Nazi Foreign Policy Flashcards
What is meant by Pan Germanism?
Hitler wanted Germany to be a great Aryan empire.
Unite all German speaking countries together to create a Greater Germany. This could only be done through invading and clearing the land of subhumans.
What is meant by Lebensraum?
Living space for the pure Germans.
What was the ideology behind Hitler’s foreign policy?
Treaty of Versailles had to be overturned
Third Reich should be large and a world power
Third Reich needed living space to create an autarky
Europe was under threat from world Jewry and Bolshevism.
What are some historians views on Hitler’s Foreign policies?
AJP Taylor - Hitler’s foreign policy was a continuation of WW1 and he used other’s ideas to shape them. He did not plan the war he simply took actions which would overturn the treaty
Hilderbrand - Hitler had a master plan by which he planned everything. Evident in his book Mein Kampf
Overy - Many factors which forced Germany to war, not just his policy. Evident through how he was not able to unite with Britain and made alliances with enemies indicating he was forced to war.
What were the causes of the Second World War?
Nazi Foreign Policy - Expansionism, Racial Purity
The Treaty of Versailles - created an unstable situation and Germany was full of resent
Other countries - Appeasement, Western attitudes to Russia, US foreign policy
International - Problems within the League of Nations, Communist being Russia, US policy of non-involvement
What were some actions taken by Hitler supporting his foreign policy?
Hitler invaded Poland in order to regain the Polish Corridor. He also invaded Austria known as the Anschluss in order to unite the German speaking countries together known as Pan Germanism as well as Czechoslovakia.
What were some actions taken by Hitler going against his supposed master plan?
Hitler formed a non aggression pact in order to invade Poland with Russia. This directly went against his supposed master plan and policy as he wanted to rid the world of Communists, but here he was becoming allies with them. He also invaded Poland when he originally stated that he wanted them to join Germany as a greater Empire.
Could not join with Britain as allies - which he wanted to become enemies with them , conflicting his views
