Related Issue 2: To what extent should national interest be pursued?

- National interest (Delpercio’s interpretation): To what extent should

a country/nation/nation-state do only what is in their best interest?

Aspects of National Interest

On a test, given something and have to say which it falls under

1. Economic (money)
2. Safety and Security
3. Beliefs and values

If another country attacked Canada, safety and security

Peacekeepers sent to a country = beliefs and values (belief and value of
peace)

Domestic Policy: deals with policies within Canada

- Unemployment rate, jobs, taxes

Foreign Policy: Canada’s policies with other countries

- International treaties, trade agreements, wars

Immigration, refugee: domestic and foreign

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

- A country’s border does not stop at the coastline
- A country can claim sovereignty over 22.2 km beyond its coasts and
370 km under the sea

Arctic Sovereignty
 - This is a present-day problem for Canada and it remains unresolved
- 5 countries (Russia, Canada, Denmark, the US, and Norway) have
legitimate claims over the Arctic

Because of climate change, ice in the Arctic has been melting, providing
opportunities that had not existed previously
- Polar cap melting and global climate change have led to a renewed
interest in a northwest passage (Columbus Days)
- Whichever country has control of the Northwest Passage is going to
be very rich (they can force people to pay for passage)

As well, there is a lot of oil underneath the Arctic seabed

- Modern technology is making it easier to drill oil underneath the
Arctic seabed
- Whoever controls it will be very rich

2007, Russia was the first to claim sovereignty over the Arctic
- They planted a flag underneath the Arctic ocean
- The Canadian PM at the time was Stephen Harper
- Following this action with Russia, he took action to strengthen the
Canadian claim over the Arctic
- He created a new military branch in Canada: Arctic Rangers
- Second, the creation of deep water ports under the Arctic
where Canadian Naval Ships could dock
- However, some people argued this was still not enough and Canada
needed to do more otherwise the Arctic would be lost

There has been the creation of an international Arctic organisation to deal

with Arctic Sovereignty
- Canada is a part of this, but the debate is whether Canada should
follow the wishes of the Arctic Council or should Canada pursue its
own national interests.
 Causes of World War I

● This is a very clear example of when countries pursue their own

national interests to the extent that it lead to the first World War
● World War I began July 1914 - they believed by Christmas they
would be home

Long Term Causes - there were 4 MAIN long term causes

1. Militarism: Every country in Europe had built up its military to the

extent that not only did they believe they would win any future war
but they would win quickly and painlessly (with very few casualties)
- Painless victory
Not only did they have better tactics, but better weapons
2. Alliances: There were two main alliances that had been created even
before the war had started (alliance system before war)
3. Imperialism: All European countries saw how Britain became
powerful because of its colonies; they all wanted to establish their
own empires and colonies
- Germany called it their Place in the Sun
4. Nationalism: all European countries believed it was their destiny to
take over the entire continent. Not only did they have the most
modern army, but they are ethnically superior, racially superior, and
they would take over the entire continent.

Triple Entente (French word, begin with France) - France, Britain,

Russia
- Key to this Alliance was France and Russia
- Both countries bordered Germany
- Everyone knew war was going to be against Germany
- France and Russia agreed that whatever country Germany
attacked first, the other country would attack Germany from
the other side
 - Germany’s biggest weakness was a two front war

Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

What was missing was a short term cause/a spark/an immediate crisis
that would make war unavoidable

● Referred to as the Balkan Powder Keg (the short term cause)

- Keg: filled with alcohol; filled with explosives in this case
- Balkans: central European countries

● At the time, this area was dominated by the Austria-Hungarian

Empire
● It was a multi-ethnic, religion
○ You could see different ethnicities in the region (Slovanians,
Austrians, Albanians, etc)
○ There were very different religions - Catholic, Orthodox
Christians, Muslims

