Hitler's Nazi Germany collapsed because of his well-known strategic mistakes and bad luck at some critical moments, such as his choice to declare war on the Soviet Union and the frustrating Russian winter.
I think Hitler's diplomatic acumen is better than his military strategic vision, but it doesn't mean that his military strategic vision is useless. There is basically no problem with the choice and timing of attacking the Soviet Union. If we have to find a reason for the defeat, it is that Russia is too big, and then the sudden Yugoslav incident delayed the valuable time of the Germans. Many senior German generals have acknowledged this. The handling of the Yugoslav crisis delayed Barbarossa for about four weeks, while the Germans were still about four weeks away from victory. At this time,
1933- 1936' s german diplomacy is extremely shrewd. If you read the history of German blackmail, you will really be impressed by Hitler's cunning and boldness. I don't want to say more about the detailed history, which inspires me: 1 weak countries certainly have no diplomacy; Those who dare not to be afraid of war and blackmail to the end will win with considerable strength without threatening the fundamental interests of the other side; 3. Wide range and vertical Lian Heng; No one will really abide by the treaty that will bring disaster; We should see the weakness of the enemy's character.
1936, Hitler felt a little carried away. Although there was never much problem with his grand strategy, the impulse of some small things ruined his chance to achieve his ultimate goal. For example, the Yugoslav crisis mentioned above and the famous panic attack in Kiev also mentioned Russia's problems. The situation in Germany is very similar to that of Napoleon France during its alliance with Russia. It defeated all the enemies in Europe except Britain and Russia, but it was fighting a decisive battle with Russia.
If there is any difference between Germany and France in 18 10, it is that France can guarantee European hegemony without fighting Russia, because the strength of the French empire was disproportionate to Russia at that time. Nazi Germany is different. Hitler and Stalin are really the same kind of people, both of whom want to pursue the hegemony of the European continent. Moreover, after the Soviet Union carved up Poland with Germany, it must have realized that the war with its allies, the Germans, was not far away. They have already begun to actively prepare for war, and the troops have begun to replace equipment and replenish personnel step by step, but the Soviet Union's judgment is that the war will begin at 1942. Therefore, all their combat readiness work should be said to have just begun. That's why I said there was no problem with the timing of Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. War doesn't always break out when it is completely allowed, but we must try our best to make it break out when it is most beneficial to us. Hitler understood this truth, so he resolutely chose to declare war on the Soviet Union. The development of the war situation also proved the correctness of his timing.
Think of what Sun Tzu said, to find out where soldiers live and die. Hitler's little impatience and impulsiveness in some trivial matters finally screwed up his grand strategy.
The second answer:
Historical Enlightenment from the Nazi Party
When it comes to the Nazi party, we can't help but talk about Nazism as the main political trend of thought and movement in Germany at the beginning of the twentieth century. Nazism is literally translated as "national socialism" or "national socialism". But Nazism is not a strictly defined ideology, but a collection of political views: extreme patriotism, racism, totalitarianism, anti-Semitism and restrictions on religious freedom.
After Germany's defeat in the First World War, due to the consumption of the war and the global financial crisis, from 1929 to 1933, the German economy began to experience serious depression, which was closely accompanied by the intensification of unemployment and inflation. By the time Hitler came to power in 1933, the German economy had almost collapsed, with the unemployment rate as high as 33% and the inflation rate increasing by 63%. In Germany, the number of unemployed people is as high as 6 million, and millions of people are wandering in the streets. Because they can't find a job for a long time, they can't even pay the rent.
Coupled with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles due to Germany's defeat, Germany not only ceded land compensation, but also suffered extremely severe economic and military sanctions, and the economy went from bad to worse. It is in the extremely bad economic environment and diplomatic humiliation that the Germans have a strong national revenge mentality. This background provided the soil for the rise of Nazi movement, which always claimed to represent the best interests of the people and the development direction of the country.
