Which region was a source of tension due to its large German-speaking population before WWII?

Which region was a source of tension due to its large German-speaking population before WWII?

• A. Rhineland
• B. Sudetenland
• C. Holodomor
• D. Holocaust

Answer: (B)

Tensions in Europe before World War II grew from ethnic nationalism and territorial claims tied to German populations outside Germany. The Sudetenland had a large German-speaking population within Czechoslovakia, and many there sought autonomy or union with Germany. Hitler used this to press for annexation, leading to the Munich Agreement and the Sudetenland’s annexation, which weakened Czechoslovakia and emboldened Nazi expansion. Rhineland was about rearmament and border violation rather than a large German-speaking population; Holodomor refers to a Ukrainian famine, and the Holocaust describes widespread genocide, not a regional source of prewar tension.

Tensions in Europe before World War II grew from ethnic nationalism and territorial claims tied to German populations outside Germany. The Sudetenland had a large German-speaking population within Czechoslovakia, and many there sought autonomy or union with Germany. Hitler used this to press for annexation, leading to the Munich Agreement and the Sudetenland’s annexation, which weakened Czechoslovakia and emboldened Nazi expansion. Rhineland was about rearmament and border violation rather than a large German-speaking population; Holodomor refers to a Ukrainian famine, and the Holocaust describes widespread genocide, not a regional source of prewar tension.