● Some of these groups did not want to be a part of the

Austrian-Hungarian Empire
○ They wanted to exercise self determination, but Austria
Hungarian Empire did not allow this
● This was especially the case with Serbians
○ Serbians the bordered Serbia living in Austria-Hungary were
being treated like second class citizens
● The strongest support for Serbian independence was in the city of
Sarajevo
○ As a show of strength, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Archduke of
Austria-Hungary [equivalent to prince]) and his wife visited
the city of Sarajevo and were going to drive around the city
○ During their drive, June 1914, they were assassinated by
Gavrilo Princip
 ○ Gavrilo Princip was a Serbian and was part of a Serbian
independence movement called Black Hand
■ Russia and Serbia were strong allies; Austria-Hungary
would go to war with Russia and Serbia
● Austria-Hungary was aware of this alliance and asks Germany how
much support they could expect from them if they want to war with
Russia
○ Germany’s response was a blank cheque
○ If Austria-Hungary went to war with Russia, Germany would
give them unconditional support
● Austria-Hungary gave an ultimatum to Serbia
○ They do all they say (all 7?) or they will go to war
● Ultimatum was not meant and it meant war and the alliance system
kicked in

Beginning of World War I

Germany’s solution to a two-front war was the Schlieffen Plan

Schlieffen Plan: Germany will first focus on invading France

● France was modernised, Russia was not
● They would first focus on France by going through the neutral
country of Belgium
● Once Paris has been captured and France has surrendered,
Germany will then switch its focus to Russia (Eastern front)

* The main thing for Germany is speed *

- They need to get to France quickly, if they get stuck in a war
with France it’ll then become a two front war

August 1914 - The Schlieffen Plan was unleashed, World War 1 (The Great
War) began
- When “Home by Christmas” began
Decades before, Britain signed an agreement with Belgium protecting
Belgium neutrality
● Britain used this as an excuse (protecting Germany neutrality) to
enter the war
● When Britain declared war, all of its former colonies (Australia, New
Zealand, Africa, Canada) all entered the war

When the war began, Italy switched alliances

● Triple Alliance -> Triple Entente
● They signed the Treaty of London
○ Britain and France promised Italy the area of Trieste if they
won the war

Western Front

* In relation to Germany’s location *

Germany was bogged down/stuck in a stalemate (they weren’t winning

but they were not losing)
● The Western Front was famous for trench warfare
● It's not that Germany was losing, but they were not having clear
victories

Both sides, Germany, French, Brits were using outdated tactics and they
were not fully appreciating the power of new modern weapons

Life in the trenches was horrible. Not only were the soldiers dealing with
death, lack of food, rats, lice, constant bombardment leading to
shellshock (PTSD)

The worst example of trench warfare was the Battle of Verdun

 ● 750,000 soldiers were killed (both sides combined) and no land was
claimed and no one was winning
● It is a War of Attrition on the western front
○ Massive loss of life

The Germans come up with a new weapon that they believe will break the
stalemate: the use of chemical weapons/chemical bombs (mustard gas,
chlorine)
● It is first used in the Battle of Ypres and just by bad luck it was
Canadian troops that were the first to encounter it

Canada in World War I

One of the most tragic events for Canada did NOT happen in the battle
field

December 1917: Halifax Explosion

● A ship carrying ammunition heading towards Europe accidentally
crashed into another ship just off the coast of Halifax
● 3000 tons of ammo blew up, entire city of Halifax was levelled, 1600
people were immediately killed, 9000 were injured

Fighting a war is very $$$ (expensive), paying soldiers, giving them food,
providing clothes, medical services and pension.

At first Canada was paying for the war out of its general revenues, but it
was not enough money. It then used posters for Canadians to buy Victory
Bonds.
● It was a form of propaganda, but it went to the war

When the Victory Bonds did not raise enough money, for the first time in
Canadian history, income tax was introduced in Canada.
 ● It was supposed to be temporary – once the war was over this
income tax was supposed to be removed
● It was not removed and is still in place today

Propaganda posters were used throughout World War I. At first Canada

was an all volunteer army. It encouraged men to enlist in the army.

Reasons for the Propaganda Posters

1. To raise $$$
2. To encourage people to enlist in the army
3. To ration
● People in Canada were encouraged to eat less food
● Most of the food would be directed to soldiers in the front line
The final reason for propaganda posters in Canada was to dehumanise
the enemy

* Look back on Conscription Crisis notes *

Even before World War I, Canada was encouraging immigration from

Europe to settle Western Canada. Specifically targeted were people from
Ukraine.

