History KQ3- Was Hitler's Foreign Policy to blame for the outbreak of WW11

Europe’s opinion on the treaty

Britain- fairly happy, majority of public was happy with the treaty

Italy- expected to be granted more colonies from Türkiye and Germany

Germany- hated the harsh economic, territorial and military terms of the treaty of Versailles

France- French citizens thought the treaty was too soft on Germany and did not feel protected

the aims of Hitler on securing power in 1933 and his foreign policy priorities

Abolish T of V = he believed that it was unjust and a constant reminder to Germany about their defeat in WW1.

 

Expand German territory = He wanted Germany to unite with Austria and for German minorities in other countries to rejoin Germany.

 

Defeat communism = he believed the communists in Russia helped the defeat of Germany and also wanted to take over Germany. He was anti-communist. 

 define the term 'Lebensraum' and explain how it influenced Nazi foreign policy

Lebensraum is a German term meaning Living Space + was a key concept in Nazi ideology.

The idea behind it was the belief that German people needed to expand territory in order to secure sufficient resources and land for their growing population.

It influenced the Nazi foreign policy by justifying territorial expansion into neighbouring countries - especially ones inhabited by ethnic Germans.

Hitler used Lebensraum to justify the annexation of Austria.

 explain how Hitler was able to rearm Germany despite the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

By March 1935 Hitler publicly announced his intentions to rearm the nation. He assured other world leaders that these were not violations of the Treaty of Versailles but purely “defensive” measures.

Britian signed naval agreement with Germany and thought the treaty was unfair - also afraid of communism.

France were mad by powerless and unable to do anything.

describe the events of the Saar plebiscite and how Hitler was able to influence the result

Saar plebiscite (1935) was when the League on Nations held a plebiscite for people to vote whether the Saar region should return to German rule - around 90% of population voted to return to German rule.

 

Hitler's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels made a massive campaign to persuade the people of Saar to vote to German rule.

describe the process of Hitler remilitarised the rhineland (dispite league of nations and TofV)

Hitler ordered 20,000 troops into the Saarland in march 1936 - disobeyed T of V.

One of the treaties said to demilitarise the Rhineland

Hitler said that Germany felt threatened and so should be able to mobilise borders.

Britain did nothing and thought it was fair for Germany to do that.

France had an election coming up and no one wanted to bring France to war. No one did anything about it.

the two sides in the Spanish Civil War

1936 - war broke out in Spain between Republicans and Nationalists.

USSR + France supported the Republicans

Hitler + Mussolini supported the Nationalists.

explain why Mussolini and Hitler got involved with spanish civil war and the impact on international relations

Hitler used it as an opportunity to test out his new air force (Luftwaffe) and develop Blitzkrieg tactics to use in the future.

The impact was that it encouraged Hitler to think that Britain and France wouldn't intervene against him if he took further actions against T of V.

identify who the 'Axis' powers were and explain the impact of their militarism on international relations

Germany, Italy and Japan.

Japan wanted to extend their empire across Asia to compete with other world powers - especially USA.

They made the Anti-Comintern pact to stop communism around the world.

This was a worrying development for the rest of the world - especially Britain because they didn't have the resources to fight Japan and Germany.

describe how Hitler was able to achieve Anschluss with Austria despite the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

• Hitler encouraged Nazi party in Austria to make trouble for the government and demand for union with Austria.

• He told the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss could sort out the problems.

• Schuschnigg appealed to Britain + France for help but they didn’t do anything, he decided to call a plebiscite to see what Austrian people wanted.

• Hitler sent troops across the border to ensure people voted for Anschluss - they did.

explain what the policy of appeasement was, Neville Chamberlain's role and why it was pursued

It was a policy pursued by Britain + France in the 1930s allowing Hitler to break the terms of the T of V.

Neville Chamberlain played a big role as he believed it was a turning point for the British government to negotiate with Hitler - he hoped that by appeasing Hitler + agreeing to some of his demands would stop war.

identify the reasons why Hitler wanted the Sudetenland for Germany

Geographical = borders pushed into Germany - Hitler wanted to protect Germany from invasion.

 

Economical = the Sudetenland had rich minerals and fertile land which Germany wanted.

 

Militarily = Sudetenland contained much of Czechoslovakia's defences and army was well equipped.

 

Social = over 3.5 million Sudeten Germans lived in Sudetenland and Hitler wanted them to be absorbed into German Reich. 

