, the German dictator, followed ‘one by one’ policy.

Question 58. What was the ‘Land Lease Act’?
Answer: The American Senate enacted the Land Lease Act in March 1941 and allowed the US Government to offer warships, war planes and other weapons to the Allied powers to fight against fascism.

Question 59. Under whose leadership did the German soldiers start ‘Operation Barbarossa’?
Answer: The German soldiers started ‘Operation Barbarossa’ under the leadership of Hitler.

Question 60. When and by whom was the Anglo-Russian Alliance signed?
Answer: Churchill, the British Prime Minister, concluded the Anglo-Russian Alliance of 1941.

Question 61. Which incident made the Far East the centre of war during World War II?
Answer: The Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour made the Far East the centre of war during World War II.

Question 62. After which invasion did the ‘Beginning of the End’ of Germany start under the leadership of Hitler?
Answer: After the invasion of Russia, the ‘Beginning of the end’ of Germany started under the leadership of Hitler.

Question 63. Name the two atom bombs dropped by the U.S.A. on Japan.
Answer: U.S.A. dropped the atomic bombs named ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima and ‘Fat man’ on Nagasaki in Japan. :

WB Class 9 History Question Answer

64. Why did Hitler attack Poland?
Answer: After the Munich Pact, Hitler demanded the use of the port of Danzig and also the Polish corridor to reach the port. When Poland refused this demand, Hitler attacked Poland.

Question 65. What was the aim of Hitler’s foreign policy?
Answer: Hitler’s foreign policy aimed at German expansion in East Europe in order to carve out some ‘Living Space’ (Lebensraum) for the surplus German population.

Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its Aftermath 2 Marks Questions And Answers:

Question 1. Name the Allied and Axis powers in the Second World War.
Answer:

In the Second World War, the Allied powers were England, France, the USSR, U.S.A. and China. The Axis powers were Italy, Germany and Japan.

Question 2. Through which military campaign did Mussolini try to fulfil his imperial ambition?
Answer:

The Fascist Government under Mussolini became hungry for colonies and Mussolini tried to fulfil his imperial ambitions through his military campaign in the East African country of Ethiopia (Abyssinia). In 1935 he attacked Ethiopia to exploit its minerals and raw materials for industrial development and Ethiopia was formally in 1936.

Question 3. Why did Hitler sign the Munish Pact?
Answer:

England and France followed the policy of appeasement towards Hitler and signed the Munich Pact in 1938. Hitler agreed to sign the Munich Pact because:

(1)Germany was authorised to occupy four border provinces of Czechoslovakia within ten days.
(2) The Czechoslovakian Government was forced to release all the political prisoners of Sudetenland. This territory was also given to Germany.

Question 4. Write a note on the Battle of Leningrad.
Answer:

Battle of Leningrad

At the initial stage of the Second World War, the German arty achieved great success. They besieged Leningrad. The Soviet army followed the ‘Scorched Earth’ policy and guerilla model of warfare. As a result, the Nazi forces began to retreat. In the beginning of 1942, Leningrad was vacated by the Russian Red Army.

Question 5. Which incident forced the U.S.A. to join the Second World War?
Answer: The sudden Japanese air attack with 360 aircraft struck at the American fleet at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands on 7 December 1941 and wiped out all the American planes on the ground there. This incident at Pearl Harbour forced U.S.A. to join the Second World War.

Question 6. Write a note on bombing the U.S.A. at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Answer:

Bombing the U.S.A. at Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The U.S.A. prepared a plan to drop the newly discovered atomic bomb on Japan on August 6, 1945. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, an industrial town in Japan, which destroyed half the city and caused 80,000 deaths.

This was the first use of a top bomb during World War II. On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki in Kyum, destroying the whole municipal area and killing 40,000 people. The whole world was alarmed at the extensive destructive capacity of these new weapons.

Question 7. How can you explain the Second World War as a struggle between Fascism and Nazism versus democratic ideals?
Answer:

The Second World War was, in fact, the struggle of two contradictory principles, versus democratic principles. England, France and America were the supporters of the principles of democracy, while the principles of autocracy were fully supported. by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Thus war was inevitable between the supporters of these two contradictory principles.

Class 9 History West Bengal Board

Question 8. What is UNRRA?
Answer:

UNRRA

As a result of the Second World War, there was total destruction, devastation and despair in the whole of Europe. In order to regenerate the economy of the devastated countries, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (U.N.R.R.A.) was set up in 1943 in Washington, U.S.A.

It was an international body to provide relief to countries liberated from the German occupation. This economic recovery programme provided substantial economic help to the war ravaged countries like Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Austria, etc.

Question 9. What was the ‘Fulton Speech’?
Answer:

‘Fulton Speech’

On 5 March 1946 the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster College, Fulton in the state of Missouri, U.S.A. He warned that a large part of Europe from Stettin to Triest had passed under the “iron curtain” of the Soviet Union. He warned that America should become alert otherwise the Soviet Union would one day conquer the entire continent of Europe.

Question 10. What was the Vichy Government?
Answer:

Vichy Government

A puppet French Government led by Petain was established under the control was the capital of this new French Government, it was also called the Vichy Government.

Question 11. When was the Yalta Conferénce held ? Name the countries which took part in the Yalta Conference.
Answer:

The Yalta Conference was held in 1945. The countries which took part in the Yalta Conference were the U.S.A., Britain and Russia.

Question 12. What is the Marshall Plan?
Answer:

Marshall Plan

The American Foreign Secretary, George Marshall, in a lecture at Harvard University, spoke of a plan of economic resurgence of the war-ravaged countries like France, Britain, Belgium, Italy, West Germany, etc. The plan of Marshall which wanted to save Europe from poverty, hunger and lawlessness is known as the Marshall plan, a programme to finance the recovery of the European economy.

Question 13. What is internationalism?
Answer:

Internationalism

Internationalism is a movement which advocates the economic and political benefit of all. It is the belief that countries can achieve more advantages by working together and trying to understand each other than by arguing and fighting wars with each other.

Question 14. What is nationalism?
Answer:

Nationalism

Nationalism is basically a collective state of mind or consciousness in which people believe their primary duty is loyalty to the nation-state. It implies national superiority and glorifies various national virtues. It is a political or social philosophy in which the welfare of the nation-state as an entity is considered paramount

Question 15. What is the Maginot line?
Answer:

Maginot line

The Maginot Line, an elaborate defensive barrier in northeast France, was named after its principal creator, Andre Maginot who was France’s Minister of War when the fortification was ‘begun in 1929: It was a line of fortification. built by France to defend its border with Germany prior to World War ll.

Class 9 History West Bengal Board

Question 16. What is Operation Barbarossa?
Answer:

Operation Barbarossa

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and her allies began a massive invasion of the Soviet Union under Operation Barbarossa. Hitler changed the original name Operation Fritz to Operation Barbarossa to refer to Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, who had set out to conquer the Holy Land in 1190.

Question 17. What is Seigfreid Line?
Answer:

Seigfreid Line

Seigfreid Line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built along the German western frontier opposite the French Maginot Line in the 1930s and greatly expanded in 1941.

Question 18. What was decided in the Yalta Conference?
Answer:

In the Yalta Conference (1945) it was decided that:

(1) Britain, America and Russia would divide Germany after her surrender into four sectors and each power would occupy one sector. Berlin, the capital of Germany, also was to be divided into four parts.

(2) The heads of different states would meet at a conference at San Francisco to prepare a charter for an international body.

Question 19. What are the characteristic features of democracy?
Answer:

The characteristic features of democracy

The characteristic features of democracy include open-minded critical enquiry and ‘mutual regard and compromise’. The opposition functions as a legitimate partner of the democratic system. Democracy refuses to go by one-party rule and recognizes ‘individual liberty’.

Question 20. Why did democracy come under strain in Europe?
Answer:

The causes may be described as follows :

(1) Economic crises included inflation in post-war Europe. The Great Depression led to tariff barriers and disruption of trade.

