Chair Report
Hitler’s Cabinet
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Letter from the Secretary-General
Dear Representatives of the Distinguished Nations,
I, in lieu of the Secretariat, am thrilled to welcome you to the third annual session of
Kabataş Model United Nations Conference). I, Orçun DOĞMAZER, have been
studying at Kabataş Erkek Lisesi for four years and am receiving the privilege to
serve as the third Secretary-General of this society.
KMUN Conference is the biggest student initiated organization in the illustrious 107
years old history of this community. How Buckingham Palace was used by King
George III to host diverse reputed bureaucrats and royal families, likewise Kabataş
High School was utilized to serve for those certain purposes at the times of Ottoman
Empire. KMUN 2013 and KMUN 2014 have the distinctive honor to comprise more
than 350 national and international participants. As it was planned and announced a
year ago, the conference will be hosting more than 500 participants coming from
various countries in 10 different committees this year.
Academic and organization team’s of the conference have been challenging
themselves to set a different level of understanding in MUN for KMUN’s participants.
Experiencing both of the previous editions of KMUN, this years KMUN will differ from
its previous editions by not only mixing the interesting sides of the Model UN
examples in Turkey, but will also try its best to combine the understanding of the
international Model UN.
All the research reports of the conference are written by the directors of the
respective committees with the guidance of the academic team of the conference. I
do thank the Student Officer namely Murat Eczacıbaşı for writing this very guide for
the Joint Cabinet Crisis. Appreciating their efforts on this research report, I do believe
that this report will be a great start for our participant’s on their researches to prepare
themselves for the debates on the given agenda items.
In case you require any further instruction as to the academic content of the Joint
Cabinet Crisis, you may always contact your Committee Directors or me via
[email protected]
After a year full of work and dedication, I do believe that KMUN 2015 will manage to
create its dreamed atmosphere by taking further steps on its previous editions.
Orçun DOĞMAZER
Secretary-General
1
Intro
The Committee of the Reich Cabinet will serve as a simulation of the German High
Command during the Second World War, starting from and mainly focusing on the so
called ‘‘Battle of France’’ of May-June 1940, till Hitler`s suicide in 1945.
The battle was a direct result of the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939, after
which both Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the eight month
Sitzkrieg1, in which neither side undertook any major military operation, Adolf Hitler
had hoped that the Allied Forces would eventually acquiesce to his conquest and
make peace. He even made a peace offer on October 1939. But after both the British
and the French refused the offer, Hitler ordered a swift invasion of the unprepared
northern French territory and the neutral Low Countries. His generals, however,
found Hitler’s plans to hasty and tried everything in their power to delay the invasion,
repeatedly citing reasons such as bad weather, German soldiers’ fatigue after the
invasion of Poland, and lack of sufficient ammunition as reasons for why the attack
should be postponed.
Nonetheless, it was Hitler’s hastiness that prevailed in the end, and Germany initiated
the invasion of France the Low Countries on the 10th of May 1940. In doing so, Hitler
had passed the point of no return. World War II was now underway.
1
Translated as the ‘‘Sitting War,’’ also known as the ‘‘Phoney War,’’ the Sitzkrieg was a period of inaction
between Germany and the Anglo-French alliance from September 1939 to May 1940.
2
Important Terms
Auftragstaktik: Translated as ‘‘mission-type tactics’’, the term Auftragstaktik
describes the military strategy in which the commander gives his subordinate leaders
a clearly defined goal or mission which they must accomplish in a certain time frame.
Under normal circumstances, the subordinate leader is given full planning initiative,
which they use to implement the order independently.
Bewegungskrieg: Translated as ‘‘maneuver warfare’’, the term Bewegungskrieg
describes a military strategy that attempts to defeat the enemy by incapacitating their
decision-making through shock, surprise and disruption.
Vernichtungsschlacht: Translated as ‘‘battle of annihilation’’, the term
Vernichtungsschlacht describes the military strategy in which the offensive forces
seek to destroy the military capacity of the defenders. It should be noted, however,
that the term ‘‘annihilation’’ is not necessarily used in the sense of killing or most of
the opposing army’s soldiers. Instead the main objective of a battle of annihilation is
to destroy the enemy army as a cohesive military force.
Blitzkrieg: Translated as ‘‘lightning war’’, the term Bewegungskrieg describes a
military strategy whereby the offensive force is lead by a dense concentration of
armoured infantry formation, which are in turn backed up by close air support. This
tactics forces a breakthrough in enemy defense lines. Often used in combination with
the Bewegungskrieg and the Vernichtungsschlacht, the Blitzkrieg causes the enemy
forces to lose balance by having them continuosly change front (Bewegungskrieg),
whereupon the offenders defeat them decisively and incapacitate their ranks
(Vernichtungsschlacht).
