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Why did war break out? International relations 1929–39
The impact of the Depression on
international relations.
The Manchurian Crisis (1931–33)
Abyssinia (1935–36)
The League of Nations response
to Manchuria and Abyssinia.
Hitler’s aims and
policies with regard to the Versailles settlement. Lebensraum,
Grossdeutschland, re-armament, the Saar, re-occupation
of the Rhineland, links with Italy and Japan and the Anschluss.
Britain’s policy of appeasement: Chamberlain
and appeasement.
The Sudetenland crisis.
The Munich Agreement and the
takeover of Czechoslovakia.
Agreements with Poland and the abandonment
of the policy.
The Pact of Steel.
The Nazi-Soviet Pact.
Poland and the outbreak of war.
Opposition to Appeasement.
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What were Hitler's aims and policies with regard to the
Treaty of Versailles?
Hitler had 3 clear aims with regards Foreign Policy.
1) He said in Mein Kampf that he wanted to tear up the Treaty of
Versailles.
2) He wanted to create Grossdeutschland, a unified Germany encompassing
all German speakers.
3) He wanted to acquire Lebensraum, 'Living Space', in the east.
Added to these, he wanted Germany to be a strong and powerful nation
once again and wanted to destroy communism.
To achieve these things Hitler would need to do several things
which would be in breach of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
The German armed forces were severely restricted under the terms
of the Treaty of Versailles. His vision of a powerful nation and
the ability to acquire and protect both Grossdeutschland and Lebensraum
would require armed forces in excess of what was permitted. The
concept of Grossdeutschland would require the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles to be amended or broken as the treaty specifically
forbade a union between Germany and Austria. In addition many German
speaking areas had been ceded to newly formed nations as part of
the peace settlement: again, in order to achieve his aim, Hitler
would need the terms changing, or would need to use force to achieve
his aims.
What policies were implemented to achieve Hitler's Foreign Policy
aims?
Timeline
| Date |
Objective |
Action |
| 1933 |
Defeat Communism |
Hitler bans the Communist Party and puts its leaders into
concentration camps. This was designed to destroy communism
within Germany and eliminate any risk of Communist opposition
to the Nazi party. The Nazi's used the Reichstag Fire as an
excuse to ban the Communist party, on the grounds that they
were preparing to launch a Putsch. New elections were held
that excluded the Communists and thousands of the parties
members were sent to concentration camps such as Dachau.
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| 1934 |
Tear up the Treaty of Versailles |
Hitler walks out of the Disarmament Conference and leaves
the League of Nations. Hitler presents the reason for leaving
the disarmament conference in a moderate manner, claiming
that germany had already been disarmed for 14 years and that
others ought to follow suit.
Extract from Hitler's speech relating to leaving the Disarmament
Conference:
"We are unfortunately faced by the fact that the Geneva
Conference, in spite of lengthy negotiations, has so far reached
no practical result. The decision regarding the securing of
a real measure of disarmament has been constantly delayed
by the raising of questions of technical detail and by the
introduction of problems that have nothing to do with disarmament.
This procedure is useless.
The illegal state of one-sided disarmament and the resulting
national insecurity of Germany cannot continue any longer.
We recognize it as a sign of the feeling of responsibility
and of the good will of the British Government that they have
endeavored, by means of their disarmament proposal, to cause
the Conference finally to arrive at speedy decisions. The
Government of the Reich will support every endeavor aimed
at really carrying out general disarmament and securing the
fulfillment of Germany's long-overdue claim for disarmament.
For fourteen years we have been disarmed, and for fourteen
months we have been waiting for the results of the Disarmament
Conference. Even more far-reaching is the plan of the head
of the Italian Government, which makes a broad-minded and
far-seeing attempt to secure a peaceful and consistent development
of the whole of European policy. We attach the greatest weight
to this plan, and we are ready to co-operate with absolute
sincerity on the basis it provides, in order to unite the
four Great Powers, England, France, Italy, and Germany, in
friendly co-operation in attacking with courage and determination
the problems upon the solution of which the fate of Europe
depends."
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| 1935 |
Tear up the Treaty of Versailles |
Increases the German Army to 500,000. Following the failure
of the Disarmament Conference Hitler began, at first secretly,
increasing the size of the German armed forces. In 1935 the
Germans agreed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement. This was
negotiated directly between Britain and Germany, without the
other major powers of League of Nations being consulted. It
allowed Germany to increase the size of her navy to 35% of
the size of the Royal Navy. Once this agreement was in place
it became clear that Germany would be able to rearm in other
areas.
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| 1936 |
Tear up the Treaty of Versailles |
Hitler marches the German Army back
into the Rhineland. See this page on the Re-occupation
of the Rhineland. |
| 1936 |
Defeat Communism |
Germany signs the Anti-Comintern
Pact with Italy and Japan, who agree to fight International
Communism. |
| 1938 |
Grossdeutschland |
Anschluss: Hitler forces Austria
to join Germany. See this page on the Anschluss. |
| 1938 |
Grossdeutschland |
Annexes the
Sudetenland through the Munich Agreement. See this page
on the Munich Agreement. |
| 1939 |
Tear up the Treaty of Versailles |
Hitler increases the German Army
to 950,000. |
| 1939 |
Lebensraum |
Germany conquers Czechoslovakia.
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| 1939 |
Lebensraum |
Nazi – Soviet Pact secretly
agrees to divide Poland. See this page on the Nazi
- Soviet pact. |
| 1939 |
Lebensraum |
Germany invades Poland. See this
page on the outbreak of war. |
| 1941 |
Defeat Communism / Lebensraum |
Hitler Declares war on USSR (Russia). |
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