(2) Some of the states suffered racial instability as a result of conflicting ethnic groups.

Class 9 History West Bengal Board

Question 21. What are the characteristic features of fascism?
Answer:

However, a clearer understanding may be found by an analysis of the characteristics of

Fascism which were as follows :

(1) Aggressive nationalism and racism,
(2) Mass support,
(3) The leader principle,
(4) Undecided relationship with socialism, and
(5) Autarchy (economic self-sufficiency).

Question 22. Why did dictatorship supplant democracy?
Answer:

Firstly, a strong anti-democratic movement developed in Europe in the Liberalpolitics ceased being favoured. Secondly, during the period after 1920, liberal politics was not looked upon with much favour. Rule by committee and discussion which is a part of the democratic process came to be considered as inappropriate to deal with the critical issues at hand.

Question 23. What is the relation between nationalism and fascism?
Answer:

The relation between nationalism and fascism

Nationalism was the springboard of Fascism. To the Italian nationalists whatever was a ‘mutilated victory’. This national frustration was a major factor that paved the way to the rise of Fascism.

Question 24. How did the Second World War outbreak?
Answer:

The outbreak of the Second World War: A worldwide conflict became inevitable when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. The war was between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers.

The Allied Powers principally consisted of Britain, France and Poland, the USSR (joined in 1941), the USA (joined in 1941) and several other small powers. The Axis Powers were Germany, Italy (from 1940) and Japan (from 1941), supported by Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary and Romania.

Question 25. What do you mean by Phony War?
Answer:

Phony War: The period between the start of World War II in 1939 and the German onslaught towards the West in 1940 came to be called the ‘Phony War’. During the period Hitler’s Soviet Russian ally invaded Poland in the east and German troops in the west.

As a result Poland quickly collapsed. On the other hand, the Allied strategy aimed only at holding off German pressure on the Polish front.

Question 26. Why was the Russo-German Non-Aggression Pact signed?
Answer:

Hitler’s agenda was to annex Poland which was opposed by Britain and France. In the event of a war Britain and France would lend support to Poland. But if the Soviet Union were to side with Germany, Poland would be caught in a German-Russian trap. For Stalin negotiations with Britain and France had limited progress.

Stalin was becoming increasingly convinced that the two democracies had no real sympathy for Soviet security concerns. This creates a suitable pepper for the signing of a Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.

Class 9 History West Bengal Board

Question 27. What prompted Hitler to invade the Soviet Union?
Answer:

The answer may be found in the following :

(1) Hitler was not at all sincere in signing the Pact with the Soviets. He signed it as a strategic move.
(2) Without winning over the Soviet Union to his side, it would have been impossible for the Nazis to win the wars of 1939-1940.

Question 28. What was the Pearl Harbour incident?
Answer:

Pearl Harbour incident

The Pearl Harbour Incident: Pearl Harbour in Hawaii was the main US naval base. Without any formal declaration of war, the Japanese airforce attacked Pearl Harbour early on 7 December 1941 sinking as many as 19 ships, destroying 188 planes and killing 2400 people.

Immediately the USA declared war on Japan, and it was a matter of days before Germany and Italy, who were Japan’s allies, declared war on the USA. American naval losses at Pearl Harbour gave an advantage to Japanese sea power immediately after the attack. However, the strategically important aircraft carriers remained undamaged as these were not in the harbour at that time.

Question 29. What are the major differences between Democracy and Fascism?
Answer:

The major differences between democracy and Fascism are :

(1) Democracy allows and encourages different political parties and political views to function in the political system to turn the wheels of the political system to turn the wheels of the political machinery. On the other hand, Fascism does not tolerate any political party or political views other than the view sponsored by the Fascist dictator.

(2) Democracy develops balanced, healthy and creative nationalism. This appears to be a source of strength and progress in the life of a nation. But Fascism generates hatred and preaches aggressive nationalism. Such perverted nationalism is the cause of conflict among different nations.

Question 30. What was ‘NATO’ and ‘Warsaw Pact’?
Answer:

‘NATO’ and ‘Warsaw Pact’

After the Second World War U.S.A and Soviet Russia who had helped each other in the Second World War became rivals and a competition arose between them to assume the leadership of the world. In 1949 U.S. formed a military alliance called NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) with 15 nations as its members.

It was strong enough to repulse any invasion of West Europe by the Red Army. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, apprehended an invasion of East Europe and Russia by the NATO army. She entered into the Warsaw Pact with East European countries in 1955,

Question 31. What is the ‘Cash and Carry’ policy?
Answer:

‘Cash and Carry’ policy

In 1939 the American legislature allowed the U.S.A. to help the Western democratic states and sell arms and ammunition to them. This policy was known as the ‘Cash and Carry’ policy. It was a policy to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies.

It allowed the sale of arms, ammunition and war materials to belligerents (countries engaged in war) as long as the recipients arranged for transportation using their own. ships and paid immediately in cash, assuming all risks in transportation.

Question 32. What was the Cold War?
Answer:

Cold War

Tension of war without an actual shooting of war has been termed as the Cold War. Cold War is a state of tension between countries in which each side adopts policies designed to strengthen itself and weaken the other by falling short of actual war. It is a kind of verbal war and even more terrible than the ‘Warm War’.

Class ix History Question Answer

Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its Aftermath 4 Marks Questions And Answers

Question 1. Would you say that Europe was on the brink of war in 1939?
Answer:

On the Brink of War : 1939: By 1939 Europe was on the brink of another World War.

The causes leading to the hostilities were as follows :

(1) Failure of the peace talks and initiatives at the end of the First World War.

(2) The imperialist policy pursued by Nazi Germany under the leadership of Hitler.

(3) The policy of appeasement followed by Britain and France.

(4) The policy of isolationism was followed by the USA. By the Munich Pact (1938), signed by the representatives of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, the occupation of Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia) by Germany was agreed upon and ratified.

Britain and France hoped that the agreement would put an end to Hitler’s territorial ambitions and demands. In fact, by the Munich Pact Hitler promised that he would not use again war as a means to settle political disputes. With this belief, Chamberlain, the then-British Prime Minister, claimed that another World War had been avoided. But destiny had some other answer Soon it became clear that Hitler had fooled all concerned when in March 1939 Hitler occupied the entire Czechoslovakia.

The seizure of Czechoslovakia by Hitler alarmed the British and the French. They feared that Hitler would next annex Poland. Hence the British and French Governments promised to stand by the Poles (people of Poland) in case of an attack from Germany.

Question 2. What were the contributions of the USA to the Second World War?
Answer:

The USA and the Second World War: At the outbreak of World War II the USA remained committed to a policy of isolation or non-participation under the ‘Neutrality Act’ of 1937. People hoped that the USA could avoid future wars by neutrality.

However, the circumstances of war events led to almost an immediate change in the policy. The American attitude drastically changed on Sunday 7, December 1941 when the Japanese bombers attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbour at Hawaii and the airfield at Manila. The USA was now formally engaged at war against the Axis Powers.

The American Contribution: The American Government stepped up its aid.to Britain on a massive scale. Despite Pearl Harbour, the US President Roosevelt insisted in. giving priority to the European theatre of the global conflict.

For, America’s huge production potential was always likely to ensure the defeat of the Axis. The US economy was fully mobilized to produce huge quantities of weaponry which included tanks, merchant shipping and aircraft.

Besides, about 1-5 crore of men and women were enlisted in the war effort. It has been pointed out that the American entry into the war led to another major consequence. It marked the decline of Europe which became more and more dependent on decisions made in Washington.

Question 3. Would you say that World War II was truly a ‘global’ war?
Answer:

The Second World War as a truly ‘global’ War: The Second World War is called the really ‘global’ war for the first time. The cause of it lies in the fact that it was the only war fought on most of the inhabited parts of the earth.

