Hitler's legacy if he died before ww2.

Hitler's legacy has been largely (and rightly so) shaped primarilly by ww2 and the holocaust. I was wondering, what might Hitler's legacy be if he died before ww2? The only required condition for this is that it has to be after Hitler has already taken power. So, at different times between 1933 and 1939, what would Hitler's legacy be, and how would he be looked at by Historians?
 
The Great Hitler

Strange as this may sound, if he were to die prior to starting the war he would have gone down in history as a great German patriot and statesman.



Let's say he dies within a month of the Munich agreement. Here is a list of his accomplishments:



Prevented a communist revolution, prevented a putsch by the SA, solved unemployment, reestablished the conscript army, reoccupied the Rhineland, united Austria with the Reich, liberated the Sudetenland, and made Germany a great power once again after the chaos following the loss of the war. All while going against the Allied powers.



Some will point to the brutality of his regime and it’s anti-Semitism. But when compared to the accomplishments most people will see it as necessary and a small price to pay.
 
How would WWII proceed? I still believe a war was likely to occur, especially if he died in the later half of the 30s.
 
If ahitler doesn't overrule is generals over the invasion of France is it possible that the war goes the way the Allies want it too?

Of course this all depends on when he dies
 
Strange as this may sound, if he were to die prior to starting the war he would have gone down in history as a great German patriot and statesman.



Let's say he dies within a month of the Munich agreement. Here is a list of his accomplishments:



Prevented a communist revolution, prevented a putsch by the SA, solved unemployment, reestablished the conscript army, reoccupied the Rhineland, united Austria with the Reich, liberated the Sudetenland, and made Germany a great power once again after the chaos following the loss of the war. All while going against the Allied powers.



Some will point to the brutality of his regime and it’s anti-Semitism. But when compared to the accomplishments most people will see it as necessary and a small price to pay.

Until the German economy goes haywire after a serious default with a return to mass unemployment and hyper inflation due to his economic policies.
 
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Strange as this may sound, if he were to die prior to starting the war he would have gone down in history as a great German patriot and statesman.



Let's say he dies within a month of the Munich agreement. Here is a list of his accomplishments:



Prevented a communist revolution, prevented a putsch by the SA, solved unemployment, reestablished the conscript army, reoccupied the Rhineland, united Austria with the Reich, liberated the Sudetenland, and made Germany a great power once again after the chaos following the loss of the war. All while going against the Allied powers.



Some will point to the brutality of his regime and it’s anti-Semitism. But when compared to the accomplishments most people will see it as necessary and a small price to pay.


Until the German economy goes haywire after a serious default with a return to mass unemployment and hyper infaltion due to his economic policies.

I somewhat agree with this, though I think he'd be a major point of ideological contention. There'd be heavy argument as to whether or not the later downturn would really be his fault. Even if it's true doesn't mean it'll be the popular answer.

How would WWII proceed? I still believe a war was likely to occur, especially if he died in the later half of the 30s.

I could see the war starting over Poland, but delayed a few years. Danzig was the lingering issue, and surely someone would attempt to take it back. However, if they still draw France and the UK in is another question. Hitler's death would cause some chaos, in which time the world would change. It really depends on some other factors, such as what the USSR is up to.
 
How would WWII proceed? I still believe a war was likely to occur, especially if he died in the later half of the 30s.

With Rudolf Hess it's possible, but imagine having Hitler's military incompetence right from the very start. I doubt he'd have the same ability to negotiate with the Soviets either.
 
I somewhat agree with this, though I think he'd be a major point of ideological contention. There'd be heavy argument as to whether or not the later downturn would really be his fault. Even if it's true doesn't mean it'll be the popular answer.

Good point, especially if it happens a long time after his death.
 
Until the German economy goes haywire after a serious default with a return to mass unemployment and hyper inflation due to his economic policies.

Nope, if the economy fails a year or two later under Hess or Goering his successor will get the blame. People will believe that if Hitler were still alive he would have solved the problem.

Leaders are always perfect once they're dead.
 
With Rudolf Hess it's possible, but imagine having Hitler's military incompetence right from the very start. I doubt he'd have the same ability to negotiate with the Soviets either.