Sudetenland crisis- Munich agreement summary

Munich Agreement-29th September 1938

In 1938 Chamberlain feels only way to keep peace is by giving Sudetenland to Hitler (appeasement - Britian not ready for war)

mid september Chamberlain meets with Hitler, Hitler promises to take no military action without further discussion

next day Hitler demands more

September 29- Germany, Italy, France and Britain meet (without Czechoslovakia) they agree Germany army to occupy sudetenland

Czechs forced to agree

 describe the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and what it meant for the policy of appeasement

Hitler was basically trying to take over Czechoslovakia bit by bit and the Munich agreement had allowed him to take the Sudetenland in hope of preventing war.

This just let Hitler to believe he was able to get away with more and paved the way for further aggression which eventually led to the outbreak of WW2.

 identify why Hitler targeted Poland once he had conquered Czechoslovakia

• Germany wanted access to Danzig and regain land that was once taken German.

• They wanted to avoid war on 2 fronts.

• Also had no intention of allowing USSR to keep their parts of Poland.

describe what was agreed in the Nazi-Soviet Pact (or Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) in 1939

23 August 1939 - Hitler + Mussolini signed Nazi - Soviet pact.

• They agreed to not attack each other

• Also to divide Poland between them

 explain why Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact

• Gave Stalin territory that had once been Russian - Baltic states to be a buffer zone (more protection).

• Time to build up forces before potential German invasion

• Didn't trust Britain and France - couldn’t rely on them to defend against Germany + concerned that they were encouraging fascist in East due to their dislike of communism.

• Weren't consulted at Munich agreement - hadn't wanted Germany to get Sudetenland - he concluded that either Britian/France were too weak to right Hitler or anti - communism.

  

explain the consequences of the Nazi-Soviet Pact for the rest of Europe

• Cleared the way for Germany to invade Poland - 1st Sept 1939.

• Invasion of Poland would trigger GB + Fr declaring war on Germany - 3rd Sept 1939.

• Appeasement bought time for GB + Fr to rearm and enable Germany to gain resources + gain strategic proximity to Poland + confidence

 identify the short term events in 1939 that resulted in the outbreak of WWII

Invasion of Poland + Nazi - Soviet pact - enabled Hitler a path to invasion and he thought he would be able to get away with it as he had done in the past but Britian and France had enough and decided they needed to do something.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia - Hitler realised he was able to get away with the invasion and tried to push his luck.

identify two arguments for and two against the policy of appeasement

For:

• Prevented immediate conflict - temporarily avoided war by giving in to Hitler's demands and buying time for rearmament + preparation for potential conflict.

• People in GB + Fr were scarred by devastation of WW1 + didn't want to engage in another conflict so they believed the PoP would maintain peace by accommodating Hitler's demands.

Against:

• Encouraged aggression - appeasement allowed Hitler to annex territories without racing serious consequences and this escalated his ambitions leading to further aggression.

• Undermined trust in alliances - when appeasing Hitler, GB + FR betrayed their commitments to Czechoslovakia and weakened credibility of alliances making it harder to build wall against Nazi expansionism.

 identify and explain the short and long term causes of the Second World War, as well as their relative importance

Treaty of Versailles:

• Resentment of Britain and France over harsh terms - Hitler able to exploit.

• Many worried revenge would lead to another war.

• Terms lead to economic and political problems - e.g. hyperinflation.

 

Nazi - Soviet pact:

• Increased tension

• Hitler able to avoid war on 2 fronts

• Allowed Hitler to safely invade Poland

 

Hitler's foreign policy:

• Get rid of T of V

• Rearmed Germany

• Lebensraum - in eastern Europe

• Destroy communism

 

Appeasement:

• Hitler believed GB/FR were weak

• Quick gains - Sudetenland/Czechoslovakia + Anschluss with Austria

• Rearmament - gave more time, bigger scale war.

 

Great Depression:

• Reduced international cooperation.

• No desire to sanction - focus of rearmament to stimulate growth

• Less trade

• Self interest of GB+FR

 

Failures of League of Nations:

• Failure of disarmament - bigger scale war

• Failure to resolve disputes - Manchuria, Abyssinia, Corfu, Remilitarisation of Rhineland + Spanish Civil War.

• Lots of self interest GB/FR

• Lack of USA - weakened economic sanctions and had no standing army.