The Minister of Immigration was Clifford Sifton (1890’s)

● He specifically targeted Ukrainians because they were viewed as
being white, and just as important they were farmers
● They have also worked in Canada’s type of climate (latitude thing)
○ Similar soil, weather

The problem was in World War I, Ukraine was fighting against Canada’s
ally (Triple Entente). They were fighting once again for independence.
Now the Canadian government viewed Ukrainian Canadians as possible
terrorists. For the first time the Canadian government used the War
Measures Act
● It labelled Ukrainian-Canadians as enemy aliens
● Ukrainian-Canadian males were arrested for no reason and placed
into internment camps
○ They would do labour like railroad work etc.

At the end of the war, not a single Ukrainian-Canadian was ever charged
with a crime. In 2008, the Canadian government officially apologised to
Ukrainian-Candians for the internment camps.

Canada on the Battlefield

Canada is remembered for fighting major wars in WWI

Some included:
- Battle of Ypres
- Passchendaele
- Sommes

However, the most famous battle Canada fought in WWI was the Battle of
Vimy Ridge.
● It was a German stronghold
● They had held this from the beginning of WWI and many have tried
to take this back but everyone failed
● 3600 Canadian soldiers died

Previously, Canadian soldiers did not fight as a single unit. They were
interspersed with British soldiers.
* For the first time Canadian soldiers fought as a single unit; as a
single country *
It was such an important victory for the alliances that France gave the
land to Canada, and Canada built the Vimy Ridge monument. Many
people argue this is where Canada earned its independence. This has
become a story of national myth for Canada

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There were a number of new inventions during the war. There were
machine guns, tanks used at the end of the war, and planes.

The number 1 pilot in World War I was the Red Baron (Billy Bishop), he
was third overall in victories.

Eastern Front WWI

The first major battle on the Eastern Front was the Battle of Tannenberg
- This was NOT trench warfare

It was wide open fighting, lots of movement, and to Germany’s surprise

Germany was winning to the extent that they moved away from the
Schlieffen Plan.
- They were now going to focus on defeating Russia first and
maintaining a stalemate on the Western Front

Why was Russia doing so poorly?

1. They did not industrialise

● It did not have the factories to support a modern army
● Soldiers did not have guns, food, proper uniforms, and at the
same time, people in Russian cities were starving (food
shortages)
 2. The political turmoil
● Russia was under czars, they did not have kings
● Czar at the time was Nicolas II
● Even before the war had begun, the ideas of Karl Marx had
become popular in Russia. His ideas were about communism,
and the goal of economic equality: no rich no poor everyone is
economically equal

January 1905 (Before WWI): Russians rushed to the Czar’s winter palace
asking for his help
● Long hours, no pay, food shortages they were not able to feed their
families

His response was to send in the army and fire upon the crowd. The bond
between the people and the Czar was broken.

At the same time, Russia was in the Triple Entente. When Germany
invaded France first, Russia was obligated to attack from the east.
However, the vast majority of Russians were against the war. By 1917,
Russians were protesting in cities to end the war.
- Riots broke out and the Czar was overthrown
- A provisional (temporary) government was announced, however
they would keep Russia in the war

Vladimir Lenin: he had been kicked out of the country for trying to kill the
Czar. He was a follower of Karl Marx.
● Lenin and his followers are known as Bolsheviks. They have a
specific interpretation of Karl Marx’s ideologies and communism
● With the help of Germany, Lenin snuck back into Russia
Lenin’s slogan: “Peace, Land and Bread.”

November 1917: Second Russian Revolution AKA the Bolshevik Revolution

● The provisional government was overthrown
● Lenin became the new leader of Russia
 ● First thing he did was pull Russia out of WWI in the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk
○ Russia surrendered, lost land, people. Only thing Russia gained
was their end to WWI

**Germany looks on the path of winning the war because they now
have a single front war**

The United States

From the beginning of the war, a majority of Americans were against the
US entering the war
● U.S President at the time: Woodrow Wilson, promised US was not
going to enter the war

However, two events changed American opinion. During WWI, Germany

was facing the same issues as Napoleon. Germany could defeat Britain on
land, but the British Navy was still the best in the world; they could not
touch the navy. However, Germany had a new invention, submarines or U
boats

