In the 1930’s, Adolf Hitler was tearing down the equally cruel Versailles Treaty that left millions of ethnic Germans stranded in hostile nations and deprived Germany of its historic eastern regions. Hitler claimed his invasion of Russia was motivated by Germany’s strategic imperative to acquire farm lands so it could attain food security. The Central Powers – notably Germany and Austro-Hungary – could not produce enough food to feed their growing populations. Imports were essential. A major cause of the defeat of the Central Powers was mass civilian starvation caused by Britain’s naval blockade that cut off grain imports, a crime under international law. Hitler said he had to acquire Ukraine’s rich farmlands for national security – a term we often hear today. Like American today with oil, Germany insisted it had to be food independent. Germany’s march east began in 1938 by Anschluss (reunification) with Austria – 76 years ago this month. Czechoslovakia’s ethnic German majority in the province of Sudetenland soon followed. Today, we are seeing another Anschluss with the reunification of Ukrainian-ruled Crimea with Russia.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 01:33:48 +0000
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