By 1932, the German National Social Workers' Party (hereinafter referred to as the Nazi Party), the pioneer of Nazi movement led by Adolf Hitler, increased from 27,000 in 1925 to 140 in just seven years. As a result, the Nazi party jumped from an insignificant small party to the largest political party in Congress. In the parliamentary election of 1932, the number of seats of the party increased from 12 to 230. 1932165438+10. In October, in the general voice of the German people and parliament, Hitler was appointed as Prime Minister and came to power the following year, and the Nazi Party became the ruling party.
When Hitler took office, he announced to the German people that he would "save German farmers and maintain their supplies and survival foundation! Save German workers and launch a large-scale all-round attack on unemployment! " Starting from this goal, Hitler advocated "opposing liberalism", disapproved of the principle of "free trade" and free and active competition of business owners, disapproved of the principle of market economy regulating price and wage freedom, and disapproved of state authority controlling the economy.
He emphasized that a powerful nation-state can protect the economy alone and make it exist and develop freely. "Economy is secondary" and must be unconditionally subordinated to "political priority". It is true that the Nazi's compulsory economic measures of "political priority" have the spirit of socialism. In the party program of the Nazi Party, it was clearly put forward that monopoly enterprises should be nationalized, workers should share the profits of enterprises, the state should support small businessmen by means of cheap rental, abolish land rent, prohibit land speculation, demand the cancellation of non-labor income and severely punish usurers.
The Nazi party is not a triad organization that only fights, smashing, looting and burning in the streets. By 1938, the German Nazi Party basically achieved its promised well-off goal. 1938, the unemployment rate in Germany was only 1.3%, less than 1 10,000, while 1933, when the Nazi Party came to power, it was more than 6 million. From 1933 to 1938, the national output increased by 102%, with an average annual growth of 1 1%, and the national income more than doubled. In just five years, Hitler transformed Germany, which was almost bankrupt, with the highest deficit and unemployment rate in the world, into a top economic power in the world.
These brilliant economic achievements have almost become an eternal halo around the neck of the Nazi Party, and they are the capital to show off to the German people and the whole world at any time. Most German factions were moved by the rhetoric of the Nazi Party.
The remarkable improvement of life and the restoration of state order have obviously offset the people's due vigilance against Nazi dictatorship. This is exactly what the Nazis want.
As early as 1935, Hitler emphasized that for all the interests of the German people, he was committed to establishing a system in which the government controlled everything and comprehensively strengthened the control of ideology and culture in order to pursue "purity" in race, society and culture. So he announced the dissolution of all political parties, and stipulated by law that "the Nazi Party is the only political party in Germany", and its party is the country, the country is the family, and the family is the individual (leader dictatorship), prohibiting all strikes; Abolish freedom of speech, publication and association.
It is worth noting that the Nazi party's ruling style is very superb. Deprived people's freedom and suppressed dissidents, including burning books and newspapers that did not meet Nazi tastes, the Nazi party did not use illegal means, but tried every means to put on a legal coat for its dictatorship. Because all these proposals are under the guise of the people.
By 1935, the political life in Germany has changed beyond recognition. Newspapers, movies, radio stations and books are all in the hands of one party, and all of them have become tools for the Nazi Party to spread lies, deceive the public, create fallacies and confuse the war situation. The famous saying of propaganda minister Goebbels, "A lie is repeated a thousand times", has become a truth. Citizens dare not talk about politics casually, dare not ridicule the ugliness and crimes of the Nazi party in public, for fear that one day they will be arrested inexplicably when they take to the streets.
People often wonder why once people are in trouble and adversity, they often ignore or even give up their rights, even for short-term comfort.
This is a universal weakness of human nature. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, they forgot that the ultimate goal of leaving Egypt was to enter Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Just to eat and drink in front of them, ignoring God's warning and entrusting their fate to idols, just like stupid livestock going to the place where they were slaughtered, they got what they deserved.
The history of Israel recorded in Deuteronomy aims not only to teach people at that time, but also to teach us now. Unfortunately, more than 3,000 years have passed, and people have not learned this painful lesson so far.
At that time, a Nazi war criminal said: "A thousand years is easy to pass, but the Nazi sins are hard to disappear." People will never forget the heinous crimes committed by the Nazi Party. But the Nazis may not have thought that this was just a drop in the ocean compared with their incumbents.