Germany's international position Flashcards
1
Q
What was Stresemann’s policy of fulfilment
A
- had one clear aim -> revise the terms of the T of V.
- policy of fulfilment -> cooperate with France, GB and US and Italy on reparations and removing allied occupation forces from German territory.
-> believed occupation would lead to more revision of the T of V -> more effective then a confrontational approach.
2
Q
What was the Locarno Pact
A
- Stresemann aimed to restore international position and avoid hostile alliance between Britain and France.
-> finally signed in LDN on 1 Dec 1925: - Rhineland Pact: Germany, France and Belgium promise to respect the western frontier as drawn up at T of V in 1919.
-> regarded as fixed and guaranteed. - Germany was to keep its troops out of Rhineland, as demanded at Versailles.
- Arbitration Treaties: Agree with France, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia that any dispute would be settled by a conciliation committee with discussions.
- France sign ‘mutual guarantee’ with Poland and Czechoslovakia -> France makes sure German sticks to argument.
3
Q
What was the impact of the Locarno Pact
A
- major triumph, was the 1st time Germany recognised western border and accepted loss of Alsace-Lorraine to France and Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium.
- French guarantee support from Britain should there be another German attack.
- French agree to withdraw from Rhineland -> achieved over the next 5 years -> city of Cologne was evacuated in 1926.
- great achievement for Germany -> established Germany as a equal partner in negotiation with the allies.
-> nationalists attack Stresemann for trying to appease the Allies.
4
Q
What were relations with the USSR like
A
- similar post-war situations, despite different systems.
-> both suffered punitive peace treaties.
-> both treated as ‘outcast’ nations, not allowed to join the League of Nations. - April 1922, Walter Rathenau negotiates the Treaty of Rapallo.
- April 1926, the Treaty of Berlin.
5
Q
What was the Treaty of Rapallo
A
- April 1922, Walter Rathenau negotiates Treaty of Rapallo:
- Germany and Russia resumed trade and economic cooperation.
- All claims for compensation for war damage were dropped.
- Germany was allowed to develop new weapons and train pilots in Russia -> away from Allied Scrutiny.
-> allowed to build subs in Spain.
-> tanks and artillery were developed in Sweden.
6
Q
What was the impact of the Treaty of Rapallo
A
- a symbolic step away from post-war isolation.
- allies, especially France were angered.
-> revealed intention to work around disarmament terms and refusal to accept eastern border with Poland.
7
Q
What was the treaty of Berlin
A
- April 1926 -> renewed the earlier treaty of the Treaty of Rapallo.
- agreed that Germany would remain neutral if USSR were involved in the war, as long as the USSR were not aggressors.
- was signed after the Locarno Pact -> stresemann still aimed to secure revision of Eastern borders.
-> close relationship with the USSR was vital -> USSR would resist any border changes it didn’t agree with.
8
Q
How did the allies attempt to ensure Germany would comply with disarmament clause
A
- an Inter-Allied Control Commission (IMCC) was established to monitor them.
-> however Treaty of Apollo showed Germany could find ways of getting around the disarmament clauses.
9
Q
How did Germany get around the term of the limited army capacity
A
- Under Germany Von Seeckt -> army found ways of getting around limit of the size of the army.
-> most recruits were enlisted for short periods
-> received military training.
-> ensured a reserve of highly trained men who could be recalled to the army at short notice. - Von Seeckt aimed to restore military might by working to alliance with USSR -> aimed to destroy Poland.
-> Politicians Rathenau and stresemann turned a blind eye to the extent of military cooperation. - secret rearmament driven by Army leaders -> tacit approved (secret approval) by politicians.
10
Q
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact
A
- 1928 -> Frank Kellogg and Aristotle Briand drew up international agreement under which states would agree to voluntarily renounce the use of offensive wars to resolve disputes.
-> Germany was one of the 1st states to sign. - Symbolic importance of international agreement to avoid war.
- however there was lack of any enforcement mechanism which limited its effectiveness.
11
Q
Explain the end of allied occupation
A
- withdrawal was as a step-by-step process -> involved compromise and concession on both side.
- after the Dawes Plan (1924) and Locarno Pact (1925) provided evidence of cooperation -> occupation withdrawn from zone 1 of Rhineland in 1926
-> also withdrew the IMCC. - Once the Young Plan (1929) agreed on by the Germany -> withdrawal was clearly appropriate.
-> withdrew from zone 3 in 1930 -> was 5 years ahead of schedule of T of V.