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
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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
Hitler's Goals
Weinberg argues that Hitler believed the space Germany required was primarily in the East, in Russia. This belief was a major aspect of his foreign policy and was emphasized in his book Mein Kampf.2 The war that came about at the end of the 1930s was a result of this belief. As Weinberg puts it, Hitler acknowledged that wars resulted in casualties but argued they were necessary for gaining land essential to the racial survival of the German people. Weinberg states that Hitler believed wars should be fought for a significant purpose — such as acquiring a substantial amount of land — and considered the German borders of 1914 entirely inadequate for this purpose.3 Weinberg also asserts that Hitler's expansionist program had a potentially limitless character, envisioning a long-term trend toward world conquest, with the idea that space should be adjusted to an ever-expanding population, implying an ongoing cycle of conquest and expansion.4
As Weinberg puts it, the whole of Hitler's energy was bound up with this idea of expansion, sacrifice, and racial purity. He argues that Hitler promised to lead Germany as an absolute dictator through a series of wars. Hitler was explicit about his intentions, stating that he had enough energy to lead the German people in shedding blood — not merely for boundary adjustments, but for securing enough land and space for the nation's distant future. His vision was to acquire land that would compensate many times over for the bloodshed it would entail. For that to happen, Hitler would need power. Weinberg posits that Hitler confidently promised his followers that once in power he would implement a forceful dictatorship in Germany, and that he did not shy away from this ambition. Weinberg says Hitler's plan included the strengthening of Germany's military capabilities following the elimination of its republican structures and ideologies, and that he intended to guide the nation as an unquestioned dictator through a succession of wars that would help him achieve his goals.5
Thus, according to Weinberg, Hitler's goals were to preserve the racial purity of Germans and to obtain enough land for them — primarily in the East — so that they could have a sustainable future. These were the motivating factors behind Hitler's ambitions. Weinberg points to Hitler's discussions and writings as the primary sources for this argument.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Hitler's goals for Germany, as outlined in Chapter 3 of Germany, Hitler, and World War II by Gerhard L. Weinberg, revolved around two interrelated concepts: race and space. He believed in the racial superiority of the Germanic people and interpreted world history in terms of racial struggle. Hitler's foreign policy was driven by a doctrine of acquiring Lebensraum — living space — particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia, which he deemed necessary for the survival and expansion of the German race. He envisioned that this expansion would involve the displacement or extermination of non-Germanic peoples in those territories.
Hitler's foreign policy was aggressively expansionist and militaristic, aiming to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and establish Germany as a dominant world power — an approach that ultimately led to the instigation of World War II. According to Weinberg, Hitler was both explicit and surreptitious in his methods: he openly stated his desire for a dictatorship and his belief that war would be needed to achieve his aims, yet he also pursued diplomatic channels to win allies. He aligned with Mussolini's Italy, but ultimately failed to win over the United Kingdom despite offering them what they sought in the form of treaties.
Bibliography
Weinberg, Gerhard L. Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
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