Nor can there be any doubt that this bold rejection of the last humiliating relic of Versailles was hugely popular with the German public. However, behind the scenes the mood in Berlin was panicky. Blomberg and Goering apparently expected Poland and France to respond with military intervention. Desperate plans were prepared for a last-ditch defence of Berlin. In the event, the Third Reich benefited once more from the disunity of its enemies. Over the winter of 1933–4 the government of France was paralysed by a sudden upsurge of domestic fascist activity, which culminated in the extraordinary
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