The Hossbach Memorandum and Anschluss

Hossbach Memorandum

5th November 1937

Minutes of a meeting with Hitler, von Blomberg (War Minister), Fritsch (Army), Raeder (Navy), Goring (Luftwaffe) and Neurath (Foreign Minister) taken by Hitler's adjutant, Colonel Hossbach.

Can be found at: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/hossbach.htm

This is a statement of Hitler's foreign policy intent.

3 questions from the previous week:

Why is it controversial?

It was used at the Nuremburg trials after the war as evidence to incriminate those present. The way prosecutors manipulated the evidence has been seen to take away from its usefulness.

The Memorandum written up from notes i.e. it was not a verbatim account of what went on in that meeting. The time lag has led some historians to discredit its reliability.

What is notably omitted and why?

There is no mention of Lebensraum and no explicit reference to conflict with the USSR. This was firstly because Hitler was only describing "stage 2" as it were, of his plan, and secondly because he didn't want to alarm his chiefs of staff with the prospect of war with the USSR so soon.

How is it significant?

It is only two years before war broke out and provided a guide to Hitler's foreign policy aims which had been tempered since Mein Kampf by the responsiblity of being in government. Hitler here provides pragmatic policies to implement his ideological aims and it appears to be a reliable account of his true thinking because the notes were taken in a private meeting with his chiefs of staff as opposed to in the Reichstag or elsewhere.

Anschluss

(Kershaw II pp. 65-80)

Anschluss was discussed and questions 1-5 from a handwritten sheet were set in class with 6 and 7 to finish for prep.

Consider from a German and Austrian point of view:

• Economic arguments for/against Anschluss (autarky?)
• Emotions for/against Anschluss
• The Treaty of Versailles
• Self-determination (hypocrisy in T of V)
• Hitler's ideological goals
• The reactions of foreign powers (Italy, Britain and France)

Thank you for flying KES Airways. We hope to see you again soon. Please have your passports ready for inspection on arrival.

Did Economic Crisis in 1939 Push Germany to War?

Mason vs Overy

Tim Mason has argued that rearmament and public construction works put a heavy strain on the German economy in this period. He has argued that the only way the Nazi government could release this pressure was to expend the armaments they had produced by going to war. In this way, he argues, it was the economy that drove Germany to war and not Hitler's foreign policy goals.

However, Richard Overy has challenged this interpretation of what drove the country to war. He has stated that although Nazi Germany did indeed face economic problems in 1939, they were not severe enough to drive the nation to war. Instead, he argues, it was the ideology of the Nazi leadership and their aims in foreign policy that led to German aggression.

The Four Year Plan: Success or Failure

The office of the Four Year Plan was established in 1936 in order to ensure that Germany would be ready for war by 1940. However, this does not necessarily mean that Hitler was aiming to start a war in 1940, only that he wished to be prepared for one.

The creation of the office meant that Goering, already the head of the resurrected Luftwaffe, became an extremely powerful figure as the office eclipsed the ministry of economics under Dr. Schacht who was seen as too cautious.

One of the key aims of the plan was to bring about autarky (economic independence) as it was vital to guarantee that Germany could support herself if she entered a war whilst remaining a pariah state with no real allies. However, since it is virtually impossible for a country to become a true autarky, the four year plan aimed instead to reduce Germany's dependence on imports by maximising the use of ersatz (substitute) commodities, for example producing oil from coal.

However, the plan failed to reach its targets and soon turned to another method of bringing about autarky, invading other states and seizing their resources.

Essay Title: "To What Exten Did Nazi Foreign Policy Drive German Economic Policy"