1. The Expansion of the Third Reich
Nazi Foreign Policy
The Expansion of the Third Reich

2. OVERVIEW In these lessons, you will examine:
Goals of Nazi foreign policy
Reasons for Germany’s successful reversal of the Treaty of Versailles
Reasons for appeasement and the annexation of Czechoslovakia

3. Goals
Although the Nazis did not have detailed plans, they did have clear foreign policy goals:
To overturn the Treaty of Versailles
To provide territory for the Aryan nation – “lebensraum”
To destroy communism and the Jewish nation

4. The first moves
From , Nazi foreign policy was clearly set against the Treaty of Versailles but it proceeded cautiously:
Germany withdrew from the disarmament conference of 1933
Germany signed a non-aggression pact with Poland in 1934
Questions: In what way had Germany already gone against the Treaty of Versailles prior to Hitler taking over power? What major economic reason explains the initial caution of Hitler’s foreign policy?

5. A “speed bump”
In 1934, Austrian Nazis helped coordinate the assassination of the Austrian Chancellor, Engelbert Dollfuss
Mussolini threatened to invade Austria if Hitler attempted “anschluss”
Hitler backed down
What did Hitler’s first retreat from “anschluss” with Austria demonstrate about: 1) Germany’s military preparations and 2) the relationships between the surrounding European powers?

6. Divide and conquer
Hitler needed to change the opinion of nations defending both the Treaty of Versailles and the status quo to achieve goals:
Germany begins re-armament
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Re-militarization of the Rhineland
Rome-Berlin Axis
Support for the Spanish Nationalists
Questions: In what ways could these violations of the Treaty of Versailles be seen as justified? How were these violations seen by the other powers? By the end of 1936, which major powers had Hitler managed to pry away from France and how was this achieved?

7. Anschluss
With Italy as a ally, Hitler moved towards uniting Germany and Austria together
Feb 1938: Hitler forced Austria’s new chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg to accept Nazis into his government
Mar 1938: Schuschnigg attempted to hold a plebiscite on union with Germany
Mar 13, 1938: German soldiers and police invade Austria and meet no resistance
Mar 14, 1938: Hitler proclaimed union with Austria

8. The case for appeasement
Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia if the Sudeten Germans were not made part of Germany. British PM, Neville Chamberlain, sought a peaceful solution for various reasons:
Public support for war was low
The British army was not ready for conflict
Chamberlain believed that this would be Hitler’s final demand

9. The case against appeasement
What Chamberlain did not consider in seeking appeasement:
The Sudetenland held Czechoslovakia’s major defenses
The Czech army was modernized and well-trained
Hitler’s goal was not German self-determination, but an end to the Treaty of Versailles

10. The Munich Conference
In Sept 1938, France and Britain would not go to war over a plebiscite by the Sudeten Germans
Hitler expanded his demand to include Polish and Hungarian requests for territories – France and Czechoslovakia readied for war
Chamberlain flew to Munich on Sept 29 where Hitler agreed to take only the Sudetenland – Chamberlain proclaimed that it was “peace for our time”

11. The die is cast
In March 1939, Germany invaded the remainder of Czechoslovakia
In April 1939, France and Britain declared their full support against any German invasion of Poland
In August 1939, Germany and the USSR signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
On Sept 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland
On Sept 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

12. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
Why did Hitler pursue a cautious foreign policy prior to 1936?
What explains the success of anschluss in 1938 and not in 1934?
Why did Britain and France not enforce the terms of the Treaty of Versailles prior to 1939?
What was “appeasement” and why could it be considered a failure of collective security?