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Saar Plebiscite
Since 1919, the Saar region of Germany had been administered by the League of Nations. In accordance with Hitler's "lebensraum" plan- whose aim was to take back German territory to provide more living space for the German people- he wanted Germany to regain control of the Saar. The plebiscite was held to determine whether the Saar region should be returned to Germany. Because 90.3 % of the population of the Saar voted to return to German rule, control of the region was then handed over to them. -
Saar Plebiscite 2
There was some opposition to Germany regaining control of the Saar. Many anti-Nazis had fled to the Saar region and formed a united front with Communists and Social Democrats, to try to keep the Saar region under League of Nations control. However, the Saar Nazis formed a “German front” with the Catholics, and boycotted and beat up their opponents with help from the Saar Police and German Gestapo. -
Saar Plebiscite 3
The plebiscite was overseen by two judges from Italy and Holland, and a US History Professor, Sarah Wambaugh. They declared that the election had been fair, and that the result was genuine.
The regaining of the Saar was done completely legally and within the terms of the T.O.V., which was a huge boost of morale for Hitler. It meant that he was one step closer to creating a “greater Germany”. -
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement is a pact that allowed Germany to have a fleet that was 35% the size of Britain’s, and through a mis-translation, as many submarines as she wanted. As the disarmament clauses in the T.O.V. forbade Germany from building up its navy, this pact essentially legalised the rearmament of Germany, and also helped Hitler to break the T.O.V.. It was a prime example of the appeasement policy that Britain had adopted. -
Anglo-German Naval Agreement 2
The negotiations were conducted by Joachim von Ribbentrop in London, and they were rushed. Germany had a lot to gain from this: as Britain negotiated the terms of the treaty without first consulting the other allies, they further alienated France. Furthermore, the submarines that Germany was now allowed to build would help them to put an almost impenetrable blockade on Britain during WW2. -
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
Hitler marched two German troops into the Rhineland against 200 troops, with the intention of remilitarising the Rhineland. This was a direct violation of the T.O.V., which hadn’t allowed Germany to keep her troops within a 50 km stretch of the Rhineland. This made Germany vulnerable to invasion as they were unable to defend their borders. Hitler gambled that neither Britain nor France would take any action against him for remilitarising the Rhineland. -
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland 3
The remilitarisation of the Rhineland also helped Hitler to destroy the T.O.V., as it was another violation of its terms. -
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland 2
One of Hitler’s foreign policy aims was to create a greater Germany by enlarging his military capability and strengthening his borders. The remilitarisation of the Rhineland allowed him to be able to defend Germany’s borders, which is why Britain and France allowed him to. They didn’t believe it was worth going to war over Germany being able to occupy land that was essentially part of its country. -
Involvement in the Spanish civil war
In 1936 a civil war broke out in Spain, between the communist government, the Popular Front; and the fascists, led by General Franco. The war provided many opportunities for both Hitler and Mussolini, and they decided to aid General Franco by sending thousands of troops and weapons to Spain. The Luftwaffe later conducted the devastating bombing of the civilian population in Guernica. -
Involvment in the Spanish civil war 2
Hitler had many things to achieve from the Spanish civil war. Firstly, one of his foreign policy aims was to destroy communism. He also realised that Germany’s armed forces could be tested in what would be considered a ‘dress rehearsal’ for a full-scale European war. Hitler believed that if General Franco won this war, Germany would gain Spain as an ally. -
Involvement in the Spanish civil war 3
Germany might also gain Italy as an ally, as Mussolini’s involvement in this war would further distance him from Britain and France. Hitler also hoped that a civil war in Spain would distract the European powers from the affairs of central Europe and from realising Hitler’s intentions. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
The Anti-Comintern Pact was a pact signed by Germany and Japan, with Italy joining in in November 1937. The pact was directed against Soviet Russia and for promoting communism, and the aim of the pact was to ensure that neither Germany nor Japan would assist Soviet Russia if they attacked any country. The pact also stated that neither country would sign a treaty with Soviet Russia. The pact was negotiated by Joachim von Ribbentrop. -
Anti-Comintern Pact 3
Furthermore, the fact that Mussolini signed this treaty guaranteed his support for Hitler. It meant that when Hitler would attempt Anschluss with Austria (to create a greater Germany by uniting German speaking people), Mussolini would not intervene or support Austria. -
Anti-Comintern Pact 2
The signing of the Anti-Comintern pact achieved some goals for Hitler. Firstly, one of his foreign policy goals was to destroy communism. This pact was directed against Soviet Russia and the spread of communism, as it forbade the signatories to aid Soviet Russia in a communist revolution. -
Anschluss with Austria
