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The Remilitarization of the Rhineland: 1936

  • League of Nations Obsolete
  • On March 14, after hearing of Hitler's plan, called a League meeting to discuss forms of opposition
  • Result = to condemn the re occupation, yet no enforcement
  • League agreed to offer Hitler the chance to outline a new security system for Europe
  • Hitler responded with an extremely vague outline, stating he had no plans to take over Europe
  • The League made little success, but avoided Hitler's aggression, thus they felt accomplished
  • Later, France called on Britain to impose trade restrictions on Germany, Britain did not comply
  • When the peace keeping center of the world could not exert power, who could?

Germany in 1936

  • 3 years previous, Hitler had declared himself absolute ruler of Germany
  • As ruler he held ambitions to remilitarize the Rhineland, which had been demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles
  • Despite the fact that Germany had willingly agreed to keep the land demilitarized in the Locarno Pacts
  • Germany took the demilitarization as an insult
  • Popular opinion was to restore Germany's former glory and demonstrate power over other countries
  • British government bargaining with Germany over the Rhineland, never happened
  • March 7th at 11:00 AM German foreign minister made contact with Britain, France, and America stating Germany was rejecting the measures of the Locarno pacts
  • That day, 22,000 troops entered the Rhineland by crossing Rhine River Bridges
  • French troops in the Rhineland did not take action

Results: Failure

  • The Rhineland crisis marked the end to of the inter- war period of peace making attempts
  • Began post WWII era
  • Treaty of Versailles and Locarno pacts were obsolete
  • Hitler's Power as a Leader Confirmed
  • Proved to his surrounding generals and diplomats that he could achieve his goals as a leader
  • Popularity amongst German citizens increased
  • Referendum held in which 98.7% of Germany's eligible voting population voted for their approval of Hitler's remilitarization, not genuine
  • Hitler convinced that France, Great Britain, and America could be manipulated by the threat of war
  • From there, Hitler's power would continue to grow
  • The power of Nazi Germany confirmed

The Remilitarization

  • March 1st, 1936 Hitler openly objected to a demilitarized Rhineland, revealed his plan to re enter
  • Germany justified her breaking of the Versailles Treaty by citing the recent alliance between France and the Soviet Union
  • 1935 France Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance
  • Claimed France and the Soviet Union had broken the Locarno Treaty
  • Used this claim to justify his decision to re enter the region on these grounds
  • Countries were failing to work together
  • Britain and France held greatly differing view: France wanted to call on her ally, but the British Cabinet did not view the crisis as a pressing issue
  • Britain claimed the Locarno Pacts did not require her to aid France, popular public opinion did not support the issue
  • Without any promised aid, France and Belgium became vulnerable, lived in fear of Germany
  • When America was called on for aid, she denied and retreated into isolation
  • Poland, Italy, Soviet Union were not concerned by Germany's act of aggression
  • Czechoslovakia and Romania strongly opposed the remilitarization, but did not take any action
  • Began a period of giving Germany what she wanted in order to avoid her aggression
  • Completely destroyed idea of collective security
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