Over 90 million (900 Lakh) soldiers were mobilized, of which war dead ranged from 40 to 60 million (4 to 6 Crore). However, the Second World War was truly ‘global’ in the sense that it had started as a European war with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. Within a few days, Britain and France formally declared that they were engaged in

war as Germany attacked the country. In 1941 Yugoslavia, Greece and the Soviet Union were engulfed in the war due to the German invasion. The war spread to Asia due to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour that drew the USA into war against the Axis powers.

The Japanese involvement in the war resulted in a front in Burma (present Myanmar) and much of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. From 1942 onwards the war also spread to Africa. In view of the involvement of most of the countries of the world in the war, the Second World War was truly a ‘global war’.

Question 4. What were the qualitative and quantitative changes in the destructiveness of war?
Answer:

Qualitative and Quantitative Changes in the Destructiveness of War :

During the Second World War, scientists on both sides were employed in inventing weapons. Their motive was to invent such weapons that were more destructive than anything that the world had ever seen.

Apart from the technological changes that increased the effectiveness of the weaponry, the Germans invented long-range rockets and flying bombs which needed no pilots. These were radio-controlled.

These could be bombed on targets like cities where thousands of civilians — innocent men, women and children lived. But the most terrible weapon of all was the atomic bomb, finally developed by the USA.

This was a terrible weapon which was thousands of times more destructive than any ordinary bomb. The Atom Bomb explodes using the energy that is produced when an atom or atoms split.

One Atom Bomb is sufficient to destroy a whole town. An example can be had of Hiroshima where alone over 50,000 people were killed and another 100,000 injured by one Atom Bomb. Thus in the Second World War, there were some qualitative and quantitative changes in the destructiveness of war.

Question 5. How has aggressive nationalism been a threat to internationalism?
Answer:

Aggressive Nationalism versus Internationalism : Broadly speaking nationalism incorporates identical sentiments over allegiance to the state, traditional cultural heritage, unity among the people, territorial integrity and sovereignty But when it assumes an aggressive posture it may prove self-destructive. In this regard, the Nazi regime of Germany may be an example.

As against ‘aggressive nationalism’ emerged the phenomenon of internationalism. Internationalism is a practice of politics based on cooperation among nations. Internationalism recognizes the right of all nations of national sovereignty, security and self-determination.

It also includes cultural peace, socio-economic Progress and the right to defend the country’s borders against external aggression. There has been a bloom of internationalism in the era we are living in.

The international agencies that have contributed to the growth of internationalism are the United Nations Organization (UNO), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), etc. However, it is worthy of mention here that the recent state of international terrorism is a danger to the spirit of internationalism. The trend can only be eliminated if all the nations of the world stand united against the menace of aggressive nationalism.

Question 6. Write a short note on the Pact of Paris.
Answer:

Pact of Paris

The most important milestone in the history of international relations after the Locarno Treaty was the Kellogg-Briand Pact or the Pact of Paris. On April 6, 1927, French Foreign Minister Briand had sent a message to the American people, in which he suggested that the tenth anniversary of the entry of the United States

Into the war might be celebrated by a mutual agreement in favour of ‘the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy’, American Secretary of State, Kellogg, after a long delay, replied with a counter-proposal that the suggested pact should be universal.

Briand agreed. Eventually, on April 27, 1928, representatives of the six great powers (America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan), the other three Locarno powers (Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia) and the British Dominions and India met in Paris and signed the Pact. This was known as the Kellogg-Briand Pact or the Pact of Paris.

In the first article, the signatories condemned recourse to war for the solution of international controversies and renounced it as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another. Within a few years, sixty-five nations, including the Soviet Union, signed the pact.

The Pact of Paris was not a far-reaching event. It renounced only wars of aggression. War was not outlawed :

(1) When resorted to in self-defence

(2) In the fulfilment of responsibilities under the League Covenant or Locarno agreement. Though the Pact condemned aggressive wars, it made no provision for punishing the guilty. There was not even a provision for consultation among the signatory powers in case of a breach of the Pact. The assertion of self-defence by Britain and the United States exposed the hollowness of the Pact. The original authors of the Pact did not ban war in self-defence.

Nevertheless, the Pact of Paris was an important landmark. The universal repudiation of war as an instrument of policy seems to have a unique importance. It continued a great step forward on the road to international security.

Question 7. Narrate in brief the collapse of Germany in World War II.
Answer:

Collapse of Germany in World War II

Even in the midst of defeat, Nazi Germany made a determined bid to recover its power. In mid-November 1944 a general offensive was launched by all six Allied armies on the Western front. It yielded little result at a heavy cost In mid-December the Germans under their experienced commander, Marshal Von Runstedt, struck back at the heavily forested area of Ardennes.

Soon a whole sector of the Allied line in Belgium and Luxemburg was thrown into confusion; a great ‘bulge’ opened which had to be closed at all costs. In the so-called ‘Battle of the Bulge’, Runstedt cut fifty miles through American lines and reinvaded Belgium.

Supplementing this effort, Hitler employed small, unpiloted air-craft bombers which did considerable damage to the civilian population of London. Next were the long-range rockets – so-called V 2 – against which no effective defence could be found in time. But the Nazi offensive proved to be temporary.

By the end of January 1945, the Germans were again driven out of France with the loss of 120,000 men. The Arderures offensive had exhausted Hitler’s last reserves — it hastened rather than delayed the fall of Germany.

The opening of the Second Front in June 1944 brought great advantage to the RussiAnswer: After overrunning Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland, Russian forces reached by January 31, 1945, the Lower Order, only 40 miles from Berlin. Meanwhile in early February 1945 Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met at Yalta in Crimea. Here a general plan for the destruction of Germany was approved.

In early March, Eisenhower’s armies began a general advance towards the Rhine. They were followed by the British to the north and the French to the south. On April 11, the Allied armies readied the Elbe, only 60 miles from Berlin.

In March and April 1945, Russian armies under Generals Zhukov and Konev took Danzig and Vienna, overran Czechoslovakia and rushed towards Berlin. By April 25, Berlin had been encircled by the armies of Zhukov and Konev. On the 27th Konev’s forces joined the Americans on the Elbe. On April 30, 1945, Hitler shot his mistress and himself in a bunker in Berlin.

Goebbels and his family also took their own lives. On May 2, after desperate street-by-street resistance by the Germans, Berlin capitulated. On May 7, 1945, the Third Reich, under Admiral Karl Doenitz, surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.

It was a formal ending of the Second World War. The real ending took place on August 14, 1945, when Japan surrendered on the terms laid down by the Allies.

Question 8. What was the immediate cause of the Second World War?
Answer:

Immediate cause of the Second World War

In the Second World War (1939-1945) Germany, Italy and Japan were on one side and Britain, France, USSR, U.S.A and China were on the other. The immediate cause of the Second World War is to be found in a series of acts of aggression by the German leader Hitler.

Germany annexed Austria and then demanded Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. By the Munich Pact of 1939 the Allies admitted the German claim. Soon after, Germany swallowed up the remaining portion of Czechoslovakia and demanded Danzig from Poland.

Britain, France and Poland formed an alliance against German aggression. Great Britain and France were engaged in negotiations with Russia. In the meantime Germany and Russia concluded a Non-Aggression Pact for 10 years (1939).

Hitler thus emboldened, invaded Poland without any formal declaration of war. Great Britain and France declared war against Germany in September 1939 and the Second World War started.

Question 9. Discuss the nature of the Second World War.
Answer:

Within twenty years of the First World War (1914-18) the Second World War broke out on 13 September 1939.

The nature of the Second World War is discussed below :

(1) The Second World War was more destructive and extensive than the First World War.

(2) This was for the first time that the war was extended in three fronts—land, air and water. It was fought on all major seas in Asia, Africa and Europe. Sixty nations were involved in the war, seven of them on the side of the Axis.

(3) Deadly weapons and the dreadful atom bombs were used in the war. Airplanes played a major role. Fleets of aeroplanes attacked troops and naval units, destroyed railroads and prepared the way for invasion.

