Summary - IB history paper 1 - foreign policy of Hitler
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IB history paper 1 - foreign policy of Hitler
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IB History Paper 1 - Foreign Policy Of Hitler
This document was written by an IB student studying history HL, which allowed them to obtain a mark 7. It details Nazi Germany's move towards a global war, which is a component of IB paper 1 for both SL and HL students. It contains various historiographies and perspectives of historians, along with...
Aims of Hitler’s foreign policies:
● Revision of the TOV
● More “living space” (Lebensraum) for the Aryan Germans
● Union of German-speaking territories in Europe = Anschluss (Austria and German minorities
in Czechoslovakia and Poland)
Challenging the TOV: Withdrawal from the Disarmament Conference and the LON
● Article 8 of the LON’s Covenant called for the demilitarization of the countries until the
lowest possible armament level adequate for self-defense.
● The Disarmament Conference was convened in Geneva in 1933. (the conference wanted to
ensure that the covenant of the LON was respected)
● France was reluctant because of the conflict in Manchuria and the growing threat of Nazism.
● German ministers requested parity of arms during the conference, however, they were denied.
● Calling the conference a conspiracy to hinder Germany’s development, Hitler pulled out of
the talks regarding the armament and left the LON in 1933.
● Effect:
○ By quitting the Conference and the LON, Hitler could more easily violate the terms
of the TOV.
Stresa Front (1934):
● The Stresa Front was formed in 1934 between Italy, Britain, and France. It formed in
response to the reintroduction of militarization in Germany. (It was a violation of the TOV,
but Germany already withdrew from the LON)
● The Stresa Front reaffirmed the Treaties of Locarno (granted the Western borders of
Germany) and the Austrian independence.
● Italy feared the chance of an Anschluss:
○ Hitler was supporting the Austrian Nazi Party, who ended up assassinating the
Austrian Chancellor, Engelbert Dollfuss.
○ Tensions escalated and Italy mobilized troops to the Brenner Pass.
○ Austria was an important buffer state between Italy and Germany.
○ Due to the tensions, Hitler had to postpone the Anschluss.
● But, the Stresa Front was ineffective:
○ The terms were vague
○ Although the members agreed not to sign agreements with Germany, Britain signed
the Naval Agreement with the country in 1935.
○ The Stresa Front was paradoxical: it wanted to prevent rearmament, but Italy invaded
Abyssinia in 1935
○ Ultimately, the Stresa Front bolstered Nazi Germany, as no effective measures were
put forth to stop Hitler.
The Non-Aggression Pact with Poland (1934):
, ● In 1934, Hitler concluded a Non-Aggression Pact with Poland.
● It caught the international and the domestic community by surprise, as even Streseman did not
fix the Eastern borders of Germany in the 1925 Locarno Treaty.
● However, Hitler had strategic reasons:
○ On the one hand, it proved to the Western powers that Hitler had peaceful aims
○ Secondly, it broke up the encirclement of Germany by France. France allied with
Poland to put pressure on the Eastern border of Germany. However, the Non-
Aggression Pact could dissolve it.
● In reality, Hitler had no intentions to abide by the agreement.
Saar plebiscite (1935):
● The Saar plebiscite was a referendum held in the Saar Basin region on January 13, 1935, to
determine whether the area would remain under the administration of the League of Nations,
return to German control, or become part of France.
● According to the policy of self-determination mentioned in the TOV, Germany organized a
plebiscite in the Saar region in 1935. The Saar was a coal-rich area under French control since
1919.
● The result of the plebiscite was an overwhelming agreement for the return of the region to
Germany.
● It not only strengthened Germany on an international scale but it could also be used for
propaganda on a domestic level.
● Britain accepted the outcome of the referendum and respected the decision of the Saarlanders.
Although the return of the Saar Basin to German control was seen as potentially strengthening
Germany's position, Britain did not take any immediate action in response to the plebiscite
outcome.
Rearmament:
● Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament Conference in 1933
● The economy was centered around the heavy and war industry: Göring’s Four-Year Plan and
the New Plan by Schacht
● Reintroduction of compulsory conscription
● While Germany had always ignored the disarmament necessitated by the TOV, (as suggested
by the Rapallo Treaty between Germany and the USSR in 1922) the remilitarization
conducted by Hitler was much more dramatic and fast-paced.
● Hitler justified his rearmament by saying that neither Britain nor France committed to
demilitarization and that Germany needed security in the face of the growing threat of
communism in the USSR.
● Remilitarization of the Rhineland (1936):
○ The Rhineland belonged to Germany but was demilitarized after the TOV to protect
France.
○ Remilitarization occurred in 1936.
○ The reasons for remilitarizing the Rhineland were both domestic and international:
■ On a domestic scale, Germany was facing inflation and food shortages, which
radicalized society. Therefore, he wanted to gain reverence from the Germans
and divert their attention.
■ At the same time, remilitarization would fortify Germany. Besides, the
attention of the Western powers was diverted to the Abyssinian crisis,
provoked by Italy, so Germany had time to act.
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