hitler's domestic policy essay

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German Foreign Policy, 1933–1945

Adolf Hitler came to power with the goal of establishing a new racial order in Europe dominated by the German “master race.” This goal drove Nazi foreign policy, which aimed to: throw off the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles; incorporate territories with ethnic German populations into the Reich; acquire a vast new empire in Eastern Europe; form alliances; and, during the war, persuade other states to participate in the “final solution.”

The Nazi belief that the Germans must control Lebensraum (living space) in the “East” drove Nazi Germany’s foreign policy. Hitler recognized that acquiring Lebensraum would require war, and he began preparing for it as soon as he came to power.

To prepare for the war, German foreign policy sought to undo the Treaty of Versailles, build alliances, and incorporate territories with German populations into the Reich.

During the war, German foreign policy sought the cooperation of European states in achieving the Nazi goal of murdering the Jews in Europe .

Following the Nazi rise to power , Adolf Hitler's government immediately began preparing for the war he planned to wage to conquer Lebensraum in Poland and the Soviet Union. In Hitler’s vision, Germans would populate this area, the “inferior” Slavic population would be enslaved or driven out, and Jews would disappear entirely from all German-dominated territory. 

The tasks of German foreign policy in preparing for the coming war were to: undo the military restrictions and reverse the territorial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles; take over neighboring lands with ethnic German populations; arrange pacts that would enable Germany to advance its war plans; and build alliances that would help Germany achieve its territorial goals. After the war began, German foreign policy aimed to strengthen existing alliances, build new ones, and obtain the cooperation of its allies and of the nations it conquered not only in Germany’s war effort but also in its racial policies, especially the annihilation of the Jews.

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Prewar Policy and Pacts

Hitler reviews a parade celebrating the reintegration of the Saar region into Germany. Saar territory, Germany, March 1935.

From 1933–1938, Konstantin von Neurath , a conservative career diplomat, served as German foreign minister. During his tenure, Germany followed a revisionist policy aimed at overcoming the restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and seizing the diplomatic initiative from Britain and France. 

During Neurath’s term, Germany withdrew from the League of Nations; signed a nonaggression pact with Poland; reacquired the Saar territory through a plebiscite; reinstituted the draft and openly rearmed; signed a naval pact with Great Britain; remilitarized the Rhineland; militarily assisted the supporters of Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War ; formed the “Rome-Berlin Axis” coalition with Italy and concluded the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan.

New Territories

In February 1938, Hitler replaced Neurath with Joachim von Ribbentrop , a Nazi Party member and former ambassador to Great Britain who advocated a more aggressive German foreign policy. Germany then moved to acquire new territories using the threat of war. In February, Hitler pressured Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg into signing the German-Austrian agreement ( Berchtesgaden Diktat ), which brought Nazis into the Austrian cabinet. In March 1938, Germany carried out the Anschluss , the annexation of Austria , after ensuring that Italy would not object.

German troops entered Austria on March 12, 1938. The annexation of Austria to Germany was proclaimed on March 13, 1938. In this German newsreel footage, Austrians express overwhelming enthusiasm for the Nazi takeover of their country.

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Hitler then demanded that Czechoslovakia surrender the Sudetenland, a region bordering Germany with an ethnic German majority. On September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , French Premier Edouard Daladier, Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, and Hitler signed the Munich agreement, which ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. In March 1939, Germany occupied and dismembered the rest of Czechoslovakia, establishing a German “protectorate” over the Czech lands and permitting the formation of Slovakia as a sovereign state with a pro-German regime.

Hitler then began planning to attack Poland, recognizing that this could lead to war with France and Great Britain. In May 1939, Hitler and Mussolini signed the “Pact of Steel,” a formal military alliance. Then on August 24, Ribbentrop and Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov signed a non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. In a secret protocol, the two states agreed to divide Poland between them.

This footage shows German forces entering the Sudetenland. Under the terms of the Munich Pact, Germany annexed this largely German-speaking region from Czechoslovakia. Germany, Italy, Britain, and France were party to the pact, which averted war. Czechoslovakia, however, was not permitted to attend the Munich conference. Hitler later violated the Munich Pact by destroying the Czech state in March 1939.

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With no need to fear Soviet intervention, Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France, Poland's allies, declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. 