(4) The war was fought not only by armed forces ‘at the battlefield but also by civilians in the factories and at home. School children also took part in the war, collecting rubber, newspapers and scrap metal, assisting in War Bond drives and helping air raid wardens.

Class ix History Question Answer

Question 10. What was the ‘D-Day’?
Answer:

‘D-Day’

‘D-Day’ was the Deliverance Day, (June 5, 1944). On that day vast Anglo- American force Ianded at the Normandy coast of northern France by crossing the English Channel. The operation was gigantic. The Military General of U.S.A, Eisenhower took the leadership.

One thousand Anglo-American air crafts conducted a massive dropping of Allied air-troopers behind the German lines by parachute. Nearly 11 thousand warplanes were ready for their defence. Four thousand Allied naval ships and thousands of land forces joined. Caught between the Allied army in the

front and at the back, the Germans became bewildered. The superior Allied forces captured Toulon, Marseilles, Nice, Lyons and the German airfields in France. They liberated Paris from foreign occupation on April 25, 1944. The Allied army then proceeded towards Germany.

Question 11. What were the main theatres of the Second World War?
Answer:

The Second World War began in 1939 and ended in 1945 after lasting for six years. Around 60 countries were involved in this violent war. The war was fought on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Pacific, and in four major land campaigns—in the Soviet Union, North Africa and the Mediterranean, western Europe, and the Far East.

The main theatres of the war were:

(1) The Russian Theatre or Eastern Theatre
(2) The Mediterranean Theatre
(3) The African Theatre
(4) The Pacific Theatre
(5) The Asian Theatre
(6) Arctic and Atlantic Theatre.

Question 12. When was the Potsdam Conference held? Name the countries which took part in the Potsdam Conference. What was decided in the Potsdam Conference?
Answer:

The Potsdam Conference was held in 1945. The countries which took part in the Potsdam Conference were Russia, America and Britain.

At the Potsdam Conference, it was decided:

(1) Germany was to be divided into four zones, namely American, Soviet, French and British.

(2) Like Germany, its capital Berlin was also to be divided into four zones.

(3) Berlin would be placed under a council named ‘Allied Kommandatura’.

(4) Though Germany was divided into four zones, it was to be treated as a single economic unit.

(5) The Allied Control Council would be formed to supervise the working of Germany as a single economic unit.

(6) Germany would undergo the ‘Five Ds’ (demilitarization, deindustrialisation, decentralisation, democratization and denazification).

Question 13. Write a note on the evolution of internationalism after the Second World War.
Answer:

Evolution of internationalism after the Second World War

The destructive effect of the Second World War (1939-45) opened the eyes of different countries of the world. They realised that peace and cooperation could not be established without mutual cooperation and trust. They also realised that war was not the ultimate means to solve problems.

The international peace organisation   The League of Nations which was established after the First World War collapsed before the selfish motives of different nations. International cooperation failed in the field of politics and the Second World War broke out in 1939. After the Second World War, different nations again realised the importance and necessity of mutual cooperation.

They decided to solve their problems through peaceful meetings so that the damage of war might be removed forever and peace might be established among different nations of the world. The United Nations Organisation (U.N.O) was established in 1945 the sole aim of which was to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations and international cooperation.

Question 14. What were the factors that helped in speeding up the collapse of imperialism after the Second World War?
Answer:

The factors that helped in speeding up the collapse of imperialism after the Second World War

After the Second World War, there have been vast political, economic and social changes in every part of the world. Within about 25 years of the end of the Second World War, most countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America which had been under imperialist rule, won their freedom.

The rise of nationalism and the growth of nationalist movements in Asia and Africa increased rapidly. The Second World War had, besides destroying fascism, weakened the imperialist countries of Europe.

Many of these countries had themselves taken victim to fascist aggression. For example, three imperialist countries of Europe France, Belgium and Holland (The Netherlands) had been under German occupation during the war. Their military power as well as economies had been shattered during the war.

The main factors of the collapse of imperialism were as below :

(1) Setting up of socialist Governments in Eastern Europe under the rule of Communist parties

(2) Serious internal problems

(3) Imperialism no longer was considered a mark of superior civilization

(4) Imperialism associated with injustice and exploitation

(5) Dominant ideas of self-determination, national sovereignty and equality

(6) Cooperation in international relations

(7) Growth of solidarity among the freedom movements of different countries. Each country’s freedom movement supported the freedom struggle in other countries.

(8). The United Nations also has been a major force in promoting the process which has brought about the ending of imperialism.

Question 15. What is the composition and role of the General Assembly in the U.N.O? What is the function of the. Security Council?
Answer:

(1) Composition:

(1) All members of the UN send representatives to the General Assembly
(2) Important decisions, budgetary matters, and admission of members are taken by 2/3 majority of the members.
(3) The General Assembly meets every year on the 3rd Tuesday of September

(2) Functions:

(1) To discuss everything relating to international peace and security
(2) To make recommendations on the maintenance of peace and security
(3) To see the working of other agencies and organs
(4) To consider and approve the U.N. budget

Functions of the Security council:

(1) To maintain international peace
(2) To investigate disputes and make recommendations about solving them
(3) Take military action against the aggressors

16. When was the Yatla Conference held? Name three prominent leaders who attended it. Name any two military alliances which came into being as a consequence of the Cold War.
Answer:

The Yatla Conference was held in 1945. The three prominent leaders were US President Roosevelt, the British P.M. Churchill and the Soviet Premier Stalin. NATO, Warsaw Pact were two military alliances which came into being as a consequence of the Cold War.

Class ix History Question Answer

Question 17. What were the Internal Policies of Mussolini?
Answer:

The internal policies of Mussolini are as follows :

(1) Mussolini and the Working class: Fascism opposed the Marxian theory of class struggle. It believed in the harmony of capital and labour. To gain the support of workingmen, it undertook social changes and established a ‘corporate State’.

In 1926, non-Fascist trade unions and all strikes were banned. ‘Syndicates’ were organised of thirteen members—six of employers, six of employees and one of professional men. Under these were tribunals to settle labour disputes. The working hours in the day were fixed at eight. The employers were to contribute to the insurance of the workers against illness, accidents and old age.

(2) Mussolini and the Catholics: Mussolini won the support of the Italian Catholics by the Lateran Treaty of 1929 with Pope Pius XI. It was like the Concordat of Napoleon. It recognised the independence of the Pope in the Papal States. However, soon differences arose on the questions of schools and youth organisations.

(3) Education: The system of education was based upon regimentation. The youths were indoctrinated with Fascist ideologies, nationalism and militarism. The army was increased by conscription and its equipment improved.

(4) Public Works: For patriotic reasons as well as the solution to the unemployment problems, the government fostered a great variety of public works. Mussolini aimed at economic self-sufficiency for Italy. Ancient monuments were repaired and modern improvements were made. Marshes were drained. Railways and huge steamships were built. An electric power plant was constructed.

(5) International Relations : Fascism was a disruptive force in international relations, for it glorified war. In ranting speeches, Mussolini praised war and the war like virtues of the ItaliAnswer: He followed a policy of agressive imperialism. In 1935 Mussolini defied the League and occupied Abyssinia.

In 1936, the ‘Berlin- Rome Axis’ came into being directed against Russia. In the same year Japan, Germany and Italy together made the Anti-Commintern Pact to fight communism. In 1939 when the Second World War began Mussolini joined the Axis and ultimately brought disaster to Italy and to himself.

Question 18. What was the impact of the World War II on contemporary world history?
Answer:

Impact of the Second World War on Contemporary World History: Despite all the suffering and loss of life and materials the Second World War was of profoundly important consequences. e As pointed out by A. J. P.

Taylor, despite all the killing and destructions that accompanied it, ‘the Second World War was a good war’. With the defeat of the Axis powers, the world was relieved of the destructiveness of Fascism. The conflict also brought about certain indirect benefits. Great advances were made in science and in state planning.

