Paper 1 – Move to Global War
• 
Cause of
Expansion
• 
• 
• 
Events
• 
• 
Response
• 
• 
• 
Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and
Germany
Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of
Italy and Germany
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective
security; appeasement
German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the
Second World War
German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact
and the outbreak of war
International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 3 – Topic 15
– Versailles to Berlin
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Peace settlements (1919–1923):Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims, issues and responses
The League of Nations and Europe: successes and failures; the search
for collective security; developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe
Italian and German foreign policies (1919–1941): aims, issues
and extent of success
Collective security and appeasement (1919–1941): aims, issues and
extent of success; role of British, French and Russian/Soviet foreign
policies (1919–1941); Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis
Causes of the Second World War and the development of
European conflict (1939–1941); the wartime alliance (1941–1945);
reasons for Axis defeat in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
Impact of the Second World War on civilian populations in any two
countries between 1939–1945
Lesson 1a – German Foreign Policy
Essential Question
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Learning Outcomes - Students will:
◦  Preview – Nazi ideology &foreign policy?
◦  Understand the international context before Hitler
◦  Learn about the changes Hitler made to German
foreign policy
Success Criteria
—  I can discuss why Hitler was
successful pre-1937
Preview – Organizing a table
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Avoid Isolation
Undue the Treaty
of Versailles
Expansion
War
Historiography
Vocab
—  Konstantin
von Neurath
—  Stresa Front
—  Rome-Berlin Axis
—  Anti-Comintern Pact
Reading
—  SL
& HL – Pg. 141-182
(Move to Global War)
◦  Make sure you are
adding to your table
–  Add info/evidence to key
ideas discussed in class
Context – early 1930s
—  All
these occur before Hitler arrives
◦  Depression
◦  Japanese aggression in Asia
◦  WW1 memory is still fresh
◦  Weakness of the League of Nations
◦  Fear of Communism
◦  Rethinking Versailles
–  1929~30 - France and Britain had evacuated the
Rhineland
–  1932 – Lausanne Conference almost ended
reparations
Pre-1937 Foreign Policy Goals
— 
Hitler kept the Conservative Foreign
Minister Konstantin von Neurath
◦  Ease European concerns about Hitler
◦  At first, Hitler is more concerned about
consolidating his own power in Germany
Foreign Policy Goal – Undue Versailles &
avoid isolation
1.  Avoid Isolation
— 
◦ 
◦ 
1933 - Germany withdraws from the League
of Nations over French refusal to allow
German rearmament
1934 – 10 Year non-aggression pact with
Poland, which undermined earlier defensive
agreements France made in 1921 to keep the
Germans busy in the East
Pre-1937 Foreign Policy Goals
Isolate France
Grow the military/Undue Treaty of
Versailles
1. 
2. 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
3 Feb 1933 – Hitler informs the German
military that his goal is to make Germany
the strongest military by 1936
1935 – reintroduces conscription and reintroduces a German airforce
June 1935 – Britain and Germany sign a
naval agreement allowing Germany to build
a navy no more than 35% the size of the
British navy
1936 – Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland,
which was against the Treaty of Versailles
and Locarno Treaty
The 48 hours after the march into the
Rhineland were the most nerve-racking
of my life. If the French had then
marched into the Rhineland we would
have had to withdraw with our tails
between our legs, for the military
resources at our disposal would have
been wholly inadequate for even a
moderate resistance
Pre-1937 Foreign Policy Goals
Avoid Isolation
Grow the military
Break up the Stresa Front
1. 
2. 
3. 
◦ 
◦ 
What was the Stresa Front?
