Hitler had achieved power and control over Germany in 1933 and by 1935, he had secured the Nazis power base. Foreign policy, as goring said in his trial in 1945 was Hitler's very own realm. All foreign policy decisions and initiatives were that of Hitler himself. Hitler's aim was to restore Germany to a powerful nation as it once was. His foreign policy was racial & national and intended to deliberately expand Germany at the expense of inferior people. Hitler believed that the German people needed to preserve their 'racial purity' by acquiring new territory. This was to be done by force in the vast territories of Eastern Europe at the expense of the Soviet Union. This land was to be Germany's Lebensraum (living space). Hitler saw the struggle for existence whereby the strong take from the weak. In this case, the racial group living in Eastern Europe were the Slavs, who Hitler viewed untermenschen.
Adolf Hitler
france_021
France 1980This area would then be populated by the superior German people, the master race (herrenvolk).
In order to effectively carry out his foreign policy ambitions, Hitler needed to disregard the Treaty of Versailles, which he did and made it publicly known that he would not adhere to its terms. His first foreign policy move was withdrawing Germany from the League of Nations & the World Disarmament conference in October 1933. In 1934, Hitler surprised Britain & France by signing a Polish-German Non-Aggression Pact, as Poland contained lands lost by Germany after WWI. This was significant political & propaganda value for Germany as it gave them a boosted international image and gave Hitler time in his preparations for war. In 1935, Hitler announced that Germany was following a policy of rearmament. Conscription was reintroduced, brining the army to 500 000 men, in clear violation...
Gives you an overall view.
This essay was ok, though not very long or in-depth but covered the main points... Would have liked to see some details.
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