Was Hitler's foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of World War 2?

His aims, such as the abolishment of the Treaty of Versailles, the expansion of German territory (Lebensraum), the invasion of neighboring countries, were aggressive and threatened European stability.

His foreign actions, including the remilitarization of the Rhineland, Anschluss with Austria, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland, directly challenged the existing peace treaties, leading to the declaration of war by Britain and France.

What was the significance of the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936?

The remilitarization of the Rhineland was significant

• it marked a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles and challenged the post-WWI order.

• It emboldened Hitler

• demonstrated that Germany was willing to assert its military might without facing immediate consequences from Britain and France.

How did Hitler's foreign policy impact relationships with the USSR?

Hitler's foreign policy, particularly his aggressive expansionist aims and anti-communism stance, initially strained relations with the USSR. However, the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 temporarily aligned the two powers by agreeing to divide Poland and not attack each other.

What role did propaganda play in Hitler's foreign policy?

Propaganda was crucial in Hitler's foreign policy for manipulating public opinion and rallying support for his expansionist agenda. It portrayed Germany as a victim seeking rightful territory, justified actions like the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland, and painted opponents as aggressors.

What was the impact of the Munich Agreement on European stability?

The Munich Agreement, in which Britain and France allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland without Czechoslovakia's consent, temporarily stabilized the region but ultimately emboldened Hitler, undermined trust in alliances, and failed to prevent further aggression, leading to WWII.

Explain the concept of 'Lebensraum' in relation to Hitler's foreign policy.

Lebensraum, meaning 'living space,' was a key element of Hitler's ideology aimed at expanding German territory, particularly into eastern Europe. It justified military aggression against neighboring countries to acquire land for the growing German population and was central to his foreign policy objectives.

What is Grossdeutschland and its significance in Nazi ideology?

Grossdeutschland, meaning 'Greater Germany,' refers to the concept of unifying all German-speaking peoples into one state under Nazi rule. This belief fueled expansionist policies, leading to the annexation of Austria and demands for territories with German populations, justifying military aggression in the lead-up to WWII.

What were the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan?

The Dawes Plan (1924) was an attempt to help Germany pay reparations by rescheduling payments and providing loans from the USA. The Young Plan (1929) further reduced the total reparations debt and extended the payment period. Both plans aimed to stabilize the German economy and ease tensions related to the Treaty of Versailles.

Describe the main aims of Hitler’s foreign policy

Hitler wanted to create a Grossdeutchland (1). He wanted to incorporate all German speakers into Germany including through achieving Anschluss with Austria (1). He wanted to revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1). He wanted to expand eastwards to achieve Lebensraum (1).

Describe how Hitler broke the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, he broke many terms of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1933, he began to secretly rearm (1). In 1937, he tested out the Luftwaffe in the Spanish Civil War (1). In 1938, he successfully captured the Sudetenland (1). In 1939, he captured the whole of Czechoslovakia (1).

What were the impacts of Manchuria and Abyssinia

• In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria

• In 1935, Italy invaded the African country of Abyssinia

• Both incidents encouraged Hitler’s foreign policy because: 

  • Britain and France were selfish

    • The impacts of the Great Depression meant that neither country wanted a war with an aggressive nation

    • In both crises, they did not want to anger possible allies against Hitler

  • The League was slow

    • In the Manchurian Crisis, it took the League 18 months to react

  • The League was weak

    • The USA was not a member

    • Every time the League refused to act or reacted weakly, it damaged the League’s reputation

  • Hitler knew he could act without the League stopping him

    • In the Manchurian Crisis, Japan ignored the League and faced no consequences

    • In the Abyssinian Crisis, the League placed economic sanctions on Italy but did nothing to stop Mussolini’s use of chemical warfare

when did Germany leave the league of Nations

Novemeber 1933- Hitler was now free to pursue and agressive Foreign policy

Nazi Germany used rallies to:

• Advertise the strength of the German army

• Show Germany’s lack of respect for the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

What was the size of the German armed forces by 1939?

By 1939, there were around 1.4 million men in the German armed forces.

How much did spending on armaments increase from 1933 to 1939?

Spending on armaments increased from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion marks by 1939.

What was the increase in employment in aircraft construction from 1933 to 1935?

Employment in aircraft construction increased from 4,000 people in 1933 to 72,000 people by 1935.

