When did the remilitarisation of the Rhineland take place?
March 1936
Had the Rhineland been taken away from Germany under the Treaty of Versailles?
No - but they were not allowed to have any armed forces there
What is meant by demilitarised?
You are not allowed to have any armed forces there
Where was the Rhineland located?
On the western border of Germany.
The border was also shared by: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands
What was the main purpose of the demilitarisation of the Rhineland?
To protect France from invasion
Remember: It had been invaded in 1870 during Franco-Prussian War AND in 1914 during WWI
When had the demilitarisation been reaffirmed?
In the 1925 Locarno Treaties - which Germany had agreed to
What was agreed in the 1925 Locarno Treaties?
That Germany would stick to all accept its western borders as outlined in the ToV
(This agreement helped pave the way for Germany to join the League of Nations)
What else was happening in the world in 1936?
The League was preoccupied with the Abyssinian Crisis (the Hoare-Laval Pact had just leaked)
Had Hitler failed with the remilitarisation, whose support would he have lost?
The army’s (lots of top generals were still unsure about him)
What had France and the USSR signed in 1935?
A mutual assistance treaty to protect each other from German attack
Full name: The Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance
How did Hitler exploit the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance?
He claimed he needed to put troops in the Rhineland - on his own frontier - because Germany was under threat from France and the USSR.
How did Hitler exploit British attitudes?
He knew many Britons believed Hitler should be allowed to station troops in ‘his own backyard’ and therefore would do little to stop him
What orders did Hitler give to his generals?
To pull troops out of the Rhineland if they met any resistance from the French
How would Germany’s army have fared against France’s?
Not well, despite rearmament, France’s army was far stronger than Germany’s
What did the League do after Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland?
Condemned his actions - but did nothing else
Why did the French dither over their response?
- France was in the middle of a financial crisis
- They were about to hold an election - none of the French leaders wanted to be held responsible for plunging the country into a war with Germany.
What did France not know?
How strong - or rather, how WEAK - the German army really was. They fell for Hitler’s bluff.
What did Hitler take from the remilitarisation?
Increased confidence - made him more likely to gamble in the future
What did Hitler promise after the Rhineland triumph?
- That he only had peaceful intentions
2. He proposed a 25 year NON AGGRESSION PACT with the western powers
