Zusammenfassung der Ressource
How did Hitler
challenge and exploit
the Treaty of Versailles
1933 - March 1938?
- Hitler's Foreign
Policy Aims
- to unite all
german-speaking
people under his
rule
- to make
Germany a
great power
again
- to gain territory for
Germany in the east to
provide Lebensraum
(living space) for the
German people.
- to destroy
the Treaty of
Versailles
- To what extent were
Hitler's early moves a
foreign policy success
for Germany?
- Disarmament
Conference and
Rearmament
- Germany
joined LoN in
1926.
- Disarmament
Conference began in
1932, by which time
the LoN had had little
success in persuading
countries to disarm
- France would
not disarm
due to fears of
attack from
Germany
- Germany left
the LoN in
1933
- Began to
rearm while
insisting that
Ge wanted
peace and
would disarm
if others did.
- Ger introduced
conscription
in 1935
- His excuse was that
France had increased
term of conscription
from 12 to 18 months,
which would increase
the number of trained
soldiers in France
- Ten year
non-aggression
pact
- In 1934 Hitler signed a ten
year non-aggression pact with
Poland, which guaranteed the
boundaries of Poland
- This
satisfied the
Poles that
Hitler would
not try to
take back
the Polish
Corridor
- It pleased Britain,
who saw it as
further proof that
Hitler's aims were
peaceful, as it
meant that he had
accepted the
frontier with Poland
that was set up at
Versailles
- Failed
Anschluss
- In 1934, Hitler
suffered a setback
- He encouraged the
Austrian Nazis to
rebel, resulting in
the murder of
Dollfuss, the
Austrian Chancellor
- Anschluss
- The union of Germany and
Austria that was forbidden by the
treaty of Versailles
- It appeared Hitler would
achieve Anschluss but he was
prevented by Mussolini
moving his army towards
Austria and so guaranteeing
Austrian independance
- Hitler backed
down and denied
any involvement
with the Austrian
Nazi Party
- Anglo German
Naval Agreement
- Signed
in
1933
- Hitler's willingness to
sign was further proof to
Br that he had peaceful
intentions
- It limited the Ge
Navy to 35% of
the British fleet
- did not
include
submarines
- Britain was agreeing to Ge Rearmament
- Britain felt that if there was no
agreement on disarmament, it was
important to limit the size of the Ge Navy
- Weakened
the Stresa
Front
- Germany procceded
with rearmament
without opposition
- By 1938 Ge had
around 800,000
soldiers, 47 U-boats
and over 2000 aircraft
- Return of
the Saar
- In Jan 1935, a
plebiscite was held.
- Plebiscite
- where the citizens
vote to determine the
future of their country
- The people of the
Saar had the choice
to remain under LoN
control, return to
Ge, or go to France
- The Saar was inhabited by mainly German
people, so the result was never in any doubt.
- 90% voted to
rejoin Germany
- 8% to remain under
the control of the LoN
- and 2% wanted
to go to France
- Nazi Propaganda
could make use
of the result
- Victory in the plebiscite
was published as the
removal of one of the
injustices of the ToV
- Hitler announced that all trouble between Ge and Fr had now been removed
- The return of the Saar was legal as Hitler had kept within the terms of the ToV
- Locarno
Treaties
- Oct 1925
- France, Britain,
Germany, Italy,
Belgium, Poland
& Czechoslovakia
- Ge agreed to accept
borders w/ Fr; that the
Rhineland would remain
demilitarized; and that Fr &
Ge would solve any further
disputes via the LoN
- Cleared the
way to allow
Ge to become
a member of
LoN in 1926
- Remilitarization of the Rhineland
- 7th March 1936 German soldiers
marched into the Rhineland
- Br anf Fr more concerened about
Mussolini's invasion of Abyssnia
- French Security
not affected
(Maginot Line)
- Some move to
rearmament in Br
- Fr not prepare to act without Br support
- This was against the ToV and the Locarno Pact, which the German government
had willingly signed in 1925 (see orange)
- Br felt nothing was wrong - the ToV was
unjust so he had the right to change it.
- Hitler had successfully
reversed the ToV, giving him
the confidence to go further.
- Remaining territorial grievances
were Danzig & the Polish Corridor
- Hitler held a vote in Germany on his policies
- was used to demonstrate Ge power and
German support for Hitler's government
- 99% of voters voted in
favour of the policies
- Hitler followed the
remilitarization with
promises that Germany
would sign a 25-year
non-aggression pact and
had no further territorial
ambitions in Europe.
- Nobody wanted another war and they took more notice of
Hitler's promises
- Hitler's position in Germany
was strengthened: he had
been right and very successful
- He was only moving
troops into his own
territory rather than
invading another
country.
- lead to the signing
of the Rome - Berlin
Axis with Mussolini
- gave Hitler a chance to
test out his armed forces,
weapons and tactics
- Britain, France and the LoN should
have acted against Germany. All
that happened was that Germany
was condemned by the League
but, when a vote was passed, only
Soviet Russia voted in favour of
imposing sanctions on Germany.
- Marked the end of
the League of
Nations as a means
of keeping peace
- Anschluss with Austria
- With the success of 1936
behind him, Hitler turned his
attention to Austria. The
Austrians were mainly Ge and
he made it clear he thought the
two states belonged together.
- Many in Au supported
a union with Ge since
their country was so
economically weak.
- Hitler was
confident he could
bring them together
into a greater Ge
- He had
attempted
Anschluss in
1934 but
Mussolini had
stopped him.
- Four years later
the situation was
different, Hitler
and Mussolini
were now allies.
- Hitler convinced Schuschnigg (The Au
Chancellor) to appoint Seyss-Inquart, leader
of the Au Nazis, as minister of the Interior.
This was followed by a series of riots and
demonstrations by the Au Nazis and
Seyss-Inquart supported these and so did
nothing to stop them.
- He then told the Au chancellor Schuschnigg
only Anchuss could solve these problems
- Schuschnigg asked
Br and Fr for help
but they refused
- So Schuschnigg called a plebiscite
to see what the people wanted.
- Hitler was not prepared to take the
risk so he sent his troops into Austria
to guarantee a trouble-free vote .
- Under the watchful eye of
the Nazi troops 99.7% vote
for Anschluss