interpretation question

• Hitler geared Germany's economy for war in 1936
• He remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936 , despite generals wishes
• In 1937, Hitler ordered rearmament to be speeded up
• Blomberg-Fritsch affair 1938 : generals = reluctant to make necessary preparations for war
• Mein Kampf was written in 1925 - Hitler in prison
• Mein Kampf outlined:

  • need for Lebensraum
  • Semitic views
• lebensraum : Germany's need for living space by expanding East , driving out Jewish and Slavic people
• Hossbach Memorandum : outlined Hitler's foreign policy and desire for Anschluss
• Anschluss : annexation of Austria
• NSDAP 25 point programme:

  • no Jew can be a citizen of the German race
• 1928 ; Hitler outlined Stufenplan in Mein Kampf. planned to make Germany a great global power
• Stufenplan : plan to achieve world domination through military conquest, starting with Eastern Europe.
• Hitler gained power due to weak international systems e.g US and USSR
• US was weak due to:

  • driven by isolationist policies
  • didn't join League of Nations
• USSR stayed out of European affairs
• League of nations didn't have a military body to enforce its decisions
• After WW1 , british + french public took a pacifism approach. Didn't want a war
• Britain + France followed appeasement when Hitler was remilitarising the Rhineland
• Britain + France didn't stop germany after annexing Austria. Gave Hitler confidence he could take over Poland
• Munich Agreement = 1938
• Munich Agreement : UK , france and italy permitted Germany to annex Sudetenland
• Britain and Frances appeasement may have given them time to rearm as after the Munich Agreement , Britain expanded their rearmament
• Hitler wanted Poland to be apart of his Third Reich
• Nazi-Soviet Pact - 1939. Both invade Poland and split the spoils
• After conquest of Czechoslovakia - Britain and France signed the Polish Guarantee. Would defend Poland if Hitler attacked
• Hitler didn't take the Polish Guarantee seriously. Thought Britain and France would continue to appease him
• Germany had pressure on it to invade Poland
• Germany needed to invade Poland due to lack of raw materials to carry on their Four Year Plan.
• Too much focus on 'guns' not 'butter' in Germany's mission for rearmament , led to declining living standards and dissatisfaction for the Third Reich
• Hitler only intended on Blitzkrieg with Poland , only wanted a short but effective war. Only needed resources. Not full-scale global war
• Blitzkrieg : lightening war
• Pact of Steel - 1939. Italy and Germany signed to be Allies. Co=operative economies
• the US and USSR staying out international affairs = gave hitler confidence that they wouldn't get involved. if he started anything
• what was the September Programme?

  Plan for territorial expansion over Europe
• what was Weltipolitik?

  German foreign policy aimed at establishing a global German empire

  • based off racist assumptions
• weltipolitik can be viewed as a forerunner for Hitler's ambitions
• belief in lebensraum has increased in popularity in late 19th century

  • desire to conquer territory was popular in Eastern Europe and Russia prior to 1914
• there was a heavy notion that German people should be united in one country
• why can Germany's early policies be discredited as a reason for WW2?

  most other major European powers were imperialist and also had racist ideologies
• what was outlined in Hitler's Second Book after he died?

  his desire to defeat the USA for world domination