Hitler's Steps Towards WWII

Hitler and the Nazis' Steps Towards World War II

The key was testing the allies' responses.

Ideology

Hitler believed only Aryans could create a great civilization.
Nazis considered Romans and Greeks as variations of Arianism.
Germans felt threatened by "inferior" Eastern people (Slavs, Russians, Hungarians, Poles).
Living space (Lebensraum) argument: Germany needed more land for its population.
Colonies were seen as problematic due to the need for military control and the risk of "blood poisoning" from inferior colonial subjects.
Target for Lebensraum: The Soviet Union, rich in natural resources, agriculture, and industry, to enslave the population as a workforce and eventually eliminate them.

Enslavement of Soviets

Early in the invasion of the Soviet Union (1941), Germans rounded up Soviet soldiers, fenced them in, and left them to starve or die from exposure.
The ultimate plan was to enslave the Soviet population, leading to their eventual elimination through forced labor and preventing reproduction.
Hitler believed that Germany should ally with Italy and Britain to defeat the Soviet Union.
Hitler's racial hierarchy: Aryans (Germans) at the top, followed by Scandinavians and British, then Latin people (French, Spanish, Italians), Eastern Europeans, Roma/Gypsies, Africans, and Asians.

Conquest of Europe: Justifications

Germany needed to expand to maintain equality with the Soviet Union, Britain, and the U.S.
Targeted land in the East (Poland, Soviet Union for conquest), West, and South (reacquisition of former German territories).
Goal: To establish hegemony (dominance) in Central Europe economically, socially, and politically.
Intent: To acquire land, resources, and populations to compete with larger nations.
Territories would be populated by people considered Aryan (of German ethnic heritage).
Austria was another target for acquisition.
Nazi idea of Lebensraum involved dividing new territories among Aryans and excluding "inferior" races.

Diplomatic Maneuvering

Hitler had to make diplomatic changes to prepare for war.

Overcoming German Weakness After World War I

Treaty of Versailles: Impacted Germany's borders; the Saar region was incorporated into France, and the Rhineland was demilitarized.
Chunks of Germany were used to create Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Germany's military was weakened, reducing its size and eliminating its submarine fleet and air force.
The Depression: Affected all countries, distracting them from Hitler's actions. England and France were focused on their own economic crises.

Advantages for Germany

Second most populous nation in Europe (50-60 million).
Skills and resources for industrial life.
Intellectual capacity: Germany had the most Nobel Prize laureates until Hitler came to power.
Inconsistent policies toward Germany by Britain and France. Britain wanted a strong financial relationship, while France saw Germany as a threat.
- Germany played Britain and France (e.g., negotiating reparations with Britain).

Global Scale

Most nations didn't take Hitler seriously, viewing him as a passing politician.
Hitler portrayed his actions as leading to a more stable and safer era, emphasizing Germany as a buffer against the Soviet Union.
He advocated for self-determination, arguing that Germany should make its own decisions and have a defensive military.
Hitler spoke of peace and self-determination while simultaneously railing against Jews, capitalism, communism, and the expansionist designs of the U.S. and Britain.

Internal Consolidation

Early in his chancellorship, Hitler focused on internal consolidation, placing Nazis in government positions and eliminating political opposition.
His foreign policy was cautious, as he was unsure how France and Britain would respond and knew they could easily defeat Germany militarily.
Winning over the military was crucial due to concerns about the SA's violence. The Night of the Long Knives (1934) occurred because the military feared the SA would become the new national army.

Foreign Policy Moves

Hitler tried to reduce armaments, claiming the Treaty of Versailles had crippled the German military.
- 1933: Germany withdrew from the Geneva disarmament conference and the League of Nations.
- 1934: Germany and Poland signed a ten-year pact (peace treaty), allowing Germany to build up its military while providing Poland with a false sense of security.
- 1935: The Saar Region voted to rejoin Germany.
- March 1935: Germany announced a new air force and expanded army, openly violating the Treaty of Versailles.
- The non-aggression pact prevented Poland from signing an alliance with the Soviet Union, isolating it when Germany invaded.
- Britain, France, and Italy responded to Germany's military expansion by warning them not to do it again.

