Hitler's Foreign Policy

Question 1

What were the aims of Hitler’s Foreign Policy?

Answer 1

• To abolish the TOV
• To expand German territory and gain Lebensraum (with land taken from Eastern Europe)
• To create a greater German Reich
• To destroy communism

Question 2

How were Stresemann and Hitler similar?

Answer 2

Their Foreign Policy aims were similar

Question 3

How were Stresemann and Hitler different?

Answer 3

Stresemann was willing to work cooperatively with other nations to achieve his aims peacefully. Whereas Hitler was prepared to use force.

Question 4

What did Hitler do in 1934?

Answer 4

From 1934 onwards, Hitler rearmed Germany

Question 5

What did this mean?

Answer 5

He had broke the Treaty of Versailles

Question 6

What did Britain, France and Italy do?

Answer 6

In alarm of the rearmament, Britain, France and Italy signed Stresa Front.

Question 7

What was Stresa Front?

Answer 7

Condemning Germany conscription and agreeing to stand together against German aggression

Question 8

What did Germany an Britain do in 1935?

Answer 8

Signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement

Question 9

What was this agreement?

Answer 9

A treaty between Britain and Germany; Germany’s navy was to be 35% of the Royal Navy

Question 10

What did this mean?

Answer 10

Germany’s navy was never able to challenge the Royal Navy.

Question 11

What did this ignore?

Answer 11

The Treaty of Versailles

Question 12

What collapsed?

Answer 12

Stresa Front

Question 13

What happened to the Saar Land in 1935?

Answer 13

They voted to rejoin Germany

Question 14

What did this mean for Germany?

Answer 14

It was a huge propaganda boost

Question 15

What did German armed forces do in 1936?

Answer 15

Re-enter the Rhineland

Question 16

What was Britain’s response to this?

Answer 16

“The Germans, after all are only going into their own back garden”

As the Rhineland was their own territory

Question 17

What did Italy and Germany work together on in 1936?

Answer 17

Rome-Berlin Axis - This was an agreement stating Italy and Germany would work together on matters of common interest.

Question 18

What was the Pact of Steel and when was it signed?

Answer 18

A full military alliance between Italy and Germany, so ending hopes that Britain and France would be able to drive a wedge between Hitler and Mussolini

Question 19

What did Hitler then signed with Japan?

Answer 19

Anti-Comintern Pact (anti-communist)

Question 20

What did Hitler do in 1938?

Answer 20

Anschluss with Austria

Question 21

What was Austria before the Anschluss?

Answer 21

An independent nation of 7 million people

Question 22

What did the Anschluss break?

Answer 22

The Treaty of Versailles

Question 23

What must we remember about the Anschluss?

Answer 23

Hitler had wanted an Anschluss with Austria as early as 1934 but Mussolini has defended Austrians independence. By 1938, Hitler and Mussolini had grown very close.

Question 24

What was important about the Sudetenland?

Answer 24

It was on the borders of Germany & Czechoslovakia
It was rich in materials
Contained much of Czechoslovakia’s defences
Population of 3.25 million German speaking people

Question 25

What did Hitler want with Sudetenland?

Answer 25

Hitler wanted these German speakers within the Reich

Question 26

What did Hitler threaten?

Answer 26

War unless he was given the Sudetenland

Question 27

What happened at the Munich Conference (Oct 1938)?

Answer 27

Britain, France, Italy and Germany decided that the Sudetenland should become German territory

Question 28

Who were not consulted?

Answer 28

The Czechs, nor Stalin's Soviet Union, which shared a border with Czechoslovakia

Question 29

What had Hitler been?

Answer 29

Appeased

Question 30

What happened to Czechoslovakia?

Answer 30

They became powerless and stripped of defences, industry and raw materials

Question 31

What did Neville Chamberlain have to say?

Answer 31

It was 'peace in our time'

Question 32

What is appeasement?

Answer 32

an attempt to avoid war by negotiating and making concessions.

Question 33

Why had appeasement been used?

Answer 33

The horrors of WW1 had been remembered and they wanted to avoid a war.

Question 34

What was Britain more concerned about?

Answer 34

Communism. They approved of Hitler's anti-communist policies

Question 35

What impact had the economic depression had?

Answer 35

It meant that Britain and France were not prepared to go to war. Appeasement gave Britain an extra year to prepare for war.

Question 36

What did Stalin suggest to Britain and France?

Answer 36

Signing a treaty to make the three countries stronger against German aggression

Question 37

Why did Britain and France decline this>?

Answer 37

Because they trusted communists even less than Hitler.

Question 38

What did they see Germany as?

Answer 38

A 'buffer' against the communist Soviet Union.

Question 39

What astonished Britain and France in 1939?

Answer 39

Germany and the Soviet Union (sworn enemies) signed the Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact in August 1939

Question 40

What did this Pact mean?

Answer 40

Hitler and Stalin had agreed not to go to war against each other

Question 41

What was Britain and France's reaction?

Answer 41

They were shocked

Question 42

What happened on September 1st 1939?

Answer 42

German troops invaded Poland

Question 43

What happened on September 3rd 1939?

Answer 43

Britain declared war on Germany.