Hitler War Leader Essay Example

Britain’s reluctance to give in to the threats of German power shaped the strategy of Hitler and the events leading to his demise during WWII. This theme can be observed beginning with Hitler’s attempts to isolate the Polish, his need for victory against the French and the declaration of war against the Soviet Union and it’s the failure of the Eastern Front leading to war with America. Hitler’s strategy was to either threaten Britain into submission or to create strategy that would lessen the likelihood that they would be supported by America.
After the defeat of Poland in 1939 and the Nazi Soviet Pact that was designed to stop the Soviet Union from making agreements with the British and the French. Hitler turned to the western powers. He still believed that the British and French would come to terms as they had not come to the aid of Poland. French defeat would force Britain out of the war through isolation. Britain’s policy to stand alone in 1940 ruined this strategy of either defeating Britain or bringing them to agreement. He did not count on the resilience and idealism that had arisen in Britain along with Britain’s outlook for a longer war. He also underestimated that immediate self interest would not force Britain into surrender.
Failing to defeat Britain or coming to terms through the defeat of France shifted his focus to how he would keep America out of the war. He believed that war with the Soviet Union would open up the British to peace talks and keep America out of the war. If the Soviet Union was defeated it would mean that America was lost for Britain because elimination of Russia would increase Japanese power in the Far East. He tried to indirectly threaten American with the power of Japan and the Tripartite Pact made in September 1940. The attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 was not covered in the agreement however Germany and Italy still declared war. The Pearl Harbour attack and the stalling on the Eastern front meant that Hitler faced few options. He now knew that war with America was imminent.
The defiance of Britain was interlinked with Hitler’s strategy of preventing America’s entrance throughout the war. Hitler’s miscalculation of British idealism and resilience that Churchill promoted along with the country’s reluctance to give into demands of Hitler created more problems than it solved. The consequence was a world war that Germany could not win.