German Expansionist Policies Quiz

German Expansionist Policies

• Grossdeutschland: Aimed at uniting all German-speaking people within a single empire.
• Lebensraum: Hitler's desire for expanded German territory in Eastern Europe.
• Social Darwinism: Used to justify a belief in the "survival of the fittest" in the societal and geopolitical spheres.
• Aggressive Nationalism: A policy of using force to achieve national interests through foreign policy.
• Appeasement: A diplomatic policy of concessions to avoid conflict.
• German Withdrawal from the League of Nations (1933): Triggered by perceived French failure to disarm to German levels.

Early Expansionist Actions (1934-1936)

• Failed Anschluss attempt (1934): Hitler's attempt to annex Austria was blocked by Mussolini's intervention.
• German Rearmament (1935): Germany rapidly built up its military forces, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
• Saar Plebiscite (1935): A vote in the Saar region resulted in a victory for unification with Germany.
• Stresa Front (1935): A pact condemning German rearmament by Britain, France, and Italy.
• Formation of the Luftwaffe: The German air force, banned by the Treaty of Versailles, was reestablished.
• Reoccupation of the Rhineland (March 1936): Germany re-militarized the Rhineland region, a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

Expansion Continues (1937-1939)

• Rome-Berlin Axis (1936): Strengthened cooperation between Italy and Germany.
• Anschluss with Austria (March 1938): Germany annexed Austria.
• Munich Conference (September 1938): Britain and France conceded the Sudetenland to Germany, hoping to avoid war.
• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (August 1939): A 10-year non-aggression agreement between Germany and the USSR, allowing Hitler to avoid a two-front war.
• Invasion of Poland (September 1939): Germany invaded Poland, initiating World War II.
• British and French Declaration of War (September 1939): Following the invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
• Guernica Bombing (1937): Brutal bombing of Guernica, Spain, by German Condor Legion planes, showcasing the brutal nature of the war.

Key Figures and Events

• Neville Chamberlain: British Prime Minister who adopted appeasement.
• Winston Churchill: A prominent critic of appeasement.
• Joseph Stalin: Soviet leader.
• Condor Legion: German unit participating in the Spanish Civil War.
• Edvard Benes: President of Czechoslovakia.
• Conrad Henlein: Leader of the Sudetenland German Nazis.
• Seyss-Inquart: Leader of the Austrian Nazis.
• Stufenplan: Hitler's supposed gradualist plan for expansion.
• Hitler's excuse for Sudetenland: Hitler claimed that 3 million ethnic Germans lived there.
• Occupation of Moravia and Bohemia (1939): Following the Munich Conference, Germany occupied the remainder of Czechoslovakia.

Timeline

• Hitler becomes German Chancellor (1933): Marked the beginning of Hitler's rise to power and subsequent aggressive expansionist foreign policy.
• Berchtesgaden, Bad Godesberg, Munich Meetings (1938): Series of negotiations between Chamberlain and Hitler, prior to the Munich Conference.
• Date of Hitler's Invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939): Triggered the start of World War II.

Test your knowledge on the pivotal expansionist policies of Nazi Germany. This quiz covers concepts such as Grossdeutschland, Lebensraum, and key events from 1934 to 1936. Dive into the historical significance of these actions and their ramifications.