Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression By 1933 the Nazi Party, the NSDAP, had reached very
substantial proportions. At that time its plans called for
the acquisition of political control of Germany. This was
indispensable for consolidation, within the country, of all
the internal resources and potentialities.
As soon as there was sufficient progress along this line of
internal consolidation, the next step was to become
disengaged from some of the external disadvantages of
existing international limitations and obligations.
The restrictions of the Versailles Treaty were a bar to the
development of strength in all the fields necessary if
Germany were to make war. Although there had been an
increasing amount of circumvention and violation from the
very time that the Versailles Treaty came into effect, such
operations under disguise and subterfuge could not attain
proportions adequate for the objectives of the Nazis. To get
the Treaty of Versailles out of the way was indispensable to
the development of the extensive military power which they
had to have for their purposes. It was as a part of the same
plan and for the same reason that Germany withdrew from the
Disarmament Conference and from the League of Nations. It
was impossible for the Nazis to carry out their plan on the
basis of existing international obligations or on the basis
of the orthodox kind of future commitments.
[Page 411]
Every military and diplomatic operation undertaken by the
Nazis was preceded by a plan of action and a careful
coordination of all participating forces. At the same time
each event was part of a long prepared plan of aggression.
Each represented a necessary step in the preparation of the
schedule of aggressions which was subsequently carried out.
Three of the steps in preparation for aggression were first,
the withdrawal from the Disarmament Conference and the
League of Nations; second, the institution of compulsory
military service; and, third, the reoccupation of the
demilitarized zone of the Rhineland. Each of these steps was
progressively more serious in the matter of international
relations. In each of these steps Germany anticipated the
possibility of sanctions being applied by other countries,
and, particularly, a strong military action from France with
the possible assistance of England. However, the
conspirators were determined that nothing less than a
preventive war would stop them, and they also estimated
correctly that no one or combination of big powers would
undertake the responsibility for such a war. The withdrawal
from the Disarmament Conference and from the league of
Nations was, of course, action that did not violate any
international obligation. The League Covenant provided the
procedure for withdrawal. These actions, however, cannot be
disassociated from the general conspiracy and the plan for
aggression. The announcement of the institution of universal
military service was a more daring action. It was a
violation of the Versailles Treaty, but the Nazis got away
with it. Then came outright military defiance, with the
occupation of the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland.
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Volume
I Chapter IX
Preparation for Aggression
1933-1936
(Part 1 of 14)