SECTION C

Question 1

Mein Kampf (1924)

Answer 1

Hitler described a clear set of goals as early as 1924. What he said in Mein Kampf was very close to what actually happened.

Question 2

Non-aggression Treaty with Poland (January 1934)

Answer 2

Both countries pledged to resolve their problems by bilateral negotiations and to forgo armed conflict for a period of ten years. Germany recognised Poland’s borders and wanted to end a damaging customs war that had lasted 10 years.

Question 3

Rhineland (1936)

Answer 3

Hitler took the opportunity provided in 1936 to re-occupy the Rhineland because he believed the international situation

Question 4

Hossbach Memorandum (1937)

Answer 4

This reaffirmed Hitler’s foreign policy goals and defined a timetable for its implementation.

Question 5

Re-armament (1935 onwards)

Answer 5

Hitler used the appeasement policies of Britain and France to deliberately defy them in March 1935 when he announced conscription into the army and creation of the Luftwaffe.

Question 6

Fritz Fischer

Answer 6

Hitler’s foreign policy was just a continuous trend from Otto von Bismarck’s imperialistic policies; that Hitler wanted an empire to protect German interests at a time of economic instability and pressure from competing global empires.

Question 7

Anschluss with Austria (1938)

Answer 7

This was the result of exploiting the opportunity provided by the Austrian government’s decision to call a plebiscite on the issue of union with Germany. Germany had no well-defined military plan for the takeover of Austria but responded at very short notice to the opportunity for action.

Question 8

Chamberlain’s visit (September 1938)

Answer 8

Hitler did not ask Chamberlain to visit him in 1938, but exploited the honourable intentions of the British PM as he began a process that led to the surrender of the Sudetenland.

Question 9

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939)

Answer 9

Hitler used the breakdown in relations between Britain-France and the Soviet Union to sign the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact to solidify his future actions against Poland and the Netherlands-Belgium.

Question 10

Dunkirk (1940)

Answer 10

Hitler achieved a stunning victory against the BEF but did not press home the advantage. Despite British propaganda claiming this was a British ‘victory’, Hitler could have wiped out the British armed forces. Why didn’t he?

Question 11

The Holocaust

Answer 11

While this was not pure ‘foreign policy’ – Hitler did oversee the Final Solution, which did involve organised exportation of Jews from other countries and is evidence of him following through with a clear intention/obsession.

Question 12

1933 – Quadripartite Agreement (a.k.a. Four Powers Pact)

Answer 12

Mussolini’s idea to calm down political tension in Europe by centralising decision making between the 4 ‘Great Powers’ of Italy, Britain, France and Germany actually had the opposite effect – smaller countries became very nervous

Question 13

1940 – Tripartite Agreement (a.k.a the Axis Alliance)

Answer 13

A pact between Germany, Italy and Japan, that stated that if any of them was attacked by any nation. NOT already involved in WWII, the others would intervene to defend or attack the new enemy.

Question 14

Sudetenland (1938)

Answer 14

This included a pledge that Hitler would not occupy the Tyrol as part of his Lebensraum policy.

Question 15

Lebensraum (from 1924 onwards)

Answer 15

From 1924, Hitler spoke of Lebensraum and the desire to destroy the USSR. From 1934, he started to gear up for war and very nearly achieved his goal; Operation Barbarossa was the largest invading land army in the history of mankind.

Question 16

Danzig (August, 1939)

Answer 16

Ribbentrop presented Poland with the proposition of renewing the 1934 Non-Aggression Pact in exchange for allowing the Free City of Danzig to be annexed by Germany and the construction of an extraterritorial motorway and railway through the Polish Corridor, with Germany accepting Poland’s postwar borders. Poland refused.

Question 17

Anglo/German naval agreement

Answer 17

1935 June -
This let German navy to have 1/3 of tonnage of British navy and equal tonnage of submarines.
Britain let this happen because it was to happen anyway and this way, Germany would have a limitation.

Question 18

Berchtesgaden (15 September 1938)

Answer 18

Hitler told Chamberlain that the Sudetenland was his last territorial aim in Europe and that he would be willing to go to war for it. Chamberlain gave it to him without consulting Czechoslovakia.

Question 19

Failed Anschluss (1934)

Answer 19

Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in Austria. Dollfuss banned the Nazi party but was killed. Mussolini honoured an agreement with Austria to defend it from German invasion.

Question 20

German-Austrian Agreement (1936)

Answer 20

This recognised the independence of Austria but the price was that Austria’s foreign policy had to be consistent with Germany’s. The agreement also allowed Nazis to hold official posts in Austria. Schuschnigg hoped this would appease Hitler. He was wrong.

Question 21

4-Year Plan (1936-40)

Answer 21

The primary purpose of the Four Year Plan was to provide for the rearmament of Germany, and to prepare the country for autarky.

Question 22

German ultimatum to Lithuania (1939)

Answer 22

Just days after annexing the Sudetenland, this made it clear to Chamberlain that appeasement was not working.