Nazi Ideology and the Pursuit of War Aim: 1941-45 PDF
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Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Winter 2014 Nazi Ideology and the Pursuit of War Aim: 1941-45 Kenneth Burgess Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the European History Commons, and the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Burgess, Kenneth, "Nazi Ideology and the Pursuit of War Aim: 1941-45" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1204. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1204 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia South ern Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studi es Electronic Theses & Dissertation s (C OGS) Winter 2014 NAZI IDEOLOGY AND THE PURSUIT OF WAR AIMS: 1941-45. Kenneth B. Burgess II 1 NAZI IDEOLOGY AND THE PURSUIT OF WAR AIMS: 1941-45 by KENNETH BERNARD BURGESS II (UNDER DIRECTION OF BRIAN K. FELTMAN) ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to examine what can be considered a military blunder on the part of the Nazi Germans. On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched a massive invasion into the Soviet Union and Soviet territories. The political goals of Operation Barbarossa were to seize hold of the expanses of land belonging to the Soviet Union. This would serve as the foundation for increased agricultural production and the enslavement of any remaining Slavic people for the supposed greater good Germany. Additionally, the Nazis desired to erase the presence of all Jews living within the Soviet Union and Soviet held territories. Eventually, this goal would be aimed at eliminating Jews across all of Europe and would be dubbed the Final Solution. Furthermore, the Nazis desired the supply of oil fields within the region surrounding the Caucasus Mountains. This would help fuel the Nazi war machine as Adolf Hitler continued to progress towards his goal of establishing a Third Reich. The goals of the military were to achieve a complete victory over the Red Army. Nazi plans called for a quick conquest, which would enable the Wehrmacht to encircle and defeat the bulk of the Red Army within the first four months of the campaign. By studying Operation Barbarossa, historians can equate the operation to a pursuit of war aims. These included a two pronged war that was aimed at both crushing the Red Army and eliminating the Jews. Militarily, the Nazis did not have the manpower to pursue both the Final Solution and war against the Red Army. This thesis will examine how the Nazis misused vial 2 resources of manpower in the name of Nazi ideology from the commencement of Operation Barbarossa to the end of the war in 1945. INDEX WORDS: Operation Barbarossa, June 22, 1945, Final Solution, War Aims, Adolf Hitler, Wehrmacht, Red Army, Soviet Union, Nazis, Germany 3 NAZI IDEOLOGY AND THE PURSUIT OF WAR AIMS: 1941-45 by KENNETH BERNARD BURGESS II B.A., Georgia Southern University, 2012 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTERS OF THE ARTS STATESBORO, GEORGIA 4 © 2014 KENNETH BERNARD BURGESS II All Rights Reserved 5 NAZI IDEOLOGY AND THE PURSUIT OF WAR AIMS: 1941-45 by KENNETH BERNARD BURGESS II Major Professor: Brian K. Feltman Committee: Alan Downs Bill Allison Electronic Version Approved: December: 2014 6 DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my parents, Arletta and Kenneth Burgess. Without their support and love, I would have never made it this far. Thank you for believing in me. 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to personally thank Dr. Brian K. Feltman for the guidance and aid he has given me as a graduate student. I encourage other grad-students to seek out his advice as well. I would also like to thank Dr. Downs and Dr. Allison for their help and time. Lastly, I would like to thank the staff of Georgia Southern’s Library for their assistance in locating books and materials for me. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..............................................................................................6 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION TO WAR ........................................................................................9 A Historiographical Review of Relevant Literature…………………..............13 1. NAZI IDEOLOGY: THE PURSUIT OF WAR AIMS IN THE SOVIET UNION 1941……………………………………………………………………………............24 2. KILLING GROUNDS: THE ANNEXED TERRITORIES OF THE SOVIET UNION AND POLAND, 1941-42........................................................................................................53 3. NAZI RATIONALIZATIONS AND THE END.......................................................77 4. CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................98 5. REFRENCES………………………………………………………………………100
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