How far Did German History Influence Nazi Foreign Policy (functionalist) Flashcards
3 main strands of Nazi View of History
1) Racial theory - Aryans
2) Nostalgia for early empires and a sense of power + Lebensraum
3) WW1 + T.O.V
All 3 strands were used as propaganda to unite the Germans - this was more important than historical accuracy
How far did Aryan racial theory drive foreign policy?
In Hitler’s eyes - true Germans were Aryans ; superior race relative to Slavs, ethnic groups, Jews etc. used the idea of Pan-Germanism (all German-speaking countries should be United and live in one country) to excuse this and clear out inferior people
How did this racial theory affect foreign policy?
Made acceptable alliances with countries like Great Britain who supposedly had aryan roots
Also favoured German expansion eastwards, taking land from those who were racially inferior
BUT this did not stop them from taking france and also forming a non aggression pact with inferior countries like Russia - “temporary advantage” and these alliances were a necessary evil
Nostalgia for old empires?
Nazis wanted to overturn Versailles but also expand further ; focused mainly on the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne (800 to 1806) and the Second Reich ; founded in 1871 by Bismarck who emphasised Prussian rule
Both empires worked hard diplomatically as well as in military strength - thus this tactic may have influenced Hitler because his foreign policy included stressing his desire “for peace”
How did the Nazis gain credibility?
By harking back to earlier empires - they could stress that they were continuing and restoring a great Germany ; used other successful German rulers in their propaganda postcards to show the faces of Frederick the Great, Bismarck, Hindenburg and Hitler ; idea of unifying these figures of history to bring forward Germany’s glorious past that made the loss of WW1 + T.O.V so much worse
What does Mein Kampf mention?
Since 1925 - idea of the Aryan race demanding Lebensraum
Why was their so much resentment over the Treaty of Versailles?
They had been misinformed by their own government - they thought they were winning
Had been stabbed in the back by the November Criminals
Members of army + gov publicly said Germany could’ve won - making it a lot worse
Stab in the back myth?
Started up by General Hindenburg in Nov 1919
Nazis used it extensively to show how unfair it was and how Germany had been betrayed
Effect was an increased hostility towards the government and increased support for the extreme right ; was very hard for governments to win public support in face of this hostility
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Resented by everyone in Germany and even the countries who had signed it thought of it as unfair
France suffered the most damage so they were the most severe
British people didn’t want to cause too much resentment
Wilson wanted to set up a system of international negotiation to prevent future wars
Main causes for German resentment of Treaty?
National humiliation
- Germans lost a lot of loans with Danzig and Polish corridor ; cut off east Prussia (bismarck) from the rest of Germany
- Germany could have no submarines, no tanks or Air Force ) 100000 men army and could in,t be a defensive force
- Could not enter the Rhineland ; a demilitarised buffer zone now
- 132 million gold marks in 1921
- Had to sign a clause saying it was responsible for starting the - article 231
- Germany had no say in this treaty - a diktat (dictated peace)
Effects of the Treaty?
Even Weimar Government worked against it - government worked secretly to break some of the terms of the treaty (size of the army) ; secrete agreements made with the USSR
In 1926 a Russian tank training school in Kazan started teaching German soldiers
Link between TOV and Foreign policy?
Opposing the treaty made any political party popular and the Nazis rejected it too ; war problems were blamed on the treaty instead of the war (economic disruptions for example) and countries couldn’t trade with Germany so they couldn’t pay reparations?
TOV also resulted in small self-determining states that had ethnic divisions and could not form stable governments ; weaknesses made them desirable targets for the USSR, Germany, Italy and Poland
Sympathy towards the treaty?
Lloyd George and French government felt that it was very unfair - guilt about the treaty and the fact that nations wanted peace meant that their attitude towards Weimar and Nazi foreign policy was flawed, Germany complained about problems of reparation but never paid an instalment on time and other countries turned a blind eye to rearmament
1935 ANGLO GERMAN NAVAL AGREEMENT WITH NAZIS TO SET NAVAL SIZES THAT BROKE THE TOV’S LIMITATIONS
NO ONE FOUGHT TO ENFORCE THE TREATY AND INSTEAD THEY ACCEPTED THIS REVERSAL ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS “UNFAIR” (ALSO DIDN’T WANT ANOTHER WAR)
ENCOURAGED NAZIS TO EXPAND GERMANY FURTHER AND GAVE THEM TIME TO BUILD A STRONGER MILITARY FORCE