Reichswehr: The military of the Weimar Republic.
Wehrmacht: The unified armed forces of the Third Reich. It replaced the Reichswehr
after the extensive rearmament of 1935. It consists of the Heer (army, ground forces),
the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force)
Sturmabteilung (SA): The original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, which was
superseded by the Schutzstaffel after the purge of the Night of the Long Knives2.
Schutzstaffel (SS): The paramilitary organization that superseded the Schutzstaffel
after the Night of the Long Knives.
Gestapo: The official secret police of Nazi Germany.
2
The purge that took place in Germany on the night of June 30 1934, in which Hitler, recognizing the threat of
the semi-autonomy of the Sturmabteilung, resolved to kill most of its leaders.
3
Reichsmarschall: Translated as the ‘‘Marshal of the Realm,’’ the Reichsmarschall
was one of the highest ranks in the armed forces of Nazi Germany, second only to
Hitler himself.
Generalfeldmarschall (Großadmiral in the navy): Translated as ‘‘Field marshal
general,’’the Generalfeldmarschall was a five-star general and the third highest
military position in Nazi Germany.
Generaloberst (Generaladmiral in the navy): Translated as ‘‘colonel general,’’ the
Generaloberst was a four-star general and the fourth highest military position in Nazi
Germany.
General der Waffengattung (Admiral in the navy): Translated as ‘‘General of the
branch’’ or simply as ‘‘General’’, the General der Waffengattung was a three star
general the fifth highest military position in Nazi Germany. It was followed by the
Generalleutant (lieutenant general), Generalmajor (major general) and the
Brigadegeneral (brigadier general)
4
Timeline
November 1918- World War I ends with German defat.
June 1919- Signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
July 1921- Hitler becomes the leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party.
November 1923- Hitler attempts a coup (the Beer Hall Putsch).
October 1929- The US Stock Markey crashes.
January 1933- The Nazi Party wins the elections and Hitler becomes
Chancellor.
February 1933- The Reichstag burns.
March 1933- The Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act pass.
June 1934- The ‘‘Night of the Long Knives’’ occurs.
August 1934- Adolf Hitler becomes Führer.
March 1938- Austria is incorporated into Germany
October 1938- Germany invades Sudetenland
November 1938- The ‘‘Night of the Broken Glass’’ occurs.
August 1939- Germany signs a non-aggression pact with the USSR.
September 1939- Germany invades Poland, Britain and France declare war.
April 1940- Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
May 1940- Germany invades Frand and the Low Countries.
5
Background
Rise to Power
At the end of World War I, the draconian terms in the Treaty of
Versailles3, coupled with the severe economic setbacks such
as hyperinflation4 provoked bitter indignation throughout
Germany. Radical political factions united, and found
significant support among the desperate people. The
concomitant civil unrest greatly debilitated the democratic
regime of the young Weimar Republic5.
The National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP, also known as the Nazi
Party) was one of the handful of active far-right political parties in Germany at the
time. The party platform included the rejection of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles,
replacement of the Weimar Republic, radical antisemitism and anti-communism.
They advocated a strong central government and the formation of a national
community based on race. Furthermore, they promised increased Lebensraum6 for
people of Germanic descent.
The already grim situation of the post-war German economy was exacerbated by the
US stock market crash of 1929. Millions of citizens were thrown out of work, and
several large firms collapsed. Hitler and the Nazi Party took advantage of the
emergency to gain public support. Hitler gave a series of highly orchestrated,
emotionally manipulative speeches in which he promised to provide jobs and
strengthen the economy. This strategy turned out to be a huge success: in the federal
election of 1932, the Nazis were by far the largest party in the Reichstag7, holding
230 seats with more than 37 per cent of the popular vote.
3
The peace treaty signed by Germany and the Allied Powers at the end of World War I.
Inflation exceeding 100% in under three years.
5
The historical name of the federal German republic which replaced the German Empire.
6
A nationalistic concept, often translated as ‘‘living space’’ or ‘‘habitat,’’ advocating aggresive territorial
expansion of Germany towards the east.
7
The German parliament.
4
6
Führer and Reichskanzler
In the months following the election, the NSDAP rapidly brought all aspects of
German life under the control of the party. Civilian organisations such as sports clubs
and volunteer organisations and academic institutions had their leadership replaced
with Nazi sympathisers and party members.
On the night of 27 February 1933, the Reichstag was set on fire. Hitler laid the blame
on the Communist Party, and violent suppression of communists by
the Sturmabteilung (SA) followed. In total, over four thousand members of
the Communist Party were arrested. Most German civil liberties such as rights of
assembly and freedom of the press were abrogated by the Reichstag Fire Decree8.
The decree also allowed the police to detain people indefinitely without charges or a
court order.