In Britain, for example, guidelines were issued for the creation of a Welfare State and state socialism. Even the invention of nuclear weapons with all their potential evils has in the long run proved beneficial to mankind. By multiplying man’s power to destroy his own kind, they have made the consequences of another war so horrifying that they have been an effective instrument for the prevention of war.

It thus contributed to peace. As the destruction of material assets was enormous, Europe seemed destined for some years to endure poverty and starvation. In contrast, the USA appeared immensely strong as rejuvenated.

Out of the Second World War emerged two superpowers, namely the USA and the Soviet Union. It became clear after 1945 the two superpowers would enjoy a predominant influence in world affairs.

One of the most important changes that took place after 1945 that was the growth in the number of new, independent states, most of them in Asia and Africa. The colonial empires of Britain and France disappeared. In their place new nations, such as India, Pakistan, Algeria, Nigeria and a host of independent countries emerged.

Question 19. Write about the technological changes in war weaponry during the Second World War.
Answer:

Technological Changes in War Weaponry During the Second World War: Technology played a crucial role in the course of the World War Il in determining its course and outcome. In the beginning, the soldiers fought with technology that had remained mostly unchanged from World War I.

However, within six years, between 1939 and 1945, technology was rapidly adavancing by leaps and bounds. Scientists were engaged by the both sides for the improvement in the technology in the war weaponry. In the European scenario of the World War II air attacks became crucial throughout the war.

It was possible for the German armies to overrun Western Europe with great speed in 1940 due to the use of sophisticated aircrafts of improved technology. The Soviet JS-3 or the German Panther tank outclassed the best tanks used in the initial stage of the war.

In the navy the battleship, long seen as a dominant element of sea power was displaced by the technological innovation of the aircraft carrier.

The amphibious tanks, amphibious trucks, Higgins boat and many others were the new generation of weaponry developed for use during the war. These are some of the war weaponries developed as a result of the technological changes that took place during the period of the war.

The most dreaded and deadly weapon invented and devised causing massive destruction during the World War II, however, was the Atom Bomb, and henceforth, our age has come to be called the Nuclear Age.

Question 20. The fundamental cause of World War II must be sought in the Treaty of Versailles – Discuss.
Answer:

The fundamental cause of World War II must be sought in the Treaty of Versailles

(1) The Treaty of Versailles has been called ’a dictated Treaty’ which was imposed upon vanquished Germany by the victorious Allied Powers. The delegates of Germany were not invited to the Paris Peace Conference (1919) and the treaty was a revengeful treaty.

(2) The treaty did not adhere to the principle of self-determination. The right of self-determination was not applied for Sudetenland which was transferred to Czechoslovakia. It led to a loss of balance of power in Europe.

(3) While England and France increased their colonies, German colonies were confiscated in the name of good government.

(4) The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine were taken away from Germany and were given back to France. The Saar Valley on the western frontier of Germany was handed over to France for fifteen years, after which the fate of the region was to be settled by a plebiscite. The port of Danzig was also snatched away from the possession of Germany.

(5) Germany was saddled with a huge reparation amount by the Treaty which was impossible for her to pay.

(6) The German bared of staff or general of the army was dissolved. Germany had to surrender her fleet to the Allies. According to Wilson’s Fourteen Points, it was decided that all the states would reduce their war armaments. But this clause was only applied to Germany.

Humiliated Germany was looking forward to another war as an opportunity to avenge her defeat. So it is said that the fundamental cause of World War I] must be sought in the Treaty of Versailles.

Class ix History Question Answer

Question 21. How did the failure of the League of Nations constitute a cause of the Second World War?
Answer:

The terrible effects of the First World War (1914-13) had stunning effects on the minds of the people and made them cry for peace. President Wilson of America took the initiative and made a plan for the League of Nations which was established in 1920, the primary object of which was to prevent armed conflict. Many international problems arose after the First World War.

At first, the problems were comparatively easy and the League of Nations was able to solve some of them by peaceful methods. But the League’s inability to control the Great Powers became quite evident in the thirties which constituted a cause of the Second World War.

In 1931 when Japan swallowed Manchuria the League did not adopt any penal measure against Japan, and the grievances of China remained unredressed. Encouraged by the failure of the League the autocrats of different countries also started aggression totally ignoring the League of Nations.

In 1935 Italy, under the dictatorship of Mussolini, invaded and occupied Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in Africa. Ethiopia complained to the League and a decision was made by the League Council for enforcement of economic sanctions against Italy.

But Italy did not obey the League’s order and resigned from the League of Nations. During the Spanish Civil War, the League was unable to adopt effective measures to restore peace in Spain and to prevent external intervention.

Franco became victorious and this added to German confidence. For this reason, the Spanish Civil War is regarded as the stage rehearsal for the Second World War. The failure of the League made Hitler and Mussolini bolder.

Immediately after the assumption of dictatorial power Hitler withdrew Germany from the Disarmament Conference in 1933 and from the League of Nations. Within a few years, Hitler swallowed Austria and Czechoslovakia (1938- 39) and invaded Poland in 1939.

The invasion of Poland by Germany was the signal for the outbreak of the Second World War. In no case could the League of Nations prevent or restrict Hitler’s aggressions. Thus the failure of the League of Nations in different international disputes constitute a cause of the Second World War.

Question 22. Discuss the role of the U.S.A. in the Second World War.
Answer:

The role of the U.S.A. in the Second World War

The U.S.A. followed a policy of neutrality towards international politics after the First World War. She did not join the Second World War and kept herself aloof from the war. But when Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941, the U.S.A. joined the war.

(1) Deviation from the path of neutrality: During World War II, the U.S.A. was sympathetic towards the Allied powers. In 1939 the American legislature allowed the U.S.A. to help the Western democratic states and sell arms and ammunition to them.

This policy was known as the ‘Cash and Carry Policy’. It was a policy to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies. It allowed the sale of arms, ammunition and war materials to belligerents (countries engaged in war) as long as the recipients arranged for transportation using their own ships and paid immediately in cash, assuming all risk in transportation. !

(2) System of conscription: In the U.S.A a system of conscription was introduced. According to this, all youths in the age group between 21 and 31 were obliged to join the army.

(3) Land Lease Act: The American Senate enacted the Land Lease Act in March 1941 and allowed the US Government to offer warships, warplanes and other weapons to the Allied Powers to fight against fascism. U.S.A became the arsenal of democracy.

(4) Incident of Pearl Harbour :

Japan attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian islands on 7 December, 1941with 350 aircraft and wiped out the American planes on the ground there. This incident forced U.S.A to join the Second World War.

Chapter 6 The Second World War And Its Aftermath 8 Marks Questions And Answers:

Question 1. Describe the rise of Fascist Dictatorship in Italy.
Answer:

The rise of Fascist Dictatorship in Italy

(1) Introduction: In the period following the close of the World War 1, liberalism was in its deathbed. It witnessed the close of the 19th-century liberal democracy and the rise of dictatorships in almost all the countries of Europe—Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and Turkey.

In Russia Czardom was replaced by the totalitarian States of the Communists. In the years after the war the world was faced with the strange phenomenon of dire poverty existing in the midst of unexampled plenty. Laissez-faire had to give place to a planned economy.

(2) Favourable conditions in Italy for the rise of Fascists: Fascists depict that in the years which immediately followed the war of 1914-1918, Italy was in the grip of the post-war slump. It was in the State of economic dislocation which the feeble government under Nitti and Goiliti was unable to deal with.

Distress and disorder was the order of the day. Agriculture was stagnant and hunger led to disturbances, strikes and riots. Italy was in danger of turning communist.

The real discontent in Italy as in Germany, was embitterment of the army politic

They were disappointed with Italian gains in the war. The Fascist Party exploited their discontent and recruited supporters from the war veterans. All this would have subsided, but for the emergence of dynamic personality in the person of Mussolini whose ambition was to become the dictator of Italy.

