HistoryGCSE Revision Booklet

Book 3 - Hitler’s foreign policy and the origins of the Second World War

Paper 1

Key issue: How did Hitler challenge and ex-ploit the Treaty of Versailles 1933 - March

1938?

Content Focus:• Hitler’saimsinforeignpolicy• ThereturnoftheSaar,1935• ThebeginningofrearmamentinGermany:withdrawalfromtheDis-armamentConference1933;non-aggressionPactwithPoland1934;re-introductionofconscriptionfrom1935;Anglo-GermanNavalAgreement1935• TheremilitarisationoftheRhineland1936• TheAnschlusswithAustria1938.

Hitler’s Aims and Policies

What?Hitlerhad3aimsin1933:• AbolishtheTreatyofVersailles–itwashatedbytheGermanswhohadsufferedeconomichardshipbecauseofthetreaty.• CreateLebensraum(livingspace)fortheGermanpeople–Hitlerbe-lievedthattheAryanracewassuperiortootherracesinEurope,especiallytheSlavsandheintendedtoexpandintoEasternEurope.• DefeatCommunisminEurope–HitlerblamedcommunismforGer-mandefeatinWWIandvowedtodefeatit;thismeantwarwithRussia.

So What?Hitler’saimswereexpansionistwhichmeantthathewantedmorelandfortheGermanpeople.ItwasthereforeinevitablethatGermanywouldgotowartoachievetheseobjectives.

The Saar Region

What?AplebiscitewasheldinJanuary1935todecidethefutureoftherichmin-ingdistrictoftheSaar.ThisregionhasbeenpartofGermanyfrom1815.ButTheTreatyofVersaillesplaceditunderthecontroloftheLeagueofNations-withtheoutputoftheminesgoingtoFranceaspartofGer-many’sreparations.Thetreatystipulatedthattheinhabitantswouldvote(plebiscite)in1935aboutwhethertomergewithGermanyorFranceorstaywiththeLeague.

So What?PowerfulNazipropagandaensureda90%majorityformergingwithGer-manywhentheplebiscitewasheldinJanuary1935.Hitleracquiredaval-uableindustrialregionandapublicdisplayofsupport.

Re-armament

What?• WithdrawalfromtheDisarmamentConference1933Germanydemandedgleichberechtigung(“equalityofarmaments”)withothercountries–astheTreatyofVersailleshadvirtuallydisbandedGer-many’sarmedforces.Thiswouldhavemeantothersreducingtheirarma-mentsandtherewasnocommitmentfromBritaintodothis.However,afterJan30th1933,HitlerwithdrewfromtheConferenceandtheLeague,blamingtheFrenchwhointurnblamedtheBritishforfailingtosupportthem.

So What?a.itwreckedtheconferenceb.itlefthimfreetorearmhoweverhewantedc.itdroveawedgebetweentheFrenchandtheBritishd.Britishpoliticians,whiletheyweretryingtopersuadeGermanytostayintheConference,hadagreedinprinciplethatthearmsclausesoftheTreatyofVersaillesweretooharsh.• Non-aggressionPactwithPoland,1934ThePolishchiefofstateJózefPilsudskisignedatreatywithGermany,not

togotowarwitheachotherforthenexttenyears.Thiswassoonfollowedbyatradetreaty.

So What?a.lefthiseasternbordersafeandgavehimtimetorearmb.underminedtheprincipleofcollectivesecurityoftheLeague–afterthetreatyPolandactivelyneglectedtheLeague.c.dividedthecountriesalliedagainsthimd.whenhewasready,hesimplyinvadedPolandanyway.

• Conscriptionandrearmament,1935-6ConscriptionwasspecificallyforbiddenbytheTreatyofVersailles.Rearma-menthadbeengoingonsecretlysince1933,butin1935Hitlertookthechanceandheldahuge‘FreedomtoRearm’militaryrally,andin1936hereintroducedconscription.1932-9,thenumberofsoldiersgrewtenfoldfrom100,000toamillion,andthenumberofairplanesgrew200-foldfrom36to8250. So What?a.Hitlerhadguessedcorrectly–nocountryquestionedhisbreachoftheTreatyofVersailles;theybackeddownandhisprestigegrew.b.itmadehimverypopularinGermany–itreducedunemployment,itmadeGermanystrong,andhehaddefiedthehatedTreatyofVersailles.

• Anglo-GermanNavalAgreement,1935In1934theBritishForeignOfficeissuedamemostatingthat:‘PartVoftheTreatyofVersaillesis,forpracticalpurposes,dead’.Soonafter,inJanu-ary1935,BritishForeignSecretaryJohnSimonwrotethatitwaswisertomakeanagreementwhichacceptedGermanrearmamentbutlimiteditbytreaty,thantocondemnitandwatchwhileGermanyrearmedwithoutanyregulation.

