After World War I, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles with the victorious Allies, Britain, France and America. ● Germans resented (disliked) the terms of the Treaty, which were used to punish and to weaken the country.
According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, ● Germany had to sign a ‘war guilt clause’ that it caused World War I.
North Schleswig given to Denmark
North Sea
Eupen and Malmedy given to Belgium
HOLLAND
Demilitarised zone
F R A N C E BELGIUM
Paris
To France (which had lost this land to Germany in 1871)
● Germany had to pay compensation (reparations) to the Allies.
● The German Army could not enter the Rhineland (demilitarised). ● Part of Germany was cut off from the main country by the Polish Corridor. ● The German armed forces were reduced. ● Germany was prevented from uniting with Austria.
2 Hitler’s aims in foreign policy
Hitler wanted to make Germany great again. ● He wanted to use his foreign policy (relations with other countries) to expand German power.
● But his aims in foreign policy were bound to disturb (upset) the peace of Europe.
The Nazi Party Programme (1920) said:
We demand the union of all Germans to form a Greater Germany (Grossdeutschland). We demand the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.
We demand land for settling our surplus population (lebensraum) [in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union].
This would mean taking over Austria and parts of other countries where German-speaking people lived
This would upset the British and French
This would mean taking over all countries in Eastern Europe
3 Hitler’s actions – destroying the Treaty of Versailles Hitler set about destroying the Treaty of Versailles once he had achieved full power in Germany. ● He began rearmament, which broke the Treaty of Versailles, by building up the army, navy and air force (Luftwaffe).
299 Weimar Rhineland
ALSACE LORRAINE
Saar coalfields given to France for 15 years
Rich farmland given to Poland
C Z E C H O S L O V A K I A A U S T R I A
Germany forbidden to unite with Austria
Territory lost by Germany to other countries
Danzig – a free city run by the League of Nations
Baltic Sea PRUSSIA WEST PRUSSIA G E R M A N Y Berlin POSEN
Poland was given a ‘corridor’ to the Baltic Sea, cutting off East Prussia from Germany