Q of the Week - Pre-war Politics?

[Leon]

This week in the 'Educating Leon' series...  

I was watching a programme on Himmler the other week, and they showed a clip of a Nazi propaganda film from just before the beginning of the war, 1937-ish?  The basic premise of this film was:

"No longer can German men be trusted to choose the right partner to breed with, so register now for your own 'perfect' child".

Now these were children that had been stolen from families in Poland, and brought back to Germany as they had the required Arian attributes.

So my question is, why didn't the other major political powers of Europe see these things happening, and step in before it go out of hand?  Surely if they had the war could have been avoided?

[Stefanpanzer]

So you don't go to bed either! as to your question many did see it but were wholly unprepared for war and saw it only after 1936 which was the last date when France might have been strong enough to do something; long answers to come!

[Nosher]

Like most politics, other countries did see a lot of what was about to happen coming - they just chose to ignore it in the hope that:

1.  Someone else would step in and sort it out
2.  Classic NIMBY-ism its Not In My Back Yard so why worry? Its someone else's problem

[lentulus]

Now these were children that had been stolen from families in Poland, and brought back to Germany as they had the required Arian attributes.

I don't think that started in Poland until after the invasion; it might have happened with the children of people who ended up in concentration camps.

I don't think we understand anymore how "normal" some of the Nazi ideas on eugenics would have seemed to our grandfather's generation; I believe the last eugenics laws in Canada, for example, were only repealed in the 1970s.  Beyond that, interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, no matter what either people or politicians might think of them, is a very serious matter indeed.  And the Nazis were careful about keeping their really nasty programs, if not secret, at least fairly deniable.

Did anyone invade Argentina in the '70s to stop the children of "disappeared" leftists being adopted by army officers?   

[Ben Waterhouse]

Classic mad dictator mistake - Murder your own people (Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao) and everyone whistles and looks the other way; murder other peoples (Hitler, Milosovic, Saddam) and the World Forces of Democracy, Blair and the Clinton Way of life will be after you to the end's of the earth...

[Luddite]

Yes it was well known what was going on in Germany at the time.

The lack of intervention was simply 'WWI'.  

Europe was war-weary and detente, appeasement and a general political will to 'look the other way' as Germany re-armed in contravention of the Treaty of Versailles, meant that no other power was willing to challenge Germany.

'Peace in our time' was the cry.

Remember that WWI had destroyed and entire generation and shattered the global economy.  There was a collective will among that 'allies' that WWI should be the 'war to end all war'...they took on good faith and in hope more than judgement, the platitutdes of Hitler and the German State...


As to wether the war could have been avoided,  not really.

In actuality, history is likely to regard three wars (Franco-Prussian, WWI, WWII) as three acts in the same drama - that of the final formation of the last European power -Germany.  Until those borders were secured in blood there was always going to be another war between France and Germany...

[Leon]

It's amazing what the other political powers allowed them to get away with, but like you say, it was right after the Great War, and I can't imagine how much that had affected people.

It also makes me wonder just how many people were raised with German parents, never knowing where they had actually come from?

[Luddite]

It also makes me wonder just how many people were raised with German parents, never knowing where they had actually come from?

Well, between 10% and 25% of all children born are not the child of their supposed father....

[Hurley]

The simple answer is WW1 and "it's not happening to someone we like".

Kinda like Iraq....oh look the Americans force-ably toke over a country for no reason.....well they don't buy stuff from us or have the same religion so meh.

Had the US tried that with say....France, Germany, or any other WASPish country they would have all out war on there hands. 

[Leon]

The simple answer is WW1 and "it's not happening to someone we like".

Kinda like Iraq....oh look the Americans force-ably toke over a country for no reason.....well they don't buy stuff from us or have the same religion so meh.

Had the US tried that with say....France, Germany, or any other WASPish country they would have all out war on there hands. 

Interesting points.