1935 – France and Britain condemn Mussolini’s
invasion of Abyssinia, while German supports
him
1936 – Germany and Italy work together to
send troops to aid in the Spanish civil war
◦ 
– 
– 
– 
Nov 1936 – Rome-Berlin Axis
◦ 
– 
– 
◦ 
Franco agrees to provide raw materials for Hitler
The German military practiced tactics
Seen as a defender against communism
Hitler needed Mussolini’s support for annexing Austria
With Mussolini’s intervention in Spain, Mussolini had
further isolated himself from Britain and France
1936~7 – Anti-Comintern Pact
Wrap Up
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Paper 1 – Move to Global War
• 
Cause of
Expansion
• 
• 
• 
Events
• 
• 
Response
• 
• 
• 
Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and
Germany
Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of
Italy and Germany
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective
security; appeasement
German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the
Second World War
German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact
and the outbreak of war
International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 3 – Topic 15
– Versailles to Berlin
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Peace settlements (1919–1923):Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims, issues and responses
The League of Nations and Europe: successes and failures; the search
for collective security; developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe
Italian and German foreign policies (1919–1941): aims, issues
and extent of success
Collective security and appeasement (1919–1941): aims, issues and
extent of success; role of British, French and Russian/Soviet foreign
policies (1919–1941); Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis
Causes of the Second World War and the development of
European conflict (1939–1941); the wartime alliance (1941–1945);
reasons for Axis defeat in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
Impact of the Second World War on civilian populations in any two
countries between 1939–1945
Lesson 1b – German Foreign Policy
Essential Question
To what extent was there change
and continuity in German foreign
policy between 1933-1941
Learning Outcomes - Students will:
◦  Review – Hitler’s successes
◦  Discuss the Hossbach Memorandum
Success Criteria
—  I can explain how to answer my
essential question
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Vocab
—  Hossbach
Memorandum
Reading
—  SL
& HL – Pg. 141-182
(Move to Global War)
◦  Make sure you are
adding to your table
–  Add info/evidence to key
ideas discussed in class
Hossbach Memorandum
— 
According to this,
what is the goal
for German
Foreign Policy?
According to this,
how will German
achieve this goal?
— 
Nov. 5, 1937 – Hitler holds a meeting
with his top military generals and
ministers
Hitler outlines his goal for German
foreign policy
◦  “Germany's future was therefore wholly
conditional upon the solving of the need
for space”
◦  “The question for Germany ran: where
could she achieve the greatest gain at the
lowest cost?”
Hossbach
Memorandum
According to this,
when will war
have to take
place and end?
According to this,
who should
Germany attack?
Why should they
attack
Czechoslovakia?
— 
Hitler outlines his goal for German
foreign policy
◦  Case 1: Period 1943-1945
–  “After this date only a change for the
worse, from our point of view, could be
expected.”
◦  Case 2
–  “If internal strife in France should develop
into such a domestic crisis as to absorb the
French Army completely and render it
incapable of use for war against Germany,
then the time for action against the Czechs
had come.”
◦  Case 3
–  For the improvement of our politico-military
position our first objective, in the event of
our being embroiled in war, must be to
overthrow Czechoslovakia and Austria
simultaneously in order to remove the threat
to our flank in any possible operation against
the west.
Hossbach
Memorandum
Is this accurate?
What event after
might show this?
e wouldn’t
r
a
Why
M m??
uBritain stop
r
t
s
No
Germany?
Why would
Britain and Italy
go to war?
— 
How might the world respond?
◦  Britain
–  Actually, the Führer believed that almost
certainly Britain, and probably France as
well, had already tacitly written off the
Czechs and were reconciled to the fact
that this question would be cleared up in
due course by Germany.
–  Difficulties connected with the Empire,
and the prospect of being once more
entangled in a protracted European war,
were decisive considerations for Britain
against participation in a war against
Germany.
–  If Germany made use of this war to
settle the Czech and Austrian questions,
it was to be assumed that Britain -herself
at war with Italy- would decide not to
act against Germany.
Hossbach
Memorandum
— 
Why wouldn’t
France stop
Germany?
How might the world respond?
◦  France
–  An attack by France without
British support, and with the
prospect of the offensive being
brought to a standstill on our
western fortifications, was hardly
probable. Nor was a French
march through Belgium and
Holland without British support
to be expected;
–  Without British support, a warlike
action by France against Germany
was not to be expected.
Hossbach
—  How might the world respond?
Memorandum ◦  Italy
What was Italy’s
concern? What
event shows this
to be true?
–  Italy was not expected to object to the
elimination of the Czechs, but it was
impossible at the moment to estimate
what her attitude on the Austrian
question would be; that depended
essentially upon whether the Duce were
still alive.
Hossbach
—  How might the world respond?
Memorandum ◦  Russia
What does Hitler
not want to
happen with
Russia?
–  Military intervention by Russia must be
countered by the swiftness of our
operations; however, whether such an
intervention was a practical contingency
at all was, in view of Japan's attitude,
more than doubtful.
