Indrani Goswami

IBDP YR 1
Session May 2021

Analyse Hitler’s foreign and

domestic policies
Between 1918 and 1933 Adolf Hitler rose from being an obscure and demoralised member of
the defeated German army to become the all-powerful Führer, dictator of Germany, with
almost unlimited power and an overwhelming ambition to make Germany great once again.
Hitler's foreign policy aims were to abolish the treaty of Versailles, expand german territory,
and unite all German-speaking people into one Reich. Hitler's foreign policy included
rearmament and conscription, the Saar plebiscite, remilitarisation of the Rhineland, The
Spanish civil war, Anschluss, Sudetenland, and the Nazi-Soviet pact. Under his domestic
policy, he was concerned about politics, social, and economic. This essay will analyse the
foreign policy and domestic policy of Hitler. 

One of his first steps was to increase Germany's armed forces. Thousands of unemployed
workers were drafted into the army. This helped him to reduce unemployment, which was
one of the biggest problems faced in Germany, but it also helped him to deliver on his
promise to make Germany strong again and to challenge the terms of Treaty of Versailles.
Rearmament had begun in secret at first. He had made a great public display of his desire not
to rearm Germany - that he was doing it because other countries refused to disarm and
withdraw from the League of Nations. In 1935, Hitler openly staged a massive military rally
celebrating the German armed forces. In 1936, he even reintroduced conscription to the army.
Rearmament was a very popular move in Germany. Britain had helped to dismantle the
Treaty by signing a naval agreement with Hitler in 1935, allowing Germany to increase its
navy up to 35 per cent of the size of the British Navy. This paragraph explains the reversing
of the Treaty of Versailles. 

The Saar was returned to Germany (January 1935) after a plebiscite (referendum) resulting in
a 90 per cent vote in favour. Though the vote had been provided for in the peace settlement,
Nazi propaganda made the most of the success. Hitler announced that now all causes of
grievance between France and Germany had been removed. This paragraph suggests that
Germany had gained support and had won back the Saar land. 

Encouraged by his successes, Hitler took the calculated risk of sending troops into the
demilitarized zone of the Rhineland (March 1936), a breach of both Versailles and Locarno.
Though the troops had orders to withdraw at the first sign of French opposition, no resistance
was offered, except the usual protests. At the same time, well aware of the mood of pacifism
among his opponents, Hitler soothed them by offering a peace treaty to last for 25 years. This
paragraph clearly states one of the big steps taken by Hitler without any assurance of no
opposition. 

Later in 1936 Hitler consolidated Germany's position by reaching an understanding with

Mussolini (the Rome-Berlin Axis) and by signing the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan (also
joined by Italy in 1937). Germans and Italians gained military experience by helping Franco
to victory in the Spanish Civil War. One of the most notorious exploits in this war was the
bombing of the defenceless Basque market town of Guernica by the German Condor Legion.
This paragraph explains Hitler's relations growing to gain power. 

 The Anschluss with Austria (March 1938) was Hitler's greatest success to date. Matters came
to a head when the Austrian Nazis staged huge demonstrations in Vienna, Graz and Linz,
which Chancellor Schuschnigg's government could not control. Realizing that this could be
the prelude to a German invasion, Schuschnigg announced a referendum about whether or
not Austria should remain independent. Hitler decided to act before it was held, in case the
vote went against the union; German troops moved in and Austria became part of the Third
Reich. It was a triumph for Germany: it revealed the weakness of Britain and France, who
again only protested. This paragraph suggests that the German citizens believed in Hitler and
were happy with his aims.

The value of the new German understanding with Italy, and it dealt a severe blow to
Czechoslovakia, which could now be attacked from the south as well as from the west and
north.  All was ready for the beginning of Hitler's campaign to get the German-speaking
Sudetenland, a campaign which ended in triumph at the Munich Conference in September
1938. When it seemed that war was inevitable, Hitler invited Chamberlain and Daladier to a
four-power conference, which met in Munich. Here a plan produced by Mussolini was
accepted. The Sudetenland was to be handed over to Germany immediately, Poland was
given Teschen and Hungary received South Slovakia. Germany, along with the other three
powers, guaranteed the rest of Czechoslovakia. Neither the Czechs nor the Russians were
invited to the conference. The Czechs were told that if they resisted the Munich decision,
they would receive no help from Britain or France, even though France had guaranteed the
Czech frontiers at Locarno. Given this betrayal by France and the unsympathetic attitude of
Britain, Czech military resistance seemed hopeless: they had no choice but to go along with
the decision of the conference. This paragraph explains the use of appeasement for gaining
back territories.

