Essay on foreign policies enshrined by Hitler

The foreign policy of Nazi Germany was based on the principles en­shrined by Hitler in his Mein Kampf..

In the main Nazi German foreign policy was based on three principles viz. Union of all people of German race by the right of self-determination in one great Germany; the cancellation of the Peace Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain and acquisition of further territory for the support of the people and settlement of the surplus German population. Let us examine all these points in some details.

1. Union of all People of German Race.

Hitler wrote in Main Kampf, “The German frontiers are the outcome of a chance and are only tempo­rary frontiers that have been established as the result of political struggle which took place at various times. State frontiers arc established by human beings arid changes made by human beings. _The winning back of «, lost territories’ of a country is, in the first place, the question of winning back the political independence and power of the mother country.

To make this possible and to secure it through an adriot policy of alliance is the first task for a rigorous direction of our foreign policy.” Hitler pleaded for putting an end to “the colonial and trade policy” of pre-war times and pass over to the territorial policy of the future.

But when we speak of new territory in Europe today, we must principally think of Russia Germans in Europe and our foreign policy will be recognized as rightly conducted only when, after barely a hundred years, there will be 250 million Germans living on this Continent, not packed together as coolies in the factories of another Continent but as tiller of this soil and workers whose labour will be national assurance for their existence.

2. Repudiation of Peace Settlement.

The Nazi Party was keen to repudiate the Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain, which had piled up humiliation and insult on Germany and to revive the glory which Germany enjoyed under Frederick William, Bismarck, Kaiser William II etc.

The Nazis described the Treaty of Versailles as a mere scrap of paper and openly violated its terms. With the same motive Germany increased her naval, military and air force strength. Hitler openly condemned the Treaty of Versailles and tore it to pieces.

He withdrew Germany from the League of Nations, which gave a shattering blow to this body. The Nazi Germany under Hitler also refused to pay the war indemnity as stipulated under the Treaty of Versailles. It also resorted to policy of territorial expansion and fortification of Germany in complete violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

Germany got the Valley of Saar, which had been handed over to France by the Treaty of Versailles, as a result of referendum. In 1936 it captured Rhineland. In 1937 Nazi Germany openly renounced the guilt clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. Thus Germany tried to systematically demolish the peace settlement.

3. More Territory for Surplus Population.

Nazi Germany also tried to acquire more territory for the surplus German population. Hitler as­serted “Germany within her existing frontiers could attain only very limited self-sufficiency in raw materials and none at all in foodstuffs.

The only remedy lay in the acquisition of greater living space… If then, we accept the security of our food situation as the principal question, the space necessary to ensure it can only be sought in Europe, not as in the liberal view, in the exploitation of colonies.

It is not a fnatter of acquiring population but of gaining space for agricultural use. Moreover, areas producing raw-material can be more usefully sought in Europe in immedi­ate proximity to the Reich than overseas.”

Germany particularly thought of expanding in the South and East of Europe because that region was economically complementary to Germany and possessed huge stocks of coal, oil and wheat which Germany badly needed. It may be observed that as the region was divided into a number of small states, none of whom was able to profitably exploit the natural resources of the area.

For example, Austria had coal but no grain. Hungary had grain but no markets. Rumania had ores and invaluable oil but had no factories. The best results could be achieved only if one political power was established in the whole region. Germany with its industrial techniques and its factories crying for raw-material and markets, was most fit to assume this responsibility.

For the attainment of the above objectives, the Nazi Germany laid emphasis on the use of force and rejection of all compromises. It tried to tear up treaties through unilateral repudiation rather modifications agreed by amicable negotiations.

According to Bullock, “Hitler had only one programme: power, first his own power in Germany and then the expan­sion of German power in Europe, The rest was window dressing.” How­ever, an open advocacy of such an aggressive policy would have created problems for Germany by encouraging her opponents to unite.

Hitler sensed this danger and therefore proceeded quite cautiously and acted diplomatically. He declared, “The German Government and the German people are united in the will to persue a policy of peace, reconciliation and understanding as the foundation of all the decisions and all negotiations.”

He avoided open condemnation of the Treaty of Versailles and posed to direct all German hostility against Bolshevism. This proved quite helpful to Germany, because she was able to increase her power without evoking any fears in the minds of U.S.A., France and Britain.

Nazi Germany gave a show of its peaceful intentions by concluding a Non-Aggression Pact with Poland in January 1934 for a period of ten years. Germany concluded this pact because she was convinced that her advance was possible only Southward. Therefore, she thought it desirable to make peace her eastern neighbours.

Furthermore Germany realized it fully well that she could not win over Soviet Union because of the policy of persecution followed by her towards the Jews and the Communists. On the other hand, Czechoslovakia was too small a country. Therefore, Poland was the natural choice for Germany.

The non-aggressive pact with Poland was also made possible because at that time she was feeling quite distrustful of her ally France, who had subordinated the Polish interests to the France interests of security. Further, the Polish Government felt that treaty with Germany would silence the German minorities in Poland, who had been a source of great trouble for Poland since 1919.