Germany announced to the world unrestricted submarine warfare

- Any ships sailing two or from Britain could be sunk

1st Event

May 1915: British passenger ship was sunk by the Germans killing 1198
people including 128 Americans

2nd Event

January 1917, Zimmermann Telegram: Britain intercepted this telegram

from the German foreign minister to Mexico.
 ● The main message: Germany would support Mexico in its invasion of
US from the south
Following this telegram, a vast majority of Americans supported the U.S’s
entry into WWI with the U.S on the side of the allies. It changed the tide
of the war.
● U.S President Wilson famously said: “[The U.S will enter the war]...to
make the world safe for democracy.”

Once the U.S entered, Woodrow Wilson came up with 14 points known as
Wilson’s 14 points
● Any peace agreement with Germany should be based off of these
14 points

Major ones
1. No secret alliances
2. Self-determination
- People in a region should be allowed to decide for themselves
if they want independence, if they want to join a country
3. The creation of an international organisation where disputes
between countries could be resolved peacefully
- Where idea for the UN came

** The main goal of these 14 points was to have a just and fair treaty
that does not punish Germany **

End of WWI

November 11th, 1918 - 11AM: an Armistice was signed to immediately

stop the fighting
- Temporary agreement, NOT a peace treaty
This armistice was signed in the French city of Compiègne in a railway
cart
Germany signed this armistice with the belief that the final peace treaty
would be based off of Wilson’s 14 points

Peace Talks

Negotiations for the final peace treaty were in Paris and they began
January 1919 until May 1919
- It was attended by the winning allies: Italy, France, U.S, UK
- Germany was NOT there they were not invited
It will not be a fair and just treaty that will single out and punish Germany

Each Countrys’ goals

US: Fair and just treaty, 14 points

For Wilson: Creation of an international organisation that resolves
disputes
● You joined when you sign the treaty
● Extreme fair and just

France: Punish Germany severely and harshly, Germany to pay for the
entire cost of war, pensions for injured and dead soldiers
● Germany will no longer exist as a country
● France will get its revenge for Prussian-Franco War
Problem for France: most of the war happened in French soil; Germany
leaves the war in a better state than France
● France is afraid if Germany invades again they will win
● Extreme punishment

British: initially sided with the US, problem was they are going to have an
election
● Newspapers are demanding for British government to get
something from Germany to make up for all the sacrifices Britain
made during the war
The British government then changed their stance and sided with the
French
● They are going to make Germany surrender entire naval army

Italy: they want what was promised to them in Treaty of London

Treaty of Versailles: signed June 1919

Was the final peace agreement to end World War I

Specific Terms in the Treaty

1. War-guilt clause
● Germany accepts full responsibility for starting World War I
● Because Germany accepts full responsibility, they must pay
reparations
○ They’d have to pay the allies (France & Britain) $33
billion in reparations
2. Military restrictions on the German military
● The German army could only have 100,000 soldiers
● No tanks, no airforce
● Its navy would have to be handed over to Britain and they
could never have subs
3. Loss of territory
● Germany lost all of its colonies
● Alsace-Lorraine (province) was given to France
● Rhineland, province bordering France, had to be demilitarised
○ No soldiers at this province
● Sudetenland was given to the new country of Czechoslovakia
○ Majority of people were Germans
● Polish Corridor - land that allows Polish access to the sea
● Anschluss - it was written in the Treaty of Versailles that
Germany could never unite with Austria
Who is happy with this treaty? Not a single country - maybe France, but
not really

U.S: The U.S views this as overly harsh

● Highest reparations ever
● Believes it's not fair
Went against Woodrow’s 14 points
● It went against the idea of self-determination
○ People of Sudetanland wanted to be apart of Germany

Why did Woodrow agree to these terms? He agrees with it because all
countries that sign on to the treaty agree to join in a new international
organisation that would be called The League of Nations (The UN now)
● He believed any flaw in the Treaty of Versailles could be resolved
within The League of Nations

*** Ironically, the U.S never joined the League of Nations. Not only do
they not join, they do not sign the Treaty of Versailles ***

In the U.S, all international treaties must be approved by a ⅔ majority in

congress. Congress at the time feared that by signing the treaty and
joining the League of Nations, they would be automatically entering
future wars.