InJune1935,therefore,aTreatywassignedbywhichtheBritishagreedtoallowtheGermanstobuildtheirtonnageupto35%ofwhatevertheBrit-ishtonnagewasinthevariouscategoriesofwarship. So What?

Hitlercalledthedayofthesigningofthetreaty‘thehappiestdayofhislife’–itwasyetanotherofthosesuccessfulbi-lateralagreements:a.itsecuredandvalidatedhisbreakingoftheTreatyofVersailles.b.itcontinuedtheunderminingoftheprincipleofcollectivesecurityoftheLeague.c.BritainsignedthetreatywithoutconsultingtheFrench,whowerefuri-ous.d.itgavehimpoweroverBritain,becausehecouldthreatentocancelthetreatywhenevertheBritishquestionedhisactionsinEurope.e.hehopedthattheA.G.N.AmarkedthebeginningofanAnglo-Germanalliance,but,whenitcametoit,hewasablesimplytocancelitin1939.

The Rhineland 1936

What?TheTreatyofVersaillesspecifiedthattheAllieswouldoccupytheRhine-land,theimportantstrategicareainthewestofGermanyborderingFrance,until1935.Theallieswithdrewearlyin1930butthetreatyalsostatedthattheregionshouldbepermanentlydemilitarized.InMarch1936HitlermovestroopsintotheRhineland.Againhehearsonlyverbalobjections.

AnAustrianwomanintearsmakingtheNazisaluteastheGermansenterAustriainMarch1938.

AustrianslinethestreetsinsupportofHitler.

Anschluss with Austria

What?Inshort:HitlerbrokethetermsoftheTreatyofVersaillesbytakingoverAustriainMarch1938.BritainandFrancedidnothingtostophim.

Indetail:Followingtheeventsthatledtowarin1914,theTreatyofVer-saillespreventedGermanfromuniting(anschluss)withAustria.

BuoyedupbyhissuccessesinchallengingtheVersaillestreatyandthegrowthintheGermanarmyandairforce,HitlersummonedtheAustrianchancellortoameetinginhisresidenceatBerchtesgadenon12Febru-ary1938.WhenSchuschniggarrived,hewastreatedtoatwo-hourrantbyHitlerabouthisobjectionstoAustria’sforeignpolicy.

Schuschniggwasbrowbeatenintoacceptinganagreementwhichal-lowedtheNazipartyinAustriafullfreedom,togetherwithaguaranteedroleindevelopingeconomicandmilitarycollaborationbetweenthetwocountries.

Schuschniggwasinaverydifficultpositionbuthedecidedtotakeagam-ble;acentralplankofHitler’sargumentwasthatthemajorityofAustrianswantedunionwithGermany.Schuschniggdecidedtoputthistothetest.OnMarch9heannouncedthataplebiscitewouldbeheldonSundayMarch13todeterminewhetherAustriaunitedwithGermanyorremainedindependent.

HitlerwasfuriousandonthemorningofMarch11GermanyclosedtheborderwithAustria.HitlerissuedasuccessionofultimatumstotheAus-trians,withthethreatofimmediateinvasionifeachisnotaccepted.TherewasnooppositionandtheGermantroopscrosstheborderfullyintoAus-triaon12thMarch,unopposed.

OnApril10thHitlerdecidedtoallowaplebiscitetotakeplace,nowunderthewatchfuleyeoftheSS.Ofthosewhovote,99.08%inGermanysayyes.InAustriathefigureisevenhigher,at99.75%.

So What?BritainandFrancedidnothingwhenHitlertookoverAustria.WhatmightHitlergetawaywithnext?

AdoflHitler

Key issue: Why did Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement fail to prevent the outbreak of war in 1939?

Content Focus• Reasonsforandagainstappeasement• TheSudetenCrisisandMunichAgreement,1938• ThecollapseofCzechoslovakiaMarch,1939• TheroleoftheUSSR1938–1939:theNazi-SovietPact• Polandandtheoutbreakofwar• Responsibilityfortheoutbreakofwar

Appeasement and Chamberlain

What?AppeasementwasthepolicyadoptedbytheBritish(andFrench)governmentsinthe1930swhichinvolvednegotiatingwithHitlerinresponsetohisbreachesoftheTreatyofVersaillestoavoidconflict.

So What?

