Hitler's Foreign Policy: Race, Space, and World War II
This paper examines Chapter 3 of Gerhard L. Weinberg's Germany, Hitler, and World War II, focusing on the two ideological pillars that shaped Hitler's foreign policy: racial purity and territorial expansion (Lebensraum). The paper traces Hitler's stated goals — acquiring living space in the East, establishing an absolute dictatorship, and conducting a series of wars — alongside the diplomatic means he employed, including alliances with Italy and overtures to England. It concludes that Hitler was simultaneously explicit about his ambitions and tactically flexible in pursuit of them, a combination that ultimately triggered the Second World War.
- Introduction: Weinberg's two-part thesis: race and space
- Hitler's Goals: Racial purity, Lebensraum, and endless expansion
- Hitler's Means: War, dictatorship, and diplomatic alliances
- Conclusion: Race and space drove Hitler's path to WWII
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper maintains a clear analytical focus throughout, consistently returning to Weinberg's two core claims — race and space — as organizing principles rather than drifting into general historical narrative.
- It distinguishes between Hitler's goals and his means, giving the essay a logical two-part structure that mirrors strategic thinking and makes the argument easy to follow.
- Citations are specific and consistent, anchoring every major claim to a page reference in Weinberg's text, which strengthens credibility and demonstrates close reading.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective source-based analysis by paraphrasing Weinberg's arguments rather than merely quoting them, then synthesizing those paraphrases into a coherent interpretive summary. This shows the writer understands the difference between reporting what a source says and explaining what it means.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a brief introduction identifying Weinberg's two-part thesis. Two body sections then develop the argument — one covering Hitler's ideological goals (racial purity and Lebensraum) and one covering the practical means (war, dictatorship, and diplomacy with Italy and England). A concluding paragraph ties both threads together and contextualizes them within the outbreak of World War II. The bibliography closes the paper in standard format.
Introduction
Weinberg indicates in Chapter 3: "The World Through Hitler's Eyes" that the two driving factors of Hitler's view on foreign policy had to do with race and space — that is, the so-called Jewish problem (or the Aryan ideal) and the master plan for the expansion of Germany known as Lebensraum, the push to increase Germans' living space. Weinberg states that Hitler held a fixed view of the world, that it emanated from these two points, and that it was consistently articulated throughout the 1930s in Hitler's writings and discourses.1
Bibliography
Weinberg, Gerhard L. Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.