Notes for Hitler's foreign policy

Austrian Set-back

In July 1934 SS men in Austria staged a coup in Vienna. They killed Chancellor Dollfuss

and proclaimed the union of Austria and Germany. However before Hitler could to

anything to secure the situation, Von Schuschnigg; the successor to Dollfuss crushed the

Nazis. Hitler did not intervene to rescue his followers because Mussolini moved the

Italian army to the Austrian frontier to guarantee Austria’s borders

Anglo-German Naval Pact(June 1935)

After withdrawal from the League, Hitler limiting his re-arming process was the only thing that Britain and France could hope for.

¨However from 1934 onwards Hitler introduced conscription(March 1935), increased German re-armament and announced the existence of an air force(Luftwaffe)

¨By 1935 Britain knew they had to deal with this re-armament. Anglo-German discussions began in 1934 and culminated in the Anglo-German Naval Pact of 1935(June)

This allowed Hitler to increase his navy up to 35% of the British navy, but have the same amount of submarines as the British. There were a few by-products of the pact. Firstly it meant that Britain was formally recognising Germany’s right to re-arm. It also alienated France and helped bring about the downfall of the Stresa Front

Saar Plebiscite

In the Treaty of Versailles the Saar region had been given to France for fifteen years to extract coal. Now that the fifteen years was over Hitler held a Plebiscite.  90% of the population voted to be part of Germany. This was a huge success for Hitler.

Relations with Mussolini

Hitler greatly admired Mussolini, he had for years admired his policies and propaganda.

Hitler knew that Anschluss with Austria could be achieved more easily with Italy, a

willing ally. Italy’s war with Abyssinia has been described as Hitler’s ‘stroke of luck.’ It

enabled him to achieve two goals:

¨Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

¨Rome-Berlin Axis(1936)

Rhineland

Hitler took advantage of the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. Hitler brought forward his plan to remilitarise the Rhineland from 1937 to 1936. On March 7 1936, Hitler’s troops entered the demilitarised zone of the Rhineland, breaking both the Treaty of Versailles and the Lorcano Pact.

For probably the last time Hitler could have been stopped by even a French show of support.

¨However the policy of Appeasement came into play once again. France although horrified but were not strong enough to act on their own. They did not get support from the British. They felt it was the Germans ‘going into their own backyard.’

¨Hitler had gambled and won. The remilitarisation of the Rhineland allowed him to build up the Siegfried Line(a line of fortifications along the Franco-German border)

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish civil war broke out in 1936. Hitler and Mussolini gave help to Franco by providing ships, planes, equipment and soldiers. The Spanish Civil War  and the Abyssinian invasion laid the foundation for the Rome-Berlin Axis 1936.

Hossbach Memorandum

In November 1937 Hitler met his senior military commanders. The Hossbach Memorandum, notes taken at the meeting by Colonel Hossbach, recorded Hitler’s plans for the future. Hitler felt that Germany was ahead in the re-armament race. The latest Germany could go to war was 1943-45 because after that other countries would have caught up with it.

Anschluss

In 1936 Schusnigg agreed that his country would act internationally as a German State. He had also promised to admit Nazis into his government. In return Hitler recognised Austrian independence and promised not to interfere with Austria’s internal affairs.

¨In 1938 Hitler decided that he was no longer happy with this situation. He began to bully Schusnigg into making the Nazi party legal and into giving the Nazi’s ministerial positions in the Austrian cabinet.

He then forced Schusnigg to resign his chancellorship. Seys-Inquart( a Nazi) was appointed chancellor. Immediately he invited German troops into Austria to help him suppress ‘Communist demonstrations.’ With Austrian troops swarming the country the Austrian parliament had no choice but to agree to a union with Germany. Hitler then held a referendum on the question and 99.5% of Austrian people voted in favour of the union.

The British expressed concern but there was nothing they could do about it once the annexation had taken place. France followed Britain’s lead and obviously Mussolini did not step in Hitler’s way this time.

Hitler now added 7 million people to the Reich and now Czechoslovakia was surrounded on three sides by German territory.