the influence of German history on Nazi foreign policy Flashcards
LO: WW1 defeat, Treaty of Versailles, influence of pre-existing ideas on Hitler's foreign policy, influence of previous German foreign policy
what were Hitler’s main foreign policy goals?
to ‘tear up’ the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany after WW1
to unite all German-speaking people into one country, creating a powerful Germany (Grossdeutschland)
how did the Treaty of Versailles influence Hitler’s foreign policy?
Hitler aimed to reverse the treaty, seeing it as humiliating for Germany
Actions such as withdrawing from the League of Nations (1933), remilitarising the Rhineland (1936) and the Anschluss with Austria (1938) were part of this reversal
what was the main aim behind Hitler’s policy of expansionism?
expansionism refers to the desire to acquire new territories, esp in Eastern Europe, to create Lebensraum (living space) for the German people
what is Pan-Germanism?
Pan-Germanism was the belief in unifying all German and Germanic-speaking people into one nation-state called Grossdeutschland (Greater Germany)
how did Social Darwinism influence Hitler’s foreign policy?
Social Darwinism, which distorted Darwin’s theory of natural selection, justified Hitler’s belief in racial hierarchy, including the conquest of Eastern Eurppe for Lebensraum and the subjugation of inferior races
how did antisemitism shape Hitler’s foreign policy?
antisemitic beliefs influenced Hitler’s foreign policy by promoting the idea that Jews were a threat to Germany, shaping his aggressive and racist expansionist aims, particularly in Eastern Europe
what role did the defeat in WW1 play in shaping Hitler’s foreign policy?
the defeat in WW1 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailels created a sense of humilitation and injustice in Germay, which Hitler exploited to gain support for revising the treaty and expanding Germany’s territory
how did Hitler’s foreign policy relate to the policies of previous German leaders?
some historians argue that Hitler’s foreign policy was a continuation of policies from Otto Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II, inc alliances (e.g. Dual Alliance) and expansionist aims
what were some key policies of Otto Bismarck that influenced Hitler’s foreign policy?
the Dual Alliance (1878)
the Triple Alliance (1882)
the Reinsurance Treaty (1887)
how did Kaiser Wilhelm II’s policies influence Hitler’s foreign policy?
First German Naval Law (1898)
the Schlieffen Plan (1905)
support for Austria-Hungary during the Bosnian Crisis (1908-9)
what was the ‘stab in the back’ (Dolchstoss) myth, and how did it relate to Hitler’s foreign policy?
the Dolchstoss myth claimed that Germany had been betayed by internal enemies (e.g. Jews, communists) rather than being defeated on the battlefield
this myth was popular among Pan-Germanists and influenced Hitler’s narrative of victimhood and expansion
how did Nazi racial ideology impact foreign policy decisions?
Nazi racial ideology, particularly the belief in the superiority of the ‘Aryan’ race, justified the conquest of Eastern Europe and the extermination of non-Aryan populations as part of Hitler’s vision of a racially purified Germany
