Lebensraum, Mein Kampf and the inevitability of war in Eastern Europe

[Critical]

To this day much of mainstream historiography admits that Hitler never wanted to start a war with the Western powers, yet many historians still insist that Hitler intended to conquer the USSR and Poland.

For this, the famous quote from Mein Kampf is always mentioned where Hitler says that "Germany must expand to the east, towards Russia and its vassal states". In addition, the Lebensraum concept is mentioned, where Germany must displace these peoples to increase their living space.

I would like to know what the "revisionist" response to this is. I am aware of the thesis that the attack on the USSR was largely preemptive and that Hitler intended to negotiate with Poland before the invasion, however mainstream historiography presents the quote from Mein Kampf and Lebensraum as something "automated", so everything else remains as "something anecdotal, since Hitler always sought total conquest".

[chaos]

If I remember correctly, I believe Hitler's reasoning was the need for Germany to have a larger territory with more resources in order to compete with the other powers. He wasn't too keen on colonies, and wanted to achieve a united Germany within the continent. Logically, Hitler wanted to expand toward Russia, as it was vast, and not fully populated.

Unfortunately, the mainstream historians are unfair to Hitler in almost every regard, and attack him for the same desire that drove every other nation to acquire it's power. The conflict between Germany, and the Soviet Union can be viewed as inevitable due to ideological differences, and the latter's mission for global domination.

Another point that needs to be stated is that Mein Kampf was written 7-8 years before Hitler's ascent to power. I have not read Hitler's second book, but his foreign policy might have changed or became more matured.

[Mortimer]

Lebensraum has become a highly politicised word because of many decades of anti Hitler propaganda. There is some discussion of this in the following thread on the non aggression pact between Germany and the USSR.
viewtopic.php?t=7737

[Hektor]

Lebensraum has become a highly politicised word because of many decades of anti Hitler propaganda. There is some discussion of this in the following thread on the non aggression pact between Germany and the USSR.
viewtopic.php?t=7737

Indeed, the conception has been created that "Lebensraum" meant conquered, occupied and annexed living space. That isn't exactly true.

If you look at the usage of the term. Lebensraum was territory that was somehow of interest to a nation. It included any independent country that had permanent trade relations with Germany. E.g. Sweden and Finland were parts of German living space. Simply because German sourced iron ore and nickel from there and those economies were buyers of German industrial goods as well.


So the term is actually not necessarily related to conquest and occupation, but mainly economic in terms of meaning. Siedlungsraum / Settlement space would of course be another matter. But again.... There isn't really anything nefarious as insinuated about it.

[Otium]

I have explained in multiple threads that whatever tentative idea Hitler displayed in Mein Kampf and his Zweites Buch was abrogated by him.

See my posts here:
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7943#p105818
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7943&start=15#p105904
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7943&start=15#p105909
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14561&p=105082#p105077
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14418#p104424
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=14535#p104938

Much more could be said and clarified. But that's for another time.

[Hektor]

There is also lots of circumstantial geopolitical speculation being done. Doesn't mean that this was programmatic.
The program makes it clear that the NSDAP wanted to unite all Germans. And that adding colonies for population surplus was at least considered. That was however what virtually all nations intended or did do in that era.
GB, France, the US, the USSR even the Netherlands and Belgium sent surplus people to Colonies or less populated parts of their empire.

To turn this into a charge against Germany or the NSDAP is more than laughable. It's "Nationalism and Imperialism for me, but no sovereignty whatsoever for thee".

Working through present assertions and documented history is quite an entertaining matter... Actually it is shocking to learn what people are peddled to and that they are willing to swallow this as 'truth'.