Blog 6: The Long-lasting Consequences of Foreign Policy

Source:

Hitler, Adolf. “Poland Will Be Depopulated and Settled With Germans.” Sources of European History Since 1900. Ed. Marvin Perry, Matthew Berg, and James Krukones. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 209-211. Print.

Summary:

This is a speech that Hitler gave to his generals on August 22, 1939.  In it, Hitler claims that “there are only three great statesmen in the world, Stalin, I and Mussolini” (210).  He calls Mussolini the weakest, and so he determines to “stretch out my hand to Stalin at the common German-Russian frontier and with him undertake to re-distribute the world.”  We know that the day after this speech the nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union was signed, which basically gave Hitler the go-ahead to invade Poland. 

Hitler’s speech makes the brutality of his plans blatantly obvious.  He says, “the goal to be obtained in the war [with Poland] is not that of reaching certain lines but of physically demolishing the opponent… Only thus can we gain the living space that we need.”  He then makes a very illuminating and poignant remark: “Who after all is today speaking about the destruction of the Armenians?”  Then, later, “The world believes only in success.”  His advice to his generals in their style of war is downright bloodthirsty: “Be hard, be without mercy, act more quickly and brutally than the others.  The citizens of Western Europe must tremble with horror.  That is the most human way of conducting a war.  For it scares the others off.”

My Opinion:

This speech makes very clear the long-lasting consequences of foreign policy.  Hitler had a very shrewd understanding of what the rest of Europe was (and wasn’t) prepared to do, and he exploited it in order to invade Poland with very little resistance.  Of course this officially started World War II, but the damage had already been done in Poland, and it would be some time before the Nazis could be slowed down. 

What I would like to focus on is Hitler’s comment, “Who after all is today speaking about the destruction of the Armenians?” and “The world believes only in success.”  Even today, people don’t really speak about what happened to the Armenians—I had only vaguely heard of it, and so I had to look it up in our book.  On pages 64-70 of Source of European History Since 1900, there is an account of “The Turkish Assault on Armenians”.  Basically it was genocide much like Hitler’s Final Solution conducted by the Turks during World War I.  Viewing the Armenians as subversive because of their “strong sense of identity—both as a distinct ethnic group and as a Christian religious community” (65).  The descriptions of Turkish methods bear strong resemblance to Hitler’s actions twenty years later.  Hitler was clearly influenced by this first genocide, and gained confidence from the fact that the Turks pretty much got away with it—again notice the comment that “the world believes only in success.” 

I believe that Europe’s lack of response to the Armenian’s plight directly led to Hitler’s confidence and brutality in Nazi Germany.  This begs the question—at what point should nations get involved in wars or atrocities that don’t involve them directly?  Is merely condemning them with words enough, or should force be exerted?  I think if enough nations come together, the show of strength may be enough to avoid war.  Hitler’s opinion of the Armenia situation shows that lack of action can be just as decisive as too much—it sets a dangerous precedent that can have massive repercussions later on.

We need to care about foreign policy.  Americans need to worry about what is going on in other nations.  With the world even more connected now than ever before, crimes against humanity shouldn’t be qualified by nationality—we should all be involved.  Those who talk about minding our own business should take care: today’s Armenia could be tomorrow’s World War III.