Bélgica ante la remilitarización de la Renania, 1936-1937

Abstract

The remilitarization of the Rhineland on March 7, 1936, has been considered as a missed opportunity to test Hitler’s international policy. Historiography has focused on the analysis in the French and the British reactions to Hitler’s action. However, the German movement involved another democratic power: Belgium. Through the remilitarization of the Rhineland the Locarno Treaty was denounced and violated by Hitler. Consequently, a new negotiation process was triggered in order to establish a new Western Security Pact. Belgium saw and seized the opportunity to redefine its foreign policy. This meant the end of the collective security system established by the Locarno Treaty in 1925.