WWII Notes 3: The Advance Towards War AND Nazi Racial Policy World Wars - Ms. Hamer GET OUT YOUR MAPS! April 5, 2010.

WWII Notes 3: The Advance Towards War AND Nazi Racial Policy

World Wars - Ms. HamerGET OUT YOUR MAPS!

April 5, 2010

Welcome Back Germany• Hitler had brought Germany back to the world

scene with the remilitarization of the Rhine, the 1936 Olympics, and the 4 year plan– 4 year plan: would make Germany economically self-

sufficient in 4 years!

Time February 13, 1933The National Government will carry out the great work of reorganizing the economic life of our people by means of two great four-year plans: 1) salvation of the German farmer, with the object of maintaining the nourishment and therewith the vital basis of the nation; and 2) salvation of the German worker by a powerful and comprehensive attack on unemployment. . . .Read more:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,745146-2,00.html#ixzz0X5DXAzVJ

Hitler as a Speaker• Until about 1938, Hitler

constantly reminded people that all he wanted was peace– He was a soldier in the

trenches of WWI…how could he want anything else?

• Hitler’s speaking routine:• He warmed himself up, then spoke about foreign

policy, which always focused on how unfairly Germany had been treated and about how he wanted Germany to have its place in the sun again.

Video Clip of the Fuhrer SpeakingWWII Clip 1

• You know he used to practice his gestures in front of a mirror…

Issues in Europe

France Weakens

• Depression was bad, but not as bad as elsewhere

• It did cause political fragmentation that led to a lack of consensus about what to do about the German challenge

Maginot Line

• Line of intense fortifications that stretched the length of the French/German border

• Symptomatic of French problems – still stuck in the idea of WWI– No ideas of mobility that could be used in a future

war• Odd since the last two times that Germany

had attacked they used the Ardennes in 1870 and Belgium in 1914

Maginot Line

Why Wasn’t the Maginot Line Along the Belgian Border?

• France had promised to protect Belgian sovereignty

• Engineering issues– High water table– Would cost too much…not compared to a war!

• Faith in French army – largest on the continent in the mid 1930’s (except Soviets)

French Foreign Policy

• Still looking for allies• Mistrusted the British• Thought the Americans were too isolationist• Soviets would be perfect

Soviet Union’s Foreign Policy

• Entered the League of Nations September 1934

• Wanted collective security arrangements• 1935 signed a deal to protect Czechoslovakia

if someone attacked them AND if France held up their deal to protect them

• Communist parties in Western Europe should ally themselves with socialists and liberals against fascists

Italy’s Foreign Policy• Was worried about the

spread of Germany into Austria

• Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935 – Permanently drove a

wedge between Italy and England/France

• By 1936 Mussolini was talking about a Rome/Berlin Axis

Germany Begins War Plans

November 1937 –Top Secret Goals Meeting

• For Lebensraum, Germany would have to attack the East

• Needed to prepare for a 2 front war since this might lead to problems with France

• Within weeks the Minister of War and Commander of Army and Foreign Minister were all removed– They had all voiced concern about this plan– Hitler would become the Minister of War and

Commander of the Army

February 1938 Austrian Anschluss

• Austrian Nazis had tried to take over Austria in 1934 – were all in jail now

• Early 1938 Austrian chancellor began asking for protection of Austrian sovereignty

• Hitler found out and invited the chancellor to Germany to discuss issues with Hitler– He was brought to the Eagle’s Nest

February 1938 Austrian Anschluss PART 2

• Hitler demanded freeing of Austrian Nazis• Hitler also demanded absorption of Austria by

Germany (Anschluss = Link Up)– Chancellor of Austria said let me think about it

and made it back to Austria– Called for a plebiscite on March 13th (referendum)• Upset Hitler and he demanded Austria call off

referendum or face war

February 1938 Austrian Anschluss PART 3

• German troops spilled over the border into Austria and announced the annexation of Austria on March 12, 1938– Mild international

response– Hitler justified it as what

Wilson wanted at Versailles – borders by ethnic boundaries

Cheering crowds greet Nazis entering Vienna on March 15, 1938

Summer 1938 – The Sudetenland• Borderlands of Czechoslovakia that contains mostly

ethnic Germans• Hitler encouraged ethnic Germans in this region to

demand autonomy• Czechoslovakia prepared to defend itself– Hitler didn’t want a war, but planned for Germany to invade by October 1st

Summer 1938 – The Sudetenland Part 2

• Mussolini also didn’t want a war over this tiny region so he allied with Chamberlain who would use appeasement

• Why had Chamberlain been focused on appeasement?– Thought French army was unreliable and weak– Americans were isolationist and focused on their own

needs– Was worried that a war would lead to the crumbling of

the British empire and the rise of real American power (ironic)

September 30, 1938 – The Munich Conference

• England, France, Italy, and Germany presided over the annexation of the Sudetenland by Germany– No Czechoslovakia at the

meeting!