The Germans resented the loss of Danzig and the Polish Corridor, at Versailles, and now that
Czechoslovakia was safely out of the way, Polish neutrality was no longer necessary. In April
1939 Hitler demanded the return of Danzig and a road and railway across the corridor,
linking East Prussia with the rest of Germany. This demand was, in fact, not unreasonable,
since Danzig was mainly German-speaking; but with it coming so soon after the seizure of
Czechoslovakia, the Poles were convinced that the German demands were only the
preliminary to an invasion. Already fortified by a British promise of help in the event of any
action which threatened Polish independence, the Foreign Minister, Colonel Beck, rejected
the German demands and refused to attend a conference; no doubt he was afraid of another
Munich. British pressure on the Poles to surrender Danzig was to no avail. Hitler was
probably surprised by Beck's stubbornness and was still hoping to remain on good terms with
the Poles, at least for the time being. The only way the British promise of help to Poland
could be made effective was through an alliance with Russia. But the British were so slow
and hesitant in their negotiations for an alliance that Hitler got in first and signed a non-
aggression pact with the USSR. They also reached a secret agreement to divide Poland up
between Germany and the USSR (24 August). Hitler was convinced now that with Russia
neutral, Britain and France would not risk intervention; when the British ratified their
guarantee to Poland, Hitler took it as a bluff. When the Poles still refused to negotiate, a full-
scale German invasion began, early on 1 September 1939. This paragraph states the attention
Hitler gave towards Poland.

In the Volksgemeinschaft, almost everyone had a role in making Germany great again.
Central to the Nazis vision was the role of young people: young men who would be turned
into loyal soldiers and young women who would be turned into strong mothers. The workers
were no longer working just for payment but they were working to provide the goods that the
Fatherland needed. He began a huge programme of public works, which included building
hospitals, schools, and public buildings such as the 1936 Olympic Stadium. The construction
of 7,000 kms of autobahns created work for 80,000 men. Rearmament was responsible for the
bulk of economic growth between 1933 and 1938. Rearmament started almost as soon as
Hitler came to power but was announced publicly in 1935.
In 1933, 3.5 billion marks were spent on producing tanks, aircraft and ships, and by 1939 the
figure was 26 billion marks. This created millions of jobs for German workers. The use of oil,
iron and steel all tripled, creating a variety of different jobs. Hitler passed the Unemployment
Relief Act in June 1933. This helped establish an important organisation, the National Labour
Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD)) which aimed to reduce unemployment and indoctrinate
the workforce. Voluntary at first but compulsory from 1935, every man aged between 18-25
had to: complete six months training at the RAD, wear military uniform, live in camps,
receive pocket money only - no wages, do military/physical exercise every day such as
planting forests and digging ditches on farms
Although Germany claimed to have full employment by 1939, many groups of people were
not included in the statistics.
There were 1.4 million men in the army at this time. Jews who were sacked had to give their
jobs to non-Jews. Women were encouraged to give up their jobs to men. The policy of
autarky attempted to make Germany self-sufficient, so it would no longer be necessary for
Germans to trade internationally. In 1936, Hermann Göring was appointed leader of the Four
Year Plan (1936-40). His powers and the plan itself conflicted with Schacht's, the current
economy minister, and Schacht resigned in 1937.
The Four Year Plan aimed to speed up rearmament and make Germany self-sufficient to
ensure it was ready for war. The measures he introduced, such as tighter controls on imports
and subsidies for farmers to produce more food, were not successful. By the outbreak of
World War Two, Germany was still importing 20 per cent of its food and 33 per cent of its
raw materials. This paragraph states the steps taken by Hitler to make Germany's economy
strong again.
During the 1920s there had been significant progress for women in Weimar Germany - equal
voting rights, an increase in women taking professional roles and independent leisure
activities.
However, the Nazis had clear ideas of what they wanted from women. They were expected to
stay at home, look after the family and produce children to secure the future of the Aryan
race. Hitler believed women’s lives should revolve around the three Ks. 
( Kinder, Küche, and Kirche)
Hitler wanted a high birth rate so that the Aryan population would grow. He tried to achieve
this by introducing the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage in 1933 which gave
newlywed couples a loan of 1,000 marks and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child
they had, giving an award called the Mother’s Cross to women who had large numbers of
children. Women who had 5 children were given a bronze medal. A mother of 6 or 7 children
earned a silver medal. A gold medal was awarded to women who gave birth to 8 or more
children, allowing women to volunteer through Lebensborn to have a baby for an Aryan
member of the SS. Women were expected to emulate traditional German peasant fashions -
plain peasant costumes, hair in plaits or buns and flat shoes. They were not expected to wear
make-up or trousers, dye their hair or smoke in public. They were discouraged from staying
slim because it was thought that thin women had trouble giving birth. This paragraph states
clearly the Nazi policies towards women in their appearance and family.