(3) Benito Mussolini: Benito Mussolini was the son of a socialist blacksmith at Forli. In his early life, he was an elementary school teacher and before the war, a left-wing socialist. He served jail lived in exile and at length, became the editor of the ‘Avanti’ or the official organ of the Italian socialists.

During the war, he became an ultra-patriot and broke away from the socialist party on the issue of Italy’s attitude to the war. He gained the support of the restless demobilized soldiers, dissatisfied workers, youthful intellectuals and groups of frightened businessmen.

(4) Growth of Fascism: The word Fascism was derived from ‘Fascio’ or club which Mussolini organised at Milan in 1919. In the next two years, he gave time and energy to organise a network of similar clubs all over Italy.

In 1921 they were consolidated into a political party with Mussolini at its head. Fascism adopted the symbolism and ceremony of Rome in the days of Caesar. It promised to revive the glories of Imperial Rome. They expected to make the Mediterranean Sea an Italian lake.

Fascists wore black shirts in imitation of Garibaldi’s red shirts. The Black Shirts’ of Mussolini corresponded to Hitler’s ‘Storm Troopers’. With perfect organisation and violence, Fascists gathered momentum during 1921-1922 while its opponents Liberals, Socialists and Catholics were divided and weak.

In October 1922, Mussolini ordered the mobilization of the Black Shirts and Emmanuel III, convinced of the Fascist strength, asked Mussolini to form the ministry.

(5) Mussolini becomes a Dictator : Fascism is a totalitarian concept which glorifies the State and subordinates the individual to it. The Duce or the leader of the Fascist Party controls the political, military and economic institutions of the kingdom. He is the commander of the Fascist militia and presides over the Grand Council of Fascism.

Mussolini emerged as a dominant figure in a totalitarian regime. He forced the terrified Parliament to grant her dictatorial powers. Fascists were speedily put into key positions throughout the country and were given a monopoly on propaganda.

Socialists were suppressed and their strikes stopped. Strict censorship was forceful and police measures set up a veritable reign of terror. Opponents were imprisoned or exiled. Critics were silenced.

Between the years 1925 and 1929 Mussolini consolidated his dictatorship. Political parties other than the Fascists were banned. Mussolini was authorised to initiate legislation and appoint local officials. The electoral law wase changed to a mere ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote on a list of Fascist candidates.

Question 2. What are the achievements of Mussolini?
Answer:

(1) Mussolini’s achievements: Fascism, as organised by Mussolini, set before itself three definite aims :

Exaltation of the state, protection of private property, and a strong foreign policy which would rehabilitate Italy’s position as a great power. The movement began as an impulse towards law and order and sought to safeguard existing institutions against the destructive influences of Bolshevism.

But as it progressed, it developed a philosophy. It claimed to be a spiritual movement aiming at re-vivifying the Italian soul in terms of duty to the Italian state. It thus became the essence of nationalism and stood for the grandeur that was ancient Rome.

Fascism achieved much for Italy. It restored the nation’s confidence in itself and made the administration of Government efficient in every respect. Mussolini balanced the budget, stabilised the currency, and adjusted the difference between labour and capital so that the two should act as partners under the supervision of the state.

Fascism encouraged economic self-sufficiency and efforts were made to reduce the country’s dependence upon foreign imports of wheat, cotton and tobacco.

Energetic measures were taken to develop Italy’s share of grid shipping and tourist traffic. Education was encouraged by increasing the number of schools by enforcing laws for compulsory school attendance.

One of Mussolini’s outstanding achievements was the settlement of the long-standing dispute with the Papacy. By the Lateran Treaty of 1929, the Pope recognised the Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy, with Rome as its capital.

The Italian state, on the other hand, recognised the Pope as a sovereign power in the Vatican and indemnified him for the loss of his temporal possessions. Along with this treaty, a Concordat was concluded by which the future relations between the State and the Papacy were defined.

The result of this pact was to secure for the State the unstinted support of the Church and thereby to remove one of the causes which had largely contributed to the weakness of the Italian Government.

The Italians would no longer have to choose between their loyalty to the state and obedience to their religious head. They could be good citizens as well as good Catholics. Like Bonapartism, Fascism made political use of religion and saw in it a valuable aid to authority and a stabilising force against social upheaval.

Thus under the Fascist regime Italy was saved from disorder and anarchy and she came to occupy a commanding position in Europe. But these advantages were secured at a price, namely, political liberty.

Fascist rule is frankly autocratic, in which there is no room for popular sovereignty. Parliament was not abolished, but the electoral system was so altered as to ensure Fascist predominance with the result that Parliament was reduced to the humble position of an advisory council.

The Press was rigidly censored and freedom of meeting and speech severely restricted. Opposition to Fascism was severely punished, and anybody not believing in its creed was open to suspicion and subject to surveillance.

The murder of a socialist member of Parliament in 1924 showed the new regime at its worst. Fascism tolerates no difference of opinion. Mussolini was, in theory, the premier of a constitutional sovereign, but in fact he was a dictator.

(2) Fascist Foreign Policy: One of the fundamental articles of the Fascist faith was the raising of Italian prestige in the eyes of foreign nations. The Fascists glorified war as a symbol of national virility. Hence Mussolini aimed at reviving the prestige of ancient Rome and securing for Italy the position of a world power.

At the peace conference, the Allies had neglected Italy in the distribution of mandates and so Mussolini sought to rectify this wrong by adopting a vigorous policy of colonial expansion.

He turned his eyes to Tunisia and Corsica which were French possessions, and maintained that Italy had a better right to them. Besides, the two countries were competing for control of the Western Mediterranean and for superiority in naval armaments. Mussolini’s bellicose utterances put a severe strain on Franco-Italian relations for a time and pretended a crisis.

This was, however, averted and Mussolini turned to Eastern Europe for expansion. He secured for Italy the Dodecanese islands and definitely acquired Fiume in 1924. Italy’s relations with Yugoslavia also became more and more strained as the latter, prompted by irredentist movements, wanted to acquire a large portion of Dalmatia from Italy.

The Italo-Yugoslav quarrel was in essence a struggle for the control of the Adriatic. This struggle was further intensified when Mussolini conquered Albania from King Zogin in 1939.

But the most spectacular of Mussolini‘s achievements was the conquest of Ethiopia. He wanted to wipe off the humiliation of Italian defeat at Adqwa at the hands of the Abyssinians in 1896.

But the real cause was that Italy needed colonies to enhance her prestige and to find more room and more food for her growing population. Hence, Mussolini took advantage of some border “incidents” at Walwal to attack Abyssinia in 1935.

Its king Haile Selassie appealed to the League of Nations for arbitration, which promptly declared. Italy to be the aggressor. Mussolini, however, defied the League, conquered Abyssinia and proclaimed King Victor Emmanuel as the Emperor of Ethiopia (1936).

After this war Italy drew closer to Germany and became estranged from France and Britain. Mussolini came to an understanding with Hitler and thus arose what was called the Rome-Berlin Axis. When the Second World War broke out and the power of France collapsed, Mussolini joined Germany and declared war on Britain and France (1940).

Class ix History Question Answer

Question 3. Why did Japan join the Second World War?
Answer:

(1) Japan’s pre-war policy: Japan’s attack on Manchuria in 1931 was a serious blow at the League of Nations and also at the system of balance of powers which has been established at the Washington Conference in 1921. Japan’s aggression against China began anew in 1937. This Sino-Japanese war merged into the Second World War in 1941 and came to close with the fall of Japan in 1945.

Japan joined the Anti-Commintern Pact with Germany in 1939. Her main purpose was to keep the Western powers far away from China, which she wanted to bring within her grip, and so she wanted to convince them that she was like Germany a sworn enemy of communism. The relations between Tokyo and Berlin cooled off when Hitler concluded the Non-aggression Pact with Stalin in 1939.

After the fall of France, which Japan took as a spectacular demonstration of Hitler’s power, she joined the Berlin-Rome Axis, thus converting it into the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis (1940). But her real interest lay in Asia where she was afraid of Russian attack. So Japan concluded a Neutrality Pact with the Soviet Union a few months before her own surprise attack on the United States at Pearland! Harbour on December 7, 1941.