• ItencouragedHitlertobeaggressiveandcontinuetobreakthetermsoftheTreatyofVersailles.Eachtimehe“gotawaywithit”dur-ingthe1930shewasgivenconfidencetotakeevenbiggergambles.• Germanywasallowedtobuildupmilitarystrength.• ItupsetRussiawhofeltaftertheMunichAgreementthatBritainandFranceweretryingtopushGermanytowardsRussia.• Mostofall,thesuccessofAppeasementdependedonHitlerkeepinghispromises–bigmistake!

Why?Usethediagrambelowtomakeyourownsetofnotes

The Sudetenland

What?Duringthe1930sBritainhadgivenwaytoHitleronanumberofoccasions.TheSudetencrisisshowedappeasementinaction–tryingtobuyoffHitlerbygivingwaytohisdemands.

AsaresultofthedivisionofEuropeafterWWI,therewere a number of Germans living in the part ofCzechoslovakiaknownastheSudetenland.Onthe7September1938,theGermanSudetenParty(whichhaddonewell inelections inCzechoslovakia)de-mandedunionwithGermany.HitlerclaimedtherewasevidenceofmistreatmentofSudetenGermansandpledgedtouseforceto“protect”them.

ChamberlainmetwithHitleronthreeoccasionsinSeptember1938:• At the firstmeeting Hitler convinced Cham-berlainthattheSudetenlandwasthelast“problem”thatGermanyneededtosortoutandChamberlainpersuadedtheCzechpresidentBenestogiveHitlerpartoftheSudetenland.Hesaidthat“Hitlerwasamanwhocouldbereliedupon”.

• Atthesecondmeeting,HitlercamebackatChamberlainwithmoredemands;otherCzechterritoryshouldbegiventoPolandandHungaryandalloftheSudetenlandbeoccupiedbyGermanybyOct1st.HeassuredChamberlainthathehad“nofurtherterritorialambitionsinEurope”.

• At the thirdmeeting, theMunich Agreementwas signed on 29thSeptember1938.ChamberlainhaddecidedthatBritainshouldnotgotowaroverCzechterritory.Hesaiditwasa“aquarrelinafar-awaycountrybetweenpeopleofwhomweknownothing”.Britain and Francegave the Sudetenland toGermany. Czechoslovakia

wasnoteveninvitedtothetalks.ChamberlainreturnedtoEnglandwithhisfamouspieceofpaper.‘Ibelieveitispeaceforourtime’,hetoldthecheeringcrowd.

The End of Appeasement

15thMarch1939–HitlermarchedistroopsintotherestofCzechoslovakia.BeneswasunabletoopposehimandBritainandFrancetooknodirectac-tion.However,Hitlerhadgonetoofar;therewouldbenomoredeals.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

What?BetweenMarchandAugust1939,BritainengagedintalkswithRussiabutthenegotiationsfailed.

On23August,1939,RussiaandGermanysigneda‘Non-aggressionPact’.

ThiswasabigshocktotheBritishandFrenchwhohadalwaysbeensurethatHitlerwasdeterminedtofightcommunism,notmakeallianceswithcommunistcountries. Furthermore,BritainandFrancedidnotknowthefulldetailsofthedealbetweenRussiaandGermany;thetwocountrieshadmadeanumberofa‘secretprotocol’agreeingto‘spheresofinfluence’inFinland,Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,RomaniaandPoland.ItamountedtoanagreementtoinvadeanddividethecountriesofeasternEuropebetweenthem...withPolandfirstonthelist.

So What?Hitler’snexttargetwasPolandandheplannedtoinvadethroughthePol-ishCorridor.HehadconvincedhimselfthatBritainandFrancewouldnotrespondtosuchactionbuthewaslesssureaboutStalinwhowantedPo-landforRussia.

TheNazi-SovietPactclearedthewayforHitler’sinvasionofPolandwith-outfearofreprisalfromRussia.

Hitler Invades Poland

What?On1stSeptember1939HitlerinvadedPolandconfidentthatBritainandFrancewoulddonothingtostophim.

So What?Hewaswrong.On3rdSeptemberBritainandFrancedeclaredWaronGermany.

(a).SourceAsuggestsreasonsforthesigningoftheNazi-SovietPactinAugust1939.Doyouagreethatthesewerethemainreasons?Explainyouranswerbyreferringtothepurposeofthesource,aswellasusingitscontentandyourknowledge.(6)

(b).DescribethewaysinwhichGermanybroketheTreatyofVersailles,1935–1938. (4)

(c).WhichwasthebiggerthreattopeaceinEuropeinthe1930s:• There-militarisationoftheRhine-land;• TheNazi-SovietPact1939?Refertobothpartswhenexplainingyouranswer. (10)

Practice Exam Questions

SourceA:ABritishcartoonbyDavidLowfrom1939.