German Foreign Policy Timeline

Gustav Stresemann was a leading figure of the German People's Party, during the Weimar Republic. Stresemann was seen as the most influential memeber of the Weimar Republic, and was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1923 but only got to keep his position for 102 Days. He was also the Foreign Minister from 1923-1929.

Gustav Stresemann and Aristide Briand, the Prime Minister of France at the time, won the Nobel Peace Prize together in 1926, for making ammends between Germany and France.

Manchuria, the region of northeast China, was on September 18th, 1931, invaded by the Japanese Kwantung Army. This was the result of the Mukden Incident, where a Japanese lieutenant blew up a small amount of dynaminte by the South Manchuria Railway and thenblamed it on the Chinese. After this Staged event Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria until the end of WW2.

The occupation of Manchuria affects Germany during this time because it had a really negative impact on the moral strength and influence of the League of Nations. This event showed members of the League of Nations how any powerful Nation could commit blatant aggression without serious consequences. This awareness caused Adolf Hitler to follow in Japans footsteps with Czechoslovakia and Poland.

9 months after Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor, Germany withdrew from the League of Nations. The main reason for this was the refusal of the western states to accommondate in Germany’s demands for military consistency.

After leaving the League of Nations, Germanys military grew enourmously although thid went agaisnt several agreements Germany made after WW1.

In 1933 the stock market crash in the United States caused the country to enter the Great Depression. Although the Weimar Reublic had helped Germany's economy briefly advance in 1924-1929, the Great Depression still had a huge impact on Germany and its economy in the 1920s. All loans Germany got from the United States to help stabalize the economy after WW1, were withdrawn. This caused German money to increasingly lose more and more of its value.

The Nou Agresssion was an international treaty between Nazi Germany and the Second Polish Republic signed on January 26, 1934.

After border disagreements caused by the Treaty of Versailles, this pact stabilized the situation between Germany and Poland, making Germany realize and recognize Poland's borders.

England did not want to punish Germany, but as a result of France wanting to, the Treaty of Versailles did not allow Germany to have an Air Force. In February, 1935, even though the treaty had forbidden it, Hitler secretly began to organize the Luftwaffe in order to to accelerate the speed and power of the German rearmament. He appointed Hermann Göring Commander in Chief of the aerial branch of the German Wehrmacht.

The German Luftwaffe soon became one of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced and battle-experienced air forces in the entire world.

On January 23rd, 1935, a referendum on territorial status was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin. A vast majority of 90% voted for the reunification of Germany. Another 9% voted for the status quo as a League of Nations mandate territory and less than 0.5% voted for unification with France.

The 4-Year-Plan were the measures Hitler was going to take to bring economic prosperity to Nazi Germany. The Plan was part of the alternative governmental structure created by Hitler, which included the unification of the SS and the German police forces, including the Gestapo. Just like the Luftwaffe, Hitler put Hermann Göring in charge.

This pact was an anti-communism pact between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. After these two nations signed the pact in Berlin, 1936, other fascist governments, like Italy and Spain, also signed the pact.

Once again violating the Treaty of Versailles, German forces on March 7th, 1936, went into the Rhineland. The balance of power shifted back to Germany, rather than France after this.