✓ Hitler’s ideas and his role in the shaping of Nazi foreign policy - IDEOLOGY (not incl notes)

Question 1

What was Hitler’s first aim?

Answer 1

complete control in Germany & a build-up of Germany’s military strength

Question 2

What were the 4 key parts of Hitler’s ideology?

Answer 2

The Treaty of Versailles had to be overturned

The Nazi Third Reich should be a large and powerful world power

The Third Reich needed lebensraum

Europe was under threat from world Jewry & Bolshevism

Question 3

‘The Treaty of Versailles had to be overturned’

Answer 3

to achieve this:
- G had to rearm
- lost land regained
- Rhineland occupied
- reparations left unpaid

Weimar was revisionist (back to way it was in 1914)
vs.
H wanted to expand beyond pre-war borders & didn’t want the problems of managing colonies until G fully established in Europe

Question 4

‘The Nazi Third Reich should be a large and powerful world power’

Answer 4

H’s expansionist policy aimed to create a large G empire in Europe
- achieve through alliances & war

H wanted alliances w ‘acceptable’ ethnic mix
BUT prepared to make short-term alliances w any country to benefit G

vs. Kaiser = alliance w any country & war as way to expand
vs. Weimar = didn’t openly discuss expansion but wanted to be a world power again

Question 5

‘The Third Reich needed lebensraum’

Answer 5

G needed to expand - great nation, econ needs (raw materials)

expand into East & make space for ‘pure’ Germans
- H’s opinions on race were repeated often & publicly

vs. Kaiser also expand & expand east BUT also large no. colonies

Question 6

‘Europe was under threat from world Jewry & Bolshevism’

Answer 6

H often repeated belief of worldwide conspiracy of Jewish ppl to control governments
- anti-semitic & anti-communist

prejudice added to lebensraum & expanding east
- needed time to build army = convinced Western powers he wanted peace & reverse TofV

BUT real intentions more expansionist