Two Cartoons: Germany and Britain’s views on Nazi foreign policy

Germany’s view Germany’s ‘hostile’ enemies, all with large armies. Germany, with a weakened army and no reserves. This cartoon was made by the Nazis as propaganda against the treaty of Versailles. It shows how Germany was limited by the Treaty and surrounded by ‘hostile’ neighbours.

What does it show? This shows how brutal the Treaty was. The chains show that all Germany’s surrounding countries were allied against them, and they had very little army to stop any invasion, which did actually occur in the Ruhr in 1923.

What else is here? It also shows how paranoid the Nazis were of any invasion, and how they tried to get support – the German army had been massively weakened, and by using fear and resentment, they could make it seem like Germany could be attacked at any moment. This ex-German territory has been outlined, showing that the Nazis resented the Treaty and that they believed all land taken from them was theirs.

The British View This cartoon from Punch is commenting on Germany’s invasion of the Rhineland in 1936. The goose-step was the march often employed by the Nazis, and so a goose has marched into the Rhineland.

What can be seen? The goose is waving an olive branch, showing they want to make peace. However, because it is armed, it could also have taken the Rhineland by force if necessary. Nazi flags, showing that the Rhinelanders accepted the invasion. The goose is armed, showing that the Nazis were walking into a demilitarised zone without a care. The goose has a soldier’s silhouette, showing that the invasion was serious. The Locarno Treaty is broken, showing the Nazis to be disobeying it without any consideration.

What other conclusions are there? The League of Nations was powerless to stop this invasion. Selfish Nationalism v Internationalism Britain and France saw the invasion as ‘Hitler marching into his own backyard’. Hitler saw he could threaten countries with war if they did not agree to his demands. This led to the invasions of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland and Austria.