I could see the war starting over Poland, but delayed a few years. Danzig was the lingering issue, and surely someone would attempt to take it back. However, if they still draw France and the UK in is another question. Hitler's death would cause some chaos, in which time the world would change. It really depends on some other factors, such as what the USSR is up to.

very true, there so much randomness from his early death I'm not sure which way to guess, especially since we don't have an exact date fixed for it.:confused:

Yeah if there's the military incompetence from the start, you think it would progress beyond Poland?
 
Nope, if the economy fails a year or two later under Hess or Goering his successor will get the blame. People will believe that if Hitler were still alive he would have solved the problem.

Leaders are always perfect once they're dead.

At first yes, of course Hess may wish to pin the blame on Hitler to prevent his own regime coming undone and if and when German returns to some form of democracy he will be proven correct.

Yeah if there's the military incompetence from the start, you think it would progress beyond Poland?

Without the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact? Not much past Poland. With a version of it the German probably get another year or two but I can't see France falling.
 
If it is before 1936, a footnote in German history.

If it is in 1939, Hitler would be a German hero even today, and National Socialism would probably exist in some form, or be a political party in a few countries. If it is in 1940, after the Fall of France, but before the Battle of Britain, then Hitler would probably be seen as a modern Napoleon of some sort. The Holocaust had yet to be in full swing, and he conquered 7 countries in the span of a few months.
 
Let"s say this happens in 37
Goering is likely to take over and he against the war
Goering is also A LOT less anti-semetic and is much more of a pragmatist I highly doubt he would waste resources on something like the Holocaust.
So the entire regime would be getting a historical face-lift and who knows, maybe they would still be in power.
 
Or, Hitler dies in early 1939...

Goering takes power after a power struggle with Himmler. Himmler is either killed, or realizes he is forced to cooperate with Goering or get killed. SS is either disbanded, or leadership is altered. Goering has a lot more support in the military either way.

Goering is also seen as more trustful by the allies, and if the war starts on 1 September 1939, I see it mostly going as IOTL up until after the Fall of France (Maybe Denmark and Norway are spared from Germany). After that, I think some sort of deal will be made. Germany leaves the Low Countries and France, under the condition Germany keeps Luxembourg, Alsace Lorraine, and its Polish conquests.
 
Nope, if the economy fails a year or two later under Hess or Goering his successor will get the blame. People will believe that if Hitler were still alive he would have solved the problem.

Leaders are always perfect once they're dead.

I agree, he will be a patriotic, nationalistic hero to most Germans. Any problems will be blamed on whoever follows him.
 
very true, there so much randomness from his early death I'm not sure which way to guess, especially since we don't have an exact date fixed for it.:confused:

Yeah if there's the military incompetence from the start, you think it would progress beyond Poland?

I'd say the best bet is some kind of deal with the USSR that heavily favors the Soviets. Something more close to the pre-WWI borders then what they had IOTL. With a larger Soviet involvement, it may make the Allies think twice, as it'd be an utter farce if they only declared war on Germany.

Alternatively, there's a small chance Germany could spin it into an alliance with the Allies against the USSR, using Poland as the justification. Many at the time thought this was how things would go anyway.
 
I'd say the best bet is some kind of deal with the USSR that heavily favors the Soviets. Something more close to the pre-WWI borders then what they had IOTL. With a larger Soviet involvement, it may make the Allies think twice, as it'd be an utter farce if they only declared war on Germany.

Alternatively, there's a small chance Germany could spin it into an alliance with the Allies against the USSR, using Poland as the justification. Many at the time thought this was how things would go anyway.

So it would be sort of like the Red Alert:p
 
So it would be sort of like the Red Alert:p

I actually said in my first draft of that post "kind of like Red Alert, if you know that" :p

I'm also working on a map of this, but am having trouble deciding what to do with Japan with no European war.
 
At first yes, of course Hess may wish to pin the blame on Hitler to prevent his own regime coming undone and if and when German returns to some form of democracy he will be proven correct.

You kidding? Hess is the last guy who'd blame Hitler for anything -- especially as there's plenty of footage of him making a godhead of his predecessor (see 2:14)...
 
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