Hitler's Expansionist Policy

SECTION II: HITLER’S EXPANSIONIST POLICY   Aims:   1. A Greater Germany   - Hitler saw the way to achieve more land for Germany was to acquire   lands such as Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland     - Hitler knew he could exploit the fact that there were ethnic Germans   living in these area and hence use as an excuse for annexation     2. Lebensraum ​ (Living space)   - Eastern Europe was seen as potential territories for Hitler to   conquer and thereby creating more land for Germans   3. Establishing the superior Aryan race   - In order to do this, Hitler will first have to annex the whole of Europe   and then carry out extermination of ‘inferior races’     - Eg Holocaust     Step 1: Withdrawal from LON   ● At Geneva Disarmament Conference, Hitler proposed that French dis am to   level of Germans or allow Germans to rearm to that of the French     ● France naturally objected     ● Hitler used it as an excuse to withdraw from LON   ● Once out of LON, Hitler began to systematically tear down the restrictions   imposed on Germany       Step 2: Conscription and Rearmament   ● One of the first steps was to rearm Germany   ● Hitler stepped up rearmament and conscription policies   ○ Under terms of TOV, Germany was not allowed to have an air force   nor a large army   ○ But by 1935, Germany’s Air Force ​ (Luftwaffe) ​ had 2500 planes and an   army of 300,000 soldiers   ● Policies aimed to achieving an army of 550,000 strong   ● Allies took on a pacifist in response, not wanting to anger Hitler lest it turns   into war

● Britain even signed the Anglo - German Naval Agreement with Germany in   June 1935   ○ Allowed Germany to have limited build up of its navy   ● Hitler grew bolder due to such responses     ● Began to transform Germany into a formidable and dangerous military   power   ● Large amounts of money spent on military production       Step 3: Remilitarisation of Rhineland   ● On 7 March 1936, Hitler ordered German troops to reoccupy Rhineland     ○ Under terms of TOV, Rhineland was to be a demilitarized zone   ○ Hitler blatantly defying the TOV by ordering troops into Rhineland   ● Hitler used France - Soviet Alliance as an excuse   ○ Claimed Germany was under threat from both France and USSR, and   that Germany should be allowed to defend its frontiers   ● Hitler knew he was testing his luck   ○ Orders were for troops to retreat if attacked     ● However, French did not respond   ○ France was going through elections at the time   ○ No French position wanted to be seen as a warmonger (Aftermath of   WWI)   ● LON responded by only condemning Hitler   ○ Busy handling Abyssinian Crisis   ● Significance of Remilitarising the Rhineland:   ○ Hitler grew more bold to test the boundaries   ○ Popularity with the Germans increased even more as they finally saw   a leader willing to defend their rights     ○ Army increased in numbers in grew in confidence, and became   significantly bolder in military ventures     ● Hitler's gamble paid off     Step 4