"Since the war the general view of the causes of the Second World War (the "Nuremberg Thesis") was that Hitler had wanted war, planned in detail for war and had launched the war. He was supported by other Nazis but not by the German people, who were innocent bystanders or victims of the Nazi regime.
Taylor broke with this consensus and the five main themes of his book are that foreign policy is determined by reasons of state and the necessity of reacting to foreign threats, rather than driven by internal politics such as economic or ideological factors.
Secondly, Hitler possessed strategic goals but no thought-out grand scheme as to how and when these goals would be achieved.
Thirdly, Hitler's goals were the same as those of other German politicians such as Gustav Stresemann.
Fourthly, Hitler was an opportunist, taking advantage of events provided by the French and British governments, rather than working according to a timetable.
Fifthly, in destroying the Treaty of Versailles and invading Poland, Hitler had the support of the German people."
No comments:
Post a Comment