Outcome of Saar Plebiscite (who should govern the saar)

• Plebiscite held on 13 January 1935

• over 90% of the population votes to re-join Germany

• Hitler promises to make no further claims on German territory

How did Hitler manage to rearm Germany despite the Treaty of Versailles?

Hitler publicly feigned a desire to disarm while secretly rearming since 1933, openly reintroducing conscription in 1935 and claiming it was necessary to match other non-disarming nations and reduce unemployment.

What were the Impacts of the Saar Plebiscite?

• The plebiscite was a propaganda victory for Hitler

  • It showed the level of support for his policies, even in a region with Nazi opponents

• However, the League resolved a dispute legally

  • The League had stuck to the 15-year time limit set in the Treaty of Versailles

  • France and Germany had not gone to war

  • The people of the Saar achieved their aim of rejoining Germany

• Hitler wanted to use his popularity to fulfil his idea of a Grossdeutchland

  • To fulfil this, Hitler needed to capture land lost in the treaty

  • The League wanted to avoid war at all costs

• Hitler could increase his rearmament programme

  • The Saar provided Hitler with key natural resources for the rearmament industries

  • The League of Nations aimed to encourage disarmament

When was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland

1936

Reasons for Hitlers invasion into the Rhineland

• league is too busy with Abyssinian crisis to react

• Britain believes Germany has a right to that land

• elections in France mean they want to avoid conflict with Germany

Siegfried line

After the 1936 invasion, Hitler built up his defences along the French border

• Germany constructed the Siegfried Line, a complex system of fortifications

• The League of Nations had allowed Hitler to get away with breaching the Treaty of Versailles

anschluss

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What did Hitler do to make manipulate the League of nations

Hitler created a plan to manipulate the League by signing a 25-year non-aggression pact with France and Britain, even though he had no plans to keep it. It also made Germany seem less aggressive

Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland important to Hitler?

The remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important because it reversed part of the Treaty of Versailles (1). The treaty insisted on the demilitarisation of the land to protect France from invasion. However, the Rhineland was German land that Hitler wanted to make German again (1). Therefore the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was important for restoring Germany’s pride. Hitler believed that Germany had the right to put troops on its own territory

How was the Spanish Civil War a Failure for the League of Nations?

• The conflict killed 750,000 people

  • This went against the League’s mentality of stopping the use of war

• General Franco won in 1939

  • Fascism had won against democracy

  • Hitler and Mussolini formed a tighter bond

    • They signed the Rome-Berlin Axis alliance in 1937

• Germany developed devastating military tactics

  • Hitler tested the concept of blitzkrieg, or ‘lightning war’, in the conflict

  • The Luftwaffe developed new bombing techniques

    • On 26th April 1937, German and Italian bombers bombed the city of Guernica

    • Over three hours, they destroyed the city and killed hundreds of civilians

  • The Nazi’s aerial bombing shocked world leaders and their populations

    • Britain and France increased their rearmament programmes

    • People worried about the consequences of war

      • Many civilians wanted to avoid war at all costs

Who was Neville chamberlain

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940

Anglo-German Naval agreement

• june 1935

• Germany to have a navy 35% the size of the British Royal Navy

  Germany allowed to develop submarines. They can only have 45% of the submarines that Britain possesses

  A guarantee of Britain’s naval supremacy

impacts:

The agreement broke the Treaty of Versailles and the Stresa Front

It showed that Britain wanted to protect itself rather than protect Europe from Hitler

• Many Austrians supported the idea of Anschluss because:

• • The majority of Austrians, around 98%, spoke German

  • They felt that Austria had a weak economy without Germany

  • There was a strong Nazi Party in Austria

Hitler wanted to gain the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia for Germany because:

• After Anschluss, Germany bordered Czechoslovakia on three sides

  • Claiming Czechoslovakia would protect Germany from invasion

• The Sudetenland had rich mineral resources and the Skoda armament factory

  • This would help Germany’s armament industry

• The Sudetenland had fortifications 

  • By claiming this area, it would make invading the whole of Czechoslovakia easier for Hitler

• Over 3.5 million Germans lived in the Sudetenland

  • The Sudeten Germans claimed that the Czech government mistreated them

  • Hitler would continue to achieve his foreign policy aims of Grossdeutchland and Lebensraum

