Diplomacy: To what extent was German foreign policy successful in the 1930s?

Question 1

Intro/thesis

Question 2

Paragraphs

Answer 2

-Successful in gaining territory

-Successful in gaining allies

-Failures of foreign policy

Question 3

Successful in gaining territory- examples

Answer 3

-Remilitarization of Rhineland in March 1936: Hitler marched into the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone in German territory. By having German troops in the Rhineland, without any intervenition (this violated the ToV and Locarno treaties), German morale was boosted and Hitler became enboldened. France did not intervene and the League did not condemn this action.

-Anschluss (March 1938): This was the German Union with Austria, which it officially annexed.

-Sudetenland Crisis and Munich Agreement (Sept 1938) + occupied rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939

Question 4

Successful in gaining territory- explanation & historiography

Answer 4

-Through the Anschluss, Hitler was fulfilling his policy of a Greater German Reich. The annexation provided Germany with more resources, especially raw materials. The lack of intervention due to Br and Fr needing time to rearm and prepare for war further encouraged German expansionism.

-Historians debate whether Hitler’s foreign policy was well thought- out or opportunistic. Hitler had no plans to carry out the Anschluss - therefore opportunistic in timing and methods.

Question 5

Successful in gaining allies- examples

Answer 5

-Rome Berlin Axis (October 1936) and Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan (November 1936):

-The Nazi-Soviet Pact of August 1939 paved the way for the joint invasion and occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union that September. This was an agreement of conveneicnce (ideological enemies)

Question 6

Successful in gaining allies- explanation and historiography

Answer 6

-These agreements strengthened the coalition between German and Italy and paved the way for the Pact of Steel, which consolidated the Axis alliance. Although the Anti-Comintern Pact was primarily symbolic, it announced that neither country was diplomatically isolated.

-The Pact of Steel in May 1939 assured Hitler that after the declaration of war, he would have a strong ally in Europe, as Italy agreed to support it in the case of war.

-Kershaw emphasizes the significance of these pacts in giving Germany confidence, highlighting the uncertainty of Western democracies, and reinforcing Hitler’s powerful position

Question 7

Failures of foreign policy- examples

Answer 7

-After Hitler annexed the city of Memel from Lithuania in March 1939, Britain and France countered these moves by guaranteeing armed assistance to Poland in the event of a German invasion.

-Italian weaknesses- not ready for war