Lecture 5 Flashcards
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler.
Hitler’s foreign policy does fundamentally differ from that of his predecessors, despite the shared goals of treaty revision. All of this should not have been a surprise – was mostly encapsulated in Mein Kampf.
- The Third Reich was based on a racial hierarchy which placed Aryans at the top and other races below, with Slavs and Jews on the bottom.
- the book explained the theory of lebensraum (living space) – expansion in Europe was necessary for the German people to flourish, which was vital because of their superiority. Lebensraum should have suggested that H’s goals exceed the TofV revision.
- Anti-Semitism: visible in the invasion of Poland – new large Jewish community – demonstrates the ruthlessness of Hitler’s policy
- all through the early days of the war anti-semitic action is common; by January 1942 formalized into the Final Solution – at this stage the war is going reasonably well for Germany, which probably allows resources to be diverted. But pursuing the racist ideology set out in Mein Kampf does not make for rational war fighting: the goals are often ideological, and another leader would have chosen to direct resources to winning the war, rather than pursuing the Holocaust.
Anschluss
Reunification of Austria and Germany. Specifically banned in Treaty of Versailles. Hitler is Austrian and sees this as another challenge to the Treaty. Historically separate countries, Austria is very small and inconsequential and possibly not viable. Union banned under 1919 treaties. Creates a central European power. Self-determination under 14 points.
Hitler increases propaganda and agitation to encourage Austria to push for Anschluss. March 1938 under pressure Austria announces plebiscite; Hitler invades to prevent it on 12 March.
Some concerns in France , otherwise no reaction from international community.
Hitler’s first big foreign policy push concerns Anschluss, or the reunification of Germany and Austria. Unification was explicitly banned by the Treaty of St Germain (The treaty that dealt with A-H). It was however pretty popular in both Germany and Austria. Remember that the principle of self-determination is not applied to German speakers in this period. So Anschluss is an attempt (in some ways) at Treaty revision. Throughout the 1930s the Austrian Nazi party has been whipping up trouble, and later on this is encouraged by Hitler. Then the Austrian chancellor is assassinated (by elements of the Austrian Nazi party) in 1934 and most of the Austrian Nazi party flees to Germany, where they continue to whip up trouble. The new Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg, organizes a referendum on unification in an effort to defuse tensions. It doesn’t work – Hitler is worried that the Austrians might vote for independence, issues an ultimatum insisting that the government give power to the Austrian Nazis or face invasion, which duly happens a couple of days later (12 March 1938).
they assumed he would stop at treaty revision (Anschluss, Sudetenland, and even Danzig are all long-standing German goals – but should have been obvious that by the time Hitler moves into the rest of Czechoslovakia that he has wider aggressive aims)
Phoney war
1939-1940. nothing happens. France and Britain both waiting for Hitler to do something. France is behind Maginot line.
French defences are the Maginot Line: heavily fortified border with Germany with a less fortified segment along the Belgian border, where the assumption is that German tanks can’t move (or will move very slowly). German tanks are in fact perfectly capable of swift movement. Invasion of France happens 10 May- June 1940 – complete in 6 weeks. Uses blitzkrieg, combining speed, shock and technology (including tanks, paratroopers, divebombers). Had previously been seen in the Spanish Civil War.
Fall of France means the war is global (colonies are now at play: French colonies and Dutch East Indies). Hitler has solved the problem of a two front war and can now attack the Soviet Union.
June 22, 1941
Operation Barbarossa begins (Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union). War in the East is a war of extermination. Exterminating occupied territories and enslaving citizens. Initially, Stalin hides. 4 of the 29 most powerful USSR officers were killed before the start of the war. In 1941 failures punished by summary execution. But Hitler isn’t prepared either - equipment and warm clothing. June is during winter. Mein Kampf doesn’t say anything about the potential moves, s Hitler must improvise. Distracted by both oil and Stalingrad option. Delay push for Moscow until October when winter causes serious problems.
On June 22 1941 Hitler invades the USSR. The German military was not yet ready – military and economic planning suggested they should have waited – but defeating the USSR was an ideological and racial goal for Hitler, that would also achieve lebensraum. The war is a deliberate war of extermination, with specific plans to induce starvation in the local population to allow Germany to be fed and reduce the local population, and no quarter is given (executions not POWs, for example).
Initially success is rapid: Stalin’s purges have reduced the capacity of the Red Army dramatically (all but 4 of 29 most powerful officers had been removed or killed). In the early part of the war failed Soviet leaders were likely to be executed.
But Hitler isn’t well prepared either: 20,000 cavalry because tanks are not ready yet; equipment not designed for winter; and some poor strategic choices. There was a debate between Hitler and his generals about whether or not to take Moscow or to extend to the southern part of the USSR, where there were oilfields. Hitler wanted the latter, and was further distracted by a focus on Stalingrad during this southern invasion (not strategically critical and bogged down German troops). Some think that a focus on Moscow might have turned the war in Germany’s favour. The winter of 41/42 allows the Soviets to begin to push back.
Pearl Harbour
US puts Japan on oil embargo. Japan is dependent on international trade. Destroy Chinese in hope of US help. Destroy US carrier fleets…
Attack on Pearl Harbor is the logical conclusion of the southern strategy. It may seem lacking in strategy (after all, it brought the US to WWII in general and against Japan in particular) but Japan sought to seize the advantage by destroying as much of the US carrier fleet as it could manage, thereby protecting its gains and reducing the prospect of US aid to China. Japan miscalculated how quickly the US would turn its industrial might towards rebuilding aircraft, which it was able to do swiftly. Pearl Harbor occurs simultaneously with attack on Singapore (which is taken by February 1942). Japan has had its own ‘blitzkrieg’ – but success is shortlived. The US defeat Japan at the Battle of Midway – decisive victory, 4 Japanese aircraft carriers destroyed in 10 minutes; Japan is unable to recover. At this point the Pacific war turns to pushing Japan back towards Japan. War is ‘island- hopping’ – slow and costly as islands are easy to defend.
NB: the Pacific and European wars are in many ways quite disconnected – the Pacific war is a naval war. The axis powers never manage to coordinate their efforts terribly successfully, unlike the Allies – see the role of Australia in the Pacific War.
