Historica

Hitler’s foreign policy aims

Reversal of the Treaty of Versailles: The Treaty of Versailles, imposed on Germany after World War I, was deeply resented by Hitler and many Germans. It placed severe restrictions on Germany's military, demanded hefty reparations, and forced the country to cede territory. Hitler sought to overturn these provisions and restore Germany's rightful place as a major European power.

Lebensraum (Living Space): A core tenet of Nazi ideology was the need for Germany to acquire more "living space" in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Soviet Union. Hitler envisioned German expansion eastward, displacing or subjugating the existing Slavic populations to create room for German settlement.

Pan-Germanism: Hitler aimed to unite all German-speaking people under a single Reich. This included the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) and the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, areas with significant German-speaking populations.

Confrontation with Communism: Hitler viewed communism as a primary enemy and sought to establish German dominance in Europe as a bulwark against the spread of Soviet influence. This led to the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan, an alliance aimed at opposing communism.

Rearmament

The Saar

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland

The Rome–Berlin Axis and the Anti-Comintern Pact

German and Italian involvement in the Spanish Civil War

Anschluss with Austria

The crisis over Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement

The Polish crisis and the outbreak of war