Hitler's Economic & Foreign Policies and World War II
Hitler’s Economic Policies:
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- Responsibility for economic recovery was given to Hjalmar Schacht, an economist.
- Schacht's goals:
- Achieve full production and full employment.
- Implemented a state-funded work-creation programme.
- Key achievements:
- Construction of famous German superhighways.
- Introduction of the Volkswagen, the “people’s car.”
- Hitler’s Foreign Policy Successes:
- Quick successes reversed Germany's fortunes:
- 1933: Germany withdrew from the League of Nations.
- 1936: Reoccupation of the Rhineland.
- 1938: Integration of Austria with Germany under the slogan:
- “One people, One empire, One leader.”
- Seized Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia and later annexed the entire country.
- England’s unspoken support enabled these actions, as many viewed the Versailles Treaty as too harsh.
- Quick successes reversed Germany's fortunes:
- Shift Towards Militarism and Expansion:
- Schacht advised against excessive rearmament due to deficit financing, but Hitler dismissed cautious approaches.
- Chose war as a solution to the economic crisis and for territorial expansion:
- September 1939: Germany invaded Poland, initiating war with France and England.
- September 1940: Signed the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Japan, strengthening international power.
- Installed puppet regimes across Europe, consolidating Nazi influence.
- Hitler’s Eastern Ambitions and the Soviet Conflict:
- Long-term goal: Conquer Eastern Europe for:
- Ensuring food supplies.
- Providing “living space” for Germans.
- June 1941: Germany attacked the Soviet Union, but this was a historic blunder:
- Exposed the western front to British bombing.
- Soviet Red Army crushed Germany at Stalingrad and pursued retreating forces to Berlin.
- Outcome: Soviet hegemony over Eastern Europe for half a century.
- Long-term goal: Conquer Eastern Europe for:
- US Involvement in the War:
- The USA initially resisted involvement due to:
- Economic challenges from World War I.
- Japan's expansionist actions:
- Occupation of French Indo-China.
- Plans to attack US naval bases in the Pacific.
- December 1941: Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, prompting US entry into World War II.
- The USA initially resisted involvement due to:
- End of the War:
- May 1945: The war ended with:
- Hitler’s defeat.
- The US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- May 1945: The war ended with:
