Study this question carefully. How far was Hitler's foreign policy between 1933 and 1939 responsible for the outbreak of the Second World War? Explain your ...

This question asks you to evaluate Hitler's foreign policy as a cause of the Second World War, weighing it against other contributing factors. "How far" demands a balanced argument and a reasoned judgement.

Arguments that Hitler's foreign policy was the primary cause:

• From January 1933, Hitler pursued an aggressive revisionist agenda aimed at systematically overturning the Treaty of Versailles and expanding German territory.
• Withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Disarmament Conference (October 1933) signalled Germany's rejection of the post-war international order.
• Rearmament: Secret rearmament began immediately. In 1935, Hitler openly announced conscription and the existence of the Luftwaffe, violating the Treaty of Versailles.
• Remilitarisation of the Rhineland (March 1936) violated both Versailles and the Locarno Treaties. It was a direct challenge to the existing European order, and its success emboldened Hitler.
• The Anschluss with Austria (March 1938) violated the treaty's prohibition of Austro-German union and expanded German territory and population significantly.
• The demand for the Sudetenland (1938) and its resolution at Munich was followed by the occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, proving that Hitler's ambitions extended far beyond uniting German-speaking peoples.
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939) removed the threat of a two-front war and gave Hitler a free hand to invade Poland.
• The invasion of Poland (1 September 1939) directly triggered British and French declarations of war on 3 September.
• Each step was more aggressive than the last, and each was a deliberate choice by Hitler. Without his determination to pursue territorial expansion, war might have been avoided.

Arguments that other factors contributed significantly:

• The policy of appeasement pursued by Britain (under Chamberlain) and France encouraged Hitler to believe he could achieve his aims without war. Each concession strengthened Hitler's position and weakened that of the Western democracies. The Munich Agreement (September 1938) was the clearest example.
• The Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935) effectively condoned German rearmament and undermined the Versailles settlement, signalling British willingness to accommodate German demands.
• The failure of the League of Nations to respond effectively to aggression in Manchuria (1931-1933) and Abyssinia (1935-1936) set precedents that Hitler exploited, demonstrating that aggression would go unpunished.
• The Treaty of Versailles itself created the grievances that Hitler manipulated. Without the resentment generated by the war guilt clause, reparations, territorial losses and disarmament, Hitler would have had less popular support for his revisionist programme.
• The isolationism of the United States removed a potential check on German ambition. The Neutrality Acts of the 1930s signalled American unwillingness to become involved in European affairs.
• The global economic depression after 1929 destabilised democratic governments, strengthened extremist movements, and created conditions in which aggressive nationalism could flourish.
• Soviet policy also played a role. Stalin's willingness to sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact gave Hitler the security he needed to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention.

How this question is marked (Paper 4, 40 marks):

• Level 5 (33-40): Balanced argument assessing Hitler's role alongside other factors, with specific evidence and a sustained evaluative judgement.
• Level 4 (25-32): Both sides addressed with supporting detail; some evaluation present.
• Level 3 (17-24): Detailed on one side, or balanced but with limited evidence.
• Level 2 (9-16): Identifies relevant factors with limited explanation.
• Level 1 (1-8): General or vague statements.

Examination approach: The strongest answers will not simply list Hitler's actions chronologically but will assess each action's significance in the chain of events leading to war. A strong conclusion might argue that Hitler's foreign policy was the single most important cause of the war because it provided the aggression that drove events forward, but that its success depended on the failures and weaknesses of others: appeasement, the absence of the United States, the structural flaws of the League, and the legacy of Versailles. Hitler was the driver, but others created the conditions that allowed him to drive unchecked.