8
The common name of the ‘‘Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and State.’’ The
Reichstag Fire Decree was issued in direct response to the Reichstag fire and nullified almost all key civil
liberties of German citizens.
7
In March 1933, the Enabling Act9 passed the Reichstag 444 to 94 and endowed upon
Hitler plenary authority. In order to acquire the two-thirds majority to pass the bill, the
Nazis leveraged the provisions of the Reichstag Fire Decree to keep several Social
Democratic reprasentatives from attending parliament. Almost all political parties
were subsequently dissolved; and on 14 July 1933, Germany effectively became
a single-party state when the founding of new parties was illegalised. The regional
state parliaments and the Reichsrat10 were all abolished the following year.
As millions of Germans were still unemployed, Hitler sought to revive the economy.
Massive public works were undertaken using deficit spending. More than 1.7 million
Germans were put to work in 1934 alone. Average wages began to rise significantly.
Shortly before the death of President von Hindenburg on August the 2nd 1934, the
cabinet enacted the "Law Concerning the Highest State Office of the Reich",
according to which the office of president would be abolished and its powers merged
with those of the chancellor. Hitler thereby became head of state as well as head of
government. He was formally named Führer und Reichskanzler11. Germany thereby
became a totalitarian state with Hitler as its undisputed leader. As head of state,
Hitler also became the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. The new law
altered the traditional loyalty oath of servicemen so that they affirmed loyalty to Hitler
personally rather than the office of supreme commander or the state. On 19 August,
the merger of the presidency with the chancellorship was approved by 90 per cent of
the electorate in a public referendum.
To give his dictatorship the appearance of legality, Hitler explicitly based many of his
decrees on the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act. The deluge of
propganda by Joseph Goebbels, along with the long yearned-for economic and
political stability also served to reinforce his popularity. Nevertheless, the Nazis
continued to take repressive measures against their political opposition and
marginalised those whom they considered socially undesirable. The campaign
against Jews living in Germany thereby gained momentum.
9
An amendment to the Weimar Constitution that allowed the government to pass laws without the consent of the
President or the Reichstag.
10
The federal upper house.
11
Leader and chancellor
8
Rearmament and Expansion
Hitler announced his plans for an extensive, nationwide rearmament in February 1933, and was forced to
pull Germany out of the League of Nations due to their
disarmament clauses. In 1935, Hitler announced that
the Reichswehr would be increased to 550,000 men
and that he was forming an air force. Britain agreed
that Germany would be allowed to build a naval fleet
with the signing of the Anglo-German Naval
Agreement on 18 June 1935.
The lack of any significant protest by either the
British or the French following the Italian
invasion of Ethiopia encouraged Hitler to send
3,000 troops into the demilitarised zone of
the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of
Versailles. As Hitler had expected, the British
and French governments -fearing another war
with Germany- did not enforce the treaty. In
1936 Hitler signed the Anti-Comintern
9
Pact12 with Japan and a non-aggression agreement with Benito Mussolini of Fascist
Italy, an alliance which would later be referred to as the "Rome-Berlin Axis". Hitler
also sent military units to assist General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces
during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939, whereupon Franco's Nationalists also
became an informal ally of Nazi Germany.
After several years of both internal and external pressure by supporters of the "Heim
ins Reich"13 movement, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg decided to hold
a referendum on the issue. Although the majority of Austrians voted in favour of
maintaining autonomy, the Austrian Nazi Party seized control of Austria's state
institutions in Vienna on 11 March 1938, following a well-planned coup d'état. The
leaders of the coup immediately declared the referendum void and transferred all
power to the German government. The Wehrmacht entered Austria the next day and
was greeted with enthusiasm by the local population.
Using the supposed destitution suffered by the substantial German minority in the
northwestern Czech region of Sudetenland as a casus belli14, Hitler invaded
Czechoslovakia. Although initially annexing only Sudetenland, Hitler later decided to
incorporate the remainder of the nation.
The Nazis swiftly seized both the Austrian and the Czech foreign exchange reserves,
as well as caches of raw materials such as metals and completed goods such as
weaponry, which were all shipped back to Germany.
In March 1939, Hitler demanded the return of the Free City of Danzig and the Polish
Corridor, a strip of land that separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany since
the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The British announced they would aid Poland
in case of a Nazi attack. Hitler, believing that Britain would not actually take action,
ordered an invasion plan. He did, however, expect that the German troops would be
met by force this time.
After reaffirming their alliance with Italy and signing non-aggression pacts with
Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia, Germany formalised trade links with Romania,
Norway, and Sweden. Hitler also signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, in August 1939. The treaty contained secret
protocols dividing Poland and the Baltic states into German and Soviet spheres of
influence. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Britain and France
declared war on Germany immediately afterwards. Poland fell quickly, partly due to
the simultaneous Soviet assault from the east.
