History Topic 3 Hitlers Foreign Policy 1933-39

Germany had to accept guilt

German millitary was severely weakened

Huge reparation payments for war damage

Land lost to other countries, especially poland and france

Germany and austria not allowed not allowed to join together

Destroy the treaty of versailes and make germany strong again

Lebensraum- gain more land 'living space' in eastern europe for germany

Unite all German speaking people together under german control

Rapid building of weapons and army from 1933

Conscription from 1935 to grow army

Britain and France do not stop him even though it breaks the treaty of versailles

Anglo-German Naval agreement 1935-britain allowed germany to have a navy 1/3 the size of britains

Gives Hitler the millitary he needs to achieve his aims

Coal mining area taken from Germany by Treaty of Versailles and given to france

Hitler gets it back after a plebiscite which is very popular in germany. perfectly legal because the treaty of versailles said a plebiscite would happen after 15 years

Area of Germany supposed to be dimillitarised 

Hitler moves in troops in which he breaks treaty of versailles

Britain and France do nothing

Big confidence boost for Hitler as it shows Britain and France do not want to stand up to him

The policy where chamberlain kept giving in to Hitler

Chamberlain believed that Hitler was reasonable

The league of Nations had failed so Chamberlain decided he would try and keep the peace

Hitler easily fools chamberlain which llows him to keep pushing for more

Union of Austria and Germany

Hitler stirs up trouble in Austria and then sends in troops to 'restore order'

Hitler held a plebiscite to show Austrians wanted anschluss but 100,000 opponents had already been arrested

With Austria part of Germany, western Czeckoslovakia is now surrounded and Hitler can gor for this. France and Britain again do nothing

Hitler demands this area of western czeckoslovakia

Sudetenland has 3 million German speekers and so Hitler claims they should be part of Germany

Chamberlain negotiates with hitler. At Berchtesgarden meeting hitler says he wants a plebiscite. At Bad Godesberg meeting hitler demands the Sudetenland immeidiately and Britain says no

A last Minute conferance is called at munich to avoid war. At the munich agreement Britain and France agree to let Hitler have the sudetenland even though the czecks have not been asked

The loss of the sudetenland ruins czeckoslovakia

Without the sudetenland, Czechoslovakia was weak. It soon collapesed and Hitler easily invaded.

This event ended the policy of appeasement as there was no justification for hitler to take it: it had never been part of Germany and there were no German speekers there. Chamberlain would no longer give in to Hitler.

Chamberlain said if Hitler attacked Poland it would mean war.

Stalin and Hitler sign an agreement not to fight one another.

Stalin and Hitler secretely decide to divide Poand between them

This makes war inevitable because britain and France have said they will protect Poland

Hitler invades poland. He believes chamberlain will give in again but he is wrong

Britain and France declare war on Germany.