Nazi Foreign Policy Flashcards
What was ‘Lebensraum’?
The Nazi belief that Germany was entitled to ‘living space’, especially in eastern Europe (especially Poland and Russia) to create a Nazi racial empire at the expense of Slavic people
–> This had been mentioned by Hitler in Mein Kampf
How did the Nazis feel about the Treaty of Versailles?
They believed that is was unfair and a national humiliation
–> Hitler had promised to literally tear up the treaty; he would not accept any territorial changes, military restrictions, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, and he would refuse to pay any reparations
How did the Nazis feel about Austria?
Hitler believed in a greater Germany that included Austria and all ‘Germanic peoples’
Wanted Anschluss
(unlike Bismarck, who’s foreign policy had excluded Austria from the second Reich)
How did the Nazis feel about communism?
They detested it and had promised to eradicate it in Germany
–> This caused a lot of hostility towards the USSR
How did Germany fare in terms of resources?
She lacked natural resources, especially iron and coal
How did the League of Nations come across in 1933?
The League of Nations was clearly quite weak
- the USA was not a member
- the clearly didn’t like to get involved in issues which concerned powerful members (Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931)
- the economic consequences of the Great Depression caused these countries to prioritise domestic issues and avoid foreign intervention
How did Hitler decide to deal with international politics in 1933?
- Oct 1933, Hitler withdrew from the League of Nations’ Disarmament Conference, and the League itself (France refused to accept the proposal for Germany and herself to have equal numbers and military parity of land forces)
- Instead Hitler preferred to make bilateral agreements with other countries (similar to the New Plan’s economic tactics)
Non-aggression pact with Poland
Jan 1934, Germany signed a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland
Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Polish non-aggression pact?
- to break up France’s system of alliances in eastern Europe
- to undermine the international system of politics (League of Nations)
- to secure Germany’s eastern borders while the west were dealt with
Why did the Austrian Crisis come about?
- the Treaty of Versailles had banned Anschluss between Austria and Germany (to prevent Germany from becoming too powerful again)
- Hitler believed in a greater Germany that included Austria (he was Austrian, and his claim to being German was based on Austria being a part of Germany)
How did the Austrian Crisis begin?
1934, Austrian chancellor was Engelbert Dollfuss, a clerical fascist who Hitler didn’t particularly like
- -> Hitler tried to undermine the Austrian government by sending many other Nazis
- -> Dollfuss assassinated by these Nazis, 25th July 1934
- -> These efforts were undermined by other Austrian fascists like Kurt Von Schuschnigg who succeeded Dollfuss as Chancellor
- -> The German government tried to use this as an excuse to intervene and send in troops
How was the Austrian Crisis Resolved?
(July 1934) Mussolini sent 40,000 Italian troops to the Brenner Pass (the Austrian-Italian border)
–> Mussolini believed that Austria was an important buffer state between Italy and Germany
- Mussolini then met with Schuschnigg twice to clearly display his support for Austrian independence
= scared Hitler off, highlighting the limitations of Nazi power at the time
What was the situation in the Saar?
the Saar = small area below the Rhineland, had been under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years
–> the Treaty of Versailles allowed for a plebiscite for the people of the region to see if they wanted to remain under the control of the French government or to become part of Germany
The Saar 1935
Hitler campaigned for the plebiscite
- the people of the Saar voted in a free and fair plebiscite which was carried out by the League of Nations
- -> 97% voted ‘yes’ to return to Germany
- 1st March 1935, the Saar was reincorporated into Germany
How did Hitler begin to defy the Treaty of Versailles?
- March 1935, Hitler formally renounced the Treaty’s military restrictions by announcing the existence of the ‘Luftwaffe’
- then introduced conscription
- then introduced a peacetime army of 550,000
Internationally what was the reaction to Hitler defying the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
- Hitler justified his actions by insisting that other countries were doing the same
- April 1935, Britain, France, and Italy called the Stresa Conference
- -> Issued the Stresa Declaration which was a statement in which they formally condemned Germany’s rearmament (took no real action)
- Hitler was correct in perceiving that this was not a firm alliance
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
June 1935, Hitler made a bilateral agreement with with Britain = allowed Germany to increase its navy to no more than 35% the size of Britain’s naval fleet
–> undermined the Stresa front and the Treaty of Versailles
What happened to Danzig?
- Danzig was traditionally a German city, until it became a free city/part of Poland under the Treaty of Versailles
- Nazis began winning seats on the Danzig senate, until in 1938 they had 70/72 seats and began to undermine control from within
- -> began to pass laws against Jews and govern the city as though it was a part of Germany
Danzig Senate Stats
1933; Nazis held 39/72 seats
1935; Nazis held 43/72 seats
1938; Nazis held 70/72 seats
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
March 1936
- a real gamble for Germany; Germany had only started to build up her armed forces and the Wehrmacht was not at great enough strength to withstand an attack from France
- Ultimately Hitler gained a lot of popularity in Germany as he was able stand up to Britain and France, and achieve his aims with no bloodshed
- undermined the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact
What was the reaction to the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
1936
- Britain was more concerned about keeping its naval pact with Germany so it did not react
- France did not want to act alone, so it did not react
- international politics at the time was focused on the Italian invasion of Abyssinia
Rome-Berlin Axis
November 1936, Germany and Italy were very aligned:
- (effectively another bilateral agreement)
- Mussolini was drawn towards an alliance with Germany due to the Ethiopian crisis and Britain and France’s criticism of him
- Spanish civil war revealed another common focus between the two
- ideologically aligned
events leading up to Anschluss
1938
- Schuschnigg visited Mussolini in 1937 and was told that Austria could not rely on Italian support
- the German Nazis pressured Schuschnigg to give Seyss-Inquart a large role in the Austrian government
- -> Feb 1938, Seyss-Inquart was appointed minister of the interior
- Feb 1938, Schuschnigg gave amnesty to all imprisoned for Dollfuss’ death
Hossbach Conference
5th Nov 1937, Hitler called a meeting in which he set out all of his foreign policy aims, and outlined 3 war scenarios:
- to take action in 1943-1945 when military preparations should be largely complete
- to exploit French internal problems and take action against Czechoslovakia
- to take action if France became involved in a war with another country so that she couldn’t defend herself
- those present; Hitler, Foreign Minister Von Neurath, War Minister Blomberg, three Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