12
An anti-communist pact between Nazi germany and the Empire of Japan, which would later be joined by
other, mainly fascist, governments.
13
A foreign policty that aimed to convince all people of German ethnicity living outside the Third Reich to
struggle to bring their domicile into their fatherland.
14
An act or event that provokes or is used to justify war.
10
From the start of the war, a British blockade on shipments to Germany had an impact
on the economy. The Germans were especially dependent on foreign supplies of
coal, grain and oil. To secure Swedish iron ore imports, Hitler ordered an attack on
Norway and Denmark, which took place on 9 April 1940. Both countries were
occupied by German troops by the end of the month.
Despite the protests of many senior military officers, Hitler ordered a bold invasion of
France and the Low Countries15. To even the Nazis’ surprise, they were able to
swiftly conquer the entire Low Countries, and France surrendered on June 22. The
unexpectedly quick defeat of France resulted in an upswing in Hitler's popularity and
a strong upsurge in war fever and nationalistic fervour.
German High Command
Adolf Hitler: The Reichskanzler and Führer of Nazi Germany
from 1934 to 1945. After serving in the army during World War
I, Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party in 1919, and quickly
rose in ranks, becoming the party leader by 1921. During the
so-called Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler attempted a coup to
seize Munich and later use it as a base to march against the
Weimar Republic. Although the coup attempt failed, it brought
Hitler to national headlines, whereupon he used his nationalist
rhetoric to gather new supporters.
15
The coastal region of northwestern Europe, consisting of the Netherlands and Belgium.
11
Following the German federal elections of March 1933,
the Nazi Party (the successor to the German Workers’
Party) registered a substantial increase in votes, which
facillitated the passing of the Enabling Act. The act
effectively rendered the Reichstag powerless, and gave
Hitler absolute control over the state. In the following six
years, the Nazi Party restored economic stability and
ended the mass unemployment that followed the Great
Depression through military spending. His aggressive
policy
of
acquiring
Lebensraum
through
conquest
eventually caused the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Hermann Göring: The President of the Reichstag and the
designated successor to Hitler. One of the early members of
the NSDAP, he fought by Hitler during the Beer Hall Putsch.
After helping Hitler take power in 1933, he became on of the
most powerful figures in the country. After serving as the
head of several Government offices, he was promoted to the
rank of Reichsmarschall, which put him above all other
Wehrmacht commanders.
Joseph Goebbels: The Reich Minister of Propoganda from
1933 to 1945. Hitler’s closest associate and one of his most
devoted followers, he was known for his deep, virulent
antisemitism, which is thought to have influenced Hitler
himself in his extermination of the Jews. From the beginning
of his tenure in 1933, Goebbels organized actions against
Jews living in Germany, which culminanted in the violence of
12
the Kristallnacht16 of 1938. During World War II, he gave a series of speeches urging
the German people to embrace the idea of total war and mobilization.
Heinrich Himmler: The Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel.
From 1929 to 1940, he developed the SS from a 300-man
squadron into a powerful army of its own. One of the most
powerful figures of Nazi Germany, he was the one most directly
responsible for the atrocities committed during the Holocaust17
such as the formation of the concentration and extermination
camps.
Walter von Brauchitsch: The Commander-in-Chief of the
German
Army.
A
decorated
World
War
I
veteran,
Brauchitsch was put in charge of the East Prussian Military
District immediately after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933.
Although his kind personality did not really bond well with
the ferocity of Nazism, he persisted for his country and was
the chief millitary officer of the campaigns in Greece and
Yugoslavia.
Wilhelm Keitel: The Supreme High Commander of the German Armed Forces and
Hitler’s senior military advisor. He was personally responsible for the armistice
agreement with the French Republic.
16
A pogrom (series of coordinated assaults) against Jews throughout the Third Reich in 1938.
The attempted genocide of Jews in Nazi Germany, which resulted in the death of roughly six million people of
Jewish descent.
17
13
Alfried Jodl: The Colonel-General of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces
and deputy to Wilhelm Keitel. He acted as the Chief of Staff during the occupations of
Denmark and Norway.
Erich Raeder: The preeminent naval leader of Germany throughout most of World
War II. He is renowned for his strategy of dispersing the relatively weak German
Navy around the world so that the stronger Brittish Royal Navy would have to do the
same, thereby impeding British naval dominence in any one area.
14
Bibliography
Roberts, Andrew, The Storm War
http://www.localhistories.org/second.html
http://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/the-reichstag-fire/
Shirer, William L., The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-austria.htm
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/267992/Adolf-Hitler
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=2325
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_map_fall_france/
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/literacy/lit_site/lit_sites/hitler/pages/page_1.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20130303110620/http://www.ushmm.org/education/resour
ce/poles/poles.php
15