Relationship with Mussolini

Initially tense due to Mussolini's antagonism toward Austria. Hitler favored Austria maintaining control, creating a wedge between them.
Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia led to condemnation by the League of Nations. Hitler supported Mussolini, leading to closer ties.
The League of Nations sanctioned Italy, but that just turned Mussolini closer to Hitler and Germany became the supplier of ressources to Italy.

Rhineland Remilitarization (1936)

Germany moved its army into the demilitarized Rhineland, testing the boundaries of what France and Great Britain were going to let him get away with.
Hitler instructed his generals to withdraw if France and Belgium confronted them.
France and Belgium did nothing, enhancing Germany's prestige and weakening the perception of Britain and France.
Hitler and Mussolini supported Franco in the Spanish Civil War, using it to field-test German military equipment and tactics.

Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)

Germany and Italy signed a political and economic treaty, forming the Rome-Berlin Axis.
Hitler pursued an alliance with Britain, but the British were skeptical of his diplomats and his intentions.
Germany and Japan signed an anti-Comintern pact, allying against the Soviet Union.

Territorial Changes (1935-1939)

Germany expanded through various means:
- Saarland was incorporated (1935).
- Rhineland was remilitarized (1936).
- Anschluss: Austria was annexed (1938).
- Sudetenland: a part of Czechoslovakia, was annexed (1938).
- Czechoslovakia was broken up, creating the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a protected zone between Slovakia and Monrovia and Bohemia (1939).

Hitler's Goals for War

Believed he had to act by 1945, as the Western allies would become too strong.
He estimated Germany would be able to act as early as 1938.
He believed Germany's military had a technological and strategical advantage.
He saw himself as indispensable to the operation's success.
Geographically, he aimed to eliminate Austria and Czechoslovakia to gain control of their military and economic resources.

Appeasement

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain supported appeasement; he thought that by giving Hitler what he wanted would eventually stop him from asking for more

Annexation of Austria (Anschluss, 1938)

Germany began assimilating Austrian institutions before the physical takeover.
Mussolini assured Hitler that Italy would not intervene if Germany acted in Austria.
In February 1938, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg agreed to accelerate the integration of Austria's economy and military with Germany.
The Austrian Nazi, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, became Minister of the Interior (in charge of the police).
Schuschnigg planned a plebiscite (yes/no vote) on unification with Germany, but Hitler threatened to invade if the vote occurred.
Schuschnigg was replaced by Seyss-Inquart, and on March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria at the invitation of the new Nazi government.
Within two weeks, Great Britain recognized Austria as part of the German Reich, despite it being another violation of the treaty of Versailles.

Czechoslovakia

Hitler focused on the Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia) and its German population. The Sudetenland was an important industrial region and had key military fortifications.
Czechoslovakia depended on alliances with France and the Soviet Union for survival. France would only act if supported by Britain, and Britain felt it could not stop Germany. Soviet support was dependent on French action.
In the fall of 1938, Mussolini arranged the Munich Conference, inviting the leaders of France, Germany, and Britain. Czechoslovakia was excluded from the conference.
The Munich Agreement gave the Sudetenland to Germany. Upon returning to London, Neville Chamberlain waved a piece of paper claiming that it was another successful act for peace and appeasement.
Hitler consistently declared that he was bringing all German people back to Germany. The Sudetenland was a heavily German populated part of Czechoslovakia, and Neville Chamberlain believed that now the German people there were back in Germany, Hitler would have no more demands.
In early 1939, Germany occupied Slovakia and later Bohemia and Moravia, effectively taking over the rest of Czechoslovakia.
Therefore as of fall 1939 the western frontier of Poland was in direct contact with Germany or an ally of Germany.

Poland

Hitler demanded the return of Danzig. He wanted access to East Prussia across the land access.
Poland signed a military agreement with Britain and France.
Hitler ended the non-aggression pact with Poland.
Germany Signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, with economic benefits and the secret division of Poland in the event that one of the countries should invade Poland (they would split).
The Soviets saw Eastern Poland as Soviet territory.
For Germany, the non-aggression pact prevented a two-front war and isolated The Soviet Union from the West. Thus when Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union, he didn't have to worry about France and Britain coming to the aid of the Soviets.