Section C Flashcards
Describe German-Poland relations pre 1933?
Germany and Poland had always had a history of enmity which was worsened when the Treaty of Versailles gave land to Poland and created the polish corridor
Who did Poland look to make alliances with?
What was the consequence?
-in 1936 the Poles said they were willing to support France if they decided to drive German troops out of the Rhineland in 1936.
-Although the French never did this, the poles had shown themselves as willing to fight Germany
Describe German polish relations from 1935 to 1937
1935; Germany wanted to show she was willing to negotiate over the polish corridor
up to 1937; several high level meetings in which the Nazis tried to make a more formal alliance with Poland that included military support in the event of a war
What did Germany say they wanted to establish with Poland in a military alliance?
The right to build road links to East Prussia, and even floated the idea of a mutual war against the USSR, offering the poles the Ukraine if they won
HOWEVER - the poles resisted this knowing that an alliance with Germany could mean war with the USSR and they wanted to be seen as a valuable ally to both
What aggravated the Nazis about Poland?
Polands unwillingness to make a formal alliance
What did Hitler offer Poland in 1939?
He offered Poland to be part of the Anti-comintern pact in 1939 but he knew the poles would refuse this as it would mean war with the USSR
How did the balance of power shift in Eastern Europe in 1939?
The Nazi-Soviet pact and Pact of steel meant that Poland was now surrounded by Allies on both sides- The Nazi soviet pact secretly said that Germany and the USSR would invade Poland and divide it up between themselves
What evidence is there that the invasion of Poland was a political miscalculation?
It can be argued that Hitler did not believe the guarantee made by Britain and France to uphold polish independence if attacked, leading Hitler to calculate he could invade Poland without risking a world war
What did Hitler outline at the Hossbach memorandum 1937?
-Germany would require lebensraum
-The immediate aims of Anschluss (contravene TofV)
-The destruction of Czhecoslovakia (contravene TofV)
What supports the notion Hossbach demonstrates hitler had intended war
Obsessed with what was his impending death, Hitler, according to Hossbach, told the meeting that his discussion of policy should be regarded ‘in the event of death as his last will and testament’
How can Hossbach challenge an internationalist viewpoint?
There are clear deviations from Hitlers actual actions;
-No mention of war with Russia is made
-Only a campaign with Czechoslovakia is named, and this is in 1943 rather than 1939
YET it is clear from the memorandum Hitler was preparing for war
What was the Blomberg–Fritsch affair?
1938-
As documented in the Hossbach Memorandum, Hitler had been dissatisfied with the two high-ranking military officials concerned, Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch, regarding them as too hesitant with the war preparations he demanded. As a result, a marriage scandal and a manufactured accusation of homosexuality were used to remove Blomberg and Fritsch, respectively.
How does Anschluss support the idea that Hitler was an opportunist?
The timing of the Anschluss is Austria in March 1938 was driven by:
-The activities of the Austrian Nazi’s
-Italy’s pre-occupation with the Spanish civil war
-domestic problems in Britain and France (eg resignation of British foreign secretary Anthony eden)
When were Mein Kampf and zwites Buch published? What did they outline?
1925 and 1928 respectively
They outlined many FP aims which hitler made a reality after 1933. This included uniting German-speaking people; creating a lebensraum by expanding eastwards; and overturning the T of V
How did Hitler stray from his foreign policy w/ Poland outlined in Meinkampf?
He claimed Poland would serve as the gateway to creating lebensraum in the east.
Instead in January 1934, Hitler negotiated the Polish-German non-aggression pact to secure its eastern borders while the country developed the military
Was foreign policy changed when Hitler first came to power?
No- FP wasn’t immediately changed, he kept many of the foreign policy officials like Von Neurath until 1938
How can you justify the notion that external factors prevented Hitler from carrying out his ambitions outlined in Meinkampf?
Despite a military plan to “smash Czechoslovakia by military action” in May 1938, Hitler delayed his invasion and settled for the Munich agreement in September 1938.
Why did Hitler accept the Munich agreement?
-Mussolini’s unwillingness to provide military support
-The threat of a military response from Britain and France
How can the idea that Ribbentrop was responsible for the war be consolidated?
-Von Ribbentrop negotiated the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939. He said this pact was ‘my very own ideas which I urged on Hitler’
-in 1943, Goering remarked that ‘This war is Ribbentrop’s war’
How can the idea that Goering was responsible for the war be substantiated?
Goering pushed Hitler to be more aggressive and take Austria by force rather than diplomacy. Goering even told the tribunal at Nurmeburg ‘It was less the Fuhrer than I myself who set the pace
How was Hitlers vision of securing an alliance with Britain and Italy manifested in FP?
1936- Ribbentrop was sent to London with the aim of securing an agreement, demonstrating evidence of l/t planning
What had German rulers historically always followed?
A policy of expansionism- Hitler continued on this path
What was the extent of German militarisation by 1939?
Hitler had 103 infantry divisions of 15,000 to 18,000 men; 3000 tanks and 2000 fighter and bomber planes
How many Sudetenland Germans were in the border of Czechoslovakia?
3.5 million sudeten Germans
