Hitler's Foreign Policy
History – Hitler’s Foreign Policy
The Revival of Germany
January 1933 – Hitler becomes Chancellor
Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
1. Destroy Treaty of Versailles (Versailles had limited Germany’s armed forces, taken away her colonies, forced Germany to give land to her neighbours which meant there were Germans under foreign rule) and impose German control in Europe. This involved rearmament & the destruction of French alliance system. 2. Union of German-Speaking people → Hitler was an Austrian, he longed for Union 3. Getting “living Space” from “sub-human” Slavs USSR (according to Mein Kampf Hitler’s real enemy not the West) & Poland. He argued Germans were the master race who needed living space as Germany was overcrowded and lacked food and raw materials.
APPEASEMENT
Appeasement was the policy followed by the British and later by the French.
Aim: avoiding war with aggressive powers such as Japan, Italy and Germany giving way to their demands provided these were not to unreasonable.
Reasons:
Political divisions in France: hard to take a strong stand & refused to go to war without British support as the French were ultra-cautious
Fear of modern war: fear of the bomber (particularly after Guernica) “The Bomber will always get through” & terror of poison gas→ heavy losses
Treaty of Versailles: unfair → sympathetic → revise clauses →Anglo-German friendship → Germany would have no need to be aggressive.
Fear of communism: threat greater than Hitler→ Germany guarantee against communist expansion
Need for a strong Germany: Economic co-operation between Britain and Germany would help recover Germany’s economy → decrease of violence in Germany
Public Opinion: Government was supported by pacifist opinion.
British economic crisis: couldn’t afford expenses for rearmament.
Britain’s military shortcomings → economic crisis, Britain had not rearmed. From 1936-39 Britain rearmed to negotiate from a position of strength
U.S.
The Revival of Germany
January 1933 – Hitler becomes Chancellor
Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
1. Destroy Treaty of Versailles (Versailles had limited Germany’s armed forces, taken away her colonies, forced Germany to give land to her neighbours which meant there were Germans under foreign rule) and impose German control in Europe. This involved rearmament & the destruction of French alliance system. 2. Union of German-Speaking people → Hitler was an Austrian, he longed for Union 3. Getting “living Space” from “sub-human” Slavs USSR (according to Mein Kampf Hitler’s real enemy not the West) & Poland. He argued Germans were the master race who needed living space as Germany was overcrowded and lacked food and raw materials.
APPEASEMENT
Appeasement was the policy followed by the British and later by the French.
Aim: avoiding war with aggressive powers such as Japan, Italy and Germany giving way to their demands provided these were not to unreasonable.
Reasons:
Political divisions in France: hard to take a strong stand & refused to go to war without British support as the French were ultra-cautious
Fear of modern war: fear of the bomber (particularly after Guernica) “The Bomber will always get through” & terror of poison gas→ heavy losses
Treaty of Versailles: unfair → sympathetic → revise clauses →Anglo-German friendship → Germany would have no need to be aggressive.
Fear of communism: threat greater than Hitler→ Germany guarantee against communist expansion
Need for a strong Germany: Economic co-operation between Britain and Germany would help recover Germany’s economy → decrease of violence in Germany
Public Opinion: Government was supported by pacifist opinion.
British economic crisis: couldn’t afford expenses for rearmament.
Britain’s military shortcomings → economic crisis, Britain had not rearmed. From 1936-39 Britain rearmed to negotiate from a position of strength
U.S.