this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
11 points (78.9% liked)

AskHistorians

679 readers
2 users here now

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
all 12 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It's likely that Hitler viewed what we call WW2 (as in, the period of Allies/Axis fighting between 1939-1945) as just a stage of a much larger war against non-Aryans. Lebensbraum ("living space"), realized as territorial expansions, was the core belief of Nazism and tied directly with their ideas of racial superiority. Hitler & co. considered it their right to take land from the untermensch of the world.

[I originally typed out about 700 other words here, got way too off topic, and realized most of what I wasn't relevant.]

It's also worth mentioning that Hitler was pretty amped on amphetamines for most of the "World War 2" chapter of his life. His ideas for post-war Germany were... childlike, in a way, unoriginal, unrealized, and broad. You'd struggle to find many sources who can say with much specificity "After the war, Hitler wanted X,Y, but not Z." Broadly speaking, most of Hitler's thoughts on a post-WW2 world (because there was no scenario where Nazism Germany hadn't become the dominant world superpower) involved an impenetrable Nazi German Empire making up the bulk of central Europe, with neighboring territories acting subservient to Germany. Inside that empire, life would be pretty similar to German society on the eve of the war: extreme racial social stratification and compulsory/instructed nationalism.

Oh yeah and he wanted to build a bunch of huge buildings

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Well I thank you for typing all this out and answering a qustion but I think I would love to read the 700 word things....no sarcasm.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago

Well indirectly at least we got the Red Cross and the Autobahn from him or his underlings.

[–] ephrin 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yes. He planned to exterminate not only the Jews, but also the Slavs and Poles in Eastern Europe and to then move in “aryans” to colonize. The whole point of invading East into the USSR was to create “lebensraum” or “living space” for the Germans.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

But no grand plans if he defeated everybody?

[–] ephrin 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What do you mean by grand plans?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Like all dictators have like a vision or or something for the future after the war ends.

[–] ephrin 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Do they? Give me some examples.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

umm lets see Mommar Gadfi had and evisioned to rule till he died. Jim Jones wanted to create a state where he could rule. Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Husein plenty of others and yes they had a vision I am just asking if after they went thru the hardships of getting there did they invision a new world or just a world where they played a minor part?

[–] ephrin 2 points 3 months ago

I mean, sure, they all see themselves staying in power. I thought you were asking about a vision for construction or development or something.