From this point on the U.S followed a policy of Isolationism and this
became the downfall of the League of Nations.
U.S became strongest country after WWI and yet did not join the League
of Nations, denying the League a military force to enforce its decisions

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France: they are NOT happy with the treaty despite them signing
● France wanted it to be more harsh, they believed that it was too
lenient
● They wanted Germany to pay more reparations
● They did not want Germany to exist as a country
France signed as it was a take it or leave it decision, and they were not
stable enough to continue the war

Italy: they felt betrayed by the treaty, they did get Trieste but they
wanted more
● They felt the promises made by the Treaty of London that were not
upheld
They did not sign the treaty

Britain: also not happy with the treaty, but they do get entire German
Fleet and they do have buyer’s remorse about the Treaty of Versailles
● They feared the Treaty was too harsh
● They feel it will leave France in a position of too much power (they
like balanced power)

Germany: the treaty is signed by “Weimar Republic” - German

government after WWI - on behalf of Germany
● Before and during WWI they had a dictator, he fled when he
realised Germany was gonna lose
● Weimar Republic was Germany’s first attempt at democracy
● Why do they agree to the harsh terms? They either sign or France
gets its way
○ Weimar Republic was aware that Germany was stable and
most battles occurred on French soil

Canada: they signed the Treaty but under Britain. However a big
accomplishment for Canada was its own seat for the League of Nations.
WHERE TEST ENDS YIPPEE
Test: Arctic Sovereignty -> End of Treaty of Versailles
At the end, no one was happy with the Treaty. A French diplomat famously
said immediately after signing the treaty “This is not a peace. It is an
armistice for twenty years.”
● Foreshadows what will happen in 1939 (WWII)

Interwar Years (wont be on Friday’s Test)

Still RI2

Time period between end of WWI and beginning of WWII. This time
period is studied because it was during a time where dictators merged

Techniques of Dictators

1. Symbolism Pageantry
● Its steeped in symbolism and pageantry
● Swastika, Nazi rallies, book burnings

2. Fear and Terror

● People are afraid to oppose the dictator
● There are secret police everywhere spying on citizens
● Expectation is loyalty to the dictator above all else, even
greater than loyalty to family

3. Indoctrination, brainwashing, propaganda

● All media is controlled, but not limited to media
● Schools, workplaces, churches all sending the same message
of obedience

4. Controlled Participation
 ● Surprisingly they have elections, however they are told how to
vote, who to vote for, and most importantly there is no secret
ballot
● The main goal is to give the illusion or appearance of
democracy

5. Direction of Popular
Discontent/Scapegoating/Tokenism/Xenophobia
● For Hitler, Jewish people

Italy After WWI

They have been completely devastated by WWI

● Economies were in shambles
● No jobs
● Food shortages
● Families were struggling to provide for their families and for their
children
● There was a real threat of a communist revolution
○ Communism was appealing to impoverished Italians
● Streets were violent, fights with communists

At the same time, Italy was trying democracy for the first time and
democracy was failing. It was not helping people in their time of need. It
was slow, corrupt

Mussolini

He was initially a newspaper writer. He argued all of Italy’s problems were

because of betrayal at the Treaty of Versailles. Rather than democracy,
what Italy needed was a single strong leader.
 ● He started his own political party and he is the first to use the term
Fascism
○ Fascism: strong right-wing ideology, one leader, extreme
devotion to one's country, nation, nation-state

Ideology: Social Darwinism - survival of the fittest

● He is against pacifism
● He is against internationalism
● Italy as a major world power
● A restoration of Italian pride, a return to past glory, rebuilding the
Roman Empire
○ Traditional family values, patriarchy - women staying in the
house, caring for children

He has his own militia - a private military called The Blackshirts

- They are most loyal to Mussolini, Italy second
- They were thugs - violent, they’d target anyone who opposed
Mussolini, specifically communists
- They were mostly made up of WWI soldiers who had fought for Italy

October 1922: Mussolini believed the time was right to violently overthrow
the democratically elected Italian government. Him and the blackshirts
march on the city of Rome (March on Rome)

