To what extent was hitlers foreign policy (1933 - 1939) responsible for the outbreak of ww2

points of essay in order 

• intro

• explain aims 

• explain first moves 

• explain appeasement

• rome berlin

• anscchluss

• czechoslovakia 

• nazi soviet pact

• poland 

• concl

Introduction

• hitler had three clear foreign policy objectives

  • overturn treaty of versaille 

  • unite all german speaking people

  • expand eastwards for lebensraum

• While hitlers aims and actions, especially his racist aim of securing lebensraum were a main driving force

• appeasement also contributed

• therefore hitlers foreign policy was largely, but not entirel, responsible for the outbreak of ww2

explain hitlers foreign policy aims

• made no secret of his goals

• aims were based on nationalism and racism

• believed master race had the right to dominate inferior people (eg slavs in east)

• aims were undeniably going to lead to war, expansion with racial justification could not have been achieved peacefully

how did hitler start off his foreign policy

• William shirer in his book - first two years were to talk peace and prepare secretly for war

• 1933, withdrew germany from league of nations disarmament conferance

  • made it look like a protest against france and britains refusal to disarm

• 1934 - signed a ten year non aggression pact with poland, reassuring other countries and giving impression he was peaceful.

• 1935, openly rearmed, 100,000 - 550,000 soldiers, britain had no resistance, and even signed anglo german naval agreement, allowing germany to expand navy

• lack of push back showed hitler he could act without consequence, early steps did not cause war immediately, but made conflict far more likely

explain appeasement

• neville chamberlain

• allowed hitler to continue without interference

• britain thought of him as a wall against communism, and also consdiered some aims reasonable

• large extent, not hitlers aggression but also failure of west to challange him made war more likely

Explain the rome berlin axis

• 1936

• aliance showed that hitlers foreign policy was becoming war focused and was directly preparing for a war

explain anschluss  (and when)

• anschluss in 1938

• austrian chancellor resisted nazi pressure, and proposed vote, but hitler threatened to invade austria, and chancellor gave in and resigned

• german troops marched into austria and were very well received 

• achieved two of hitlers aims (overturning treaty, uniting speakers) 

• showed that britain and france wouldnt’t intervene 

explain the whole fiasco with czechoslovakia

• later that year, hitler wanted sudetenland

• conference in munich in september 1938 with france, germany, italy and britain (no stalin)

• gave into demands for sudetenland as long as he didnt take anymore

• only if no further german expansion

• occupation of sudetenland was followed by the full takeover of czechoslovakia in march 1939

• aggression now unmistakably main reason europe heading for war

explain nazi soviet pact

• august 1939, nazi soviet pact shocked world

• non aggression agreement between hitler and stalin

• hitler avoided war at two fronts, stalin could rebuild army

• divide poland

explain outbreak of war 

• hitler invade poland in september 1939

• britain and france declare war

• hitlers foreign policy directly responsible for conflict

• if britian and france had acted together earlier, hitlers expansion might have stopped before this point 

conclusion

• policies between 1933 and 39 primary cause of ww2

• determination to destroy tov, unite all germans, and lebensraum made peace impossible long term

• success depended heavily on appeasement of britain and france