Germany had joined the League of Nations in 1926 as a result of the Locarno Treaties, which aimed to secure post-war peace and normalize relations between Germany and its European neighbours. However the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, imposed on Germany following its defeat in World War I, included significant territorial losses and military restrictions that continued to be symbolised by the League of Nations.
Believing that the League perpetuated the country’s economic, military, and diplomatic weaknesses, on October 14, 1933, Adolf Hitler announced Germany’s formal withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Geneva Disarmament Conference. He cited concerns that other countries, particularly France, were unwilling to engage in disarmament on equal terms with Germany while arguing that Germany needed to rearm in order to protect itself and regain its standing as a major power. By leaving the League, Hitler aimed to pursue an independent foreign policy that would allow Germany to rebuild its military and overturn the Treaty of Versailles.
The referendum held on November 12, 1933, was intended to provide a show of public support for the government's decision. Voters were asked whether they approved of the government’s withdrawal from the League of Nations. Official results indicated overwhelming support, with approximately 95% of voters casting ballots in favour of the withdrawal. Having quit the League, Hitler was able to pursue his broader objective of reasserting Germany’s dominance in Europe through military rearmament and expansion.
On the 12th of November 1933, Germany held a national referendum
on withdrawing from the League of Nations. Welcome to HistoryPod.
Germany had joined the League of Nations in 1926 as a result of the Locarno Treaties,
which aimed to secure post-war peace and normalise relations between Germany and
its European neighbours. However, the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles,
imposed on Germany following its defeat in World War I, included significant territorial losses
and military restrictions that continued to be symbolised by the existence of the League of
Nations. Believing that the League perpetuated the country's economic, military and diplomatic
weaknesses, on October 14th 1933, Adolf Hitler announced Germany's formal withdrawal from the
He cited concerns that other countries, particularly France, were unwilling to engage
in disarmament on equal terms with Germany, while arguing that Germany needed to rearm
in order to protect itself and regain its standing as a major power. By leaving the League, Hitler
aimed to pursue an independent foreign policy that would allow Germany to rebuild its military
and overturn the Treaty of Versailles. The referendum, held on November 12th 1933,
was intended to provide a show of public support for the government's decision.
Voters were asked whether they approved of the government's withdrawal from the League of Nations
and official results indicated overwhelming support, with approximately 95% of voters in
favour of the withdrawal. Having quit the League, Hitler was then able to pursue his broader objective
of reasserting Germany's dominance in Europe through military rearmament and aggressive expansion.
