Scientific Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, grade: 1, University of Vienna, language: English, abstract: A.J.P. Taylors The Origins of the Second World War and his

critics in Great Britain

In 1961 A.J.P. Taylor, described as an enfant terrible among historians 1 by Ian F. D.

Morrow, discombobulated peer historians with his publication The Origins of the Second

World War. In this book Taylor disputed the orthodox school of war historiography. Taylor's

thesis of the origins of the Second World War has received some support, but primarily

critique. His thesis may be briefly stated. According to Taylor, Hitler was not a demonic

warlord, who had plans of world conquest but was only an ordinary man who was no more

wicked and unscrupulous than many other contemporary statesman. Hitler followed a

foreign policy like that of his predecessors, of the professional diplomats at the foreign

ministry, and indeed of virtually all Germans. Adolf Hitler was not a a system-maker,

deliberately preparing from the first a great war which would destroy existing civilisation and make

him master of the world Hitler's purpose was to liberate Germany from the Treaty of

Versailles that lacked moral validity from the start and to make Germany the leading

Power in Europe from her natural weight. In fulfilling his goals, Hitler was supported by

appeasers such as Neville and Chamberlain, who believed that Hitler would become pacific if

his demands were met. Hence, all Hitler had to do was waiting for concessions. Taylor

presents Hitler as a passive Fuehrer, without clear intentions. Regarding Danzig and Poland,

Hitler didn't intend its destruction. On the contrary he had wished to solve the question of

Danzig so that Germany and Poland could remain on good terms.



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