what In ways did World War II put Hitler's ideology into practice? How did the Nazi state define citizenship? What was the purpose of appeasement?
I.
Origins
A. World War I Review
Causes are complicated: Franz Ferdinand, Wilhelm II's blank check
B.
Hitler's War
1. Lebensraum--fought for more land for the Aryan peoples to reproduce and rule. Prepared for an inevitable war with the Soviet Union and the East. Takes over Austria, the Rhineland, and Czechoslovakia all before the war starts. 2. German Racial Superiority--wanted to create a master race
C.
Destruction of Versailles Order
1. Rearmament--part of his promise to the German people that he would restore Germany to its prior power. On the March 9, 1935, he announced the creation of a new airforce, and one week later, in March 1935 he announces the creation of a draft to increase the size of the German army to 550,000. a) Military draft--March 1935. Britain, France, Italy, and the allies together did little to stop this (other than a slap on the wrist). b) Anglo-German Naval Pact--June 1935, allowed Germany to build a navy that was 35% of the British navy and allowed the Germans to hole equal submarines to the British state. 2. Occupation of the Rhineland, June 1936--along the German and French border (near Belgium). According to the Versailles treaty, the French had the right to protect against any militarization of the Rhineland (begins militarization in March 1936). In Britain there is a widerspread view that the Versailles treaty was no longer legitimate and it was better to allow the Germans to amend the treaty. After these concessions, Hitler is convinced of his prowess as a leader. 3. Kindred Spirits, Alliance with Italy--in October 1936, Mussolini and Hitler made an agreement that Italy and Germany have common political and economic interests. First step toward an alliance. A month later, Mussolin referred to the new Rome-Berlin axis (hence the Axis Powers). Hitler supports Mussolini's imperialist 4. November 1936 Hitler concluded an alliance with Japan: AntiComintern Pact. They agree to maintain a common front against communism in Russia. 5. What was Appeasement--by the end of 1936, Germany broke free of the Versailles Treaty. Upholding the Versailles agreement appeared to be too much of a risk (a second war). Instead, they hoped to appease Hitler's dissatisfaction with the Versailles Treaty.
6. Reasons for Appeasement--World position of the British empire was fragile at this time. Colonial interests were increasingly challenged by nationalist uprisings. There was uneasiness and a lack of confidence in their own ability to win a war against Germany as well as the French ability to win a war against Germany. The Americans had largely withdrawn from European affairs and are not reliable help to hold Germany to the Versailles Treaty. They believe that they lack the power to oppose Hitler's desires to change the Treaty of Versailles and lack confident and able allies; they believed that appeasement was the lesser of all evils. Appeasement gave Britain more time to arm and build up capabilities to fight the eventual war against Germany. At the same time, Germany was building up its own arms, ensuring that when war did ensue, it would be big and long. Winston Churchill "an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last". Neville Chamberlain told Hitler he would allow German expansion so long as he did not use undue force.
D.
The Road to War
1. Die Anschluss, March 1938--Annexation of Austria; Austrian prime minister put Nazi members in 2. Czechoslovakia--March 1938, Hitler told his generals that it was his aim to smash Czechoslovakia within the near future. a) Sudentenland and self-determination--initially Hitler asks only for the Sudentenland, home to 3 million ethnic Germans, a mountainous area on the border with Germany. The self-determination rhetoric of the Treaty of Versailles acted to lend credibility to Hitler's demands. 15 September, Hitler demnds the Sudentenland. b) Munich Conference--September 29. Hitler achieves his aims. Agreement allowed Hitler to annex the Sudentenland and place soldiers in the land. He promises return in that he will ask for no more concessions. Czechs were not allowed to attend the conference. c) "peace in our time"?--Neville Chamberlain is famous for declaring that he had achieved peace at the Munich Conference. d) March 15, 1939, Hitler conquers all of Czechoslovakia, arrives in Prague. Occupy the Czech lands, and the Slovaks have a puppet state under Hitler's control. Other 3. Poland
a) Britain's security guarantee, Spring 1939--Hitler began to move against Poland. His first demand is for Danzie, the city separating East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Britain offers a security guarantee to the Poles, if Poland is attacked, Britain will enter the war. The British and the French begin negotiating with Moscow, hoping that they will have an ally on the east. Hitler does not take this security agreement seriously, does not see it as a threat. b) Nazi-Soviet Pact, 23 August 1939--Hitler signs an alliance with the Soviet Union. Carve up Eastern Europe between them. The Soviets receive Finland, the Baltic States, and Eastern Poland. Germany gets Western Poland. Land deliverable upon conquering. Gave Hitler assurances that the Soviets would not prevent Germany from invading Poland. c) Invasion, 1 September 1939--Germany rolls into Germany. Great Britain and France declare war on the Germany two days later on September 3, 1939.
II.
Blitzkrieg
A. Blitzkrieg, Fall 1939--Germans execute their strategy for a war of motion/speed. Poland surrender within 4 weeks. Hitler believed that elsewhere he would also succeed in conquering the rest of Europe so quickly. B. Sitzkrieg, Winter 1939--not much happen, phony war, sitting war. No one really does anything, the French are inclined C. The invasion of France--Maginot line, the French built up fortifications to defend against an attack. Germany attacked through Luxemburg and the Ardennes. Everyone believed you could not drive a tank through these areas; German attack on France began on May 10, 1940.
1. 2. Maginot Line Ardennes, May 1940
3. French Surrender, June 22--Germans occupy three-fifths of France, mostly the coastal areas and the North so that they could defend against a British attack and possibly plan other offensive. Ptain creates a puppet government known as the Viche fascist government. Charles DeGaule establishes a French exile government in Britain.
D.
Battle of Britain, August--September 1940
1. Winston Churchill takes power--will not negotiate with Germany; refused to be broken, even after the German change in tactic toward bombing civilian targets. This change allowed 2. The courtship of Washington begins--Roosevelt plans to enter the ar ever-sp-slowly
III.
Die Endlsung, The Final Solution
A. Anti-Semitic policies within Germany
1. Exclusion from professions
2. Nuremberg Laws, September 1935--excluded German Jews from citizenship altogether. 3. Kristallnacht, 8-9 November 1938--epitomy of growing violence aginst Jews. Killed over 100,000 Jews.
B.
War and the "Jewish Problem"
1. Heinrich Himmler and the SS--put in charge of exterminating the Jews in the territories which Germany absorbed into 2. Reinhard Herdrisch, einsatzgruppen--special forces, directed by Herdrisch to round up all Polish Jews into ghettos, once the ghettos started filling up, the special forces began executing the Jews. The conscience of the special forces did not hold any guilt for their actions, it fell on the shoulders of Hitler and Herdrisch. 3. Wannsee Conference, 20 January 1942--outlined steps that must be takent to solve the Jewish problem. Europe is to be combed through from West to East, transported into ghettos, then to the East and they would cooperate to exterminate the Jews.
4. Extermination Camps--By spring 1942, the camps were operational. It initially focused on the Jews of Poland, but by summer 1942, they were transporting Jews from France, Austria, Greece, Germany, etc. to be exterminated. Two out of every three European Jews were killed in the Final Solution. 90% of Jews from Germany, Poland, and the Baltic States were killed during this period. The racial cleansing took priority over the military failings during this time.