11 How far was Hitler's foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of war in 1939?

Question 1

What was Hitler’s overriding foreign policy objective when he because Chancellor of Germany?

Answer 1

He wanted to make Germany great again

Question 2

What secondary objectives would Hitler have to pursue in order to make Germany great again?

Answer 2

• Destroy the Treaty of Versailles
• Create a greater Germany
• Destroy communism
• Acquire lebensraum or “living space”
• Build up a central European empire

Question 3

How would Hitler destroy the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 3

• the disarmament clauses would be broken by introducing conscription and by building up the army, navy, and air force
• Germany’s western frontier would be secured by remilitarising and refortifying the Rhineland
• Lost territory would be gained

Question 4

How would Hitler create a greater Germany?

Answer 4

• All German-speaking peoples would be brought into the Reich
• The frontiers of Germany would be extended to cover those areas where the population was predominantly German. This might include Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia and Poland

Question 5

How would Hitler destroy communism?

Answer 5

• Germany would be drawn into conflict with Soviet Russia

Question 6

How would Hitler acquire lebensraum or “living space”?

Answer 6

• Hitler thought that it was entitlement of all Germans to have “living space”
• This meant more land for their recreation and cultivation
• Lebensraum implied expansion eastwards at the expense of Poland and Soviet Russia

Question 7

How would Hitler build up a central European empire?

Answer 7

• Once Hitler had achieved all his other policies, he would be master of a new central European empire, the most powerful state in Europe, if not the world

Question 8

What can you not tell with Hitler’s early foreign policies in 1933-5?

Answer 8

That he was heading towards war in Europe

Question 9

What was Hitler’s general aims or goals for his early foreign policies in 1933-5?

Answer 9

To achieve equality with the western powers such as Britain and France

Question 10

What was Hitler’s first strike against the Versailles Settlement?

Answer 10

When Germany refused to pay any more reparations, walked out of the World Disarmament Conference, and left the League of Nations in 1933.

Question 11

When did Germany being to secretly rearm?

Answer 11

In 1933

Question 12

What did Hitler do to remove the prospect of war with Poland if hitler decided to make a move against Austria or Czechoslovakia?

Answer 12

Sign a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland

Question 13

What did Mussolini disapprove of by moving his troops to the Brenner Pass in July 1934 and what did Hitler do?

Answer 13

After the Austrian Nazis murdered Dullfuss, the Austrian Chancellor, Hitler was about to strike the confused Austria but Mussolini disapproved of this. Therefore, Hitler backed down and denied any responsibility for the murder of Dollfuss.

Question 14

What was Germany’s first regain of lost territory by legal and peaceful means?

Answer 14

The regain of the Saar by a plebiscite, that took accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, which showed over 90% of the population were in favour of a return to Germany

Question 15

What caused the Allies to respond with the formation of the Stresa Front (the alliance made by Britain, France and Italy against the Hitler’s violations of the disarmament) and which other countries formed an alliance because of it?

Answer 15

Hitler’s reintroduction to conscription, which would allow hitler to build up his army to 36 divisions (550,000 men)

This caused France to sign a mutual assistance pact with Soviet Russia and Soviet Russia to sign another mutual assistance pact with Czechoslovakia

Question 16

What did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement allow Germany to do and what impression did it give on other countries?

Answer 16

In June 1935, the pact allowed Germany to have a fleet that was 35% the size of Britain’s, with submarines at 45%. This pact essentially legalised German naval rearmament and was made without obtaining the prior knowledge agreement of France or Italy

It gave the impression that it was quite in order for countries to pursue their national interests regardless of others.

Mussolini felt encouraged to apply the same selfish principle to extending Italy’s colonies

Question 17

What did people think about Hitler’s true intentions between 1936 and 1938?

Answer 17

During the next three years it was still not clear to most western statesmen what Hitler intended. His methods were highly questionably but his objectives often appeared quite reasonable

Question 18

What did German people think of the Rhineland?

Answer 18

A demilitarised Rhineland was a constant reminder of Germany’s humiliation and disadvantage as, in theory, it enable western armies to invade at will, as happened in January 1923.

Question 19

How many troops did Germany have against the opposition troops when they marched into the Rhineland in March 1936?

Answer 19

He had two divisions of troops against a possible opposition force of two hundred divisions

Question 20

Why was Hitler confident the Britain and France would not do anything about Germany’s invasion of the Rhineland in March 1936?

Answer 20

Neither the French nor the British had any desire for war over this issue. The Rhineland was seen as Germany’s “backyard”. This meant that France and Britain thought it was silly to fight a country over Germany’s troops occupying their own land. Furthermore, the French were in the middle of a financial crisis and faced elections in six weeks time.

Question 21

What did Hitler sign after he occupied the Rhineland?

Answer 21

A 25-year non-aggression pact with the western powers

Question 22

Who did Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin support in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39?

