Key Foreign Policy Actions:
- Withdrawal from the League of Nations and Disarmament Conference (1933):
- Hitler withdrew Germany from the Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations after facing opposition to German rearmament.
- This marked the beginning of Germany’s rearmament under Hitler.
- German-Polish Pact (1934):
- Agreement between Germany and Poland to settle border disputes and prevent war.
- Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935):
- Britain allowed Germany to rebuild its navy to 35% of Britain’s strength, leading to the re-occupation of the Saar coal basin by German forces.
- Restoration of German Armed Strength (1935):
- Conscription was reintroduced, and the German military grew to 36 divisions with increased air force capabilities.
- The Rome-Berlin Axis (1936):
- Agreement between Italy and Germany to unite against Communism and further expand living space (Lebensraum).
- Recognized Austria as independent and pledged mutual support in expanding totalitarian governments.
- Anti-Comintern Pact (1936):
- Germany, Italy, and Japan formed an alliance to resist the spread of Communism, particularly from the Soviet Union.
- It solidified Germany’s ties with Italy and Japan.
- Occupation of the Rhineland (1936):
- German troops marched into the demilitarized Rhineland, defying the Versailles Treaty. No resistance was offered by France or other powers.
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939):
- Germany and Italy supported Francisco Franco’s Nationalists against the Republican forces in Spain, which included Communists and anarchists.
- Germany aimed to test its military strength, defeat Communism, and gain strategic allies.
- The Invasion of Austria (Anschluss, 1938):
- Hitler annexed Austria, claiming it was a unification of all Germans.
- Benefits included additional soldiers, resources, and influence.
- The Pact of Steel (May 1939):
- A mutual defense agreement between Italy and Germany, reinforcing their alliance.
- Annexation of the Sudetenland (1938):
- Hitler claimed that ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland were being mistreated by Czechoslovakia. Britain and France, through the Munich Agreement, allowed Hitler to annex the region without military intervention.
- Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939):
- A non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. The two powers agreed to divide Poland and prevent war between them.
The invasion of Poland by Germany (on 1st September 1939) triggered the start of World War II.