Germany’s defeat of Poland in 1939 and its conquest of Western European countries in spring 1940 enabled it to attract new allies with promises of territorial and economic gains. Italy entered the war on Germany’s side in June 1940, and in September Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Tripartite Pact. By the end of 1940, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia joined the Axis powers, followed by Bulgaria and Croatia in 1941. 

The Nazi goal of obtaining Lebensraum in Eastern Europe led Germany to attack the Soviet Union in June 1941. Nazi leaders decided by the end of 1941 to carry out the “final solution” policy of systematically annihilating the Jews in Europe. The German Foreign Office played an important role in implementing this policy. German diplomats had the task of persuading Europe’s sovereign states to resolve their “Jewish question” themselves or by turning their Jewish population over to Germany. Slovakia and Croatia complied. Bulgaria, France, Hungary and Romania agreed to participate in measures against foreign Jews or Jews in newly acquired territories, but they balked at turning over their Jewish citizens. Denmark, Finland, and Italy refused. After Germany occupied the northern half of Italy in 1943 and Hungary in 1944, the governments there agreed to deport their Jewish populations. The German Foreign Office continued trying to persuade European governments to deport their Jewish population until Allied victories made such a step impossible. 

After Germany’s defeat, both Neurath and Ribbentrop stood trial before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Neurath was sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment; Ribbentrop was sentenced to death and hanged.

Critical Thinking Questions

• What obligations, if any, do other nations and international organizations have when a country forcibly expands?
• How can ideology shape foreign policy? Which parts of the government may be involved? How and why might a nation’s foreign policy change?
• Did German foreign policy shape the Holocaust?

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Hitler's Domestic Policies

Evaluate the impact on Germany of Hitler’s domestic policies between 1933 and 1945. Hitler aimed to affect key areas of German societal structure through the design and implementation of a range of domestic policies. These included policies which affected the political structure of the nation, women’s role in society and their aspirations, the development of future generations and fundamental belief systems such as those concerning religion and racial attitudes. However, it is simplistic to assume that all of these policies had an impact either on the status of German society and on trends in its development. The reality of implementing domestic policies did not always have the effect that Hitler intended, either in the scope or depth of …show more content…

The effect of such a policy on German working class society had political substance; the working class could not decide whether Fascism was evil with good benefits or good with evil side effects. Another way in which Hitler’s economic policy impacted German society was through big business. The pre-war rearmament ‘boom’ had mixed implications for German big business. In the short term, this group in German society profiteered from the “boom” indicated in the average salaries of the management of big companies, which rose almost 150% from 3,700RM in 1934 to 5,420RM in 1938. The beneficial effects for big business of the regime’s economic policy continued into the war years as demand for war equipment intensified, especially after the failure to take Moscow in 1941. However, these benefits could not offset the losses of overseas trade. Hence economic policy had a mixed impact on this area of German society between 1933 and 1945. Overall, the political impact on the whole of the German population was the most considerable implication of Hitler’s economic policy. Economic confidence in the regime of the 1930s was in stark contrast to the opinion of the Weimar Republic of the 1920s. Although the balance of payments deficit was hidden and, in truth, Germany was falling fast into debt, most in German society perceived an improvement in

Argumentative Essay About Hitler

After being elected, the first thing Hitler did was to fix the corrupt, debt-creating financial system. Another forgotten fact is how unemployment was slightly washed away from the society. Hitler’s ultimate goal was the establishment of a greater Germany than had ever existed before in history. (Jackel 1984:24). The importance given to women and families were also highly commendable. The measures taken to protect nature and its resources are sights that are not common in daily life today. But these facts are not accepted or included in an ordinary book of history.

