Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History

    Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015

    The influence of German history on Nazi foreign policy.

    Full specification wording

    How far was Hitler’s foreign policy responsible for the Second World War?: The influence of German history on Nazi foreign policy.

    Nazi foreign policy drew on deep currents in German history: the Treaty of Versailles (1919) created grievance over territory, disarmament and the 'war guilt' clause; nineteenth-century…

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 1 of 4
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Nazi foreign policy drew on deep currents in German history: the Treaty of Versailles (1919) created grievance over territory, disarmament and the 'war guilt' clause; nineteenth-century nationalism and the 'Drang nach Osten' supplied ideas of eastward expansion; Bismarck's Realpolitik showed pragmatic alliances; and Weimar's revisionism under Stresemann pursued peaceful treaty change. Hitler rejected Weimar diplomacy, blending racial ideology with historical ambition. Use specific examples: the 1933 withdrawal from the League, 1935 rearmament, 1936 Rhineland remilitarisation, 1938 Anschluss and Munich, and the 1939 Nazi–Soviet Pact.

    What earns the marks

    • Explains how the Treaty of Versailles generated revisionist aims: loss of territory, disarmament, reparations and the war-guilt clause.
    • Links nineteenth-century nationalism and Pan-German ideas, including eastward expansion, to later Nazi Lebensraum aims.
    • Contrasts Bismarck's pragmatic Realpolitik with Hitler's ideologically driven expansionism.
    • Assesses Weimar revisionism under Stresemann as a peaceful alternative that Hitler rejected.
    • Uses specific events to show continuity and change: withdrawal from the League (1933), rearmament (1935), Rhineland (1936), Anschluss and Munich (1938), Nazi–Soviet Pact (1939).
    • Evaluates whether Nazi foreign policy was a radical break from or an extreme continuation of earlier German history.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Treating Versailles as the sole cause of Nazi foreign policy.

      Put it right: Also consider nineteenth-century nationalism, Bismarckian diplomacy and Weimar revisionism.

    • Assuming all German history pointed inevitably to Hitler.

      Put it right: Show alternative paths such as Stresemann's peaceful revisionism.

    • Listing events without linking them to historical influences.

      Put it right: Explain how each event reflects or departs from earlier traditions.

    Exam tips

    • Plan an argument that weighs continuity against change, using named examples from 1919–39.
    • Define key terms such as Lebensraum and Realpolitik precisely in your introduction.
    • Embed historians' interpretations or contemporary views to support your evaluation.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the How far was Hitler’s foreign policy responsible for the Second World War?: The influence of German history on Nazi foreign policy. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    How did the 'stab-in-the-back' myth (Dolchstoßlegende) emerging from the end of the First World War influence Nazi foreign policy?

    Listen

    Nazi foreign policy drew on deep currents in German history: the Treaty of Versailles (1919) created grievance over territory, disarmament and the 'war guilt' clause; nineteenth-century nationalism and the 'Drang nach Osten' supplied ideas of eastward expansion; Bismarck's Realpolitik showed pragmatic alliances; and Weimar's revisionism under Stresemann pursued peaceful treaty change. Hitler rejected Weimar diplomacy, blending racial ideology with historical ambition. Use specific examples: the 1933 withdrawal from the League, 1935 rearmament, 1936 Rhineland remilitarisation, 1938 Anschluss and Munich, and the 1939 Nazi–Soviet Pact. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains how the Treaty of Versailles generated revisionist aims: loss of territory, disarmament, reparations and the war-guilt clause. Links nineteenth-century nationalism and Pan-German ideas, including eastward expansion, to later Nazi Lebensraum aims. Contrasts Bismarck's pragmatic Realpolitik with Hitler's ideologically driven expansionism. Assesses Weimar revisionism under Stresemann as a peaceful alternative that Hitler rejected. A common slip: Treating Versailles as the sole cause of Nazi foreign policy. Instead, also consider nineteenth-century nationalism, Bismarckian diplomacy and Weimar revisionism. Exam tip: Plan an argument that weighs continuity against change, using named examples from 1919–39.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. Four boxes on the left feed into a central box labelled 'Nazi foreign policy aims'. The four influences are: 'Treaty of Versailles 1919: territory, disarmament, war guilt'; 'Nineteenth-century nationalism and Drang nach Osten'; 'Bismarck's Realpolitik'; and 'Weimar revisionism under Stresemann'. The central box then leads to four boxes: 'Lebensraum', 'Anschluss', 'Rearmament', and 'Events 1933-1939'. The events box leads to a final box asking 'Radical break or extreme continuation?'.
    Shows the historical influences on Nazi foreign policy, the aims they shaped, and the resulting evaluation of continuity versus change.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Treaty of Versailles and revisionism

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Nationalism and eastward expansion

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Bismarckian Realpolitik versus Hitler's ideology

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Weimar diplomacy and its rejection

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Treaty of Versailles and revisionism
    The 1919 settlement created grievance over territory, disarmament and the 'war guilt' clause, generating revisionist aims.
    Nationalism and eastward expansion
    Nineteenth-century nationalism and the 'Drang nach Osten' supplied ideas of eastward expansion later linked to Nazi Lebensraum aims.
    Bismarckian Realpolitik versus Hitler's ideology
    Bismarck's pragmatic alliances are contrasted with Hitler's ideologically driven expansionism.
    Weimar diplomacy and its rejection
    Weimar's revisionism under Stresemann pursued peaceful treaty change, a peaceful alternative that Hitler rejected.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. Four boxes on the left feed into a central box labelled 'Nazi foreign policy aims'. The four influences are: 'Treaty of Versailles 1919: territory, disarmament, war guilt'; 'Nineteenth-century nationalism and Drang nach Osten'; 'Bismarck's Realpolitik'; and 'Weimar revisionism under Stresemann'. The central box then leads to four boxes: 'Lebensraum', 'Anschluss', 'Rearmament', and 'Events 1933-1939'. The events box leads to a final box asking 'Radical break or extreme continuation?'.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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