Germany's Anschluss with Austria and Russia's Annexation of Crimea: An Analytical Comparison

Abstract

This thesis compares the irredentist and revanchist actions of Nazi Germany and the contemporary Russian Federation with regard to violent and coercive changes of borders as an element of statecraft. It presents an analytical comparison of Nazi Germanys 1938 Anschluss with Austria and Russias 2014annexation of Crimea with regard to nationalist sentiment and geopolitical aims. Although the revanchist moves share striking similarities, the nationalist movements, political goals, and methods of annexation differ significantly. The Hitler comparison is a frequently used political mechanism to simplify issues and galvanize support. However, using the comparison for Vladimir Putins behavior impedes serious strategic analysis and frustrates diplomatic dialogues. Such hasty and ill-founded analogies should be avoided in the interests of analytical clarity and the formulation of effective responses and solutions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1026157

Entities

People

  • Peter D. Church

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Europe
  • Civil War
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Recreation
  • Second World War
  • Treaties

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design