Hitler's Three Main Aims

Part of Hitler's Foreign Policy · Section 2 of 13

Deep DiveUnit: Conflict and Tension 1918-1939GCSE

▶ Hitler Part 1 - OverSimplified ▶ Hitler Part 2 - OverSimplified

1. Destroy Treaty of Versailles — Hitler called it a "Diktat," a "stab in the back." He wanted to reverse ALL its terms: rearm, remilitarise Rhineland, unite with Austria, take back lost territory.
2. Create "Greater Germany" (Grossdeutschland) — Unite all German-speaking people: Austria (Anschluss), Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia), Danzig (Poland). Volksdeutsche = ethnic Germans abroad.
3. Lebensraum ("Living Space") — Expand eastward into Poland, Ukraine, Russia. Room for German people to grow. Slavs were "inferior" in Nazi ideology — could be enslaved or removed.

Key point: Aims 1 & 2 could arguably be justified as "undoing injustice." Aim 3 was pure aggression and made war inevitable.

This deep dive covers Hitler's Three Main Aims within Hitler's Foreign Policy for GCSE History. Revise Hitler's Foreign Policy in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 13 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Practice questions for Hitler's Foreign Policy

What did Hitler mean by 'Lebensraum'?

  • A. The right of Germany to leave the League of Nations
  • B. The unification of all German-speaking people into one state
  • C. The expansion of Germany eastward to gain new territory for settlement
  • D. The reversal of the military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles
1 markfoundation

In which year did Hitler remilitarise the Rhineland?

  • A. 1936
  • B. 1933
  • C. 1938
  • D. 1935
1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What is Lebensraum?
"Living space" — expansion eastward into Poland/USSR for German people
Hitler's 3 aims?
1. Destroy Versailles, 2. Greater Germany, 3. Lebensraum (living space)

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