Italy had a constitutional monarchy (they had a king) at the time who
could have sent in the Italian army. The Italian army outnumbered the
Blackshirts and would’ve easily defeated them. The king did not send in
the Italian army. He believed he could work with Mussolini to fight against
the real threat of Italy: communists
● Mussolini was named prime minister
Reasons for Mussolini’s Popularity with Italians

1. The Lateran Treaty

● Italy was a relatively young country
● When Italy unified in 1871, the last holdout was the Papal
States
○ Papal States was the Catholic Church

● The Catholic Church feared if Italy unified, they’d lose power,

be swallowed up, lose prestige

● Vast majority of Italians were Catholics

○ They were torn between loyalty to their religion and
loyalty to their country
Mussolini with the Lateran Treaty resolved this conflict
● It was resolved with the creation of the Vatican City (it is
called a state within a state)
○ It is an independent state
○ In exchange, Catholic Church would no longer oppose
Italian unification
2. He got them back to work
● Building roads bridges, massive construction while the rest of
the world struggled in a great depression, Italy was
prosperous
3. Fear
● Anyone who opposed Mussolini, their life would be at risk
○ Giacomo Matteotti was an Italian politician who spoke
against Musolini was not only killed by the Blackshirts
but the men who killed him were found innocent in court
4. Restoration of Italian Pride
Italians felt betrayed by the Treaty of Versailles
● Mussolini promised to never let this happen again
● He promised to turn Italy into a major world power
5. A Return to Past Glory
He also promised to rebuild the Roman Empire to bring glory to Italy

Germany After WWI

It was in a worse position than Italy. Immediately after the war, it was in
a complete civil war (before Hitler)
- Far right vs far left (communists)
Germans have no work, food shortages, out of control inflation, people
can’t provide for families, children and families are starving. Communism
was appealing?

Germans has an easy scapegoat - the Treaty of Versailles

● They think it's too harsh

***The reparations destroyed the German economy***

A way to determine value of currency is supply and demand

● When Germany decided to print off more money to pay reparations,
it substantially decreased the value of their currency

Example: 1918 - 0.63 cents/mark for bread

Nov. 1923 - 201,000,000,000 marks for same loaf
Same value

This is called hyperinflation. It got to a point where Germany stopped

paying reparations completely.

France was relying for Germany on reparations to rebuild after the war

1923: France invaded the German province called the Ruhr

● Its built on iron and coal (they’ll steal their resources)

● This was a foreign invasion
The U.S got involved and they wanted to avoid another war
● They came up with Dawes Plan
○ They would give Germany money, Germany would use this
money to first stabilise its currency, and second to start again
paying off its reparations
● It worked, France withdrew from Ruhr and Germany started paying
its reparations again
● In fact it was such a success that U.S would allow Germany to
spread out its payment through 50 years and it was renamed The
Young Plan
The problem is going to become the Great Depression
● Once it hits, U.S stops the loans and Germany goes back to
hyperinflation

Adolf Hitler - Born April 20th, 1889 in Austria

As a student, Hitler was a painter. Hitler got rejected by some art school in
Vienna. During WWI, he joined the German army NOT the Austrian army.

Like many German soldiers, he believed in the myth that Germany had
been stabbed in the back by the German government, that the German
army was on the path of winning the war until the German government
betrayed them

Like many other German soldiers, Hitler was disillusioned. He eventually

joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and the acronym is
Nazi
● Hitler is NOT a socialist
● This was a fascist party, extreme right wing, extreme devotion to
one's country
Hitler began to give speeches for the National Socialists and they started
to become very popular in Germany. Hitler was a volksgeist - the spirit of
the people.
In his speeches, he blames the Treaty of Versailles, the Weimar Republic
and Communists.

