Germany (Source): In light of differing interpretations, how convicing do you find the view that Hitler was personally responsible for the outbreak of war in 1939?

Introduction

• Hitler was a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one, for the outbreak of WWII

• Extract 1 = Hitler-centred

• Extract 2 = multi-causal

Paragraph 1

• Extract 1 = Hitler-centred

• ‘Hitler never had a ‘foreign policy’ in a conventional sense because his personality was a decisive factor.’

• All of his 5 major territorial moves pre-1939 were rapid escalations over a 3 year period, suggesting they were personalised to AH

• ‘Britain could never allow Germany to pursue expansionist wars of aggression’

• Britain increased defence spending from £1.5b in 1937 to £2.7b by 1939

Paragraph 2

• Extract 2 = multi-causal

• ‘The German armed forces also thought that major war was likely’

• By 1937, German military expenditure was 10% of GNP

• ‘There were strong economic motives for expansion from 1936 onwards’

• Czechoslovakia supplied 70% of Europe’s industrial capacity in arms

Paragraph 3

• Personality vs structure

• E1 - ‘Hitler’s personality was a decisive factor.’

• E2 - ‘Hitler’s unique personality and leadership style has tended to disguise this reality.’

• Nazi state expanded from 800,000 in 1933 officials to over 2m in 1939

• Miscalculation vs planned escalation

• E1 - ‘Never understood that Britain desired balance of power’

• E2 - ‘(Expansion was a) coordinated diplomatic and economic offensive’

• Germany had already absorbed 10m non-Germans before Poland