Lecture 7:
External policies of the Third Reich, 1933-39
19 March 2013
HIST2134The Third Reich through Documents, 1933-1945
Foreign policy 4-phase-model
• Revisionist and high-risk foreign politics, 1933-36
• Expansionist foreign politics, 1938/39
• Blitz Wars and ideological warfare, 1939-42
• Total War and downfall, 1943-45
Hitler’s foreign policy goals
Mein Kampf (My Struggle):
• Reversal of Versailles Treaty
• Creation of Greater Reich of all German-speaking people
• Conquest of ‘Lebensraum’ (living space) in Eastern Europe
• Establishment of new European political order dominated by ‘Germanic race’
League of Nations ☻
Germany’s withdrawal, 14 Oct 1933:
• Hitler as chief initiator and in full agreement with leading German diplomats, army leadership, industrialists, conservative-revisionist forces
• Popular move to end Weimar Republic’s peaceful revisionist policy
• Necessary step after launching Germany’s rearmament program
Poland ☺Rapprochement, 1933/34:
• Hitler’s surprising move vs. foreign-policy makers & his dominant role
→ Consequence of G’s withdrawal from League of Nations
→ PL (Marshall Pilsudski) isolated after France’s non-interest in joint preventive war vs. G
► German-Polish Non-Aggression Treaty, 26 Jan 1934
= Undermined F’s containment policy with CEE states vs. G
= Ended German-Polish trading war
► Great sympathies of PL for Hitler► Pilsudski’s underestimation of Hitler’s ruthlessness
Soviet Union ☻
Negative ‘mirror image’ to Poland:
• NS anti-Communist propaganda
• ‘Natural antagonism’ between National-Socialist Germany and Communist-Bolshevist SU
• Hitler’s dominant role having long-term options in mind
Great Britain ☺
Bilateral Naval Treaty, 1935:
• Hitler’s dominant interest & influence → Conservative Foreign Minister von Neurath not involved
• German navy 35% + U-boat 45% of GB’s tonnage
= Hitler: Step towards full alliance with GB
= GB: Mainly concerned with Asia & acting without consultation with her French ally
German Rhineland ☺☻
Germany’s occupation of demilitarised zone:
• Hitler inspired by Mussolini’s Ethiopian campaign (1935/6)
• Popular foreign policy success
• No intervention by GB + F: Self-blockade = F only read to act with GB + GB positive to occupation & sceptical vs. F
= Versailles (1919) & Locarno Treaties (1925) violated
= Hitler emboldened
Italy ☺
Germany’s most important alliance partner:
• Close ideological ties shaken following Mussolini’s support for independent Austria, 1934
• Improved relations following after Germany’s support for Italy’s Ethiopian campaign, 1936
• Joint support for & cooperation with Fascist Franco during Spanish civil war, 1936
→ Berlin-Rome Axis, Oct 1936 …
Berlin-Rome Axis, Oct 1936
German-Italian agreement on:
Germany’s support for Italy’s occupations in Africa
Joint support & official recognition of Franco’s Fascist counter-government in Spain
Mutual promise of fight against ‘Bolshevism’ (SU)
Japan ☺
Germany’s second most important alliance partner:
• Japan’s initiative for joint Anti-SU + Anti-Comintern (Communist International) front
• ► Anti-Comintern Pact, 25 Nov 1936 (+ I, 1937)
• Hitler’s initiative for secret supplementary agreement on joint anti-SU policy
= But: Factual break of ACP by ‘Hitler-Stalin Pact’ (1939)
Foreign views on Hitler’s Germany, 1933-36
• Poland: Positive: underestimation• Czechoslovakia: Negative • GB: Positive & disinterested• USA: Hitler compared with Roosevelt:
disinterest + NS seen as European factor only• F: Hitler seen as strong politician: defensive
attitude• NL / B / CH: Positive & disinterested
Western powers’ main reasons
• East Asian crisis (Japan) + Indian independence movement (Ghandi)
• SU ideological confrontation (Comintern)
• Domestic economic & social challenges
• Feeling-of-guilt (Versailles Treaty)
Conclusion
• Germany’s foreign policy restrictions abolished
• Much improved foreign political standing
• Good precondition for strongly expansionist policy
• Western democracies without counter-actions & in defence
Foreign policy 4-phase-model
• Revisionist and high-risk foreign politics, 1933-36
• Expansionist foreign politics, 1938-39
• Blitz Wars and ideological warfare, 1939-42
• Total War and downfall, 1943-45
Austria ☻ ☺
Anschluß (annexation), Mar-Apr 1938:
• Hitler’s home country + historical & economic factors
• No intervention of Britain & Italy
• Austrian’s enthusiastic welcome of Hitler → planned forceful subordination becomes peaceful Anschluß
• Plebiscite in both G & A: 99% supportive of Anschluß
Sudeten Crisis, summer 1938
• 3,5 million Sudeten Germans in CZ opposed to Prague
• Hitler’s ideologically-driven expansionist goals
• Wehrmacht’s military-strategic considerations
• Hitler’s demand for cession of Sudetenland
• Appeasement policy of Chamberlain
Appeasement Policy
• Historical experiences
• Belief in peaceful solutions
• Disillusionment with Versailles Treaty
• Fear of communism
Munich Agreement, 30 Sep 1938
Treaty of Britain-France-Germany-Italy:
• German occupation of Sudetenland
• British-French guarantee for remaining CZ
• German-British declaration of non-aggression and consultation
• No further German territorial demands on CZ
Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia, Mar 1939
• Hitler’s high-risk policy to ‘smash CZ by military action’
• President Hácha relinquishes CZ to Germany: No foreign intervention
• Slovakia’s ‘independence’, 14 Mar
• Occupation of rest-CZ by Germany, 15 Mar
• Creation of ‘Protectorate’ with limited sovereignty under German protection
= Slap-in-the-face for Chamberlain & appeasement policy
Consequences• Violation of Munich Agreement tolerated but not
accepted by Western powers
• Hitler no longer seen as ‘revisionist’ but aggressor
• GB guarantee of PL freedom with tacit support of USA (31 Mar 1939)
• USA as armament provider for GB + F
• Strong boost for possible future Anglo-American war alliance
Stahlpakt (Pact of Steel), May 1939
Offensive German-Italian military alliance:
• Continuation of Berlin-Rome Axis
• Close cooperation in war economy & military matters
• Common agreement on future truces & peace treaties
= Highly important for Hitler’s decision to go to war
= In reality not much cooperation with Mussolini
Interpretations:Hitler’s Role in foreign policy
Intentionalist, programmatist, Hitlerist school:
• Hitler’s ideological goals shaped consistent foreign policy
• Foreign policy’s broad outlines and objectives were ‘programmed’ long in advance
Structuralist, functionalist school:
• No program: Foreing policy with unclear & unspecific ways & aims
• Foreign policy more result of uncontrollable dynamism & radicalizing momentum of NSDAP and government offices
Integrated School
• Hitler’s major initiatives & vital decisions
• Hitler’s fresh, unorthodox line ≠ other power groups’ suspicions & objections
• Hitler attentive to ‘structural’ domestic & external limitingfactors
• No evidence of ‘weak dictator’
= Hitler with dominant role in foreign policy decisions