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
Anschluss
- Schuschnigg became concerned that Austrian Nazis were exploiting his concessions
- -> called a national referendum to strengthen his own position
- 11th March 1938, ultimatum given to Schuschnigg demanding that he give all of his power to the Nazis or Austria will be invaded
- Arthur Seyss-Inquart took chancellery by force
- 12th March, allowed German/Nazi troops to enter Austria
- Plebiscite held showed a lot of support for Anschluss
What was the international response to Anschluss?
- directly undermined the Treaty of Versailles which stated that there was to be no Anschluss between Germany and Austria
- France and Britain formally protested but did not officially take any action agaisnt Hitler
- Italy did not react; she had grown closer to Germany in the German-Italian axis, Italy was heavily involved in the Spanish civil war and could not afford to be distracted
In what position was Czechoslovakia in early 1938?
- The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (signed Sept. 1919 by allies and the Republic of German-Austria) stated that Czechoslovakia was its own state (prev. part of Austro-Hungarian Empire)
- Czechoslovakia was very vulnerable after Anschluss as it was surrounded by Germany on 3/4 sides
- the Sudetenland had a German population of 3.5 million
- Feb 1938, Hitler made a public announcement that promised Germans outside of Germany protection (early sign of the Czechoslovakian crisis)
What were the consequences of the Hossbach Conference?
- H.’s aggressive foreign policy alarmed some generals
- Fritsch and Blomberg were forced out in 1938 and the army high command restructured
- March 1938, Ribbentrop became Foreign Minister, in place of Von Neurath = tighter control over foreign policy
- an offensive war plan against Czechoslovakia was developed
Why did Hitler want to annex parts of Czechoslovakia?
- the Sudetenland, the mountainous north-western region of Czechoslovakia, was largely German speaking
- -> the mountains are a powerful natural defence
- -> Hitler believed that the German-speaking minority in Czechoslovakia should be part of the Reich
- -> the Sudetenland was rich in raw materials and was famous for its engineering (skoda founded there)
How did Anschluss with Austria help to strengthen Germany’s position?
- Hitler had shown Britain and France’s weakness in their unwillingness to react
- Austria’s gold-reserves and mineral deposits of iron-ore, copper and lead were of great value to Germany
- Hitler had overturned the balance of power in central Europe
- the Western half of Czechoslovakia was encircled by Germany
- the Nazis now had control of the Danube valley from Vienna, providing a gateway into eastern Europe
What were possible barriers a German invasion of Czechoslovakia?
- Czechoslovakia’s mountains in the Sudetenland were backed up by fortifications and created a natural barrier at the border
- Czechoslovakia had a fairly modern army
- Czechoslovakia was one of the little genuinely democratic states in Europe
- Czechoslovakia had made military alliances with France (1924) and the USSR (1935)
what were the events of the Czech Crisis?
- April 1938, Konrad Henlein (leader of the Sudeten Germans) presented Milan Hodza (Prime Minister) with the Karlsbad Programme (a list of demands)
- -> the demands more or less included full autonomy for the Sudetenland, a full revision of Czech foreign policy and detaching from France, reparations for the suffering of the Sudeten Germans
- -> Britain and France told Czechoslovakia to comply with the unacceptable demands out of concern for rising tensions
- -> Britain sent out its navy to show her annoyance
- -> France called out its reserve forces
How was the Czech crisis resolved?
- 22nd Sept 1938, Hitler met with Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister
- -> states that he believes the Sudetenland should be part of Germany (not only autonomous)
- Sept, Munich Conference set up with the goal of resolving the Czech crisis
- -> attended by France, Britain, Germany, Italy (Czechoslovakia not invited)
- It was agreed that by the beginning of Oct, Germany would occupy the Sudetenland (no referendum)
How did the Czech crisis continue?
- March 1939, Hitler summoned Emil Hacha (Czechoslovakian president) to the Reich Chancellory in Berlin and deliberately kept him waiting for hours, then screamed at him
- -> pressured him to agree to give Germany more Czechoslovakian territory
- 15th March 1939, Bohemia and Moravia became western provinces of Germany
- Slovakia became a German protectorate or a puppet state (Hungary also claimed some of Slovakia)
- Hitler also pressured Lithuania to return Memel to Germany (lost under the Treaty of Versailles)
How did the Allies react to Germany overturning the Munich Agreement?
- Britain and France were seriously worried however once again failed to take any real action
–> March 1939, Anglo-French military guarantee signed, agreed to uphold Poland’s independence and therefore assist if Hitler attacked
= end of appeasement
Why did each side agree to the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
- Hitler needed to avoid a war on two fronts
- Stalin was not ready for war
How did the Nazi-Soviet Pact come about?
- negotiations between western European states and the USSR were stagnating
- trade talks between Germany and the USSR began in July of 1939
- -> one month later the ten year Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact was signed (included secret clauses which recognised spheres of influence of the two powers in Europe, specifically agreeing to divide Poland between the two powers)
