Hitler's Foreign Policy Flashcards
1
Q
Aims and Objectives
A
- An end to the Treaty of Versailles
- The creation of a greater Germany which would unite all German-speaking peoples in Europe
- The movement of Germany’s borders to the east to create ‘living space’ (lebensraum)
2
Q
Germany leaves the League of Nations
A
- League of Nations disarmament conference 1933
- Hitler proposes that every country disarm to the level set for Germany in the Treaty of Versailles
- France reject proposal and Britain offers a compromise which Hitler rejects
- Germany withdraws from the League of Nations claiming it is the only country that wants to disarm
3
Q
Advances and Setbacks in 1934
A
- Hitler signs a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland
- Austrian prime minister Dollfuss is murdered by Nazi sympathisers.
- Mussolini ferars a Nazi coup d’etat in Austria and sends 40,000 to the Austrian border to prevent a takeover.
- Hitler orders the Austrian nazis to abandon plans for a coup d’etat
- Hitler’s image as a ‘man of peace’ is damaged.
4
Q
Germany begins to rearm 1935
A
- Hitler declares his intention of rearming Germany in contravention of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
- Army conscription is introduced
- Plans to increase German army from 100,000 to 550,000
- Britain, France and italy establish the ‘Stresa Front’ and condemn Hitler’s plans
- The Stresa Front collapses when Mussolini invades Abyssinia.
5
Q
Anglo-German Naval Agreement 1935
A
- Britain decides to look after its own interests
- Agreement with Germany to limit the size of the German Navy to 35% the size of the british navy
- U-Boats (submarines) excluded from the agreement
- Germany builds large numbers of U-Boats
- Hitler interprets agreement as a sign of weakness in Britain’s determination to prevent German expansion
6
Q
The Saar Plebiscite 1935
A
- Under the Treaty of Versailles the Saar coal-mining region of Germany was to remain under the control of League of Nations
- A plebiscite (vote / referendum) was held in 1935 to decide the regions future
- Massive majority voted to return to Germany
- Seen as approval for Hitler’s policies
7
Q
The Rhineland 1936
A
- Under the Treaty of Versailles the Rhineland was a ‘demilitarised zone’
- Hitler used the distraction of the Italian invasion of Abyssinia and the new Franco-Russian Pact as an excuse to occupy the Rhineland with 25,000 troops
- Hitler ordered his troops to withdraw if Britain or France showed any resistance. They didn’t.
- Beginning of a more aggressive foreign policy
8
Q
Appeasement 1936-1939
A
- Britain and France were unprepared for War
- British public opinion believed that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were too harsh on Germany
- Britain and France saw Nazi Germany as a safeguard against the spread of communism.
- From 1937 Hitler allowed to revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
9
Q
Anschluss 1938
A
- Nazis plotted to overthrow Austrian government
- Austrian Prime Minister wanted Hitler to guarantee Austrian independence
- Hitler demanded that Austrian Nazis be included in government
- Hitler masses troops on Austrian border
- Government resigns and Germans invited into Austria
10
Q
Czechslovakia 1938
A
- Hitler demands the Sudetenland and masses troops on the border in April
- Czech mobilise a large army to face down the Germans
- Hitler orders German troops away from the border and tries to put a brave face on the climb down
- Privately he is intent on smashing the Czech army
11
Q
The Munich Agreement 1938
A
- In September Chamberlain intervenes to try and negotiate a compromise on the Sudetenland
- Hitler demands that the Sudetenland is returned to Germany
- Britain and France prepare for war
- At Munich Britain, France, Italy and Germany agree that the Sudetenland is returned to Germany
- Abandoned by its allies Czechslovakia is forced to accept the agreement
- Chamberlain declares that the Munich Agreement means ‘peace in our time’
12
Q
Nazi- Soviet Pact August 1939
A
- In preparation for war the Nazis sign a 10 year non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union
