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This question is about Hitler’s foreign policy in the 1930s.
a.
Why did Hitler adopt an aggressive foreign policy in the
1930s? Explain your answer.
(12)
Hitler adopted an aggressive foreign policy because Germany wanted to remove the humiliation of the
terms of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1919, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles which
saddled Germany with a war debt of 6.6 billion pounds and a war guilt clause. To Hitler, an aggressive
foreign policy was therefore the best means to remove the humiliation of Versailles. This explains why he
was bent on his course of actions in the 1930s. He remilitarised the Rhineland because the treaty of
Versailles had turned it into a demilitarised zone. He rearmed Germany and introduced conscription
because the Versailles Treaty banned him from having an army of more than 100,000. The main motivation
for his aggression was therefore to remove the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles.
Hitler also adopted an aggressive foreign policy because one of his main goals was to expand Germany and
unite the German speaking people in Europe to create a master race. This was laid out in his book titled
Mein Kampf and his idea of lebensraum or living space. This again explains why he used strong arm tactics
to achieve a union with Austria. This was called Anschluss. As an Austrian himself and with so many
German-speakers in Austria, his main goal was to unite German speakers. This also applied to his demands
to Czechoslovakia to have the Sudetenland (which was made up of 3 million Germans) handed over to him.
Hitler also adopted an aggressive policy because he knew that there were opportunities available with the
weakening of the western democracies. The Great Depression had weakened Britain and France in the
1930s and made them adopt a policy of appeasement. This is best shown in the Munich agreement where
Chamberlain agreed to let Germany occupy the Sudetenland in exchange for German promises not to
occupy more territories in Europe. This shows that opportunities made Hitler bolder in his demands for
more territories in Europe.
Other opportunities also allowed Hitler to adopt an aggressive policy. The weak League of Nations was an
example. The USA was not a main member of the League. Britain and France, the main members of the
League, were also economically weakened by the Great Depression. Their attempts to work towards arms
disarmament also failed in the 1932 Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. This made Hitler
bolder in his attempt to rearm Germany and adopt an aggressive foreign policy.
In retrospect, Hitler adopted an aggressive foreign policy because his ambition was wild and bold. The
main driving force behind his aggression was his desire to remove the humiliating terms of the Treaty of
Versailles, as well as unite German speakers in Europe. The problems encountered by the West as a result
of the Great Depression – the adoption of appeasement, the weakening of the League of nations – these
were opportunities which would embolden Hitler and make him even more daring in accomplishing his
bold ambitions.
b.
How far do you agree that World War Two could have been
prevented if the Western powers had adopted a firmer attitude
towards Hitler’s foreign policy in the 1930s? Explain your
answer. (13)
I disagree that World War Two could have been prevented if the western powers had adopted a firmer
attitude towards Hitler’s foreign policy in the 1930s. It would have delayed World War Two, but it would
not have prevented it. Instead, I feel that the most important factor for World War Two lies in the NaziSoviet non-aggression pact which made general war in Europe more likely, thereby starting World War
Two.
There are some arguments that World War Two could have been prevented if the Western powers were
firmer in enforcing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in the 1930s. This argument states that when Hitler
remilitarised the Rhineland in 1933, Germany was not ready for war. Hitler’s generals advised him against
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his course of action and German soldiers were given orders to retreat if the French resisted. However, when
France refused to resist without British aid, Germany got away with the occupation of the Rhineland.
The argument that a firm stand would have prevented World War Two is also based on the premise that in
1938 when Hitler made demands from the Czechoslovakian government for the Sudetenland, the Munich
Agreement should not have been signed. The Munich Agreement prevented war from happening only by a
year.
There are other arguments that show that World War Two could have been avoided if a firm stand was
taken at the international level in the League of Nations. Some would argue that in 1932, at the League of
Nations Disarmament Conference in Geneva in 1932, France should have agreed to disarm and Britain
should have rejected Germany’s offer to sign an Anglo-German naval agreement which would limit the
size of Germany’s navy. This would force Germany back to the negotiating table to discuss disarmament.
The argument is that if the League of Nations had taken a more firm stand and worked, general war would
be avoided . The argument is that a firmer attitude would have prevented World War Two.
Although these reasons are important, they do not explain why World War Two began as a general war
over Poland in September 1932. The Great Depression had affected Britain, France and the USA so badly
that appeasement was the best policy to ‘buy time’ to strengthen their armies for war. The general climate
of war weariness caused by the First World War, as well as the impact of the great depression on the
economies of Britain ,France and the USA has to be understood because they best explain why the western
powers could not take a firm stand against Germany. They also best explain why the western powers were
disunited. Economic arguments divided them.
To me, the most important cause therefore lies in the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in
August 1939. It made Hitler less worried about a two-fronted war and made him bolder. It made him feel
that an attack on Poland would not lead to general war. This best explains why World War Two started
because it explains why the war occurred a month later in September 1939. It explains the timing of the
war. It also best explains why throughout the 1930s, Germany did not wish to start a general war. The
orders to withdraw from the Rhineland in the event of French resistance in 1933, the willingness to sign the
Anglo-German Naval agreement in 1935, the willingness to sign the Munich Agreement — these were all
German attempts to avert a general war mainly because the threat of a two-fronted war involving Soviet
Union remained real. However, in September 1939, the threat from the USSR was removed. This makes
the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression pact crucial in helping us understand why World War Two War began
with the attack on Poland in September 1939.
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