German Foreign Policy 33-39 (Learn the narrative)

Hitler’s Foreign Policy (1933-1939) Adolf Hitler, who became [blank_start]Chancellor[blank_end] of Germany in January [blank_start]1933[blank_end], had several key aims for his foreign policy. His goals included undoing the Treaty of [blank_start]Versailles[blank_end], reuniting all German-speaking people into a [blank_start]Greater[blank_end] Germany, expanding [blank_start]eastwards[blank_end] to acquire [blank_start]Lebensraum[blank_end] (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 [blank_start]withdrawal[blank_end] from the League of Nations and the [blank_start]Disarmament[blank_end] Conference in October 1933. This move allowed him to rearm Germany without international oversight. Rearmament began [blank_start]secretly[blank_end] at first but became public in 1935 when Hitler announced the expansion of the German army to [blank_start]550,000[blank_end] troops, introducing conscription in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In [blank_start]March[blank_end] 1936, Hitler took a bold step by [blank_start]remilitarizing[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]Britain[blank_end], 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 [blank_start]Austria[blank_end] in an event known as the [blank_start]Anschluss[blank_end]. 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 [blank_start]Sudetenland[blank_end], a region of Czechoslovakia with a significant [blank_start]German[blank_end]-speaking population. In September 1938, the [blank_start]Munich[blank_end] Agreement was signed by Germany, Britain, France, and [blank_start]Italy[blank_end], allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of no further territorial expansion. British Prime Minister Neville [blank_start]Chamberlain[blank_end] famously declared the agreement would bring "[blank_start]peace[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]Czechoslovakia[blank_end], demonstrating his broader ambitions beyond uniting German-speaking peoples. This blatant aggression led Britain and France to guarantee support for [blank_start]Poland[blank_end], the next likely target of German expansion. The final move in Hitler’s pre-war foreign policy was the [blank_start]Nazi-Soviet[blank_end] Pact, signed on August 23, [blank_start]1939[blank_end]. This [blank_start]non-aggression[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]1[blank_end], 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.