Section C - Evidence Lists Flashcards
All Theories (9)
Masterplan
Calculated Risk
miscalculation
Sonderweg
Hitler
30 Years War
Primat der Innenpolitik
Economic Determinism
Ideological Differences
Other nations
Hitler had a masterplan
Hitler began building up the army the moment he came to power and conscription was introduced.
Hitler’s four year plan demonstrated an emphasis on militarism, eg. the drive for Ersatz oil.
Hitler informed his military Generals of his intended expansionism at the Hossbach Memorandum (1937).
Mein Kampf and his Second Book demonstrate Hitler’s Stufenplan - a step by step plan to achieve hegemonic ambitions.
-Knew couldnt achieve Lebensraum without war
-Land gained 1935-39 was expressed in Mein kampf
Hitler’s ideas of Social Darwinism drove his desire for war to eradicate judeo-bolshevism.
Hitler planned for an Anglo-German Alliance
UK/ France promised military aid to Poland if attacked
Allied with USSR so wouldnt need to fight on 2 fronts
Hitler did not have a Masterplan (7)
When Hitler began rearming, he stressed Germany’s need to rearm for defence rather than aggressive intent.
The army was not ready in 1939, it was only intended to be used for small local wars using blitzkrieg tactics rather than a long drawn out European war.
He had achieved the anschluss and the remilitarisation of the Rhineland without the use of conflict. + anschluss earlier than intended due to actions of other nazis
He was influenced by others, eg. Goering pushed the Anschluss and Ribbentrop negotiated the Nazi-Societ Pact (1939).
At the Munich Conference, Hitler was able to achieve some of his goals without the use of conflict.
The Non-aggression pact with Poland in 1934, perhaps demonstrates that Hitler’s intention was not war.
Hitler’s actions may have just been as a result of the League of Nations’ weakness rather than intentions of war.
Mein Kampf just broad aims, uncapable of long term planning w/o foresight
1933 stressed need for defence not attack, overturn ToV diplomatically
Hitler took a calculated risk based political climate
The League of Nations was slow to make decisions and members seldom agreed to economic sanctions, let alone military force.
Not all nations were members, notably the USA + USSR, preventing the League being able to effectively promote worldwide peace.
It did not have its own army to enforce decisions and member states were reluctant to provide troops.
The Nazis perceived that the LoN was not a threat to their foreign policy, due to their proven inaction.
Examples of the League’s weakness include; The Manchurian Crisis (1931), Abyssinian Crisis (1935), Spanish Civil War (1936), USSR invasion of Finland (1939).
The British were against war, due to the memory of the ‘lost generation’ and this meant that all possible actions were taken to avoid war.
British policy was ‘self-serving’ and focused on the preservation of the British Empire.
The French had suffered 1.5 million casualties in WW1 and was severely damaged by the War.
France was politically and economically unstable during Hitler’s accession, preventing them from being able to present sufficient opposition.
Hitler did not take a calulated risk (miscalculation)
Hitler had a masterplan which he was pursuing regardless of the international situation.
Mein Kampf demonstrates that Hitler had a masterplan for war.
The LoN did hold disarmament conferences.
Britain + France pledged the support to assure Polish independence (march 1939)
Evidence of Sonderweg
German ideology was continuous from the Kaiserreich; weltpolitik + lebensraum
Even during the Weimar period, Stresseman refused to sign off on Germany’s eastern borders in the Locarno Pact (1925).
The Germans began secret rearmament in Russia in 1926.
Pan-Germanism was not an idea unique to Hitler, instead a policy from the Kaiserreich, advocated by the Pan German League. - led Nazis to favour racially acceptable coountries
Weltpolitik, September Program and a distrust of Russia were key focuses of Hitler’s policy.
Prestige of Bismarks empire used as propaganda
Evidence agaisnt Sonderweg
Whilst some aspects of Hitler’s policy were clearly a continuation of earlier foreign policy, the extent and focus of certain aspects were as a result of Hitler’s personal ideology.
The extremity of anti-jewish policy and ideas of racial genocide were not prevalent in the Kaiserreich. Kaiser less care on Allies ethnicity
The focus on Judeo-Bolshevism was much greater under Hitler’s ideology.
The focus on Austria with the Anschluss was greater due to Hitler’s heritage.
The continuation may have just been a way for Hitler to gain support and liken himself to Frederick the Great and Bulow.
Nazis wanted to overturn AND expand land further than 1914
30 Years War Theory
Some historians argue that a Thirty Years’ War occurred between 1914 - 1945, concluding with WW2.
While the British + French counted their dead, Eastern Europe observed the ‘efficacy of force’, leading the war to resume.
Small Balkan wars were consistent due to unstable nations created after WW1
Primat Der Innenpolitik
Foreign policy was driven by internal politics
Hitler needed rearmament to boost the German economy. As the economic strains of the Nazi policy grew through the late 1930s, war became a means of expanding Germany and achieving economic stability for the Nazi Regime.
Economic Determinism
The Wall Street Crash in 1929 caused economic and political upheaval, leading to the rise of the Nazis in Germany.
Countries became more inward looking and traded less.
Britain began to look towards their Empire to build its economy.
Many eastern European countries became susceptible to the influence of the Nazis or the USSR.
Ideological Differences
Following WW1, there was a growing divide between capitalism and communism.
Russia had established Commitern (1919) to spread communism beyond its existing borders.
The Anti-Comintern Pact (1936) was signed by Germany, Italy and Japan, to unite their anti-communist sentiment.
The Western democracies dismissed the new fascist dictatorships as they perceived the USSR as a greater threat.
Communist ideology was a greater threat as it was completely different to Western ideology, whereas there are some similarities with fascism.
The Western democracies focused on the containment of Communism rather than the rise of fascism.
Actions of other nations
Britain: Policy of appeasement, all military plans made on 10-year plan so behind in military preparations, misunderstood expansionist aims + Anglo-German Naval Agreement (1935)
France: lack of action due to political instability, falsely optimistic Maginot line
USA- Neutrality Act 1937 encouraged Hitler
Italy: Mutilated victory, Hitler used fact LoN was focused on Abyssinia to remilitarise Rhineland, Didn’t stop Anschluss, Pact of Steel
LoN: Not all powerful states were members, slow decisions, Nazis didnt see it as a force
Miscalculation?
Thought Britain/ France wouldn’t go to war over Eastern Europe as didn’t do anything after Rhineland/ Austria
Hitler didn’t believe UK/Fr guarantees for Polish independence as they had not acted before/ made any clear efforts to mobilise
- 2 days after invading they declared war
