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
- 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