Problem
To what extent did Mein Kampf (pp. 361-365) foreshadow Hitler's plans for Poland and the Soviet Union as revealed in his speech "Poland Will Be Depopulated and Settled with Germans" (pp. 393-394)?
Adolf Hitler, "Poland Will Be Depopulated and Settled with Germans" (pp. 393-394)
This reading is from a speech delivered by Hitler in 1939 to his generals days before Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II in Europe. In it Hitler urged his military leaders to act cruelly since such would not be remembered and since the country needed to be depopulated of Poles to allow for German colonization. He also defended the non-aggression pact with Stalin as a ploy to buy time, bragging that the Soviet Union would share the same fate as Poland. The whole piece matched up perfectly with the warlike Social Darwinistic idea of Lebensraum he had written and spoken about since the 1920s.
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (pp. 361-365)
This is a selection from Hitler's autobiography, begun in 1923 while in jail for attempting to overthrow the state. In the first two sections he expressed his Social Darwinist and racist world view. He particularly spent time on demonizing Jews. All of this was clearly built on ideas that had become prominent in the late nineteenth century. In the third section he wrote about speaking to large crowds, emphasizing the need to use repetitive, emotional and simplistic language in order to hypnotize individuals in the audience. In the final section of our selection, Hitler returned to Social Darwinism when explaining the need for Germany to acquire Lebensraum or living space. Here Hitler called for Germany to begin a new war so as to obtain the land and resources it needed for its future empire. The entire piece we have from Mein Kampf gives insight into Hitler's brand of fascism which was rooted in extreme nationalism.