Hitlers foriegn policy

Hitler’s Main Aims in Foreign Policy

Aims (3 Key Goals):

1⃣ Destroy the Treaty of Versailles – Reverse military restrictions, reclaim lost land.

2⃣ Unite all German-speaking people – Expand borders (Austria, Sudetenland, Poland).

3⃣ Expand eastward (Lebensraum) – Gain land in Eastern Europe for German settlers.

🚀 Memory Trick: Hitler wanted to UNDO Versailles, EXPAND Germany, and TAKE land!

How Hitler Broke the Treaty of Versailles

✅ 1933 – Rearmament Begins → Germany secretly built up its army.

✅ 1935 – Conscription & Luftwaffe Announced → The German Air Force was reborn.

✅ 1936 – Remilitarisation of the Rhineland → Troops entered the Rhineland, breaking Versailles. ✅ 1938 – Anschluss (Union with Austria) → Germany annexed Austria, ignoring the treaty.

🚀 Memory Trick: Each step built Germany’s military power while Britain and France did nothing!

: Appeasement – Why Britain & France Did Nothing

✅ Fear of Another War – WWI was horrible; leaders wanted peace.

✅ Economic Struggles – The Great Depression meant war was unaffordable.

✅ Belief Hitler Had Limited Demands – They thought Hitler just wanted Versailles reversed.

✅ Britain’s Military Was Weak – Needed time to prepare for war.

🚀 Memory Trick: Britain & France were too scared, too broke, too weak, and too trusting!

Key Events of Appeasement (1935–1939

🔹 1935 – Anglo-German Naval Agreement → Germany expanded its navy (Britain allowed it!).

🔹 1936 – Remilitarisation of the Rhineland → Hitler sent troops; Britain and France ignored it.

🔹 1938 – Anschluss (Austria) → Germany merged with Austria, no response.

🔹 1938 – Munich Agreement → Britain and France gave Hitler the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia).

❌ March 1939 – Hitler Invades Czechoslovakia → Proves Hitler wants MORE than Versailles reversed!

❌ September 1939 – Hitler Invades Poland → Britain & France finally declared war, ending appeasement.

🚀 Memory Trick: Every concession made Hitler bolder – then BOOM, war started!

The Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939)

✅ Secret Agreement Between Germany & USSR → They promised not to attack each other.

✅ Planned to Divide Poland → Hitler invaded from the west, USSR from the east.

✅ Shocked Britain & France → They finally realized Hitler would not stop.

🚀 Memory Trick: Hitler teamed up with Stalin temporarily, then turned against him later!

Why Appeasement Failed

❌ Encouraged Hitler → He realized Britain and France wouldn’t stop him.

❌ Let Germany Get Stronger → Hitler rearmed and expanded without opposition.

❌ Made War Inevitable → Britain and France delayed action too long.

🚀 Memory Trick: Appeasement gave Hitler time to grow – by 1939, war was unavoidable!

What Was the Stresa Front?

✅ Agreement Between Britain, France & Italy – Formed in April 1935 to stop Hitler from further violating the Treaty of Versailles.

✅ Triggered by Hitler’s Rearmament – In March 1935, Hitler announced conscription and expanded Germany’s military forces, openly defying Versailles. ✅ Aimed to Prevent Further German Expansion – The three nations declared their opposition to Hitler’s aggressive policies and pledged to maintain European security.

Why Did the Stresa Front Fail?

❌ Britain Signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement (June 1935) – This allowed Germany to expand its navy, undermining the Stresa Front.

❌ Italy Invaded Abyssinia (October 1935) – Britain and France criticized Mussolini, so Italy left the alliance and moved closer to Germany.

❌ No Real Action Was Taken – The countries made no direct efforts to stop Hitler, leading to appeasement instead.

🚀 Memory Trick: The Stresa Front was like a group project where teammates made promises but didn’t follow through!

Why did the remilitarisation of the Rhineland work?

March 1936= big risk

• France and USSR had just signed a treaty to protect each other. Hitler used the agreement to claim that Germany was under threat. He argued in the face of such a threat he should be allowed troops on his own frontier

• Hitler knew people in Britain felt that he had a right to station his troops in the Rhineland and was very confident that Britain would not intervene

• Abyssinian crisis was at the same time

How did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland

• H. ordered 20,000 troops into the Rhineland and his generals were told to retreat if there was any resistance from the French.

• Despite the rearmament programme, Germany’s army was no match for the French. But Hitler’s luck held

• the attention of the league was focused on the Abyssinian crisis, and France was hesitant to act without British support. The League condemned Hitler but didn’t have the power to do anything else

• France was about to hold an election and no French leader was prepared to take responsibility for plunging France into war