Joachim von Ribbentrop in Canada, 1910–1914: A Note
2007; Routledge; Volume: 29; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/07075332.2007.9641142
ISSN1949-6540
Autores Tópico(s)Canadian Identity and History
Resumothe opinion of John L. Heineman, Joachim von cRibbentrop's interest for historians lies not in his impractical theories but rather in his successful struggle for power.'1 The remark points to both Ribbentrop's remarkable ascent in the Nazi hierarchy from newly minted party member in 1932 to foreign minister in 1938 and his incompetence and lack of substance. As a diplomat with no formal training in diplomacy or knowledge of international relations, Ribbentrop proved ineffectual: he repelled statesmen in the 1930s with his seemingly endless anti-Bolshevist monologues and his repeated calls for the return of the German colonies lost after the First World War. His greatest achievement, the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union in August 1939, was soon tarnished by the outbreak of war with Great Britain, an event he had assured Adolf Hitler would not occur in response to the Nazi invasion of Poland.2 In April 1945, Ribbentrop, who had long lost the ear of his beloved Fiihrer, was replaced in Admiral Karl Donitz's short-lived successor government by Arthur Seyss-Inquart. Given Ribbentrop's reputation among historians for incompetence, his ability to achieve and to hold on to high office is astounding. By members of the Nazi Party, Ribbentrop was always considered an outsider; he was neither a vicious anti-Semite like Julius Streicher nor a prototypical professional failure in the style of Joseph Goebbels. While his future comrades were battling Communists in the streets during the 1920s, Ribbentrop was cutting a figure in Berlin society. Emerging from the First World War almost penniless and with few prospects, by 1920 he had married Annelies Henkell, the daughter of a wealthy producer of sparkling wine. Taking advantage of his new family's connections, he set up a liquor import business. Although he would prove to be an ineffective diplomat, Ribbentrop
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