influence of History on FP Flashcards
what were the three strands of Hitler’s view on History and how it impacted FP?
- racial history
- nostalgia for early empires
- WW1 and the TofV
what was pan-Germanism?
the idea that all German speaking peoples should be united and live in one country
what was Hitler’s belief on racial policy?
he believed that the Aryan race was superior to all other races
he wanted Germany to be the great Aryan empire
hoped to achieve this by capturing other countries and removing all non-Aryans
how did the Aryan racial theory impact FP?
led to the Nazis favouring alliances with racially acceptable countries such as Britain
with most of the racially-inferior in the East, Nazi FP favoured expansion eastwards
despite the Aryan racial theory, why did the Nazis make alliances with these inferior eastern countries?
it was seen to be a necessary evil to give the Nazis a temporary advantage
what two empires did the Nazi regime focus on?
the last two empires:
- the First Reich
the Holy Roman Empire under Charlemagne
- the Second Reich
the German Empire under Bismarck which broke down in 1914
how was the Nazi FP based on the one used by Bismarck?
they both looked to diplomacy to maintain peace by having an extensive alliance system
they both used war and military might to expand and gain land
why did using past empires give the Nazis credibility?
they used it to appeal to the German people
idea of continuing the great work of past empires
how did Nazi propaganda show the alignment with past empires?
images of Hitler, Bismarck, Hindenburg and Frederick the Great were distributed on postcards
showed Nazi intentions to pursue same expansionist FP
why were German people angered by the end of WW1?
many Germans were misinformed on the war, thinking that they could win the war —-> did not know of massive German failures
led to many Germans being angered by the armistice and surrender
the TofV was a major source of anger as it legitimised German guilt
how did Hitler outline his feelings on WW1 in Mein Kampf?
- wrote about his personal experiences as a soldier
- his disgust at finding out about the armistice and the abdication of the Kaiser
- felt that Germany had been betrayed by politicians
what were the main causes for German resentment to the TofV?
- loss of German land
- disarmament
- demilitarisation of the Rheineland
- heavy reparations
- article 231
- diktat
why was the setting up of the Polish Corridor a major source of resentment?
it had cut off East Prussia from Germany
why was disarmament a major source of resentment?
the German Army was a major aspect of German society and it’s phasing down made many right-wing enthusiasts angry
what was the effect of the TofV on Weimar Germany?
politicians turned a blind eye to it
Stresemann worked to reduce the impact it had on Germany
the Army went about rearming anyway with a pact made with the USSR to allow for German soldiers to be trained in Russia
why did the Army see themselves as independent from the Weimar Republic?
they saw the Weimar Republic as illegal and so used that to make their own decisions
how did the TofV affect Nazi FP?
by opposing it, the Nazis gained popularity
the TofV created economic problems which the Nazis sought to stress upon
the TofV led to the formation of weak states with large German speaking populations which were targets for countries such as the USSR and Germany
what aspect of the TofV encouraged the Nazis to expand?
the harshness of the TofV
most nations felt the TofV was very harsh and only wanted peace not hardships
countries such as Britain allowed for German rearmament in the hope of ensuring peace
these countries hoped Germany would be satisfied with rearmament and wouldnt start a war
this encouraged the Nazis to expand their military more
example of Britain allowing rearmament?
Anglo-German naval agreement in 1935
