Hitler's Foreign Policy

Rearmament
1. Why?
  1. Necessary for an aggressive foreign policy
    1. Lebensraum involved taking territory in the East
  2. Creates pride in the German people
    1. Humiliation from the Treaty of Versailles
  3. Helps economic recovery
    1. Jobs in arms manufacturing and conscription
2. How?
  1. Secrecy
    1. Rearmament in secret until 1935
  2. Alliances and Agreements
    1. Anglo-German Naval Agreement
      1. Kriegsmarine expanded to 35% Royal Navy
  3. Opportunism
    1. Remilitarisation of Rhineland during Abyssinian Crisis
3. What?
  1. Army
    1. 1932 - 100,000 men 1939 - 950,000 men
    2. Panzer battalions introduced
  2. Kreigsmarine
    1. 1932 - 30 warships 1929 - 95 warships
  3. Luftwaffe
    1. 1932 - 36 planes 1939 - 8250 planes
    2. Announced in 1935
Unification of German-speaking peoples
1. Anschluss with Austria, March 1938
  1. Failed attempt in 1934 after Mussolini blocked him
    1. By 1938, they were allies with the Rome-Berlin Axis
  2. Large Nazi party in Austria who rioted at Hitler's command
    1. Hitler pressurised Schuschnigg for an Anschluss
      1. He appealed to the League in vain
        He ordered a plebiscite causing Hitler to send troops
        The vote passed with 99.75% in favour
        French government had resigned two days earlier so could not oppose it
2. Remilitarisation of Rhineland, March 1936
  1. What?
    1. Troops to advance to the east bank of the Rhine
    2. Withdrawal at any opposition
      1. Due to more police than soldiers
    3. Plebiscite held in Germany with 99% in favour of the action
  2. How?
    1. The League was busy with the Abyssinian Crisis
    2. France and USSR had just signed the Mutual Assistance Pact
3. Sudetenland, 1938
  1. Why?
    1. 2 million Germanic people
    2. Coal, iron and steelworks
    3. Bohemian Mountains as defence
  2. Lead-up
    1. Benes got a guarantee from France after Austria
    2. Hitler claimed this was his last claim in Europe
    3. GB and France asked Cz to give Hitler some of the Sudetenland
  3. Takeover
    1. Hitler backtracked and said he wanted all of the land
      1. War seemed likely
    2. GB, France, Italy and Germany met in Munich
      1. Munich Agreement gave Hitler ALL of the Sudetenland
      2. Czechoslovakia and USSR was never consulted

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Hitler's Foreign Policy

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	Created by c7jeremy about 9 years ago