1. How did German foreign policy develop between 1933-37?
L/O – To identify and examine the foreign policy steps Hitler took to achieve his aims in the years

2. What influenced his foreign policy?
As you have seen with Mussolini and now Hitler, foreign policy is…
Determined by the aims and motives of historical actors…
But constrained by historical conditions…
And helped or hindered by the contemporary international context
Unite all Germans in one Reich!
Smash Versailles!
Lebensraum!
World Conquest!

3. Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
Appointed Chancellor in January 1933, Hitler came to power with four aims: reverse Versailles, unite all Germans, extend ‘living space’, and achieve world conquest as befits German power.
This necessitated Germany to strengthen its military. Yet the Treaty of Versailles had limited the Germany army to 100,000 men, banned tanks, submarines and an air force, and limited the navy to 6 battleships!
If Hitler was to achieve his aims, he would have to break the ToV, and end its multi- lateral involvement with the League of Nations.

4. The Geneva Disarmament Conference
Between , members of the League of Nations and the USA met in Geneva to discuss world disarmament. Both the ToV and Covenant of the LoNs committed members to disarm.
Germany had been a member of the League since 1926 and had signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.
Yet Hitler saw disarmament proposals as unfair – it put Germany in a weaker position compared to its powerful neighbours – Poland and France.

6. The Geneva Disarmament Conference
This was a view that even the Weimar Government agreed with. Since 1922, Germany had been secretly building its armies using Dutch and Belgian suppliers.
The 1922 Treaty of Rapallo even enabled Germany to re-train its forces within the Soviet Union!
Hitler argued that Germany would disarm fully if other nations did the same. He also argued Germany should be allowed to re-arm to the same levels as its neighbours.

7. Germany Withdraws from Conference
Hitler would eventually decide to withdrawal from the Disarmament Conference and League of Nations in October 1933, citing ‘unequal treatment’.
To add legitimacy to the decision, he called for a public plebiscite – 95% of people voted in favour!
The international response was obviously alarmist – withdrawal from the Conference and League was a clear signal of his intention to rearm Germany and it broke the recently signed June 1933 ‘Four- Power Pact’ between Germany, Italy, France and Britain.

9. The International Response
Britain’s attitude was essentially very sympathetic to German demands. Germany seemed a key ally vs the USSR, and it was clear that some form of treaty revision would be needed to keep Germany happy.
Poland was clearly worried, but Hitler skilfully placated the Poles with a 10 year non-aggression pact signed in January 1934.
The USSR responded to this potential German/Polish alliance by signing alliances with France and Czechoslovakia in 1935.
France itself, fearing rearmament, failed to find support to deal with Germany – the German/Polish agreement had weakened France’s alliance with Poland.
Ramsey MacDonald - UK
Édouard Daladier - France
Joseph Stalin - USSR

10. The Dolfuss Affair
Buoyed by public support over his decision to withdraw from disarmament talks, Hitler gambled on agitating for Anschluss.
In July 1934, Austrian Nazis assassinated Austrian Chancellor Englebert Dolfuss in an attempt to unite Austria with Germany.
Mussolini, fearing German demands on its northern provinces, moved his armies to the Brenner Pass – Hitler was scared into backing down. This only served to isolate Germany and strengthen relations between Italy, France, and Britain.

13. The Saarland Returns
The coal-rich Saarland was German territory given to France after WW1 in compensation for the destruction of French mines.
It was administered by the League of Nations since 1919 and France was allowed to control its economy. The ToV stipulated that a plebiscite would be held in 1935 to decide which country the people wanted to revert to.
Unsurprisingly, the German-majority province voted 90% to return to Germany. This was a domestic success for Hitler.

14. The Inevitable Decision - Rearmament
Already acknowledged privately, on 16th March 1935 Hitler announced to the press that Germany possessed a new air force, the Luftwaffe, in contravention of the Treaty of Versailles.
At the same time, he also announced the re-introduction of conscription in order to build an army of 750,000.
France and Britain immediately denounced the move but did nothing to discourage Hitler. In response they signed the short-lived ‘Stresa Front’ with Italy in April 1935, all agreeing to protect the ToV.

15. Anglo-German Naval Agreement
After the breakdown of the Geneva Disarmament Conference, Britain feared that another naval arms race with Germany was imminent.
The naval reductions of the London Naval Conference of 1930 and the Great Depression had left the British navy facing an economic shortfall.
In this context, British admirals were content to see treaties signed with foreign powers to restrict their navies – this would mean Britain didn’t have to embark on expensive rearmament.

16. Anglo-German Naval Agreement
In June 1935, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was signed which enabled Germany to build a fleet 35% of the size of the British Royal Navy.
Hitler saw this as the beginning of a potential UK/German alliance against the USSR. Britain saw this very differently – as a way to limit German rearmament.
The agreement was controversial – it enabled Germany to build a navy bigger than ToV limitations – it was also seen as a betrayal of the recently signed Stresa Pact by Italy and France – which would free Italy to act unilaterally in Abyssinia.

18. Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
On 7th March 1936, Hitler marched 20,000 troops back into the Rhineland which had been demilitarised by the ToV. This was another clear breach of the Treaty.
Hitler gambled that Britain and France wouldn’t react. The recent invasion of Abyssinia had shown that League members were unwilling to act and Hitler calculated that this would boost his popularity domestically.
Many in Britain were sympathetic and unwilling to consider war. After all, he was only marching into his ‘own backyard’. France, facing domestic elections, was also unwilling to risk war at this time. Hitler had gambled and won!

20. The Spanish Civil War
The failure of Britain and France to present a united front vs. Germany, and their hypocritical handling of the Abyssinian Crisis had convinced Mussolini to enter into better relations with Germany.
This new partnership was cemented by co- operation in the Spanish Civil War from July 1936.
Both nations sought to prop up the regime of General Franco. If he won, Italy and Germany would both have a new, fascist ally, and victory would isolate France.

21. The Rome-Berlin Axis
Cooperation in the Spanish Civil War resulted in a firmer commitment of friendship. On 1st November 1936, a formal alliance was signed.
Both recognised each other’s sphere of influence. Italy’s was in the Mediterranean, Germany’s in Central and Eastern Europe.
On 25th November, Germany would create the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan. Italy would later join on 6th November 1937.

22. The Hossbach Meeting
By 1937, Hitler had transformed Germany from an isolated, weak, and surrounded nation, into a rapidly rearming economic powerhouse, which had managed to isolate France and encircle the USSR.
Germany was helped in this by the appeasement policies of Britain and France, the weakness of the League of Nations and the support of Italy.
On 5th November 1937, Hitler met with his top Generals to discuss and layout his aims for foreign policy over the next ten years.

23. The Hossbach Meeting
Recorded by Colonel Hossbach five days after the meeting, the ‘Hossbach Memorandum’ details Hitler’s aims in foreign policy.
Confident that Germany’s position was now secure, Hitler argued for the need to quickly conquer both Austria and Czechoslovakia – two of France’s allies.
This would remove any chance of France surrounding Germany in opposing alliances. Hitler argued that war with France and Britain was inevitable, therefore it was better to strike first before they could rearm – by 1943!

25. Did we meet our learning objective?
Plenary
Why was Hitler’s foreign policy so successful between ?
Could and should Hitler have been stopped at any point between ? Consider the pros and cons of each suggestion…
To what extent could Britain be blamed for encouraging Hitler’s expansionism and revisionism?
Are there any parallels between Hitler’s foreign policies and nations today?
Did we meet our learning objective?
L/O – To identify and examine the foreign policy steps Hitler took to achieve his aims in the years