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Paper 1 – Move to Global War
• 
Cause of
Expansion
• 
• 
• 
Events
• 
• 
Response
• 
• 
• 
Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and
Germany
Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of
Italy and Germany
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective
security; appeasement
German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the
Second World War
German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact
and the outbreak of war
International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 3 – Topic 15
– Versailles to Berlin
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Peace settlements (1919–1923):Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims, issues and responses
The League of Nations and Europe: successes and failures; the search
for collective security; developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe
Italian and German foreign policies (1919–1941): aims, issues
and extent of success
Collective security and appeasement (1919–1941): aims, issues and
extent of success; role of British, French and Russian/Soviet foreign
policies (1919–1941); Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis
Causes of the Second World War and the development of
European conflict (1939–1941); the wartime alliance (1941–1945);
reasons for Axis defeat in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
Impact of the Second World War on civilian populations in any two
countries between 1939–1945
Lesson 1c – German Foreign Policy
Essential Question
—  To what extent was there change
and continuity in German foreign
policy between 1933-1941
Learning Outcomes - Students will:
◦  Review Table
◦  Learn about the Anchluss and Munich Agreement
Success Criteria
—  I can connect the Hossbach
Memorandum to Hitler’s foreign policy
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Vocab
—  Anschluss
—  Sudetenland
—  May
Crisis
—  Munich Agreement
—  Piece of Paper
Reading
—  SL
& HL – Pg. 141-182
(Move to Global War)
◦  Make sure you are
adding to your table
–  Add info/evidence to key
ideas discussed in class
Continued Aggression
—  Continues
his
aggressiveness
◦  Jan ’38 - Moderate war
minister and commanderin-chief of the army are
dismissed, along with
appointment of other
Nazis to military positions
–  Goering –field Marshall
–  Ribbentrop – Foreign
Minister
Hossbach Memorandum
◦ For the improvement of our politicomilitary position our first objective, in
the event of our being embroiled in
war, must be to overthrow
Wha
t is
Hitle
r’s fo
Czechoslovakia and Austria
reign
polic
y goa
simultaneously in order to remove
l?
the threat to our flank in any
possible operation against the west.
Hossbach Memorandum
How
will
Hitle
r ach
this g ieve
oal?
◦  But the permanent establishment of the Italians
on the Balearics would be intolerable both to
France and Britain, and might lead to a war of
France and England against Italy…. If Germany
made use of this war to settle the Czech and
Austrian questions, it was to be assumed that
Britain -- herself at war with Italy -- would decide
not to act against Germany.Without British
support, a warlike action by France against
Germany was not to be expected
Anschluss - 1938
—  Austrian
4
3
9
1
r’s
e
l
t
h
i
t
i
H
w
d
i
d
ite
y
n
h
u
W
to
t
p
d
attem ia fail?
e
g
n
ha
r
t
c
s
s
u
a
A
th
a
h
?
W
n
e
h
t
e
c
n
i
s
independence
relied largely on the Stresa
Front to counter German
annexation
◦  Rome-Berlin Pact effectively
ends this alliance
—  March
12, 1938 – Hitler
“invades” Austria
◦  Plebiscite in April gains 99%
approval
◦  First move outside of
German territory
Czechoslovakia - 1938
Hossbach Memorandum
Field Marshal von Blomberg drew
particular attention to the strength
of the Czech fortifications, which
had acquired by now a structure like
a Maginot Line and which would
gravely hamper our attack.
— 
Steps to protect Czech
independence
◦  1924 – defense treaty with France
◦  France and USSR agreed to protect
Czech independence
◦  Czech had a strong army, located
along the Sudetenland
— 
Sudeten Germans
◦  3.5 million Germans living in
Czechoslovakia felt discriminated
against (High unemployment because
of the Depression)
–  Hitler had funded the Sudeten German
Party
◦  May Crisis – Czech gov’t believed
the Germans were mobilizing on its
border., so they partially mobilized
their troops, with Britain and France
sending warnings to Germany
Czechoslovakia – Munich Conference
Hossbach Memorandum
Actually, the Führer believed that
almost certainly Britain, and
probably France as well, had
already tacitly written off the
Czechs and were reconciled to the
fact that this question would be
cleared up in due course by
Germany.
