Name: Ghanshyam Jugal Patadia Grade: 9D Roll No: 11 2024-25

Subject: History Practice Worksheet Date: 28/6/24 Teacher’s sign

Remilitarization of Rhineland

Events

On the 7th of March 1936, German soldiers marched into the Rhineland. This was against the Treaty of Versailles
and the Locarno Pact, which the German government willingly signed in 1925. Hitler followed up the remilitarization
with promises that Germany would sign a 25-year non-aggression pact and had no further territorial ambitions in
Europe.

Why was there no action against Hitler?

Hitler had chosen his moment carefully. Britain and France were more concerned about Mussolini’s invasion of
Abyssinia. The French government was divided and not prepared to act without the support of Britain. Britain felt
that Hitler was doing nothing wrong. The Treaty of Versailles had the right to be changed.

Germany was only moving troops into its own territory. It was not like Mussolini, who had invaded another country.
No one wanted war and people took far more notice of Hitler’s promises. At the end of March, Hitler held a vote in
Germany on his policies, and 99 percent of those who voted were in favour of Hitler’s policies.

Could Hitler have been stopped in 1936?

There’s no doubt Hitler took a chance when he sent his soldiers into the Rhineland. He did it against the advice of
his generals, who considered that the army was not strong enough to resist the French army if they opposed them.
It was also against the advice of his financial advisers, who feared the effect that economic sanctions could have
on Germany. Hitler took all these considerations into account but dismissed them. His generals had orders that, if
there was any opposition from the French, Germany would withdraw immediately.

All the fears of Hitler’s ministers were justified. The French army was stronger than that of Germany in 1936 and
sanctions would have crippled Germany, but Hitler had judged foreign reactions perfectly. Germany could have
been stopped, but there was no support for opposition. If the French army had invaded the Rhineland, perhaps
Hitler would have become more popular in Germany as the victim of foreign invasion. Britain was satisfied that
Germany was justified and another grievance of the Treaty of Versailles had been eliminated. Once all these
grievances were dealt with, Germany would be satisfied and live in peace with other nations. Hitler could have
been stopped, but the will to use force against him was not there.

Additional Context and Factors:

- Since Britain had signed the Anglo-German Naval Pact with Germany, allowing Germany to have a navy that was
35% of the size of the British navy, which was against the Treaty of Versailles, France made an alliance with
communist Russia called the Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Pact. This pact stated that France and Russia
would help each other if either was attacked by Germany. Later, Britain and France signed the Stresa Pact with
Italy to counter the rising militarism in Germany.
- While remilitarizing the Rhineland, Hitler justified himself by saying that even after completely demilitarizing her
borders with France and agreeing to it in the Locarno treaty, if France and Britain went around making pacts with
other countries targeting Germany, Germany at least had the right to defend its own borders.
- 1936 was an election year in France. All the leaders knew that the people vividly remembered the horrors of the
Great War and would never vote back a government to power that led them into another war.

- Although the Great Depression had begun in 1929 after the Wall Street Crash, it still had a strong impact on all
nations of the world. With the Abyssinian crisis, nations were still reeling from the impacts of the war and sanctions
on trade with Italy. They did not want to make things worse by imposing sanctions on Germany.

- People in Britain and elsewhere remembered the horrors of World War I and wanted to avoid another war at all
costs.

Results of Remilitarization

The Rhineland had a decisive effect on later events.

1. Hitler had successfully reversed the Treaty of Versailles, giving him the confidence to go further. The main
remaining grievance of Versailles was Danzig and the Polish Corridor.

2. The position of Hitler in Germany had been strengthened: he had been proved right, and his army and ministers
wrong. In spite of opposition from his ministers, his nerve had held and he had been successful. This increased his
confidence.

3. It led to the signing of the Rome-Berlin Axis with Mussolini. Italy and Germany were to cooperate in their support
for the fascist General Franco in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. This gave Hitler an opportunity to test his
armed forces, weapons, and tactics, and gave both German and Italian troops experience of war.

4. The remilitarization of the Rhineland, followed by the signing of the Rome-Berlin axis, meant the end of the
attempts by Britain and France to keep Mussolini as an ally against Hitler. Both countries had shown unwillingness
to oppose the aggression of the dictators.

Questions -
1. What did the Treaty of Versailles do to the Rhineland? [4]
2. How did the people of Rhineland react to the remilitarisation? [4]
3. Why was the remilitarisation of Rhineland significant? [4]
4. What actions did Hitler take on the 7th of March 1936 that violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno [4]
Pact?
5. How did the remilitarization of the Rhineland impact Hitler's position within Germany and his future policies? [4]
6. Which countries signed the Rome-Berlin Axis, and what was its significance? [4]
7. What were the justifications Hitler gave for remilitarization of Rhineland? [4]
8. What promise did Hitler make after the remilitarization of the Rhineland to reassure other European [4]
countries?
9. What was the result of the vote held in Germany at the end of March 1936 regarding Hitler's policies? [4]
10. Discuss the factors that led Italy to abandon the Stresa Pact and sign the Rome-Berlin Axis agreement with [6]
Germany.

Bonus questions -
1. Why were the British and French reluctant to take action against Hitler?
2. How did the remilitarization of the Rhineland impact Hitler's position within Germany and his future policies?
3. Why do you think Italy signed the Rome Berlin Axis agreement with Germany that scrapped the Stresa Pact which
Italy had signed with France and Britain?
Answers -