Hitler had a very clear idea of women’s role; she was the centre of family life, a housewife and the mother. Their job was to keep the house nice for their husband and family – their lives should revolve round the three ‘ks’, church, children and cooking. This ideal was based around Hitler wanting to achieve his long held goal of Lebensraum to increase the German Aryan population. Strasser argues that ‘National Socialism intended to restore the natural order, and states that this was to accord women the respect they deserved as mothers and housewives’, therefore improving their status. However Carey argues that women’s position did not improve and “throughout the civil war

To What Extent Did the Nazis Establish a Volksgemeinschaft? Essay

The revival of the economy in conjunction with Hitler's diplomatic success contributed greatly to the German worker's acceptance or at least tolerance of the regime. In material terms though, the effects varied considerably from one class to another. The propagated classless society ideal therefore can be determined as a myth especially when aligned with the Hitler's foreign policy interests where big businesses with greater economies of scale and productive efficiency had to take precedence. In consequence the Mittelstand's position, which was promised in the 1932 election to benefit under the Nazi government, continued to weaken owing to the harsh commercial realities of the 1930s. Nazi preference for big business whose support was required for rearmament simply perpetuated this trend of economic decline which went back to the beginnings of Germany's industrialisation. In 1933 20% of the owners of Mittelstand businesses were under 30 years old and 40% over 60. By 1939 the corresponding figures were 10% and 19%. They were squeezed out of the economic community which by no means was classless or a reversion back to "blood and soil." For the industrial working

To What Extent Did the Nazis Achieve the Aims of Their Social Policies?

Hitler had initiated changes that insisted women should return to their traditional roles as homemakers and provide healthy offspring to the Nazi state. Childbearing was encouraged in Germany, however this was only acceptable to the Aryans not the Jews. Hitler implemented policies such as financial incentive marriage loans and special medals were given to women who gave birth to large families. He also made divorce difficult, abortion and contraception illegal in order to achieve his objective effectively. Also, women‚ organizations were created to indoctrinate women with Nazi ideas such as, The German Women‚ Enterprise. These programs promoted cookery classes, marriage, motherhood and nationhood. The women organizations have had a major effect on Nazi women as it portrayed that Hitler made effective changes in order to develop women to be the mothers of a future, healthy generation. Hitler disliked clever, educated

The Benefit of the Nazi Economics Policies for the German Working Classes

as the woman tells the men they have a job, a holiday and a shelter.

Structuralist and Intentionalist approaches to Nazi Germany

In addition to the damaging consequences of the First World War with the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles, certain features of Germany caused the state to be susceptible to the influence of this dangerous ideology. Along with the damage to the national ego as a result of the First World War, Germany had co-existing and conflicting highly modern strands of development forced to integrate with powerful remnants of archaic values and social structures, and had a deeply fractured parliamentary political system, and the weaknesses of this system reflected the social and political differences within the population. This shame and failure after World War I was superimposed onto a modern country which once had an advanced economy, a sophisticated state

Economic and Political Issues that Helped Hitler Rise to Power

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In the following investigation, the following question will be addressed: In what ways did economic and political issues in Germany between 1922 and 1932 contribute to Hitler's rise to power? The scope of my research will fall between the years of 1922-1932, the start of Hitler’s attempt to run for office. A variety of primary and secondary sources will be used to answer the question. The bitterness caused upon the change of government systems in Germany will be analyzed, along with his childhood that all primarily drove Hitler to run for power. Then, the harsh effects World War I had on Germany along with the Great Depression that followed as a result will also be looked at. Finally, a conclusion will be reached.

Rise of Nazism and Enlightenment Thought

The rise and subsequent take-over of power in Germany by Hitler and the Nazi Party in the early 1930s was the culmination and continuation not of Enlightenment thought from the 18th and 19th century but the logical conclusion of unstable and cultural conditions that pre-existed in Germany. Hitler’s Nazi Party’s clear manipulation of the weak state of the Weimar Republic through its continued failure economically and socially, plus its undermining of popular support through the signing the Treaty of Versailles all lead to the creation of a Nazi dictatorship under the cult of personality of Hitler. This clear take-over of power and subsequent destruction of any

Holocaust Effect On Germany

One thing which remained the same for almost all Germans was the guilt complex of possibly stopping the horrific atrocities committed by the Reich if enough of them had stood up. Already, “Germany’s economy was in a mess when Hitler was elected Chancellor in January 1933” (Trueman). In other words, Hitler had fed off of Germany’s economy which was already collapsing at the seams. Yet the fact remained that they had all been blinded by the scapegoats they were given to what was really happening. Hitler concealed the truth of his tyranny and informed Germany that “the Jews were the reason for the inner poisoning of Germany and that they had stolen the victory from Germany” (Hall). However, the event was also beneficial as “Germany has largely lost its connection to the generation of perpetrators” and anti semitism was condemned where less than twenty years ago it had been predominant among most of Europe (Beste). The Germans had lost two wars now in which they had been led by a single, dictatorial authority figure. This, ultimately, alienated them from authoritarian governments and began to lead them into democracy's