Answer 22

Hitler and Mussolini supporter their fellow fascist, Franco, while Stalin supported the Republicans

Question 23

Did Britain and France get involved in the Spanish Civil War?

Answer 23

No

Question 24

Who did the Spanish Civil War become a battleground for?

Answer 24

It became a battleground for rival ideologies

Question 25

What benefits did the Spanish Civil War give to Hitler and Germany?

Answer 25

• Hitler was able to test the Luftwaffe and was able to practice and perfect this drive-bombing techniques
• Hitler persuaded Mussolini to detach Italy from Britain and France and instead create an axis with him (the Rome-Berlin Axis)
• The civil war was seen to be a “smokescreen” for the western diplomats and officials and Hitler was able to take successful action over Austria and Czechoslovakia in central Europe

Question 26

What is the Anti-Comintern Pact that was signed in November 1936?

Answer 26

It was a pact signed by Germany and Japan, with Italy joining in a year later. The agreement was nominally directed against the Comintern, the Soviet agency for promoting communist revolution abroad. The real purpose was to ensure that neither Germany nor Japan would assist Soviet Russia if the latter attacked either country.

Question 27

Where is the largest concentration of German speakers outside of Germany?

Answer 27

In Austria, there were approximate 7 million of them

Question 28

Explain the Anschluss in March 1938?

Answer 28

• Hitler first tried to unite with Austria in 1934, but Mussolini stopped him with military movements
• By February 1938, Hitler had a better relationship with Mussolini, so he arranged a meeting with the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg to discuss the persecution of Austrian Nazis by Austrian government forces
• During the meeting, Hitler bullied Schuschnigg into appointing Seyss-Inquart, a leading Austrian Nazi, as Minister of the Interior
• Suspecting Hitler wanted to destroy Austrian independence, Schuschnigg held a plebiscite on 13 March
• When Hitler found out, he demanded Schuschnigg to resign and be replaced by Seyss-Inquart. This occurred after
• Seyss-Inquart immediately quested the assistance of Germany in restoring order
• After securing Mussolini’s support, Hitler ordered the German army into Austria on 12 March 1938. Plebiscites held in early April confirmed these events in both Austria and Germany, with an overwhelming number of votes in favour of the union

Question 29

What did Germany’s union with Austria mean to other countries?

Answer 29

• It was Hitler’s most daring action to date
  For the first time, German troops were deployed across German frontiers
• Britain and France had a greater challenge now, yet they did nothing to protest to Germany: Britain and France needed help of Italy and any action would seem contrary to Austrian wishes
• Germany had increased territory, population and resources adding to German military capacity + increased confidence and contempt for the opposition of Britain and France

Question 30

Why did Hitler dislike the existence of Czechoslovakia?

Answer 30

• It was a creation of the Treaty of Saint Germain, part of the Versailles Settlement
• It had an alliance with Soviet Russia and France
• It had a democratically elected government

Question 31

What did Hitler think about doing with the Sudetenland in May 1938, but why did he stop?

Answer 31

1) Hitler encouraged protests and demonstrations by the Sudeten Germans. He would then seize the Sudetenland in May 1938
2) But he was dissuaded by the prospect of war with Czechoslovakia, Soviet Russia and France backed by Britain

Question 32

What mistake did Hitler make, which caused Chamberlain to a act on in the two summit meetings that took place between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler?

Answer 32

Chamberlain was appalled by Hitler’s change of heart at Bad Godesberg (the second summit) and returned to London to prepare for war
When Hitler realised that he was on the brink of a European war, he agreed to Chamberlain’s suggestion, supported by Mussolini, of an international conference to settle the dispute

Question 33

When, where and who attended the international conference, which occurred to settle disputes?

Answer 33

The Munich Conference occurred on 29 September 1938. It included Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Edouard Daladier

Question 34

Why did the Czech government, who was not at the Munich Conference, had to agree to the break-up of their country?

Answer 34

As if they didn’t, they would have to face the full force of the German army on their own

Question 35

What happened after the signing of the Munich Conference, which made Chamberlain think that he brought “peace for our time”?

Answer 35

Chamberlain asked Hitler to sign a document, which pledged Hitler and Chamberlain to do everything to promote the peace of Europe and to use the “method of consultation” to resolve any mutual differences.

Hitler had no object to sign a collection of vague promises.

Question 36

What are two arguments for the Munich Agreement?

Answer 36

• Neville Chamberlain did not think that Britain was sufficiently prepared or united to fight a war in 1938
• Britain’s air defences were incomplete. Britain was vulnerable to a knock-out blow from the Luftwaffe

Question 37

What are two arguments against the Munich Agreement?

Answer 37

• Britain and France had abandoned Czechoslovakia to her fate
• Munich came to be seen as the supreme example of the policy of appeasement