What reasons did Hitler give the German people to begin invading?

Question

What reasons did Hitler give the German people in order to justify the invasions of neighbouring nations which eventually started World War 2?
I know Hitler was a Dictator and didn't need the support of the German people to make decisions, but we know the Germans fought hard, so they must have believed in what they were doing as they started invading neighbouring nations in the mid 1930s.
What reasons did the Germans use to justify the agressive and expansionist activies of the nation at the time? They must have believed they were the good guys - what did they feel justified the aggresiveness?

Answer 1

I know some of these answers are going to be longer than mine, but here are the answers in a quick overview:
1. "German lands taken after WWI belonged to Germany" - particularly lands in Poland, Czech Republic, and in France.
2. "German peoples groups needed to be restored to Germany" - Ethnic German minorities should be protected and restored to their rightful homeland - Austria, three countries mentioned in #1 and parts of Romania and Hungary.
3. "Germany was going to grow and needed more space that was being controlled by the slavs" - this is bascially a blend of a type of German manifest destiny (like the US viewed Inidians in the 1700 - 1800s) and was based on a view that Slavs were less than human.
4. "Germany was being restored to her rightful glory" - people in Germany felt good about German expansion, and they enjoyed seeing their country restored to the dominant European power.
5. "Germany is being invited in by host governments" - German puppet leaders in countries like Hungary, Romania, and France helped support the claims that German troops were there at the invitation of the host (occupied) country.

Check out "History of the Third Reich."

Answer 2

Austria welcomed them with open arms, so it really wasn't an invasion. Czechoslovakia never resisted so it was made to appear as if they had welcomed the Germans as well. When they invaded Poland, the German people were told that the Poles had attacked first. After that France and England declared war on Germany, so they were accused of starting it. After that it really wasn't a issue any more. Hitler's power was secure and Germany was riding high on their successes.

Answer 3

In the annexation of Austria he claimed that he was mnerely reuniting the German speaking peoples of Austria and Germany. In Mein Kampf he outlined his reasons for invasion were under the policies of Lebensraum or "living space" he also claimed that he was liberating lands formerly occupied by Aryans from the rule of the Slavs.

Answer 4

the german people loved hitler women and children besides being a jew killer and the other bad things he did he was a really nice guy and was respected highly of most people he was no more a dictator then bush he did do alot of bad things and the whole jew thing was uncalled for but him and bush are alot alike

Answer 5

I remember one of the reasons given for the invasion of Poland was alleged mistreatment of the German minority in that country (Completely baseless).

Answer 6

Germany's new ruler was a master of Machiavellian politics. Hitler feared plots, and firmly believed in his mission to achieve the supremacy of the so-called Aryan race, which he termed the “master race.” Having legally come to power, he used brutality and subversion to carry out a “creeping coup” to transform the state into his dictatorship. He blamed the Communists for a fire in the Reichstag on Feb. 27, and by fanning anti-Communist hysteria the Nazis and Nationalists won a bare majority of Reichstag seats in the elections of Mar. 5. After the Communists had been barred, and amid a display of storm trooper strength, the Reichstag voted to give Hitler dictatorial powers.

From the first days of Hitler's “Third Reich” (for its history, see Germany; National Socialism; World War II) political opponents such as von Schleicher and Gregor Strasser (who had resigned from the Nazis) were murdered or incarcerated, and some Nazis, among them Ernst Roehm, were themselves purged. Jews, Socialists, Communists, and others were hounded, arrested, or assassinated. Government, law, and education became appendages of National Socialism. After Hindenburg's death in 1934 the chancellorship and presidency were united in the person of the Führer [leader]. Heil Hitler! became the obligatory form of greeting, and a cult of Führer worship was propagated.

In 1938, amid carefully nurtured scandal, Hitler dismissed top army commanders and divided their power between himself and faithful subordinates such as Wilhelm Keitel. As Hitler prepared for war he replaced professional diplomats with Nazis such as Joachim von Ribbentrop. Many former doubters had been converted by Hitler's bold diplomatic coups, beginning with German rearmament. Hitler bullied smaller nations into making territorial concessions and played on the desire for peace and the fear of Communism among the larger European states to achieve his expansionist goals. To forestall retaliation he claimed to be merely rectifying the onerous Treaty of Versailles.

Benito Mussolini became his ally and Italy gradually became Germany's satellite. Hitler helped Franco to establish a dictatorship in Spain. On Hitler's order the Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated, and the Anschluss amalgamated Austria with the Reich. Hitler used the issue of “persecuted” Germans in Czechoslovakia to push through the Munich Pact, in which England, France, and Italy agreed to German annexation of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia (1938).

Answer 7

his invasion of poland in sept 39 was a deception involving the use of german prisoners dressed in german uniforms,then shot,or killed by lethal injection,, ostensibly by hostile polish army personnel,,,,,,,,actually killed by other german soldiers,,,,,,,the wehrmacht & lutwaffe plowed through poland in days,,,tho later facing resistance in warsaw,,,,,,,,,,then in june of 41,attacked russia,their real reason for going east

Answer 8

Hitler just promised his people that he will conqyer the world under germany nazis

Answer 9

I was wondering much the same thing

Answer 10

He didnt have to. It was a Dictatorship.