Hitler's Foreign Policy (1934 - 1935)

Hitler's Foreign Policy (1934 - 1935)

1. Remilitarization of the Rhineland

   • Gamble that Britain and France wouldn't stop him
     • Gamble paid off
       • Gained the support of the German army
       • Increased his confidence

2. Nazi - Soviet pact

   • Both invaded Poland
     • Germany invaded from the west
     • Soviet forces invaded from the east
       • Britain and France declare war on Germany
         • Triggers the start of WW2
   • Nazi's hated communism
     • Joseph Stalin - USSR
       • Made an agreement with France in 1935
         • Promised to defend USSR if they were attacked by Germany
   • Munich Agreement
     • Secret, Stalin didn't know
       • Stalin didn't trust Britain and France anymore
         • USSR didn't trust Hitler either
           • Thought he wouldn't keep his word
           • Read Mein Kampf
             • Hitler wanted Russian land
             • Russian re-armed
   • Britain prefferred Germany, they thought they'd be a good buffer against communism

3. Disarmament conference

   • Germany left as nobody was disarming
     • French claimed they needed an army for protection from Germany
     • Hypocrisy (hypocrits)
     • Introduced conscription in 1935 and began to rearm secretly

4. 10 Year non-aggression pact with Poland (1934)

   • Pleased Britain
     • Saw Germany as trying to be "peaceful"
   • Invaded Poland 5 years later (1939)
   • False sense of security
     • Buying time

5. 3 Aims

   • Defeat communism - USSR
     • Anti-comunist
   • Expand German territory (Lebensraum)
     • Invades Czechoslovakia on 15th March 1939
       • Czechs did not do anything
       • Britain and France said they'd declare war on Germany if they invaded Poland
     • Wanted an empire
     • Anschluss
       • He encouraged Austrian Nazi Party to rebel
         • Resulted in the murder of the Austrian Chancellor, Dolfuss
       • Prevented by Mussolini by moving his army to the frontier of Austria
         • Hitler realised his army was not strong enough and backed down
           • Denied any involvement with the Austrian Nazi Party
   • Abolish the Treaty of Versailles
     • Reminder of defeat
     • Unfair, stopped paying reparations

6. Anschluss with Austria

   • Gained all of Autria's soldiers, weapons, Iron and Gold ore and land
     • Anchluss was not unpopular in Austria however the plebiscite results were 99.75% Yes
       • Showed the results were rigged

7. Stresa Front

   • Britain sympathised with Germany not France
   • Protest against Germany introducing conscription

8. Anglo-German naval agreement

   • Britain agreed Germany's navy was limited to 35% the strength of Britain's but did not include submarines
     • By signing this agreement Britain agreed to Germany re-arming
       • Breaking the Treaty of Versailles

9. Appeasement (Avoiding war at all costs)

   • ARGUEMENTS FOR APPEASEMENT
     • Germany deserved a fair deal - By the 1930's many people thought that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
     • Fear of another world war - Many people would agree to almost anything to prevent another war
     • Fear of Communism - Britain saw Germany as a good buffer against Communism
     • Many people thought it wasn't worth fighting Germany over Czechoslovakia
     • There was no point in fighting Germany as they had a bigger and stronger army than Britain's, Britain needed time to rearm
   • ARGUEMENTS AGAINST APPEASEMENT
     • Appeasement encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive - He kept thinking he could get away with everything
     • Germany was growing stronger - Remilitarization of the Rhineland ment he could defenc Germany's border and Anschluss meant Hitler gained soldiers, weapons and gold and iron ore deposits