• MAJOR move of appeasement– Chamberlain was seen

as a hero at the time

From left to right: Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, and Mussolini before

signing the Munich Agreement

September 30, 1938 – The Munich Conference PART 2

• Why did Chamberlain practice appeasement here?– Wanted to avoid war• No real army, but strong navy and air force• Thought that this was the lesson to learn from WWI

– Wanted to make acceptable concessions to Germany– Was charmed with Hitler and thought that he was a

man you could make a deal with– Chamberlain also thought he didn’t have many

options

September 30, 1938 – The Munich Conference PART 3

• Chamberlain believed he had reached peace in his time

• Hitler felt after the conference that the West (especially England) was weak and wouldn’t fight

• Stalin agreed with this after listening to what was happening because France did not hold up their end of the bargain to protect Czechoslovakia– Stalin believed the West wanted to funnel German

aggression towards the East (Soviet Union)

German Army Conspiracy – 1930’s• Army was worried about the SA in 1933-1934– SA had 400K-500K men even though the army had 100K– 1934 Hitler purged SA and Army swore loyalty to Hitler

• In 1930’s, the Army acted as a restraint– Were opposed to remilitarization of the Rhineland– Tried to convinced Hitler that the army was not ready to

move into Austria or CZ• Top secret army decision: If Hitler sent the army on a

“suicide” mission into CZ, then the army should depose him and put him under house arrest and set up a different sort of state.

• But after Munich the military conspiracy began to dissolve – would resurface in an assassination attempt with the same people in July 1944

March 1939 – All of Czechoslovakia

• Hitler used ethnic conflicts between Czechs and Slovaks as an excuse to take over the rest of Czechoslovakia

• Without the mountainous Sudetenland, CZ was less defendable

• Invasion was unopposed– March 15, 1939

Turning Point for the West

• What is the justification here – no ethnic unity because these weren’t Germany people– Perceived as pure aggression– Turning point of public opinion in England –

people started to listen to those against Hitler, like Churchill

– England and France extended a guarantee to protect Poland• Reversal of British policy, but Chamberlain is

still holding onto appeasement

Movie Clip on Annexation of the Sudetenland

• Sudetenland Clip

Is Peace Possible in 1939?

Key to Peace Was in Moscow

• GB and Fr guarantees to Poland could only be effective with a collective security structure – which had to include Soviet Union– Even so the British and French proceeded casually and

shipped their ambassadors to the Soviet Union (slow travelling!)

– Chamberlain thought time was on their side• Also felt that Stalin and Hitler couldn’t come to any kind of

arrangement because they were mortal enemies• “The Bolshis and the Nazis would never be able to make a

deal”

Key to Peace Was in MoscowPART 2

• Red Army in summer 1939 was the largest army in Europe, but their status was low after Stalin’s army purges of 1938– thousands purged all the

way down the ranks

"Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours!"

Germany and Poland

• Poles were willing to compromise on territorial issues with the Germans, but refused to be reduced to the status of a puppet state (either to Germany or Soviets)

May 1939 – Pact of Steel

• The Pact of Steel was made between Germany and Italy – they promised full assistance to each other in the advent of war no matter with whom– When Hitler informed Mussolini about his plan to

attack Poland in 1939, Mussolini informed Hitler that Italy was not ready and would not be ready for a war until 1943. Hmmm…

August 23, 1939 Soviet – German Non-Aggression Pact

• Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

• Made no ideological sense, but did make sense on the foreign policy scene– Ended the prospect of a

2 front war early on (Hitler knew he was going after Poland)

August 23, 1939 Soviet – German Non-Aggression Pact PART 2

• Hitler counted on this to restrain the British on their obligation to Poland and he didn’t care about France

• Stalin felt that he could buy time to rebuild the Red Army

• Plus Soviet Union got the secret annex of Eastern Poland (partition)– Also let Stalin take N. Baltic

coast and Hitler take S. Baltic Coast Extended Soviet border farther West

September 1, 1939 Invasion of Poland• Hitler did not expect a big war

with the West in 1939– Economically unprepared – 4

year plan had fallen short of its goals

– Was convinced that GB would follow further appeasement• Instead Chamberlain issues an

ultimatum that the German army had to leave Poland and then they could talk• Hitler let that deadline lapse

Development of Nazi Racial Policy

This is Difficult to Understand…

• The “Final Solution” that led to the Holocaust has to be seen in context of the war – it was not an event independent from the war

• Hitler’s ideological crusade was against Judeo Bolshevism – a combination of what he saw as two evils he had to fight. – The war had to be directed at the Soviet Union because

they were the center of Judeo Bolshevism…two birds, one tank…

• Remember that racism is not based on logic

Jewish Populations

• Jewish population of Germany was over 505,000 in 1933

• German population total was approximately 67 million in 1933

• Jews made up less than 0.75% of the German population

• There were millions of Jews living in countries like Poland and the Soviet Union at this time

