Hitler’s Aims

LOUDER

Lebensraum (living space)

Overturn the Treaty of Versailles

Unite German speaking people in a Greater Germany (Volksdeutsche and Anschluss)

DEstroy communism

Rearmament

What is Lebensraum?

Living space and when Hitler wanted to expand the east

Why did Hitler want Lebensraum to happen?

Believed Germany needed more land to grow food and live on. He wanted back the 13% of German land the Treaty redistributed

Why did Hitler want to overturn the Treaty?

Hitler felt the Treaty humiliated Germany and believed the treaty should be abolished. Believed that the German public wanted to overthrow them

What is Anschluss?

When Hitler wanted to unite Germany and Austria because it was forbidden in the terms of the Treaty

What is Volksdeutsche?

Wanted to bring together German speaking people and “German blood”

Why did Hitler want Volksdeutsche to happen?

Thought it would create a “Greater Germany” and some Germans were treated badly by new countries. Since, 10% of German people were living outside of Germany after 1919

Why did Hitler want to destroy communism?

Hitler hated Jews and believed they were ruining Germany and believed communism would destroy Germany. He wanted to destroy it first

Why did Hitler want to bring back rearmament?

Wanted to make Germany strong again and thought creating jobs in munitions factories would boost the economy

The reaction of Britain and France

Britain and France didn’t want to start another war, let Hitler get away with breaking the Treaty. They needed time to rearm, their armies weren’t big enough to fight and win a war. Many people in GB thought Hitler was reasonable since the treaty had been too harsh. They were concerned about the USSR and thought that Hitler could be a valuable ally against communism. The policy followed by GB and France from 1937 was appeasement. Tried to give Hitler what he wanted in hope to prevent a war

The reaction of the USSR and the USA

Stalin was worried by Hitler’s determination to destroy communism and by 1935 he was willing to put aside concerns about GB and France in order to sign a mutual assistance treaty with France. Stalin would work with the allies to protect the USSR from Hitler