(2) Why Japan joined World War II: The outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 provided Japan a fresh opportunity to “carrying her mission and fulfilling her special responsibilities in Eastern Asia”

The resistance of China under Chiang Kai-Shek had spoiled the Japanese plans for the satisfaction of their political, economic and nationalistic aspirations. The fall of France (1940) opened new prospects for Japan’s political and economic expansion in Southeast Asia. The concept of ‘Greater East Asia’ under Japanese hegemony emerged immediately after the fall of France.

By the Tripartite Pact of 1940 (Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis), Germany and Italy “recognised and respected the leadership of Japan in the establishment of a new or in Greater East.Asia.” The treaty was in no way to affect the existing relations between the three contracting parties and the Soviet Union.

Obviously, the alliance was aimed at the United States. This became quite clear when Japan signed its Treaty of Neutrality with the Soviet Union in 1941.

Strengthened her alliance with Germany, Japan secured from the French authorities in Indo-China, who were loyal to the Vichlo Government sponsored by Hitler after the fall of France, important concessions including the occupation of territory and setting up of naval and air bases.

Japan also tried to extend its control to Siam (Thailand). These aggressive measures were inconsistent with the policy of the United States.

It was officially declared by Washington that any Japanese action against Thailand would cause the United States great concern. At the same time, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill issued a joint declaration, known as the Atlantic Charter stating the general principles of post-war political reconstruction.

Despite definite warnings from Washington and London the Japanese continued their military preparations. In Japan, Konoe as Prime Minister (1941) was somewhat moderate towards America, Japan’s principal rival.

Roosevelt was willing to meet with Konoe, but Hull, the U.S. Secretary of State, insisted that any compromise with Japan would sanction aggression, while negotiations for an American-Japanese agreement were going on, the Japanese made a surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbour (Hawaii) where a large portion of the American navy was at anchor (December 7, 1941). Thus Japan struck the first blow, she brought the war to the Far East and dragged the United States into formal war.

(3) Japan’s war aims: Japan’s primary concerns were Asian. From 1938, Japan’s problem was how to settle the mess in China. A second problem was Soviet Russia. A third problem was the United State’s navy in the Pacific, which was a threat to Japan‘s navy. A fourth area of Japanese concern was South-East Asia rich in raw materials.

The key to Japan’s war aim is to be found in her plea that she had a mission as also ‘special responsibilities’ in Eastern Asia. She claimed a special position in China. In the years preceding the Second World War, she had occupied two Chinese provinces— Manchuria and Jehol — and established puppet regimes in inner Mongolia and Hopei. Japan‘s original imperialism centred around China. During the thirties, Japan had spelled out her China programme.

As a small country with an expanding population, she wanted colonial territory. The militarists wanted a forward policy for glory and the nationalists were dazzled by the vision of a great Japan.

As early as 1936, Japan had submitted her terms to China on the basis of Japan’s guardianship. Hitler’s occupation of France and Holland and the isolation of Britain exposed the French Dutch and English colonial possessions in South-East Asia to Japanese ambition. Japan coveted the rubber, oil, tin and rice which this region produced in abundance.

She proposed to create ‘a new order’ and a ‘co-prosperity sphere’, but her triumphal march through Indo-China, Indonesia, Malaya and Burma proved that was a merciless exploiter rather than a generous liberator of Asiatic peoples from Western Colonialism.

The desire to dominate the whole of East Asia—to exploit this vast region politically and economically—was the key to Japanese policy during the Second World War.

Question 4. Briefly narrate the fall of Italy in the World War II.
Answer:

Fall of Italy in the World War II

For many months after the fall of France in June 1940, fighting between the belligerents was confined to North and East Africa. In August 1940 the Italians seized British Somaliland. The Italian attack on Egypt opened in September.

In December 1940, the British in Egypt, under General Wavell, counter-attacked and took 1,30,000 prisoners. Between January and May 1941, the British troops overwhelmed the Italian garrisons in Somaliland, Eritrea and Ethiopia and restored Haile Selassie to the throne.

Meanwhile, in March 1941, the Germans shipped men and materials under an experienced tank commander, General Rommel, to the assistance of the Italians. Within less than a month the Allies were ousted from Libya, except for the garrison in Tobruk, held out until relieved in November by General Sir Claude Auchinleck.

In May 1942 Rommel embarked on a new full-scale offensive. In June he captured Tobruk and advanced to El Alamein, only sixty miles west of Alexandria.

The advance of the Axis forces under Rommel posed a great threat to the Suez Canal. Churchill dismissed Auchinleck and put General Montgomery in command of the Eighth Army. Montgomery re-equipped the troops with new and heavier tanks sent from the United States.

The decisive battle of El Alamein was fought in October 1942. One thousand massed guns opened with an intense barrage. The British armoured tanks advanced. Unable to break through, Rommel ordered a general retreat.

He lost some 60,000 men, 500 tanks and 1000 guns. Within a few weeks, Tobruk and Benghazi were again occupied by the British. In January 1943 Tripoli fell and the Allied forces were within striking distance of Tunis, the gateway to Italy.

Meanwhile, the Anglo-American forces under General Dwight Eisenhower landed in Morocco and Algeria on November 8, 1942. The Allies hoped to close in on Tunis before German reinforcements could be concentrated there.

During January and February 1943 powerful attacks were launched against American forces along the Algeria-Tunisia border. But by early March they had checked the assault and affected a junction with the British forces under Montgomery on April 7.

On May 5, the Allies won a decisive victory. More than 2,50,000 Germans and Italians were taken prisoner. It was a decisive Axis defeat as within a week the entire Axis forces in Africa surrendered. It made possible the next steps — an attack by the Allies upon the Balkans and upon Italy and was the prelude to the collapse of Mussolini’s regime.

The invasion of Italy began in early July. On July 9, 1943, the Allied forces numbering about 13 divisions, landed on the coast of Sicily and quickly overcame the Italian defence. On July 25, 1943, King Victor Emmanuel dismissed Mussolini and took him into custody. The King entrusted the Government to Marshal Badoglio who opened secret negotiations with the Allies.

On September 3, Badoglio signed an armistice, amounting to unconditional surrender. The Allies crossed from Sicily to the Italian mainland. Despite the resistance of the Germans, the Allied forces captured Naples by October 1. Meanwhile, the Nazis had freed Mussolini from prison and the latter set up a puppet Fascist republic. At last on June 4, 1944, the Allied forces entered Rome.

Question 5. What were the political consequences of the Second World War?
Answer:

The political consequences of the Second World War are

The political consequences of the war were immense. The immediate consequence was the disappearance of the German State. In accordance with the decisions reached at Yalta, Germany was divided into four zones, to be occupied and administered by Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Soviet zone would cover the eastern part of the country, while the western part would comprise zones for Britain, the United States and France.

In each zone, authority was vested in the military commander of the occupying power, and the four commanders together constituted a ‘Control Council’ for Germany as a whole. Berlin was divided into four sectors as occupied by four powers.

Each power behaved in its own way in its own zone presaging the division of Germany into the German Democratic and German Federal Republic.

Germany had to suffer great territorial losses, Russia getting the northern part, East Prussia including Konigsberg and Poland obtaining Danzig, Upper and Lower Silesia, eastern Brandenburg, most of Pomerania, and a southern strip of East Prussia.

In addition, Aloace-Lorraine was restored to France; Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium; the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia Austria was detached and divided into zones for Allied military occupation, and the Saar basin was put under French control.

Russia emerged from the war with enlarged territory. Apart from retaining all the territory – Karelia, the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Polish White Russia, Bessarabia, northern Bukovina, acquired as a result of the German-Soviet Pact, she added East Prussia and Ruthenia, East Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Bulgaria. In Asia, she added the Kurile Islands, South Sakhalin, Dairen and Port Arthur. Russia showed tremendous resilience after the war.