When was the Munich Conference and What was it

• 29th September 1938

• Representatives from Italy, Britain, France and Germany attended the conference

  • Czechoslovakia was not invited to the meeting

    • This made the meeting unfair from the start

  • The USSR were not involved in the conference

    • This created distrust between the USSR and the Western powers

The Munich Agreement

• The four nations (Italy, Britain, France and Germany) developed the Munich Agreement on 30th September 1938

  • These were terms agreed by Hitler to avoid war

• The Munich Agreement stated that:

  • Hitler would gain the Sudetenland

  • Czechoslovakia would keep the rest of their territory

• The Munich Agreement was controversial because:

  • Czechoslovakia had to accept the terms

  • Hungary and Poland also claimed areas of Czechoslovakia 

    • Poland gained Teschen in October 1938

• Hitler marched into the Sudetenland on 1st October 1938

Was the Munich Agreement a Success for Appeasement?

For- it gave Britain time to rearm and many Germans lived in the Sudentenland

against- the sudentenland had valuable differences. The rest of Czechoslovakia was now vulnerable to an invasion

‘Anschluss was more important than the takeover of the Sudetenland in achieving Hitler’s aims.’ How far do you agree with this statement?

The Sudetenland was important to Hitler as he wanted to unite all German-speaking people (1). In the Sudetenland, there were 3.5 million Germans living there. This land had been given to Czechoslovakia under the Treaty of St Germain, part of the Versailles Settlement (1). This was important for Hitler’s aims as it helped to achieve Grossdeutchland and Lebensraum by uniting German speakers into one Reich and increasing Germany’s territory. This helped open Eastern Europe up to aggressive German expansion (1).

Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1939

• By March 1939, Hitler gained the rest of Czechoslovakia

  • Hitler demanded the Czech government surrender control of Czechoslovakia

    • Failure to do this would result in the Luftwaffe bombing Prague

  • On 15th March, Hitler marched into Prague

  • He succeeded in encouraging Slovakia to declare independence

• Hitler could not defend his actions to claim the whole of Czechoslovakia

  • There was no German-speaking population in the land he claimed

  • Hitler intended to increase Germany’s power

• The invasion of Czechoslovakia ended the policy of appeasement

  • Chamberlain stated on 17th March that he could no longer trust Hitler

  • Britain and France looked to protect vulnerable countries in Europe from Hitler

Why were Germany and USSR enemies

• They believed in opposite ideologies

  • Hitler was Fascist. This is a far right-wing belief

  • Stalin was Communist. This is a far left-wing belief

• They had different aims for Europe

  • Hitler wanted Germany to dominate Europe

  • Stalin wanted to gain land to implement communism

• They had fought on opposite sides in the Spanish Civil War

  • Hitler had supported General Franco and the right-wing rebels

  • Stalin had sent equipment to the left-wing government

when was the Nazi-soviet pact formed

23 August 1939

Why did Stalin sign the Nazi Soviet pact

to annoy the west - the USSR was excluded from the Munich conference, and he distrusted western powers

to appear strong - the policy of Appeasement made the Western powers look weaker than Hitler

to delay war- a war between France, Britain and Germany would give Stalin time to prepare for War

to gain land - poland had been taken from Russia in treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Why did Hitler sign the Nazi-Soviet pact

Avoid upsetting USSR- opposition from USSR could slow down invasion of Poland, Stalin had a ruthless reputation

Stop an alliance against him - Britain and France had attempted to form an alliance with USSR against Hitler

Avoid a two front war- Britain and France could declare war over Poland. Hitler did not want to split his troops to fight the USSR as well

Gain Land- Hitler wanted the return of the polish corridor

impacts of the Nazi-Soviet pact

the public agreement shocked the world, especially Britain and France

Germany invaded Poland 9 days after the signing of the pact

Why did Britain and France abandon the concept of appeasement by March 1939?

• they did not believe that Hitler would stop his aggressive foreign policy

• Britain and France had made significant progress in rearmament

What happened on 31st March 1939

• On 31st March 1939, Britain and France made a formal agreement with Poland

  • The two countries promised that they would protect Poland’s borders

Britain and France to Germany ultimatium:

1st of September 1939, Britain and France delivers ultimatum to Germany: leave Poland or they will declare war.

after years of appeasement Hitler does not take the threat seriously

3rd of september Britain declares war on Germany and ww2 begins