Track how Hitler’s early foreign policy broke the Treaty of Versailles, from secret rearmament to bold diplomatic moves that challenged peace in Europe.
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You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-45
Hitler was showing that Germany would now act independently in foreign affairs, and not be beholden to any international body
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Hitler was not interested in multilateral disarmament - rather he intended to break the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles and to rearm massively
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The Nazi Party was well established in Austria, and it enjoyed considerable support there. Many Austrians resented the clause in the 1919 treaties that forbade the two nations to unite
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Austria had an elected government that resisted the attempted Nazi seizure of power. Although this government was conservative and Catholic, it was far from being fascist
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Hitler liked non-aggression pacts: they ensured that he would not be attacked by his new ally, while he threatened aggression elsewhere. Thus states could be lulled into a false sense of security - and Hitler could always revoke the pact when he wanted to
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A huge parade ground in this city gave the Nazis scope to display their power. The leader would announce in his speech the projects for the following year - especially in foreign policy
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Hitler had pledged to smash the Treaty of Versailles clause by clause. Then he was determined to unite all German-speakers in the German state. After that he had even more ambitious goals
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The Treaty of Versailles placed this area under the control of the League of Nations for a period of 15 years, after which a plebiscite would ensue. The population was almost entirely German, and the region had substantial coal and iron ore deposits. Thus, the "Yes" vote came as no great surprise
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Only two African states remained that had not been colonised by a European power. Most European countries had been affected to a greater or lesser extent by the Great Depression, and invasion of a "Third World" power could arouse patriotic passions, and thus encourage people to forget about their dire economic situation
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Under the disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles the German army was reduced to 100,000 men, recruited for a period of 12 years. This was intended to prevent Germany from ever being able to commit aggression again
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