Young people were very important to Hitler and the Nazis. Hitler spoke of his Third Reich
lasting for a thousand years and to achieve this he would have to ensure German children
were thoroughly indoctrinated in Nazi ideology. To this end, from the age of 10 boys and
girls were encouraged to join the Nazis’ youth organisation, the Hitler Youth (the girls’ wing
of which was called the League of German Maidens). Membership from age 10 was made
compulsory in 1936 and by 1939, 90 per cent of German boys aged 14 and over were
members. As well as influencing the beliefs of young Germans through the Hitler Youth,
schools indoctrinated young people in the political and racial ideas of Nazism. All teachers
had to join the Nazi Teachers’ Association, which vetted them for political and racial
suitability. Every lesson started with Heil Hitler! The curriculum was altered to reflect Nazi
ideology and priorities. This paragraph suggests that the aim was to brainwash children so
that they would grow up accepting Nazi ideas without question.

There were approximately 45 million Protestants and 22 million Catholic Christians in

Germany in 1933. Hitler saw Christianity as a threat and a potential source of opposition to
Nazism because it emphasised peace. The Nazis tried to control the Churches with policies
and bargaining. A state Reich Church under the leadership of the Nazi Bishop, Ludwig
Müller was established to unify the different branches of Protestantism. This enabled the
Nazis to use a group called the ‘German Christians’ within the Reich Church to promote Nazi
ideas.In 1933 Hitler agreed a Concordat with the Pope, which said that he would not
interfere in the running of the Catholic Church if it stayed out of political matters. Hitler
didn’t keep his side of the bargain, however, as the Nazis attempted to infiltrate the Church
and spread their propaganda.The Reich Church attempted to ban the use of the Old Testament
in religious services as it was considered a ‘Jewish book’. Many protestants opposed the
Reich Church, and in 1934 Martin Niemöller established the Confessional Church and openly
attacked the Nazi regime. He was arrested and sent to a concentration camp in 1937. Eight
hundred Pastors of the Confessional Church, a non-conforming Protestant group, were
arrested and sent to concentration camps.The Nazis attempted to stop Catholics using the
crucifix in church, though this attempt was not successful. Catholic schools and youth
organisations were supressed, with German children being educated in state schools and
taught a Nazi curriculum, as well as being expected to join the various branches of the Hitler
Youth.Catholic newspapers were banned and Bishop August von Galen of Munich became a
leading voice against Nazis policies. In 1937, Pope Pius XI publicly criticised the Nazis and
as a result over 400 Catholic priests were sent to Dachau concentration camp. This paragraph
clearly states the nazi policies towards religion which played a big role in opposing the hitler
and the Nazi’s.

The foreign and domestic policies suggest that Hitler never was quite successful but he did
not lose self-interest. However, Hitler did not totally fail. In 1930s Germans did have a strong
sense of national pride and loyalty towards Hitler. Although, Hitler had fulfilled the promises
to the German people that he would reverse the treaty of Versailles, rebuild Germany's armed
forces, unite Germany and Austria, extend German territory into eastern Europe, but it had
started the second world war in the process. The essay has been analysed.

Bibliography
Cambridge IGCSE history Option B: 20th Century by Paul Grey, Rosemarie Little, Robin
Macpherson, John Etty, and Graham Goodlad.
Mastering Modern World history by Norman Lowe
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/hitlers-foreign-policies-cause-the-second-world-
war-history-essay.php