Hitler aimed to unite Germany with Austria, which was forbidden by the T.O.V.. In 1934, the Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss cracked down on socialists in Austria and banned the Nazi party. Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazis to riot and create havoc, and Chancellor Dollfuss was assassinated. The new Chancellor, Schuschnigg, met with Hitler and was bullied into appointing Seyss-Inquart (a leading Austrian Nazi) as Minister of the Interior. He immediately requested the help of Germany in restoring order -
Anschluss with Austria 2
Plebiscites were held in Austria on 12 March 1938 to determine whether the Anschluss should take place. However, to guarantee that it would, Hitler marched the German army into Austria on the same day. Having already gained Mussolini’s support, there was no intervention from Italy. Under the watchful eye of Nazi troops, the majority of the population voted for the Anschluss. Hitler then declared that the Anschluss had taken place. -
Anschluss with Austria 3
One of Hitler’s foreign policy aims was to create a greater Germany, which included uniting all German-speaking peoples. Since the majority of the Austrian population was German speaking, Hitler aimed to unite Austria and Germany. By doing this, he would also begin building up a European empire, as he had strengthened Germany's military capability and taken control of Austria. -
Appeasement
tAppeasement was the name given to the policy adopted by Britain, France and the allies in the 1930s towards Germany and Hitler. Appeasement involves giving in to a dictator’s demands in order to keep peace. An example of the appeasement policy would be the Munich Conference. Hitler demanded control of all the Sudetenland territories, which were currently under the control of Czechoslovakia. -
Appeasement 2
The Munich Conference was held between Neville Chamberlain (Britain), Benito Mussolini (Italy), Edouard Deladier (France), and Hitelr; and it was decided that control of the Sudeten territories would be handed over to Germany over a 10 day period. Plebiscites would also be held in areas where there were any doubts over the dominant nationalities. Czechoslovakia had little choice but to agree to to the breakup of their country, as their only other option was to face the German army on their own. -
Appeasement 3
Appeasement was seen as morally wrong and responsible for the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The Munich Conference was a negotiating ploy by Hitler, as it handed over 66 percent of Czechoslovakia’s coal, 70 percent of its iron and steel, and 70 percent of its electrical power to Germany. This achieved Hitler’s foreign policy aim of creating a greater Germany: he had strengthened Germany’s military capability and brought more German speaking people under German control. -
Crisis over Czechoslovakia and Poland
Once the Sudetenland was transferred to Germany, the rest of Czechoslovakia began to break up. However, it remained rich in agriculture and industry, which would be useful for Hitler. He pressured and coerced President Hacha of Czechoslovakia into giving Czechoslovakia’s resources to the German Reich. In March 1939, the German army occupied Prague. Hitler was taking over a country simply to increase the power of Germany, and he was attempting to rule Europe by force. -
Crisis over Czechoslovakia and Poland 2
It was clear that Hitler's next move would be to invade Poland. He demanded the return of Danzig as well as transport links across the Polish Corridor that were German-controlled. The events of March 1939 had prompted Britain and France to stop using appeasement, and they guaranteed that Poland would receive their support in the event of a German invasion. They attempted to create an eastern alliance, but were unable to include Russia. -
Crisis over Czechoslovakia and Poland 2
There were many reasons for which Hitler wanted control of Czechoslovakia and Poland. Firstly, one of his foreign policy aims was to create a greater Germany. By taking over new territories and their resources, he would be significantly strengthening Germany. He also wanted to unite all German speaking people, and Danzig was mainly populated by Germans. Another one of his aims was to destroy the T.O.V, and since Poland was a recreation by the T.O.V., he aimed to take over Poland. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 3
The Nazi-Soviet pact was a triumph for Hitler. This is because the pact cleared the way for Germany’s imminent invasion of Poland. Hitler aimed to invade Poland in accordance with his Lebensraum plan to create more living space for the German population. He also wanted to connect East Prussia with the rest of Germany, which could be achieved by taking over Poland. The invasion occurred on September 1st, 1939. German forces invaded from the west, and two weeks later, Soviet forces invaded Poland. -
The Nazi-Soviet pact aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
As Hitler was planning for a full-scale war with Europe and a build-up of a central European empire, he wanted to ensure that the odds were in his favour. In a direct violation of the Anti-Comintern Pact, Hitler and Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Through this pact, Stalin and Hitler agreed not to go to war with each other and to split Poland’s territories and resources between them. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
In April 1939, Russia, Britain and France met to form an alliance to defend Poland. Stalin knew he had two choices: if he made an alliance with Britain, he would end up fighting a war with Hitler over Poland; but if he made an alliance with Germany, he would get half of Poland, and time to prepare for the coming war with Germany. He decided to side with Hitler, and on August 1939, Russia had swapped sides and signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Germany.
