Timeline of Foreign Polcy Events Flashcards
Nazi Foreign Policy - beliefs/challenging TOV/movement towards a more aggressive foreign Policy
A mix of continuity and radical change
Other countries are to blame for allowing him to overturn TOV
Appeasement is at fault
Clear planning - set out in Mein Kampf ; these are not opportunistic intentions
Austria 1934
Hitler is in a weak position - deterred by Italy where Mussolini sends up 40000 troops to Brenner pass ; subservience
Germany unable to gain Anschluss - ironically by one of its allies ; buffer zone needed to keep out of Austria
Mussolini very ambivalent about Hitler
Idea of Anschluss had been an objective since dissolution of Holy Roman Empire ; not what Kaiser really intended in the same way as Hitler (pan-Germanisation)
Intentionally ordered Nazis to wreak Havoc in Austria - Engelbert Dollfuss assassinated too ; intentionalist
Early Action
The League’s own countries bear responsibility for not placing proper economic and military sanctions on Japan when they invaded Manchuria - thus he withdrew in 1933
Did not PLAN to engage in war but had a plan instead to first protect Germany from International economic system through bartering (mainly Schacht)
Element of continuity with him further isolating France with a 10 year non-aggression pact with Poland ; purposefully undermined the international bilateral h agreement system
POLAND IS TO BLAME AS NOW NO WESTERN INFLUENCE IN EAST
Purpose behind destabilisation of Austria?
Radical change of direction - wanted a greater Germany spanning its borders unlike Bismarck who wanted Prussia to dominate
Only Italy interfere
He ordered Austrian Nazis to murder Dollfuss
Destruction of Versailles?
League of Nation’s weakness and sympathy allowed the Saar region to unite with Germany ; legitimate under the Treaty of Versailles
From 1935 onwards he intentionally rearms through conscription etc ; begins rearmament, leading to the Stresa Conference which involved Britain, France and Italy ; they all condemned this but no do not place sanctions
This was further undermined by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935 giving Hitler the freedoms to do whatever he likes
INTENTIONALLY PICKS APART STRESA BU Y PLAYING AT “BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES” ; open defiance of TOV (Britain is at fault) where Germany cannot increase Navy to more than 35% of British fleet
Carry on tradition with Danzig - always been a valuable port so controlled by Nazis where 70/72 seats held oppressively
Remilitarisation of Rhineland
1936
France at fault - if they had stood up to Germany then would’ve easily crushed them as the Wehrmacht was not to full strength ; however they were isolated and the rest of the world was distracted by the Abyssinia Crisis
Transgressing the Locarno Treaty (determined eastern borders) and no one willing to intervene ; unwilling to stand up unlike in 1934 when Mussolini was on top
COULD BE SEEN AS OPPORTUNISTIC (TOOK ADVANTAGE/REACTED TO ABYSSINIAN CRISIS + DOMESTIC PRESSURE TO OVERTURN TOV)
Hossbach Memorandum/Conferencd
1937 - Hitler gains more direct control of the Wehrmacht ; Von Ribbentrop replaces Von Neurath as foreign minister
PROVIDES AN INTENTIONALIST VIEW ON HOW HE DID INTENT TO HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE FOREIGN POLICY
No longer cares about continuity ; aristocratic army generals during the Kaiser times are accused of homosexuality/prostitution of wives
1938
Radical change in Policy - wanted to unify all German Speaking people ; greater Germany
Intentionally plans out Rome Berlin axis in 1936 so now Italy does not mind invasion of Austria
Ultimatum is given and a plebiscite consolidates his position
Britain and France to blame because of policy of Appeasement - only formally protest at this and no more ; MUST HAVE INTENTIONALLY PLANNED THIS ALL FOR IT TO BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT A SHOT + ROME BERLIN AXIS BEFORE + PUT PRESSURE ON SEYS-INQUART TO ATTACK FROM INSIDE
Annexation of Czechoslovakia?
March 1939 ; not really much of a change (only racial differences) from Kaiser’s expansionism
Very rich in raw materials - needed that to fund for this Lebensraum (Skoda engineering)
Intentionally planned out Anschluss 1938 before this invasion as now Czechoslovakia is 3/4 surrounded by Germany
Czechoslovakia itself - Sudetenland area (Konrad Henlein) fell into the hands of Hitler and were influenced to force the Karlssbad Programme (demands from Czechs ie. Full revision of Czech foreign policy with their attachment to France - INTENTIONALIST ; destabilises Eastern Europe) for full autonomy of the Sudetenland
How did he get Czechoslovakia?
Demands a plebiscite in areas with Sudetenland minorities
Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini and Daladien all gather and Czechoslovakia not invited to witness it’s own dismemberment ; APPEASEMENT IS FOLLOWED ; FAULT OF THOSE NATIONS WHO ALLOWED HIM TO GET 10000 MILES OF A NATURAL MOUNTAINOUS DEFENCE - MOST IMPREGNABLE PART OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Exhibits Sonderweg ; expansionist continuity
Nazi Soviet Pact
August 1939
Internationalist - did not want to fight a war on two fronts
Continuity - a temporary alliance with communism ; similar to how they were happy to make alliances
USSR take some responsibility as it allows Germany to fully focus war effort + Stalin not ready for war
Agree to divide up Poland into two spheres of influence and in September 1939 Poland is invaded ; failures of West + USSR/Hitler
Intentionalist as after Nazi Soviet Pact, Hitler invades the next day through Blitzkrieg to avoid French warfare
Chamberlain’s fault “peace in our time” - appeasement strategy did not help with Slovakia being tuned into a Puppet state and Memel land taken from Lithuania in March 1939 ; openly reverting TOV - here he is being opportunistic
Britain and France suspicious of USSR instead of working with them to give Germany a war on two sides
