What was Hitler's foreign policy?
- Abolish the Treaty of Versailles by rearming and taking back all the land that Germany had lost.
2. Create a German Empire by uniting all German speaking people in a 'Greater Germany' and creating Lebensraum (living space) by conquering land in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
3. Destroy Communism
The Saar Plebiscite
Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the Saar was put under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years. As promised by the Treaty, after the 15 years, a plebiscite was held under supervision of soldiers sent by the League.
90% voted to return to Germany, 9% voted to remain under the League's control and >0.5% to be controlled by France.
The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
In March 1936, Hitler risked being attacked by the Allies by moving troops into the Rhineland as it clearly violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
It was believed to be a bluff! Allegedly, he ordered the soldiers to withdraw if they met any opposition, which would have caused him humiliation and lost him the support of the German army.
However, the Allies did not respond as they were too worried about their empires due to the crisis in Abyssinia. Hitler had managed to maintain the support of the Army while securing his Western border and had tested the allies and the League.