— 
The world responds
(discussed more later)
◦  Chamberlain holds a series of
meetings with Hitler
–  Chamberlain wishes to avoid war
–  Hitler is warned by his generals
Germany is not ready for war
— 
Munich Agreement 29 Sept
’38
◦  Led by Mussolini, an agreement
is worked out between
Germany, France and Britain,
giving Sudetenland to Germany
in return for the piece of
paper
–  Britain and France inform
Czechoslovakia that they will not
assist if they resist
Impact of the Munich
Agreement
— 
Czechoslovakia
◦  Lost its natural boundaries (mountains) and
defenses along the border making it
defenseless
◦  Feels betrayed by Britain and France
— 
Britain - Guaranteed peace
◦  Times – “No conqueror returning from a victory
on the battlefield had come decorated with
nobler laurels”
— 
Germany
◦  Gained 70% of Czech heavy industry, 3.5
million people, agricultural and industrial
resources
◦  Avoid the strong Czech defenses
— 
USSR is not included, despite having an
agreement with France and Czechoslovakia
◦  Stalin 1939 – “Britain and France are
encouraging the Germans to march east.They
are saying to Germany, ‘Just start a war on the
Bolsheviks and everything is all right’”
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Paper 1 – Move to Global War
• 
Cause of
Expansion
• 
• 
• 
Events
• 
• 
Response
• 
• 
• 
Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and
Germany
Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of
Italy and Germany
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective
security; appeasement
German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the
Second World War
German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact
and the outbreak of war
International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 3 – Topic 15
– Versailles to Berlin
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Peace settlements (1919–1923):Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims, issues and responses
The League of Nations and Europe: successes and failures; the search
for collective security; developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe
Italian and German foreign policies (1919–1941): aims, issues
and extent of success
Collective security and appeasement (1919–1941): aims, issues and
extent of success; role of British, French and Russian/Soviet foreign
policies (1919–1941); Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis
Causes of the Second World War and the development of
European conflict (1939–1941); the wartime alliance (1941–1945);
reasons for Axis defeat in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
Impact of the Second World War on civilian populations in any two
countries between 1939–1945
Lesson 1d – German Foreign Policy
Essential Question
To what extent was Hitler successful
in carrying out his foreign policy aims
Learning Outcomes - Students will:
◦  Review Table
◦  Learn about the impact of the Munich Agreement
◦  Decide who should the Soviets sign a peace treaty
with
Success Criteria
—  I can discuss what was the best
option for the USSR
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Vocab
—  Danzig
—  Anglo-Polish Treaty
—  Nazi-Soviet
Pact
—  Phoney War
Reading
—  SL
& HL – Pg. 141-182
(Move to Global War)
◦  Make sure you are
adding to your table
–  Add info/evidence to key
ideas discussed in class
Impact of the Invasion of Czechoslovakia - 1939
—  21
October – Hitler orders
Germany to prepare for the
invasion of Czechoslovakia
◦  15 March ’39 – German troops
occupy Czechoslovakia
—  Impact
◦  Appeasement ends as invading the
rest of Czechoslovakia could not
be justified as undoing the Treaty
of Versailles
◦  Hitler could not be trusted
◦  Seeing the inaction of the West,
Mussolini invades Albania
◦  Britain introduces conscription
Poland - 1939
—  Mar. ’39
- Hitler requests
from the Polish gov’t the
return of the Danzig to
Germany, which was taken in
the Treaty of Versailles
What do
you think
Hitler thinks
of this?
◦  Mar 30 – Anglo-Polish
Treaty guaranteed Britain
would aid Poland if it was
attacked (France included in
May)
–  Hitler rescinds the Anglo-German
Naval Agreement and 1934 NonAggression Pact with Poland
What problem do you see for Hitler if he
invades Poland?
Pros
USSR – Who should I
Cons
Ally with?
•  Britain distrusted USSR and didn’t want to alienate
potential E. European allies
•  Ex. Leningrad meeting ‘39 – Britain and France
would not allowe Soviet troops to fight the
Germans by going through Poland or Romania
•  Originally wanted an alliance with •  USSR wanted guarantees to help the others if
•  ex. 1934 – joined League of
attacked by the Germans, however the British did
Nations
not respond for 6 weeks
•  Ex. Foreign Minister – “by
•  Believed appeasement was directing the Germans
standing together, the countries
east
of Europe could stop German
•  Invaded the USSR during teh Russian Civil War
aggression”
Pros
Cons
•  August – Hitler sends a letter asking for
Stalin to meet with his foreign minister
•  Nazism is the ideological enemy of
Europe(Anti-Comintern Pact)
•  Offering land (Baltics, Eastern Europe)
•  Hitler is untrustworthy
•  Need to avoid war because of purges and
focus in on industrialization
•  Fought against eachother in Spain
Nazi-Soviet Pact - 24 Aug ‘39
—  10
year non-aggression Pact
◦  Contained a secret clause that
divided Poland in half and gave
each country a free hand in
Eastern Europe (Germany) and the
Baltics/Finland (USSR)
—  Impact
◦  Hitler doesn’t have to worry about
a 2 Front war
–  Hitler – “I have them! I have them!”
