History Module 3: Hitler's Foreign Policy

Question 1

Describe the events in February and March of 1938 that led to Anschluss.

Answer 1

1. Hitler pressured Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg to appoint pro-Nazi government.
2. Schuschnigg announced referendum on Austrian independence.
3. Hitler threatened military invasion, demanding Schuschnigg’s resignation.
4. Germany annexed Austria without resistance.

Question 2

Describe the increasing militarism of Italy in the 1930s.

Answer 2

1. Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, showcasing military power in 1935.
2. Increased military spending, expanded army, navy, air force.
3. Intervened in Spanish Civil War.
4. Formed Rome-Berlin Axis with Germany.

Question 3

Describe the increasing militarism of Japan in the 1930s.

Answer 3

1. Invaded Manchuria in 1931, establishing puppet state.
2. Withdrew from League of Nations following Manchurian Incident condemnation.
3. Increased military budget, expanded army and navy.
4. Launched full-scale invasion of China in 1937.

Question 4

What was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935?

Answer 4

1. Bilateral agreement between Britain and Germany.
2. Allowed Germany to expand its navy.
3. Set German naval strength at 35% of Britain’s.
4. Contravened Versailles Treaty’s naval limitations on Germany.

Question 5

What part did Germany’s armed forces play in the Spanish Civil War?

Answer 5

1. Sent Condor Legion, including pilots and aircraft.
2. Provided military equipment and advisors to Nationalist forces.
3. Tested tactics and technology later used in WWII.
4. Bombarded Guernica, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties.

Question 6

Describe the main aims of Hitler’s foreign policy.

Answer 6

1. Overturn Versailles Treaty, reclaim lost territories.
2. Achieve Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe.
3. Establish German dominance in Europe.
4. Promote racial purity, supremacy of Aryan race.

Question 7

Describe what happened in the Saar in 1935.

Answer 7

1. League of Nations held a plebiscite.
2. Saar population voted on reunification with Germany.
3. Over 90% voted for reunification.
4. Saar transferred to Germany in March 1935.

Question 8

Describe the reactions of Britain and France to the remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936.

Answer 8

1. Britain viewed it as a reasonable German action.
2. France felt threatened but lacked British support for action.
3. Neither country took military action against Germany.
4. Emboldened Hitler, demonstrating Western powers’ appeasement policy.

Question 9

What did Hitler do to break the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 9

1. Reintroduced conscription, expanding the German military.
2. Remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936.
3. Annexed Austria in the Anschluss of 1938.
4. Occupied Czechoslovakia beyond the Sudetenland in 1939.

Question 10

What was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935?

Answer 10

1. Bilateral agreement between Britain and Germany.
2. Allowed Germany to expand its navy.
3. Set German naval strength at 35% of Britain’s.
4. Contravened Versailles Treaty’s naval limitations on Germany.

Question 11

Describe the events in Sudetenland

Answer 11

1. Hitler demanded Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia, citing German oppression.
2. Munich Agreement granted Sudetenland to Germany, 1938.
3. No Czechoslovak representation at Munich negotiations.
4. Led to further German expansion into Czechoslovakia.

Question 12

Give arguments for appeasement

Answer 12

1. Aimed to avoid another devastating world war.
2. Believed Treaty of Versailles treated Germany too harshly.
3. Economic difficulties made military confrontation undesirable.
4. Hoped Hitler’s demands were limited, would stabilize Europe.

Question 13

What was the ‘Greater Germany’ that Hitler aimed to establish?

Answer 13

1. Unite all German-speaking peoples in one nation.
2. Incorporate Austria, Sudetenland, other territories into Germany.
3. Establish German dominance in Central Europe.
4. Based on racial ideology, excluding non-Aryans.

Question 14

Give arguments against appeasement

Answer 14

1. Encouraged Hitler’s aggression, escalating demands.
2. Undermined collective security, League of Nations’ authority.
3. Allowed military buildup, making war more likely.
4. Sacrificed small nations’ sovereignty, betraying principles of self-determination.

Question 15

What benefits did uniting with Austria offer Hitler?

Answer 15

1. Increased territory and population under German control.
2. Strategic military positioning against Czechoslovakia and Italy.
3. Enhanced economic resources, including Austrian industry.
4. Fulfilled nationalist goal of German-speaking unification.

Question 16

What did Hitler hope his foreign policy would achieve?

Answer 16

1. Overturn the Treaty of Versailles restrictions.
2. Expand Germany for Lebensraum in the East.
3. Unite all German-speaking people.
4. Establish German dominance in Europe.

Question 17

What was meant by the ‘lebensraum’ proposed by Hitler in his foreign policy?

Answer 17

1. Living space for the German people.
2. Expansion into Eastern Europe, especially Russia.
3. Removal or enslavement of non-German populations.
4. Agricultural and resource exploitation for Germany’s benefit.

Question 18

Describe what happened in the Rhineland in 1936.

Answer 18

1. Germany remilitarised the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
2. Moved troops into the demilitarised zone.
3. Faced minimal opposition from Britain and France.
4. Bolstered Hitler’s confidence and power domestically and internationally.

Question 19

Describe Hitler’s policy towards Czechoslovakia in 1938-39.

Answer 19

1. Demanded Sudetenland’s annexation, claiming German population oppression.
2. Munich Agreement granted Sudetenland to Germany without resistance.
3. Occupied remaining Czech territories in March 1939.
4. Slovakia declared independence under German protection.

Question 20

What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Answer 20

1. Non-aggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union.
2. Signed on August 23, 1939.
3. Secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
4. Enabled German invasion of Poland, starting WWII.

Question 21

What was agreed at Munich in 1938?

Answer 21

1. Sudetenland ceded to Germany.
2. Britain, France, Italy, and Germany participated.
3. Czechoslovakia excluded from negotiations.
4. Aimed to appease Hitler and avoid war.

Question 22

Describe the takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1938-39.

Answer 22

1. Sudetenland annexed after Munich Agreement, 1938.
2. Hitler occupied Czech lands, violating Munich terms, March 1939.
3. Slovakia declared independence, became German puppet.
4. Completed German control over Czechoslovakia.

Question 23

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact?

Answer 23

1. Anti-Communist pact between Germany and Japan.
2. Signed in 1936.
3. Aimed at opposing Comintern’s influence.
4. Italy joined in 1937, expanding the alliance.