German rearmament

What was the Freedom to Rearm Rally?

A rally where Hitler showed off the weapons and troops that he had been building, despite the restrictions placed on the Germans by the Treaty of Versailles. He also announced plans to reintroduce conscription in 1936 and expand the army to 1 million men and the inclusion of a luftwaffe

When was the freedom to rearm rally?

1935

Why was rearmament popular?

It reduced unemployment and increased support for the Nazis

Why did Hitler have the freedom to rearm rally?

He wanted to mock and defy the Treaty of Versailles to highlight his confidence in Germany’s strength

What was significant about the timing of the freedom to rearm rally?

It happened after Germany left the League of Nations, which in turn happened after he stormed out of the Disarmament Conference

What was significant about Germany leaving the League?

Although Hitler was still supposed to uphold the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler was no longer expected to keep the Covenant or disarm

What did Britain do in June 1935?

Signed an agreement allowing Germany to build its navy to a larger size and make submarines

What was this pact in June 1956 called?

The Anglo-German naval agreement

What were the terms of the Anglo-German naval agreement?

Germany could build submarines to 45% of the number of British ones and the navy to 35%, allowing Hitler to continue to rearm Germany

What did the Anglo-German naval agreement undermine and why?

The Treaty of Versailles because it showed that Britain admits that the treaty is too harsh and unfair to Germany, implying that it should be ignored

What was bad about how Britain behaved in the Anglo-German naval agreement?

Britain didn’t consult either France or Italy to change the size of the German armed forces

What was the non-aggression pact?

An agreement signed by Germany and Poland to demonstrate that Hitler wanted peace since Germany wouldn’t show aggression to Poland for the next 10 years

How did the non-aggression pact satisfy people?

It pleased the Poles as it stated that they wouldn’t face threat of invasion from Germany, and it satisfied the British since it demonstrated that Hitler wanted to maintain peace in Europe

How did the non-aggression pact help Germany to rearm?

Since it pleased many European countries of the Nazis peaceful intent, it bought Hitler more time to rearm

What was the Saar plebiscite?

A vote by all of the people living in the Saar to decide whether Germany or France should control it

What were the results of the Saar plebiscite?

Germany won 90% of votes

How did Hitler use the plebiscite to promote Nazism?

He used it as propaganda to promote unification of German speaking people

How did control of the Saar help Germany?

Germany gained rich coalfields which he could use to power industry, including the building of weapons

Why did the plebiscite happen?

The Saar had been taken from Germany as part of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles for 15 years and put under control of France, which gave France access to the coal found there

Was the plebiscite legal or illegal and what did this mean?

Legal, which meant that no country could stop Hitler from taking over, and resulted in an increase in his confidence too

What was the Stresa Front?

An agreement between Britain, France and Italy to guarantee the terms of the Locarno treaty, protecting Austrian independence and working together to stop Hitler from breaking any more of the terms of the Treaty f Versailles

Did the Stresa Front concern Hitler?

No, because he thought they were simply making plans but not having any actions involved

When did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland?

7th March 1936

How did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland?

He marched 22000 soldiers into the Rhineland

Why was remilitarising the Rhineland risky?

Although the rearmament process was well underway, Hitler would have lost the support of the German army if he had been defeated there

How did Hitler justify the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

He used the Franco-Soviet pact as a pretext, saying that Germany was threatened by the agreement since it had enemies on the western and Eastern fronts

What was the Franco-Soviet pact?

An agreement between France and the USSR to support each other if the other country was invaded by Germany

What were the troops greeted by during the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

Cheering crowds who gave them flowers - this was important support from the citizens since many of them had arrived by bike and had no air support

What was the reaction of Britain?

Many people felt that Germany deserved to protect its own borders, so no intervention was necessary

Where were British troops at the time of remilitarisation?

Dealing with the Abyssinian invasion by Italy, which meant that they weren’t available to send soldiers away or get involved in foreign affairs

What was the reaction of France?

There was not much focus on the remilitarisation of the Rhineland because of the general election happening at the time - politicians were focused on gaining votes

Why would plunging France into war be an unpopular strategy?

It would lose politicians votes as war is challenging for everyone in that country

Why did France not attack Germany for breaking the Treaty of Versailles?

French generals overestimated the strength and size of the German army moving into the Rhineland - they thought that they would be harder to fight against than in reality, as they believed that the German soldiers were well equipped and high in number

Where was the French army at the time?

In Tunisia in case the Abyssinian crisis needed military intervention, so there were few French soldiers available to attack Germany anyway

How did the League react to the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?

They were busy dealing with the Manchurian and Abyssinian crises, so there was no focus on Germany at the time

What was the Dollfuss affair?

The Austrian Chancellor (Dollfuss) banned the Nazis in Austria

How did Hitler react to the Dollfuss affair?

He ordered the Austrian Nazis to wreak havoc across Austria

How did the Dollfuss affair end?

The Austrian army supported the government so crushed the Nazi rebellion

How did Hitler play down his failure?

He claimed that the Austrian Nazi party had acted alone

When was the Dollfuss Affair?

1934