HItler with Mussolini the Italian Dictator

ZIMSEC O Level History Notes: Dictatorship in Europe: Dictatorship in Germany: Hitler Foreign Policy

  • Hitler wanted to abolish the Treaty of Versailles
  • Hitler also aimed at stopping the spread of communism
  • He also wanted to provide Germans with Living Space (Lebensraum) by conquering as many countries as possible to acquire land
  • Hitler left the League of Nations in 1933 after he was prevented from rearmament
  • After he left the League of Nations He began to rearm Germany for a future wars
  • Hitler signed a ten year non-aggression pact with Poland in January 1934 which he wanted Poland to remain neutral in case Germany wanted to unite with Austria
  • Hitler went on to attempt to sign a treaty with Austria called the Anschluss in July 1934 but was restrained by the Italians forces in Austria
  • Britain, France and Italy signed the Stressa Front in April 1935 to prevent countries like Germany to disregard the Versailles Treaty
  • After a plebiscite in the Saar of what they wanted to they, 90% voted that they wanted to return to Germany and they incorporated into Germany
  • This boosted Hitler’s influence and popularity
  • Hitler also engaged in rearmament of his troops after 1935 in preparation for war
  • He started by compulsory conscription into the army
  • Hitler then managed to engage with Britain to sign a naval treaty with her
  • He agreed that his army was to be 35% to the strength of Britain and Britain agreed to these terms
  • Britain agreed because it felt that it was the only way to stop Germany ambitious nature but by the 1938 Germany had an army of 800 000 men including reserves, 21 huge naval vessels, 47 U-boats and an air force of 2000 aircraft
  • After the world seemed to be at peace the Rhine Land was demilitarized but Germany saw this as an opportunity to send an army of 30 000 troops to the Rhine land and this was a total disregard of the Versailles Treaty
  • Hitler also wanted to spread Nazi doctrines to the rest of the world as he believed that Germany was a superior nation
  • Hitler was also involved in the Spanish Civil war and they managed to bomb civilian populations in Spanish cities

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