The Ideologies behind Hitler's Foreign Policy Flashcards
What were the 4 key ideologies behind Hitler’s foreign Policy (FP)?
1) Treaty of Versailles needed to be overturned
2) The Nazi Third Reich needed to be a large and powerful world power
3) The Third Reich needed lebensraum (living space)
4) Europe was under threat from world Jewry and Bolshevism
How did the Treaty of Versailles influence Hitler’s FP?
They had to overturn the treaty and to achieve this, they would need to:
- rearm
- regain all lost land
- Rhineland needed to be reoccupied
-Reparations needed to be left unpaid.
Hitler did not want a return to Germany as it was in 1914.
What were the two things that Hitler did not want that the Second Reich had?
He wanted the Third Reich to expand beyond its pre-war borders in Europe.
He did not want any colonies until Germany was full established in Europe.
How did the vision of the Third Reich influence Hitler’s FP?
His expansionist policy aimed to create a large German Empire in Europe.
This was to be achieved by alliance, if possible, and war if necessary.
What was different between these alliances and those from the time of the Kaiser’s government?
Unlike the Kaiser, Hitler wanted these alliances from countries with an “acceptable” ethnic mix.
An example of what Hitler though “acceptable” Britain.
Did this mean that he was completely against making alliances with countries of inferior ethnic mix?
No, he was prepared to make short-term alliances with any country that would benefit Germany.
An example was Russia. He often condemned it for its racial inferiority and the communist regime.
How did the Weimar Republic and the Kaiser’s government feel about the policy for expansionism?
The Weimar Republic did not discuss expanding its borders - however it did want to be a world power
The Kaiser’s government wanted to expand its power in the world and saw war as a mean to do this.
What was one key difference between the Kaiser’s Foreign Policy and Hitler’s Foreign Policy in terms of allies?
The Kaiser and his government did not care for the ethnicity of its allies, or of the people in the lands they conquered.
How did the concept of Lebensraum influence Nazi FP?
They needed to expand to not only become a great nation but also to meet the needs of its people.
An example is economic needs - Hitler believed Germany had a shortage of raw materials and farmland
Where did he think this need for space should come from and why?
He said this should come from countries in the East with a high Slavic population and a significant German-speaking population.
What would happen when the countries had been conquered?
All countries would be cleared of all but “pure” Germans. This was to allow Germans to breed and flourish.
Where did the Kaiser’s government want to expand and how did it differ from Hitler’s ideas?
The Second Reich wanted to expand towards the same direction. However, they wanted to expand to acquire a large number of colonies
How did the “threat” of Jewry and Bolshevism influence Hitler’s FP?
Jews were considered “undesirables” - the inferior race.
He felt there was a definite Jewish strategy to stir up anti-German feeling in other countries.
He thought he needed to get rid of this “threat” throughout the world.
He wanted to remove the “undesirables” in German-controlled land.
