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Hitler’s Foreign Policy (1933-1939)
Adolf Hitler, who became ( Chancellor, President, Prime Minister ) of Germany in January ( 1933, 1934, 1935 ), had several key aims for his foreign policy. His goals included undoing the Treaty of ( Versailles, St Germain, Locarno ), reuniting all German-speaking people into a ( Greater, Smarter, Klein (smaller) ) Germany, expanding ( Eastwards, Westwards, South ) to acquire ( Lebensraum, Gross Deutschland, Autarky ) (living space), and establishing Germany as a dominant power in Europe.
One of the first significant steps in Hitler’s foreign policy was Germany's ( withdrawal, Joining of, Criticism ) from the League of Nations and the ( Disarmament, Human Rights, World Economic ) Conference in October 1933. This move allowed him to rearm Germany without international oversight. Rearmament began ( secretly, Openly, Cautiously ) at first but became public in 1935 when Hitler announced the expansion of the German army to ( 500,000, 1 million, 50,000 ) troops, introducing conscription in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
In ( March, January, June ) 1936, Hitler took a bold step by ( remilitarizing, Annexing, Invading ) the Rhineland, an area that had been demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles. The remilitarization was a gamble, as it risked military retaliation from France and ( Britain, Italy, The USSR ), but neither country acted, emboldening Hitler.
The next phase of Hitler's foreign policy involved the unification of German-speaking territories. In March 1938, Germany annexed ( Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia ) in an event known as the ( Anschluss, Pact of Steel, Anti-Comintern Agreement ). This unification was popular among Austrians and was achieved without military conflict, further boosting Hitler's confidence.
Following the Anschluss, Hitler turned his attention to the ( Sudetenland, Danzig, Saarland ), a region of Czechoslovakia with a significant ( German, Polish, Italian )-speaking population. In September 1938, the ( Munich, Bad Godesberg, Berchtesgaden ) Agreement was signed by Germany, Britain, France, and ( Italy, Czechoslovakia, USSR ), allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion. British Prime Minister Neville ( Chamberlain, Chamb, Chambers ) famously declared the agreement would bring "( Peace, Honour, War ) for our time," but Hitler viewed it as merely the next step in his expansion plans.
In March 1939, Hitler broke the Munich Agreement by occupying the rest of ( Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria ), demonstrating his broader ambitions beyond uniting German-speaking peoples. This blatant aggression led Britain and France to guarantee support for ( Poland, The USSR, Italy ), the next likely target of German expansion.
The final move in Hitler’s pre-war foreign policy was the ( Nazi-Soviet, Pact of Steel, Balkan Pact ) Pact, signed on August 23, ( 1939, 1938, 1940 ). This ( non-aggression, Military alliance, Anti-communist ) pact with the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, included secret protocols dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. With this agreement in place, Hitler invaded Poland on September ( 1, 2, 3 ), 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.
