Hitler’s foreign policy
Hitler’s aims:
- “Lebensraum”: (=living space), aim of German expansion in the East
- “Germanism”: unite all German speaking people in one country to make a greater Germany
- Military power: necessary for gaining more land (= power)
- Protect German/ Nazi ideology: security of German, revise Treaty of Versailles
Four big invasions during Hitler’s rule
1. Abyssinia (1935- 1936) by ITALY
Reasons for the invasion:
- Economic problems in early 1930s (the invasion could be used to benefit Italian economy)
- Mussolini looked for a way to show Italy’s strength to the rest of Europe.
- The disappointment of the Treaty of Versailles
Results:
- Italy gained more land.
- The declaration of “Italian East” that includes Somalia, Eritrea and Abyssinia.
- The weakness of the League of Nations towards Italy’s invasion encouraged Hitler to remilitarize Rhineland.
Reactions:
- Britain and France were singled out for particular criticism. (Britain and France secretly promised Italy to give Abyssinia.)
2. Rhineland (1936) by GERMANY
Reasons for the remilitarization:
- Germany had a potential control in this area and Hitler wanted to expand the power so that he decided to make the German re-enter Rhineland.
Results:
- Germany expanded her power in Rhineland to the maximum.
- 98.8 per cent of German people voted in favor of Hitler’s action.
Reactions:
- France didn’t take action without Britain and Britain was not willing to take any actions.
3. Anschluss (Austria, 1938) by GERMANY
Reason for the Anschluss:
- Hitler looked at Austria as a part of Germany; he wanted to reunite it with the Third Reich.
Results:
- Austria became Ostmark, a province of the Third Reich
- Germany possesses all of Austria’s money and resources (295 million Reich marks)
- Czechoslovakia was weakened.
- Hitler got more self- confidence
Reactions:
- Russia and US were weakened by the Great purges and natural catastrophes relatively.
- France was paralyzed by a ministerial crisis
- Britain didn’t want to interfere because they thought the Aeschylus was desired by majority and was inevitable.
4. Czechoslovakia by GERMANY
Reasons for the occupation:
- Germany wanted to expand her land.
- Hitler didn’t want Czechs to take the power in Sudan land where a lot of German people lived. (The idea of “self- deciding” in Treaty of Versailles)
- Sudan land could strongly support industry and military.
Results:
- Germany got Sunderland as a result of Munich conference.
- Hitler gained more self- confidence.
- The Munich conference caused a conflict between USSR and western powers since USSR was not invited to the conference.
- Appeasement of Britain and France encouraged Hitler to keep his policy.
The influence of Appeasement
- Western powers kept the policy of “appeasement”. Especially, Britain supported this policy since - Britain saw Treaty of Versailles too harsh for Germany
- Britain had to take public opinion which supported appeasement
- Extensive global commitments and military and economic weakness.
- There are 2 totally different interpretations on this issue.
(a) “Appeasement” was wrong.
- It encouraged Hitler’s gambling.
(It made Hitler think that Western powers wouldn’t stand up to him.)
- Also it gave USSR the thought that the western power wouldn’t stand up.
- As a result, it made WW2 happen earlier.
(b) “Appeasement” was reasonable.
- Britain was not ready for the war so that the policy was necessary and reasonable.
- The public supported the appeasement.
Rome- Bering Axis (Italy+ Germany)
The reasons why Hitler and Mussolini came to on agreement:
- Security reasons (Hitler wanted agreement with Britain but she was too slow.)
- Spanish Civil War
- Ideological similarities
- Position in Europe
- Mussolini impressed by Hitler’s power
- Personal relationship
- Hitler visited Mussolini in June 1934 to cultivate his friendship.
- In 1934, the Australian Chancellor Dollfuss, a friend of Mussolini was killed by Austrian Nazi so that the relationship between Hitler and Mussolini became worse: Mussolini ordered troops to the Austrian border as a warning to Hitler.
- In 1936, the remilitarization of Rhineland reinforced Mussolini’s interest in a German alliance: fascist ideology common.
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (Germany- USSR, 1939)
The reason why Hitler and Stalin came to on agreement:
- Stalin found herself caught between the alternatives of Nazi Germany and the western democracies.
- Expediency of peaceful coexistence with the Nazi
- Britain and France’s appeasement of the Nazi regime.
- The policy of collective security
Time line before WW2
1933 / - left the League of Nations and Disarmament Conference1934 / - 10 Year Non- Aggression Pact with Poland
Pol - Hitler visited Mussolini (fascist leader) in Venice
1935 / - Hitler announced expansion of the German air forces (“Luftwaffe”)
- Anglo- German Naval Agreement on an enlarged Germany navy
League of Nations>
- in the plebiscite, the Saar votes to return to Germany
<Western powers>
- Britain, France, and Italy formed opposition to Germany (“Stresse front”)
1936 / - German troops reoccupied the Rhineland.
- Rome-Berlin Axis signed
1938 / - Anschluss with Austria.
- Sudetenland handed to Germany as a result of the Munich conference
- Germany and Italy form the pact of steel, military alliance
- Nazi Soviet Non- Agression Pact
1939 / - Occupied rest of the Czech lands
- Germany invaded Poland.
= WWII began