Nazis Come To Power

• Hitler and the Nazis came to power with 1/3 of the vote

• A core idea of the Nazi Party by this point was Anti-Semitism– Hitler focused on eliminating the influence of the

Jews and getting them out of Germany• Most Germans were not drawn to this aspect

of the Nazis, but were instead drawn to the Nazi promise of fixing the economy

1933-1935 Increase in Racial Policy• During 1933, the Nazis

began focusing on racial policy– Set up a boycott of Jewish

businesses in Germany• This was quickly called off

because it was unpopular at home and abroad

– 1935: Jews are banned from serving in the military

Nazi storm troopers block the entrance to a Jewish-owned store in Berlin. Their signs

read: "Germans, defend yourselves against the Jewish atrocity propaganda,

buy only at German shops!" and "Germans, defend yourselves, buy only at

German shops!”From:

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-boycott.htm

1933-1935 Consolidating Nazi Power

• Momentum was soon lost in anti-Jewish policy• Most of the harassment of Jews at this time

was on the local level – No initiative from the national regime until:

• 1935 Nuremberg Laws– Would eliminate Jews as citizens of Germany• Were subjects instead

– Prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jews

1935-1938 Encouraging Jewish Emigration

• Anti-Jewish policy momentum was lost again after the Nuremberg Laws– No consistent policy

• Nazi Policy was to encourage Jews to leave– Entjudung – de-Jewification– Jews could easily leave, but couldn’t really take

much with them

1937-1938: Limitations on Jewish Occupations

• In 1937 Jews were banned from certain professions like practicing medicine or being accountants

• In 1938 a variety of laws eventually banned Jews from owning any businesses– They also had to register all of their wealth and

property with the government

Kristallnacht• November 9-10, 1938 – Night of Broken Glass• First mass orchestrated violence against Jews by

Nazi Government in Germany (Reichskristallnacht)• Set up by Goebbels “in response” to the

assassination of a German diplomat by a Polish Jew– According to Wikipedia: “In a coordinated attack on Jewish people

and their property, 91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 to 30,000 were arrested and placed in concentration camps. 267 synagogues were destroyed and thousands of homes and businesses were ransacked”• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht

• German Jews are then fined 1 billion DM for Kristallnacht related damages

Clockwise from top left: NYT claims that

Goebbels stopped the violence; burning

synagogue; Jewish prisoners at Buchenwald;

evidence of violence

January 30, 1939 Nazi Reichstag Speech by Hitler

• On 6thanniversary of Hitler coming to power:• "In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet, and

have usually been ridiculed for it. During the time of my struggle for power it was in the first instance only the Jewish race that received my prophecies with laughter when I said that I would one day take over the leadership of the State, and with it that of the whole nation, and that I would then among other things settle the Jewish problem. Their laughter was uproarious, but I think that for some time now they have been laughing on the other side of their face. Today I will once more be a prophet: if the international Jewish financiers in and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevizing of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe!"

• Adolf Hitler - January 30, 1939

Schutzstaffel• Means “Protection Squadron”• SS was led by Heinrich Himmler (L) and his

Lieutenant ReinhardHeydrich(R)• Himmler became responsible for Nazi racial

policy in 1939 – delegated this to Heydrich• Were eventually responsible for figuring

out the “Final Solution”SS Runic Flag

SS Totenkopf (Death’s Head)

Insignia

After WWII Begins• Poland is invaded September 1, 1939. There are over 3

million Jews living in Poland.• September 19, 1939 Heydrich writes: The Jewish

Question in Occupied Territories– Wanted to expel non-Aryans from occupied territories so

Germans could settle there– All of the “undesirables” were supposed to be moved to the

Government General of Poland (created October 12, 1939)• Would become a dumping ground for Jews and others

• Jews would be moved to concentration centers (ghettoes in urban areas)– Not the final aim, but an intermediate step– These should be located near rail lines for later transport

The Yellow Star• After the Germans

invaded Poland, the Germans tried to find ways to indentify the Jews. – After September 1,

1941 all Jews over age 6 were required to wear the Star of David with the word Jude on it within the Reich and Czechoslovakia

Above: the Judenstern or Jewish Star for

Germany; Below: for Vichy France - Juif

Jews in the Lodz Ghetto with the Judenstern

Logistics

• Einsatzgruppen (Special Operation Units): SS special forces groups that were sent to round up or kill Jews

• About 1 million people were forced into the ghettoes in the Government General of Poland

• In the Fall of 1939 Jews from Austria and Czechoslovakia were deported to the Government General

• October 1940 Jews were being deported from Western Europe to the Gov Gen.

Problems• The Wehrmacht (Army)

command was horrified by the brutality of the Einsatzgruppen who moved in directly behind the troops

• Government General of Poland was becoming an unmanageable dumping ground– Some ghettoes had hundreds

of thousands of people in them

Execution of Poles by Einsatzgruppen October 1939

The Final Solution

• Would be decided on in 1941 – early 1942• We will discuss later in the war