Was Nazi foreign policy from 1933- to the outbreak of war predominantly dictated by Hitler’s racial views?
In recent years, there has been considerable agreement amongst historians of the Third Reich that ideology was fundamental to the shaping of Nazi policies after 1933. They argue that it was the basic ingredients of Nazi ideology – a belief in racial purity, in the importance of balancing population, resources and soil, and the necessity of acquiring ‘living space’ in the East – which made Hitler’s foreign policy so dynamic and so difficult to combat. The domestic and foreign policies of the Third Reich are now seen as two sides of the same coin. The main aim of domestic policies – which involved strengthening and purifying the German race – was to secure the successful implementation of an expansionist foreign policy. As Hitler instructed a group of Reichswehr commanders soon after coming to power, in January 1933, it was necessary for them all to work together for ‘the conquest and ruthless Germanisation of new living space in the East.’ Lots more at the link if you’re interested!
The people closest to Hitler reported that one of his favourite stories was regarding his foreign minister Von Ribbentrop. It was decided that to celebrate 10 years of Ribbentrop’s diplomacy his workers decided to present him with a small chest with all the treaties he had negotiated on scrolls inside. However his staff discovered that they could not find any treaty that Ribbentrop had negotiated which Hitler had not broken. Hitler thought this was hilarious, and gives an insight into his foreign policy. It was simply a device to stall opposition to what he planned to do, which was racially motivated.
