Paper 2 Essay

"Evaluate the successes and failures of one ruler of a single party state"


     While it can generally be agreed upon that Hitler was the most powerful and charismatic leader that Germany had ever seen, his failures in foreign policy undermined everything that he had successfully established domestically.
     Hitler was very capable of keeping order within the Reich through use of the SS, Gestapo, and enacting certain laws. The very moment Hitler had taken power, he began to enact laws of an anti-Semitic nature. Laws were created preventing Jews from owning and operation businesses. The Gestapo was in charge of finding Jews and forcing them to wear golden stars at all times. This was used as a way to make it more efficient to fill the concentration camps, as that anyone wearing a golden star, purple triangle (homosexuals), or brown triangle (gypsies), was rounded up and placed in the concentration camps. Hitler's implementation of the process forced the concentration camps to become so over run, that they had to be upgraded to outright death camps, such as Treblinka, where a gas chamber was installed that could accommodate 2000 people.
     Hitler's merging of the S.S. with the S.A. had a profound affect on those that weren't affiliated with the Nazis. The S.S. had a regular habit of using spies to gain information as to the activities of other groups. One was never completely sure as to whom one could trust in Nazi Germany. The Edelweiss Pirates were among the largest of the fringe opposition groups and gained a certain notoriety of being able to escape the S.S.. In 1944, Goering ordered a massive crackdown on all similar groups and as a result the leaders of the Edelweiss Pirates were hung.
     Hitler's invasion of the Sudetenland marked a change in goals for Hitler and his Reich. The idea of lebensraum, or living-space, was one of the central columns of Hitler's philosophy and his promise to gain it is what helped him get elected Chancellor. Hitler had surrounded himself with some of the best generals Germany had at the time, so one would assume foreign policy should have been well maintained; which it had been, until 1941.
     Hitler's first series of battles came with the invasion of France. Hitler had spent quite a bit of time and money rebuilding Germany's army, and as a result easily won. Hitler's first set back came when the Luftwaffe were not able to defeat RAF forces in what became known as the "Battle for Britain". This marked the end of Hitler's western expansion. When German troops invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941; Hitler had opened up what is known as a two-front war. Because of Germany's position in central Europe, her borders are extremely vulnerable. Historically, Germany has never been able to rally enough troops to sustain a two-front war and it has always led to her undoing. It was widely agreed upon that this reason was the main cause of Germany's loss in WWI, so it can be assumed that Hitler's generals were aware of the dangers of declaring war on the Soviet Union. The main reason as to why Hitler's foreign policy was so disastrous was Hitler's constant overriding of his generals orders and advice. Hitler thought himself to be the better military leader, even though he had very little if any tactical training or experience. These series of errors is exactly what allowed the Red Army to march into Germany and eventually take control of Berlin in 1945.
     Had Hitler been able to no open up a two-front war, it is quite possible that the Soviet invasion could have been stayed off long enough for Germany to secure the western border and relocate more troops towards the eastern front; possibly being able to turn the tide of the battles with the already ill-equipped Soviet troops. While Hitler was able to control Germany, his failure to be able to extend his domestic policies to include all the newly gained territory, is what ultimately led him to the failure of his ultimate goal of establishing a stable Nazi Reich in all of Europe.