Germany Section C Flashcards
What were the initial interpretations of the causes of WWII?
Immediately following WW2, a significant number of historians blamed Nazi (and particularly Hitler’s) expansionist foreign policy for causing the war. It was widely accepted that Hitler always intended to go to war to build a German empire but there was some debate on how far he had a step by step plan to achieve this.
How did Taylor and Fischer challenge the initial interpretations of the causes of WW2?
In 1961, Taylor published ‘Origins of the Second World War’ which argued that although Hitler wanted a German empire, he didn’t have a master plan, nor did he necessarily want to go to war in 1939. In the same year, Fischer published ‘Germany’s Aims in the First World War’, arguing that German goals in 1914 were not dissimilar from their 1939 goals. Thus Nazi foreign policy was not unique, but a continuation of long held German expansionist policies.
What were Britain’s attitudes and policies in the 1930s?
Generally followed a policy of appeasement towards Germany in the 1930s. This was done for many reasons: to avoid bloodshed, to protect the other interests and priorities of the British Empire, to seek peace, to satisfy the growing pacifist feeling in Britain etc.
What were the USSR’s attitudes and policies in the 1930s?
Stalin had expressed a desire for closer relations with western capitalist democracies but didn’t want the SU to be drawn into conflicts. In May 1939, the Soviet foreign minister declared an interest in an alliance with the Western Allies but the Allies didn’t trust the SU and feared that an alliance with them would cause Germany to attack out of fear of encirclement. Stalin ended up signing a pact with Ribbenstrop and Germany on 23rd August 1939 to strengthen German and Russian relations.
Which aspects of German history influenced Nazi foreign policy?
-A largely fictional racial history which drove Hitler’s very firm views on race
-Nostalgia for earlier empires and a sense that power and land were Germany’s right
-WW1 and the effect of the Treaty of Versailles
What was Aryan racial theory?
For Hitler, Germans were Aryan, although he thought that some other counties in Northern Europe (like Britain) also had Aryan roots. Hitler saw the Aryan race as superior to all other races such as ethnic groups like black or Asian peoples as well as Slavs in Russia and Eastern Europe and especially Jews.
What was pan-Germanism and how did it impact foreign policy?
Uniting all German speaking peoples in one country would mean capturing other countries and clearing them of inferior people to give pure Germans enough land to live on. This led the Nazis to favour alliances with racially acceptable countries like Britain but didn’t stop the Germans making alliances with ‘inferior’ countries to gain temporary advantage. This also explains the eastwards expansion into racially inferior countries.
What was the Third Reich meant to be?
A Germany returned to its rightful power and place in Europe (especially compared to the First and Second Reichs). The Nazis wanted to overturn Versailles and expand further, securing more land in the east than Germany had held in 1914.
How might the strategy of the First and Second Reichs have impacted Nazi foreign policy?
The two earlier empires had initially worked hard diplomatically for acceptance by other nations and this may have influenced the early years of Hitler’s foreign policy where he stressed his desire for peace.
How did the Nazis try to make themselves look credible?
By linking themselves back to earlier empires. One of the propaganda postcards on sale at Nazi rallies showed the faces of Frederick the Great, Bismarck, Hindenburg and Hitler and the slogan read “what the King conquered, the Prince formed, the Field Marshall defended, the Solider saved and unified”. It was, Hitler said, the glorious past of Germany that made the loss of WW1 and the humiliating treaty that followed all the worse.
How did the Treaty of Versailles help Hitler’s aims?
The signing of the ‘Diktat’ by the SPD government helped create an image of democracy as politically impotent and unpatriotic- an image Hitler was later able to use to his advantage to gain support for his foreign policy. He claimed Germany needed a strong authoritarian leader who would reclaim German national pride.
What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
-Germany lost land like Danzig and the creation of the Polish corridor
-Disarmament with the army being limited to 100,000 men
-Germany couldn’t enter the Rhineland
-Reparations of 132 million gold marks set in 1921
-War guilt clause (Article 231)
-Germany had no say in the terms of the treaty- it was a Diktat
What was the effect of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar government?
Many politicians agreed privately not to reinforce the treaty and turned a blind eye to signs of rearmament. The government worked secretly to break demands for disarmament and limitations on the size of the German army.
What was the effect of the Treaty of Versailles on the army?
The army felt that it had not been defeated, but undermined so it could rearm. Secret rearmament agreements were made with the USSR, which allowed for German armaments to be made on Soviet soil by Soviet companies. Some members of the army also felt that the Weimar government was not legal. Their argument was that the army was all that was left of legitimate government so it could make its own decisions.
Why did Britain and France turn a blind eye to German rearmament?
The Treaty was seen by some within Britain and France as too harsh. They seemed to accept this reversal of unfair terms, hoping not to have to fight another war. They hoped that when this was done, Germany would be satisfied and wouldn’t try to expand further. In fact, this encouraged the Nazis to expand Germany yet further and gave them time to build a stronger military force.
