Reichskonkordat
The Reichskonkordat was a treaty between the Holy See and Germany on July 20 1933, which restricted the Catholic Church from involvement in German Politics, in exchange for a guarantee of the Catholic Church’s rights in Germany (clclibrary.org). This agreement is a clear example of realpolitik, as Hitler’s hostility towards the Catholic Church reveals that any diplomacy with the Holy See would have to be purely out of strategy. Hitler revealed his opinion of the Catholic Church to Herman Rauschning, saying “we should trap the priests by their notorious greed and self-indulgence”.
The Reichskonkordat was a treaty between the Holy See and Germany on July 20 1933, which restricted the Catholic Church from involvement in German Politics, in exchange for a guarantee of the Catholic Church’s rights in Germany (clclibrary.org). This agreement is a clear example of realpolitik, as Hitler’s hostility towards the Catholic Church reveals that any diplomacy with the Holy See would have to be purely out of strategy. Hitler revealed his opinion of the Catholic Church to Herman Rauschning, saying “we should trap the priests by their notorious greed and self-indulgence”.
This treaty was signed only a few months after the Enabling Act, which gave Hitler powers almost equal to that of a dictator, as an attempt to gain Catholic support before he was to seize power; though Hitler was concerned about political opposition he was to ban all parties besides the Nazi Party after he seized power anyways, and did not need the Catholic Church’s permission to do so. Hitler was after more than just a lack of political opposition, he wanted the total loyalty of the Catholics. This treaty aided in that endeavor; by getting the Pope to agree to a treaty with Germany under his rule, he created the impression that the Pope supported him. Since the Pope was, and still is, the undisputed head of the Roman Catholic Church, his support also meant the support of all the Roman Catholics.
Anglo German Naval Agreement of 1935
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement was an agreement between Great Britain and Germany, signed on June 18, 1935 (Hoare), which changed the limit of the German Navy to 35% the size of the British Navy; a great rise from the limit of 6 battleships that was set in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference (Simkin). The terms of this treaty fulfilled numerous goals of the Nazis, the most obvious being their desire for a strong military, to fight in the future war in Europe, which the Nazis saw as necessary. However, it was also an effort on Hitler’s part to unite Germany and England. In Mien Kampf Hitler often mentions the possibility of an Anglo-German alliance, as he considered the English Germanic in essence. This is fitting, as not only did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement work to bring England and Germany closer together, it put strain on England’s relationship with France, as France was greatly opposed to this treaty.
Anglo German Naval Agreement of 1935
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement was an agreement between Great Britain and Germany, signed on June 18, 1935 (Hoare), which changed the limit of the German Navy to 35% the size of the British Navy; a great rise from the limit of 6 battleships that was set in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference (Simkin). The terms of this treaty fulfilled numerous goals of the Nazis, the most obvious being their desire for a strong military, to fight in the future war in Europe, which the Nazis saw as necessary. However, it was also an effort on Hitler’s part to unite Germany and England. In Mien Kampf Hitler often mentions the possibility of an Anglo-German alliance, as he considered the English Germanic in essence. This is fitting, as not only did the Anglo-German Naval Agreement work to bring England and Germany closer together, it put strain on England’s relationship with France, as France was greatly opposed to this treaty.
Anti-Comintern Pact
The Anti-Comintern Pact was an agreement signed between Nazi Germany and Japan in 1935 (Simkin) that agreed to cooperate, and mutually defend against the Comintern, the international communist organization. Though initially signed by only Nazi Germany and Japan, the pact would soon be joined by Italy, and eventually, 11 other nations(Gilbin. There is a secret attached agreement to the Anti-Commintern Pact which particularly mentions the Soviet Union, stating “should one of the countries be unprovokedely attacked or threatened by the Soviet Union, the other party...will immediately consult on measures to preserve their common interests”; in other words, Japan and Nazi Germany didn’t just make an alliance against the Commintern, they also made an alliance specifically against the Soviet Union. The signing of the Anti Comintern Pact was in many ways a very straight-forward decision on the part of the Nazi’s; Hitler considered Communism to be one of the two twin evils of the world, and called non-Jewish communists “race traitors”. The Anti-Cominterin pact can also be attributed to strategic motives. The Nazis were torn between the strategic necessity of keeping China as an ally, and the desire to create an alliance with the newly fascist Japan, China’s enemy for thousands of years; an anti-communist pact between the three nations seemed like a way to foster a new relationship with Japan without hurting the existing one with China. When China’s lack of interest prevented any possibility between the three nations agreeing on a single treaty (Desertwar.net), Germany still pushed for the treaty to be signed with Japan due to its various other strategic advantages; in the future European war which Nazi leaders saw as necessary, it would greatly help the German side if the Soviet Union was forced to fight against Japan in East Asia, as well as in Europe. The Soviet Union had seen how much fighting a two front war had hurt Germany during world war one, and the Soviet Union, being the largest country in the world, would have to spend a lot more resources transporting its troops to both fronts.
Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, or the Soviet German Non-Aggression pact was an agreement between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed on August 23, 1939 (Molotov, Ribbentrop) to avoid any military conflicts between the two nations. It also included a secret protocol that divided Eastern Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence(Ribbentrop, Molotov), allowing Germany to invade and annex part of Poland. Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German diplomat who signed the treaty, said the main goal of the treaty was to “ensure Russian neutrality in the event of a German-Polish conflict”. Nazi Germany wanted Poland, in order to fulfill her need for Lebensraum, and was willing to take only half of Poland (what was said to be in the German sphere of influence in the treaty), if it meant there would be no response from Russia. On top of this, Nazi-Germany, preparing for another European war, wanted to “limit the coming war to one front” (Khrushchev). Fighting a two front war greatly strained German resources during the First World War, and Hitler wanted to prevent that from happening again. On top of this, Hitler saw this as an important bargaining chip; England and France had threatened to go to war with Germany if Hitler invaded Poland (Giblin), and Hitler felt that eliminating the possibility of Germany fighting a two front war would scare them into letting him take Poland. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is a very clear example of realpolitik; Hitler’s rhetoric made it more than clear that he hated communism, and he in no way excluded the Soviet Union, but despite that he was willing to make a Pact with them, due to the strategic advantages of doing so.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, or the Soviet German Non-Aggression pact was an agreement between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed on August 23, 1939 (Molotov, Ribbentrop) to avoid any military conflicts between the two nations. It also included a secret protocol that divided Eastern Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence(Ribbentrop, Molotov), allowing Germany to invade and annex part of Poland. Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German diplomat who signed the treaty, said the main goal of the treaty was to “ensure Russian neutrality in the event of a German-Polish conflict”. Nazi Germany wanted Poland, in order to fulfill her need for Lebensraum, and was willing to take only half of Poland (what was said to be in the German sphere of influence in the treaty), if it meant there would be no response from Russia. On top of this, Nazi-Germany, preparing for another European war, wanted to “limit the coming war to one front” (Khrushchev). Fighting a two front war greatly strained German resources during the First World War, and Hitler wanted to prevent that from happening again. On top of this, Hitler saw this as an important bargaining chip; England and France had threatened to go to war with Germany if Hitler invaded Poland (Giblin), and Hitler felt that eliminating the possibility of Germany fighting a two front war would scare them into letting him take Poland. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is a very clear example of realpolitik; Hitler’s rhetoric made it more than clear that he hated communism, and he in no way excluded the Soviet Union, but despite that he was willing to make a Pact with them, due to the strategic advantages of doing so.
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was a settlement between Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy allowing Germany to take over the Sudetenland, in Czechoslovakia, in exchange for a guarantee by Germany that it would stop its territorial expansion in Europe. The resolution, signed on September 30, 1938 (Simkin), was the end of the Sudeten Crisis (see Lebensraum for the events of the Sudeten Crisis), and according to British Prime Minister Nevile Chamberlain, had created “peace for our time”. Looking in hindsight at the goals of Nazi foreign policy, it’s clear that Chamberlain could not have been more wrong. Hitler was preparing for war, and the Munich Agreement would only give him the upper hand in the future war. The Sudetenland would be of major strategic importance in war; not only was it a highly industrialized area, aiding Hitler in creating supplies for his soldiers, but it was also the location of most of Czechoslovakia’s border defenses. This would cripple the Czechoslovak side, and make a conquest of all of Czechoslovakia much easier for Hitler, only a few months later. On top of this, during the future European war, this would be significant, as it would prevent Czechoslovakia, which had a surprisingly strong military, from joining the conflict. However, there were also some direct reasons for Hitler’s decision to risk war over the Sudetenland; Hitler wanted to create a united Germany, with all German people in one country. On top of this, once the Germans either deported, or enslaved the local Slavic population, there would be extra Lebensraum for the German people.
Written by Berk Gedikoglu
Edited by Tony Yoon
The Munich Agreement was a settlement between Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy allowing Germany to take over the Sudetenland, in Czechoslovakia, in exchange for a guarantee by Germany that it would stop its territorial expansion in Europe. The resolution, signed on September 30, 1938 (Simkin), was the end of the Sudeten Crisis (see Lebensraum for the events of the Sudeten Crisis), and according to British Prime Minister Nevile Chamberlain, had created “peace for our time”. Looking in hindsight at the goals of Nazi foreign policy, it’s clear that Chamberlain could not have been more wrong. Hitler was preparing for war, and the Munich Agreement would only give him the upper hand in the future war. The Sudetenland would be of major strategic importance in war; not only was it a highly industrialized area, aiding Hitler in creating supplies for his soldiers, but it was also the location of most of Czechoslovakia’s border defenses. This would cripple the Czechoslovak side, and make a conquest of all of Czechoslovakia much easier for Hitler, only a few months later. On top of this, during the future European war, this would be significant, as it would prevent Czechoslovakia, which had a surprisingly strong military, from joining the conflict. However, there were also some direct reasons for Hitler’s decision to risk war over the Sudetenland; Hitler wanted to create a united Germany, with all German people in one country. On top of this, once the Germans either deported, or enslaved the local Slavic population, there would be extra Lebensraum for the German people.
Written by Berk Gedikoglu
Edited by Tony Yoon