Hitler's foreign policy created tension in Europe.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Lebensraum meant ‘living space' for Germans.
2. [1] It meant expansion eastwards.
3. [1] It meant Germany's growing population would have a place to settle.
4. [1] It meant Germany would take over Poland and Soviet Russia.
5. [1] Lebensraum meant there would be more food and resources for Germans.
6. [1] He wanted to buy time to strengthen Russia.
7. [1] He wanted to build his military forces.
8. [1] He was worried about the possibility of war with Japan.
9. [1] He wanted to gain Polish territory.
10. [1] He did not trust Britain and France.
11. [Level 3/4 explanation example] Stalin agreed to the Nazi-Soviet Pact because he wanted to buy time to build up his armed forces. The Soviet army was weak and the leadership had been purged. Stalin hoped that a war in western Europe would distract Hitler for a long time and give him the opportunity to strengthen his own defences.
12. [1] Many people thought the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany.
13. [1] The British hoped that a strong Germany would stop the spread of communism.
14. [1] Britain and France were militarily weak and not ready to fight.
15. [1] Appeasement would give time to rearm adequately.
16. [1] Memories of the First World War were still vivid.
17. [Level 3 explanation example - Justified appeasement] Some would argue that Chamberlain's policy was justified. Many people feared communism more than Nazism. One way to reduce the potential threat of Soviet Russia was to ensure that there was a strong, anti-communist state in central Europe committed to its destruction. Germany fitted the bill perfectly. Anti-communists found it convenient to support appeasement and agreed with what Chamberlain was doing.
18. [Level 3 explanation example - Unjustified appeasement] Chamberlain's policy of appeasement was hard to justify. It was as if he was giving in to a bully. The policy assumed that if concessions were made to Hitler, it would reduce the chance of war. Instead, it encouraged Hitler to be more aggressive and to demand more territory. Chamberlain thought that the Munich Agreement would satisfy Hitler, but Hitler then took the whole of Czechoslovakia.