AQA History B GCSE - International Relations: Conflict and Peace in the 20th Century - Hitler's foreign policy and the origins of the Second World War

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Hitler's foreign policy and the origins of the Second World War How did Hitler challenge and exploit the Treaty of Versailles from 1933 to March 1938?

Timeline - Hitler's foreign policy and the outbreak of war

1933: Germany withdraws from the League of Nations

Jan 1934: Hitler signs 10-year non-aggression pact with Poland

Jul 1934: Mussolini prevents Auschluss

Jan 1935: Saar returned to Germany

Apr 1935: Stresa Front formed

Jun 1935: Anglo-German Naval Agreement

Oct 1935: Mussolini invades Abyssinia

Mar 1936: Rhineland remilitarised

1936-39: Spanish Civil War

May 1937: Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister; his policy of appeasement begins

March 1938: Auschluss

Sep 1938: Munich Conference

Mar 1939: Collapse of Czechoslovakia

Aug 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact

Sep 1939: Attack on Poland and outbreak of the Second World War

Hitler's aim in foreign policy

While in prison in 1924, Hitler wrote his book 'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle), in this he wrote about his aims in his foreign policy, which were;

to make Germany into a Great Power again

to unite all German speaking people under his rule

to gain territory for Germany in the East to provide Lebensraum (living space) for the German people

Achieving Hitler's aims

To achieve his aims he had to destroy the Treaty of Versailles

Hitler blamed many of Germany's problems on the peace settlement

In order to further his aims Hitler would have to:

change the territorial settlement of the Treaty of Versailles by regaining land that got taken away due to the Treaty of Versailles

bring 7 million German-speaking people in Austria, and the 4 million in Czechoslovakia and Poland into his empire

build up the German army so

that his aims could be supported by force if necessary and to prove that Germany was a Great Power

expand in the east, probably against communist USSR

German rearmament

Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations in 1926

In 1933 Hitler withdrew Germany from the Disarmament Conference and from the League of Nations

Germany began to rearm and used conscription in 1935

The only opposition was a short-lived Stresa Front to protest against the introduction of conscription in Germany

Ten-year non-aggression pact

in 1934 Hitler signed a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland

this guaranteed the boundaries of Poland, this meant that Hitler would try not to take back the Polish Corridor

Failed Auschluss

Later in 1934 Hitler suffered a setback to his aims

He encouraged the Austrian Nazi Party to rebel and this resulted in the murder of the Austrian Chancellor, Dollfuss

It looked as though Anschluss was going to be achieved

This was prevented by Mussolini moving his army to the frontier of Austria and guaranteeing Austrian independence

Hitler realised that his army was not strong enough, so he backed down and denied any involvement with the Austrian Nazi Party

Anglo-German Naval Agreement and rearmament

By signing this in 1935, Britain had agreed to Germany rearming

Britain felt that if there was to be no agreement on disarmament, then it was important for Britain to limit the size of the German navy

It weakened Stresa Front as Britain had not consulted France and Italy

It led to Germany proceeding with rearmament with opposition

The return of the Saar