I have students doing a paper on the historiography of Germany's polish policy in the 1930's, and I'm looking for some works of old school history that allege that Hitler had the intention to wage "aggressive war" against Poland before 1939. Any thoughts? Thanks.
David
need help with historiography
Re: need help with historiography
I have had a quick look through my 'old' stuff and the general impression was of an opinion that Herr H intended in the long term for Poland to become a 'slave nation', for want of a better word. However the means for achieving that end were not crystallized into military until early 1939. Thus, alas, no evidence of what you are looking for, but I will continue searching.
Re: need help with historiography
It's funny right? I found a little reference in Hildebrand, but for an idea which has so seeped into the conventional wisdom, you'd think there'd be something.
Re: need help with historiography
Do you think there may be a national bias in these views? One generated by how people view their own nation's role in the war and the processes that led up to it? Furthermore these views changed over time as political landscapes changed and history and mythology had to be re-evaluated and re-written to fit. An important aspect of this was the need to whiten up one homicidal dictator (who happened to be on 'our' side) at the expense of another. The irony is, of course, that it would probably be much easier to make a convincing case for this other dictator having the intention to wage aggressive war against Poland from the outset .
Clearly Polish wartime propaganda pushed the spurious "The German, eternal enemy of Poland" line for obvious reasons of morale maintenance and this line was maintained by the post-war communist puppet government for the equally obvious reasons of the need to explain how the war began in 1939 and over half the country was swallowed up in an event that everyone had to pretend never happened. However communist military historiography seems to make a clear distinction between an aggressive German 'drang nach osten' generally and a military means of achieving it which only emerged in early 1939.
Oh dear, I shall no doubt now be subjected to a barrage of criticism that I am promoting something or other and offending some sacred cow or other. I am sure you know what I mean though.
Clearly Polish wartime propaganda pushed the spurious "The German, eternal enemy of Poland" line for obvious reasons of morale maintenance and this line was maintained by the post-war communist puppet government for the equally obvious reasons of the need to explain how the war began in 1939 and over half the country was swallowed up in an event that everyone had to pretend never happened. However communist military historiography seems to make a clear distinction between an aggressive German 'drang nach osten' generally and a military means of achieving it which only emerged in early 1939.
Oh dear, I shall no doubt now be subjected to a barrage of criticism that I am promoting something or other and offending some sacred cow or other. I am sure you know what I mean though.