P1: Italian/German Expansion

Lebensraum

• pillar of Hitler’s ideology

• idea/believed need to expand eastward for more living space and resources

• autarky!

Tripartite Pact

• September, 1940

• Solidifies axis powers (Gr, It, Jp)

• ideas of ‘spheres of influence’ attempting to establish leaders of a ‘New Order’ in Europe and Asia

• Many believed it was an indirect threat at the US

Stresa Front

• April, 1935

• Agreement between Mussolini, France and Britain to show united opposition to Hitler’s goals of rearmament

Anschluss

German annexation of Austria - March, 1938

Munich Conference

• September, 1938.

• Gr, It, Br, Fr come to agreement of Hitler’s annexation of Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) in exchange for peace in the region from the small war occurring there

Saar Plebiscite

• Saar Basin = region with abundant coal and other resources put under control of League of Nations after WWI

• Plebiscite held in 1935 ultimately returns region to Germany with over 90% voting in favor of Germany

Hitler’s Four Year Plan

• goal: be strong enough to fight a war by 1940

• Four main ideas: rearmament, autarky, economic control, labor mobilization

Phony War

• time period following France’ declaration of war against Germany after Hitler’s invasion of Poland

• both countries had troops and supplies at front lines, but not fighting occurred

• Sep. 1939 - April 1940

Hoare-Laval Pact

• between France and Britain

• Goal to end Italian aggression towards Abyssinia

• Planned to divide Abyssinia in two: half land going to Italy while the other half remained Abyssinian

• Leaked to public = anger over the appeasement directed at Italy especially regarding a helpless tiny nation

1938 May Crisis

• rumors of German mobilization on Czechoslovakian borders

• Hitler humiliated as he was not mobilizing troops. these rumors made it out to seem that he was responding to British/French threats.

Autarky

• ½ of Hitler’s main pillars

• Aim to be entirely self-sufficient in order to consolidate power

Operation Sea Lion

• Germany’s plan to invade UK in 1940

• Later became backup plan if Battle of Britain not successful

• Hitler ends up suspending the operation due to significant loss of battle

Pact of Steel

• 1939 Alliance between Hitler and Mussolini

• unified military and economic practices of nations

• showed rest of Europe there was a genuine threat

Nazi-Soviet Pact

• 1939

• Essentially allowed German invasion of Poland without intervention

• USSR signed out of fear of not being able to get support from Britain and France

• non-aggression pact

Hossbach Memorandum

• meeting notes from Nov. 1937 outlining Hitler’s expansionist strategies

• small wars to boost morale, strengthen control and nationalism

Remilitarization of Rhineland

1936 Hitler remilitarizes Rhineland without permission justifying it with the need for protection from a French attack following the Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Treaty.

Two Pillars of Hitler's Ideology

Autarky and Lebensraum