The Second World War diminished Britain’s strength and crippled her economic resources. France had to suffer much during four years of Nazi occupation and in the difficult months after liberation.

The situation was made worse by unusually severe winters in 1945-46 and 1946-47. The existence of various political groups and activities of the communists weakened France. The difficulty was increased by De Gaulle’s resignation on January 20, 1946.

It was not until the establishment of the second parliament of the Fourth Republic that France could become politically stable. Italy became a Republic (1946) with no overseas colonies, impoverished, but able to recover economically.

The Second World War shifted the balance of power. Out of the war emerged two great world powers the United States and the Soviet Russia. Both had been strong states before the war, but in the years that immediately followed it they became the arbiters of the international events.

In the struggle between two ideologies democracy and communism, the latter emerged with remarkable strength. During 1946-47 the Governments of Poland, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria Albania, Rumania, Flungary, and Czechoslovakia were converted, step by step, into virtual communist dictatorships. Democratic monarchies were restored in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The divisions of the world into two ideologies led to significant new political alignments. During the war Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States were allied against Germany, Italy and Japan. Not long after the war almost complete reversal of alignment took place.

The United States came to lean heavily on the support of West Germany, Japan and Italy. Conversely, Russia, Communist China, and their allies became another bloc.

Thus, the post-war world saw a growing tension among the Allies, between East and West, and more specifically between Russia and the United States. To counteract communism, the Western responses were the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet rejoinder. Thus old conflicts subsided into new discords and the result was not peace but a ‘cold war’. After the Second World War, a third force emerged which refused to join either of the two sides in the Cold War. India became one of the two important leaders of the uncommitted or non-aligned powers, most of which were Afro-Asian.

Class ix History Question Answer

Question 6. What was Hitler’s contribution to the origin of World War II?
Answer:

Hitler’s Policy Aggression: When Hitler assumed supreme power in 1934, he made no secret of his intentions. He meant to reverse the verdict of Versailles, redeem Germany’s honour and establish her unchallenged dominance in Europe.

At first, he proceeded with caution. In March 1935 he introduced conscription and began to rearm openly on a large scale in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In March 1936 Hitler occupied the demilitarised Rhineland.

In November 1936 Germany and Japan signed an Anti-Commintern Pact. In 1937 Italy joined the Pact and thus was formed the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis. In November 7937 Hitler announced that Germany’s basic need was greater living space to be attained only through military conquest.

In March 1938 Hitler marched troops on Austria and annexed it. Thereafter Hitler demanded Sudetenland, a portion of Czechoslovakia where three million Germans lived. The situation seemed ripe for the outbreak of a war.

But Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, was opposed to war. He seemed ready to believe that by permitting Germany to annex Sudetenland Hitler would be appeased and there would be no war. At the Munich Pact (October 1, 1938), Hitler got a free hand to annex the Sudetenland. But it was only six months afterwards, Hitler conquered the whole of Czechoslovakia.

Hitler’s Demand on Poland: On March 27, 1929, Hitler seized Memel, a port of Lithuania. In April, Italy occupied Albania. Simultaneously, Hitler demanded from Poland Danzig and the narrow corridor that separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany.

This was too much for Chamberlain. On March 31, he guaranteed Polish independence and France did likewise. On April 5, Poland accepted the Franco-British guarantee as a mutual obligation.

As the situation worsened, Britain introduced conscription. On May 22, 1939, was signed a ten-year alliance between Italy and Germany, the so-called ‘Pact of Steel’ which provided for immediate military aid in case either signatory became involved in hostilities. Meanwhile, attempts were made, though half-heartedly, by the Western Powers, to draw the Soviet Union with them.

But on August 23, the world was surprised by the news of the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Events moved swiftly. At dawn, on September 1, 1939, Germany, without declaring war, attacked Poland. Fifty hours later, on September 3, Britain declared war against Germany. France joined the war at once.

Question 7. Write how democracy was under strain between the two World Wars.
Answer:

Democracy versus Dictatorship: After the end of the First World War the victorious Allies remade Europe under the slogan of ‘self-determination’. It seemed that an age of democracy had dawned.

It was believed that all states were progressing uniformly towards parliamentary politics. In 1920 almost all countries of Europe (except Russia) were under democracy. But surprisingly, after twenty years, prior to the Second World War most European states were dictatorships.

The authoritarian rule of one man and a single party came to be established in those countries. Clearly, democracy was on the back foot. R. J. Overy has said that the apparent decline of progress (democracy) sustained a sense of crisis throughout the inter-war years.

Democracy Under Strain: Before discussing the question of why dictatorship replaced democracy, it is better to know what was meant by the ‘democratic’ state and what were its ideals. The features of democracy include open-minded critical enquiry and ‘mutual regard and compromise’.

The opposition functions as a legitimate partner of the ruling party in the democratic system. Democracy refuses to go by one-party rule and recognizes ‘individual liberty’,

Democracy also envisages the extension of voting rights (suffrage) and stimulating the powers of representative institutions like parliament. Unfortunately, democracy everywhere in Europe soon came under severe strain.

The causes may be described as follows :

(1)Economic crises such as inflation in the post-War Europe. The Great Depression led to tariff barriers and disruption of trade.

(2)Some of the states suffered racial discrimination as a result of conflicting ethnic groups.

(3) Social disruption was caused due to growing hostilities towards the regime of different social classes.

(4) The economic, racial and social crises had a serious impact the political parties in different democracies.

(5) In such a state of affairs what was needed was a stable political framework to restore firm resolve to preserve democracy which was missing.

(6) The trend leading away from democracy was assisted by another defect that existed in some of the new constitutions.

For instance, the Weimar Constitution of Germany gave the President of the Republic emergency powers as and when he needed them. Thus Germany became authoritarian under the Weimar Republic. This made the political atmosphere for the rise of a dictator like Hitler.

(1) It has been pointed out by historian Stephen J. Lee that the weakening of the democracies was also due to the absence of any really popular statesman during the inter-war period. Contrarily, the dictators of the period had tremendous popularity. The masses were tempted by their charisma.

(2) Thus weakness of democracy and the simultaneous emergence of great personalities, who were opposed to democracy, paved the way for the emergence of dictatorship in Europe.

Question 8. What were the causes of the defeat of the Axis Powers in the Second World War?
Answer: In the Second World War (1939-45) the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) were defeated by the Allied powers (England, France, Russia, U.S.A. and China).

The causes of the defeat of the Axis Powers are as follows: 

(1) The Axis Powers were not equipped for a major world war and could not withstand the combined attack of three advanced nations like Britain, U.S.A. and the Soviet Union.

(2) Germany produced all sorts of wonderful gadgets during World War II—except the one that mattered the atomic bomb. Germany’s nuclear project was disjointed and poorly supported.

(3) Hitler relied on the strength of the German airforce which was outnumbered due to the entry of the U.S.A and the Soviet Union.

(4) The German attackers believed that Soviet Communism was a corrupt and primitive system that would collapse. But the air and tank armies were reorganised and the technology available was hastily modernised to match the GermAnswer

(5) Spain was a member of the Axis Powers during the war, but it never committed troops to the effort. Led by Fascist dictator Francisco Franco, the country steadfastly refused to enter into the thrall.

(6) The Allied Powers who wanted to establish democracy had world sympathy behind them, which the Axis Powers failed to ‘get.

(7) The people of the territories Conquered by the German armies were harshly treated and the Nazis faced opposition from the conquered territories.

(8) Intrigue among the German Generals also contributed to the defeat of Germany.

(9) When U.S.A. joined the war, the power of the Allies exceeded all that Germany, Japan and her allies could summon together and led to the defeat of Germany.

(10) Hitler’s high ambition and dominating nature were also responsible for his failure. He was suspicious and even distrusted his lieutenants like Goering and Himmler, which brought about his downfall.

WBBSE Solutions for Class 9 History and Environment