Rhetorical Analysis Of Adolf Hitler

Hitler impresses the Reichstag with the ethos, credibility, of his leadership. Referring to the success of his government, Hitler entreats, “Allow me now to give you a short excerpt from our economic life which proves in plain figures whether and to what extent National Socialism has solved these problems.” Hitler then presents a simple, yet powerful statistic: a tremendous rise in annual German births. Hitler does not pick this statistic blindly. He chooses a statistic that he knows will be important, impactful, and personal to his audience. Not only is a rise in births a sign of increased prosperity (for people are unlikely to have kids if they are not in love and with the means of supporting their children), but it is also a statistic dear to his audience’s heart. After World War I, so many loved ones died. Accordingly, the babies and new life mentioned in the statistic must have brought great joy to a hurting nation. Further, Hitler reinforces his ethos as a leader when he remembers, “It was as an unknown German soldier at the front that I put together this bold program, fighting for fourteen years…” Mr. Hitler is proving his credibility as a planner and a thinker, describing his process of invention, how he carefully came up with the idea while fighting at the front. The thoughtful and planned politicians of the German Reichstag surely appreciate the care and attention their leader invested in this program. For his audience, Hitler could have no better credibility than that provided by increased birth statistics and his claim of careful

How Did The Nazis Gain Control Of Germany?

The Nazi’s had a very systematic approach to gaining control of Germany, which covered most parts of society. This includes German foreign policy, religion, culture, media and propaganda, education and

Hitler: The Rise Of The Nazi Party

Even though Germany was left in a period of struggle and economic weakness after WW1, Adolf Hitler would take a stand by creating a party that would help refine the structure of the economy. This party, when abbreviated, was called Nazi, would also create harsh laws and unrelentless punishment. Due to the Nazi party’s quick growth, there was an immediate impact on lifestyle and politics for the people of Germany. The long term impact brought forth by the consequences or legacy of the Nazi party included a population decrease and an increase in deaths. To make both of these impacts, Hitler had to overcome many hard challenges.

Compare and Contrast the Domestic Policies of Hitler and Mussolini

Fundamentally, both Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler had the same burning desire to each make their nation a respected and economically impregnable Great Power. Mussolini wanted to return Italy to its glory days of the ancient Roman Empire, a domestic policy amongst others which was used as propaganda and to ultimately consolidate his power. A strong economy and a united state were vital for both countries in case of the outbreak of yet another catastrophic war. "Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state", stated Mussolini in need of desperate backup at home. Post WWI left both Germany and Italy with grave problems economically, which further repelled into social problems such as high unemployment and

Positive And Negative Impacts Of Nazi Rule From 1933-1939

Nazi Germany was between the dates of 1933-1939. Throughout this essay, Conditions in Germany when Hitler came to power including the impact of the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression and the weakness of the Weimar republic, will be discussed. The Concept of a Totalitarian State and how Hitler and the Nazi party developed in Germany through the use of force, controlled education, militarism, propaganda, economic policies, and no political opposition. Some of the Positives that came from Nazi Germany were increased prosperity including full employment and economic growth, regaining lost territories, increased national prestige and pride, and the hosting of 1936 Olympics. Some of the Negatives that came from Nazi Germany were Persecution of minorities, loss of personal freedoms, economic growth focused on the military, and expansionism as a path to war. This essay will re-state weather Nazi Germany was an overall positive or negative experience for people in Germany.

How Did Hitler Establish a Dictatorship in Germany from 30th January 1933 to August 1934?

On The 30th of January 1933, President Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor. In the 18 months succeeding this, Hitler became, essentially, a dictator. This essay will look at what a dictatorship is and how it operates, how the population is brought to a point where they accept a dictatorship, and examine and analyze the vital events that took place in Germany which lead to Hitler assuming dictatorial power: the Reichstag fire, the Emergency Decree, the Enabling Act, the banning of trade unions and other political parties, the Night Of The Long Knives, the death of President Hindenburg, and the German army’s oath of loyalty to Hitler. It will

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• Nazi Germany
• Adolf Hitler