Hitler’s Foreign Policy

Hitler's Foreign Policy: Rearmament, the Saar, and the Rhineland How far did Hitler's foreign policy contribute to the outbreak of war in 1939?1. Hitler's Foreign Policy

When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he did not do so on a pro-war platform. That would have been a massively unpopular move, given how recent World War I still was. Whether or not he planned for war from the very start or simply saw opportunities and used them shrewdly remains a matter of debate among historians. While his foreign policy(opens in a new tab) played a huge role in the outbreak of World War II, that was not the only cause; how other countries reacted to Hitler's actions also contributed. Between 1933 and 1936, he showed no signs of military aggression, but after 1936 his actions became more drastic as he tested his boundaries, and other world leaders were unsure what exactly his goals and motivations were. Historians now agree that the following goals were central to Hitler's foreign policy:

The creation of a German Reich to succeed the Holy Roman Empire (800-1806AD) and the short-lived German Empire (1871-1918AD). Hitler wanted to make Germany an empire and a great power again. Nazi Germany is therefore known as the Third Reich.

The destruction of the Treaty of Versailles and the restoration of German pride and power. Hitler thought the Treaty of Versailles was deeply unfair and humiliating. He therefore wanted to do everything to undo the Treaty.

The incorporation of new territory in the east into Germany to gain Lebensraum (literally: 'living space') for Germans. Along with resurrecting the German Empire, Hitler wanted to expand Germany's borders by taking territory from other countries.

While it may seem ridiculous to want to force some people out of an area so that Germans could live there, Hitler did not see this demand as something much different from what other empires had done in Africa during the period of New Imperialism. In addition to these goals, Hitler also aimed to form new alliances, exterminate Jews in all German-controlled territories, and convince other countries to do the same. As a shrewd politician, he knew that trying to achieve all of his goals at once would be unwise, so he took a more tactical approach in which he gradually made moves to see how other European countries would react to it.

2. Rearmament

As part of his goal to destroy the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler wanted to free Germany of the military restrictions placed upon them after World War I. A Germany with a strong military was essential for his other foreign policy goals, and it would allow him to create jobs and industry to stimulate the German economy and post-Depression recovery. At the Geneva Conference on World Disarmament he refused to commit to disarmament, which caused friction with the other nations in attendance. He eventually left the conference and subsequently withdrew Germany from the League of Nations in 1933.

Rearmament(opens in a new tab) began shortly after Hitler came to power in March 1933, but this was not officially made public until 1935. In March 1935, Hitler announced his intention to rearm Germany by introducing conscription, rebuilding the air force, and manufacturing arms and military equipment. In that speech he assured other world leaders that Germany wants peace and is only rearming in order to build up Germany's ability to defend itself. For the most part, he was extremely convincing, and the general response to the announcement was not one of immediate panic. It was no coincidence that he made this announcement just after the Saar plebiscite, which helped him appear reasonable in his ambitions.

3. The Saar Plebiscite

The Saar Basin is a coal-rich area on the border between Germany and France. This region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations following World War I and France was given control of the coal mines there as part of the compensation for the devastation it had suffered in the war. Provision was made in the Treaty of Versailles for a 15-year period, after which the Saar would hold a plebiscite to determine its fate. The 15 years ended in 1934, and a general vote on the future of the Saar was due. In the plebiscite, the people living in the Saar would vote on whether they wanted to be part of Germany or not. The results of this vote were very important, since the region was a thriving industrial hub with many resources (coal, railways and factories) that would significantly boost Germany's economic output.A plebiscite was organised for 1935. In the run-up to the vote, Hitler encouraged Nazi supporters in the area to campaign for the reincorporation of the Saar into Germany. Violence and intimidation followed, although the League of Nations concluded that the vote was free and fair and therefore the results were valid. 90% of the population of the Saar voted to rejoin Germany, 9% voted to remain independent, and less than 1% voted to join France. As a result, the Saar was reincorporated into German territory in March 1935. The consequences of this vote were quite meaningful:

The League's failure to condemn the political violence and invalidate the vote demonstrated its weakness.

The vote showed how many Germans felt about the Treaty of Versailles and how much they wanted to see it destroyed.

It set a precedent for Hitler's later demands in Austria and Czechoslovakia, and boosted confidence in his regime.

THE POLITICS OF THE MATTER

It is very important to note that the Saar plebiscite did not violate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. In fact, the plebiscite was exactly in line with the Treaty. As his first major foreign policy act, Hitler followed the rules set out in the Treaty. This was a shrewd political decision, as it made him look reasonable - he was not asking for anything more than Germany was owed.

4. The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

The Treaty of Versailles had also mandated the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, another region on the borders between Germany, France and Belgium that contained a lot of coal and iron ore. The USA, France and Britain had stationed troops there in order to discourage Germany from invading France, and Germany wasn't allowed to have any troops in the region. Hitler did not like this arrangement. He still remembered the invasion of the Ruhr in 1923, during which France had marched troops through the Rhineland to occupy the Ruhr area. After the success of the Saar plebiscite, he wanted to see how much further he could push. On 8 March 1936, he ordered German troops to enter the region, a blatant violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. His troops had orders to retreat if France and Britain retaliated, but they failed to do so.

Hitler took this chance because he predicted that France and Britain would not do anything, and he was right. Neither France nor Britain wanted to risk a war with Germany (even though Hitler himself admitted that Germany wasn't ready for war in 1936), and they recognised that the Rhineland was really a part of Germany and therefore did not think Hitler's actions were too aggressive. Hitler also followed this move with many promises. He suggested that Germany might rejoin the League of Nations, and he even offered a non-aggression pact with France if they accepted the remilitarisation of the Rhineland. He claimed that he was only pursuing equality for Germany because the Treaty of Versailles was deeply unfair. He argued that his actions were a defensive move given the alliance between France in the west and the Soviet Union in the east. Other European leaders thought his arguments were perfectly reasonable and therefore did not take any action against Germany.THE POLITICS OF THE MATTER

The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland was a violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, Hitler again played his cards shrewdly. Because the Rhineland was already part of Germany, he was not invading another country. Again, this made his actions seem reasonable. He also made many promises that made him appear as someone who only sought equality for Germany, not war.