◦  Stalin gets time to industrialize
–  Vasili Ryabov (Soviet Historian)– “The
Soviet gov’t knew it would be a short-lived
agreement…From 1939 to June 1941 the
total strength of the armed forces rose 2.8
times to well over 5 million.”
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Paper 1 – Move to Global War
• 
Cause of
Expansion
• 
• 
• 
Events
• 
• 
Response
• 
• 
• 
Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and
Germany
Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of
Italy and Germany
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective
security; appeasement
German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the
Second World War
German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact
and the outbreak of war
International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 3 – Topic 15
– Versailles to Berlin
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Peace settlements (1919–1923):Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims, issues and responses
The League of Nations and Europe: successes and failures; the search
for collective security; developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe
Italian and German foreign policies (1919–1941): aims, issues
and extent of success
Collective security and appeasement (1919–1941): aims, issues and
extent of success; role of British, French and Russian/Soviet foreign
policies (1919–1941); Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis
Causes of the Second World War and the development of
European conflict (1939–1941); the wartime alliance (1941–1945);
reasons for Axis defeat in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
Impact of the Second World War on civilian populations in any two
countries between 1939–1945
Lesson 3c – German Foreign Policy
(1938~40)
Leave
s
for 3 pace
lesson
s
Essential Question
To what extent was Hitler
successful in carrying out his
foreign policy aims
Learning Outcomes - Students will:
◦  Review Table
◦  Learn what historians say about Hitler
Success Criteria
—  I can use different perspectives
to explain improve my outline
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography
Vocab
—  Orthodox
—  Stufenplan
—  Revisionist
◦  Alan Bullock
◦  A.J.P. Taylor
Reading
—  SL
& HL – Pg. 141-182
(Move to Global War)
◦  Make sure you are
adding to your table
–  Add info/evidence to key
ideas discussed in class
WW2 begins
— 
1 Sept ’39 – Hitler invades Poland
◦  How does Hitler think Britain and
France will react?
–  Aug 25 – Britain ratified the AngloPolish Agreement
–  Ribbentrop – “It is certain that within a
few months not one Frenchman nor a
single Englishman will go to war for
Poland”
— 
3 Sept ’39 – Britain and France
declare war on Germany
◦  Hitler is surprised and is not ready
for a war
–  Ex. Hitler’s reaction to the British
declaration: “What now?” implying that
his foreign ministers misled him
–  Ex. Four-Year Plan is not complete
◦  Leads to Phoney War (Oct
’39~Feb ’40)
–  Hitler asks for peace, but Britain no
longer trusts him
Orthodox
—  Stufenplan
(Master Plan)
◦  Hitler had a consistent and
deliberate plann for war
–  Evidence: Mein Kampf, Hossbach
Memorandum
–  Evidence: Called for an Anschluss
with Austria in Mein Kampf and
attempted this in 1934 and 1938
–  Evidence: Hitler’s reaction to the
Nazi-Soviet Pact
◦  Historian: Alan Bullock
Revisionists
— 
Hitler had no grand plan, but
improvised and took advantage of
situations presented, such as the policy
of appeasement
◦  Ex. The occupation of the Rhineland was a
calculated risk, giving the order to turn
around if the French entered
◦  Ex. Munich Conference – Hitler believed
that Britain had “already written off
Czechoslovakia”
◦  Ex. Hitler’s reaction to the British
declaration: “What now?” implying that his
foreign ministers misled him
◦  Evidence: Hossbach Memorandum is not a
reliable source
◦  Historian: A.J.P. Taylor
Review
— 
To what extent was there change and
continuity in German foreign policy
between 1933-1941
Themes
Themes
AvoidAvoid
Isolation
Isolation
Undue
Undue
the Treaty
the Treaty of
of Versailles
Versailles
Expansion
Expansion
War War
Historiography