Hitler also had his own militia called the Brownshirts; same notes as
Mussolini’s blackshirts: thugs, ex-soldiers from the war
- KNOWN THEM AS SA or Brownshirts
- Greater devotion to Hitler than to Germany
The leader of the SA and friend to Hitler was Ernst Röhm

November 1923 - Beer Hall Putsch

*Putsch is German for Coup d'etat and it means overthrow of
government*

He attempts to overthrow the government using Musolini’s techniques

● It was a complete failure, he is arrested and he is charged with
treason - 9 months in jail
● He writes a book called “Mein Kampf” - my struggle
● The book contained Hitler’s ideology:
1. A return to past glory
○ Creation of a Third Reich - Reich = German empire
○ It would be the best empire the world had ever seen, it
would last 1000 years
2. Autarky - self-sufficiency with natural resources
● Germany’s main weakness was a lack of natural
resources
● For this third reich, they need self-sufficiency with their
natural resources, especially oil - they do not have their
own
3. Lebensraum - translates to German space
 ● Germany is going to expand and will move east; Poland,
Russia
● There is oil and natural resources East
4. Social Darwinism
● Survival of the fittest - has a clear connection to fascist
ideologies
● War for the sake of war: war is not something to be
scared of, to avoid
5. Racial superiority
● Blonde hair, blue eyes - superiority of the Aryan race
(but Hitler ain’t have it)
● He viewed other races as inferior; Slavic people
(Russians, Polish), Romani people (gypsies), Africans, the
fruits, people with disabilities
● When Germany expands, they need to eliminate these
inferior races
● Jewish people were a big target, but there were others
6. Hatred
● With the Treaty of Versailles it is an example of a failure
of internationalism
● Germany should not be apart of negotiations, treaties,
etc
● Also Weimar Republic and what it represents - he hates
Democracy and is anti-democratic
● Hatred to Communists and Jewish people
7. Traditional Family Values
● Aryans should have lots of children
● Patriarchy - male dominated society
○ Women staying home, raising children, men
working etc etc misogynistic shit
● Everyone outside norm - gays lesbians fruits - eliminated
When Hitler was released from prison, even though he hated democracy,
he now changed tactics
● No longer would use violence, but he would work within the system,
he would work with democracy to gain power

The problem for Hitler: the German economy from 1925-1929 was doing
well (Dawes Plan)

There is a direct relationship between the German economy and the

popularity of Hitler and the Nazi party. When the economy is doing well,
the Nazi party had very few seats in the Reichstag
1928: >1 000,000 Germans out of work - Nazi’s had 12 seats in the
Reichstag

In fact the Nazi party was so unpopular it was on the verge of

bankruptcy. This was when the Nazis found a new ally to financially
support them.
The new ally: major U.S corporations - Coca Cola, Esso (the gas station),
IBM (computers), Ford & GM - cars

Why would they support Hitler? Their common enemy is Communists. As

long as Hitler continues to fight Communists, these corporations would
financially support Hitler. When people are in poor economic conditions
and overall well-being, they tend to attract towards

However, when the Great Depression hit, the German economy once
again collapsed
1932: 5 Million Germans out of work - 196 seats for Nazi party
The Nazis had a minority government
January 1933: Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany (Prime minister
pretty much)
● The problem for Hitler, he wanted more power
● What he needed was a crisis where the German people would fear
for their lives and turn to Hitler as a strong leader to keep them safe
February 1933: Hitler got the crisis he wanted, the Recihstag was
purposefully set on fire, causing fear and panic amongst Germany
● Hitler blamed Communists
● He argued it was a Communist plot to start a Communist revolution
in Germany

***Hitler used this event to his advantage and passed the Reichstag
Fire Decree***
● It gave the Germany government extraordinary powers
● German freedom and rights were suspended
● People could be jailed indefinitely without being charged a specific
crime

Anyone a member or leader of Communist party is jailed/arrested. At the

same time, Hitler called an immediate election. He believes this will get
him the majority government he needed
● They win 288 seats out of 600
Although the Nazi party won the most seats, they still only had a minority
government. However, the first law Hitler passed was called the Enabling
Act
● This gave Hitler dictatorial powers
○ Strikes and protests were illegal
○ Newspapers that criticised Hitler are shutdown
○ Any law Hitler wants to pass becomes law

Another characteristic of any dictator is they do not trust anyone; not

even their friends
June 1934: Night of the Long Knives

Hitler had the leaders of the Brownshirts/SA killed including Ernst Rǒhm
Hitler needed the loyalty of the German military, Germany military
world-renowned, fought against Napoleon, Hitler needed their support