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