Nazi Foreign Policy Flashcards
Treaty of versailles:
October 1933- left the league of nations.
by breaking the peace promise between european nations, defying TOV and showing determination to strengthen germany independently
1935- reintroduced conscription and rearmament, brining army to 550000.
Ignoring 100000 limit in TOV, showing intention to defy further and implied preparation for conflict especially with practising in Spanish Civil War mid-1936.
March 1936- invaded the rhineland.
Land taken in TOV, expansion and military strength barred in TOV
Britain and France retrospectively saw the harsh nature of TOV and saw these acts as merely defending themselves from the bolsheviks to the east (and thus nation further west) and saw their expansion as “walking into their own backyard”
With Saarland rejoining in 1935 with 90% approval, was complete
Linker:
The major long term aim of Nazi foreign policy was to establish Greater Germamy: unifying all German speakers under the reich with the living space required for a new Aryan society to prosper.
Incorporation of germany speakers:
Big foundational step in establishing greater germany
-All pre-ww1 german nationals brought back into the reich by 1936 with the reclamation of Saarland and Rhineland, free to expand.
March 1938-Anschluss with Austria
- 8 million german speakers
- did not merit international animosity as austrian particularism saw themselves trying to form with germany since its inception
November 1938- Sudetenland Crisis
- 3 million german speakers
- Hitler ultimatum that apparent victimisation of german speakers in sudetenland, Czechslovakia would cause him to declare war.
Play on policy of appeasement- weakened from great war and the great depression knew they would go to great lengths to avoid conflict.
-Munch Conference gave germany the land without even consulting the Czechs.
-while yet to incorporate the worlds german speakers, over 10mil added i.e. Successful
Lebensraum
Claiming the territory necessary for a greater german society, and with it the resources for autarky-economic self sufficiency.
-Land taken claiming german speakers of Austria and Sudetenland and reclaiming those of the Rhineland and Saarland was highly useful towards this end
-over 120000km^2 and austrian natural mineral deposits and steel work)
But not enough for nationalistic vision
-in this way munich conference had been a setback in terms of the aim of lebensraum as the sudetenland crisis was primed to give german the moral grounds for the annexation of Czechoslovakia.
March 1939-Czechoslovakia invaded
- successful as almost 80000km^2 and abundant coal deposits
- but unsolicited aggression saw britain and france issue ultimatum that next invasion would mean war.
September 1939- conquer poland
- 125000km^2
- britain and france declare on the 3rd
Alliances and pacts:
Nazi foreign policy successfully used international pacts and alliances to allow their aims to prosper. (Playing further on policy of appeasement)
1936- Rome-Berlin Axis
&
August 1939- pact of steel
-allied militarily with Italy, discouraged Involvement of western powers in stopping German expansion as would escalate to a bigger war.
Non-aggression pacts served similar ends:
1934- pact with poland.
sees less planned resistance on German invasion
August 1939- pact with Russia
All but ensured Russia will not join WW1 allies unless action was taken directly against its borders.
Thesis:
Nazi foreign policy was highly successful in achieving its aims by 1939. In the few years since the initiation of The Nazi regime had accomplished their short term goal of repudiating the treaty of Versailles was complete and the foundational movements had been made in their long term goal of establishing Hitler’s vision of ‘Greater Germany.’
