Hitler’s Allies: The Ramifications of Nazi Alliance Politics in World War II

This book looks at the significance of alliances in the international system focusing on the dynamics between great and regional powers and on the alliances Nazi Germany made during World War II and their implications for Germany.

It examines a variety of case studies and looks at how each of the respective states contributed to or weakened Nazi Germany’s warfighting capabilities. The cases cover the principal Axis members Italy and Japan as well as the secondary Axis allies Hungary and Romania, as well as neutral states that had economic and military significance for Germany; Bulgaria, Iran, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Vichy France. Additional case studies include topics such as the German attempts to cultivate Arab nationalism focusing on German involvement in the coup in Iraq against the pro-British government, and the war time state of Croatia whose creation was made possible by Germany, with the rivalry between Germany and Italy for control being a major focus. The book also includes a case study exploring the unique position of Finland among German allies as a democracy and how the country was essentially fighting a very different war from Nazi Germany.

This will be of interest to students and academics with an interest in power dynamics in World War II, economic, political, strategic, and alliance theory and scholarly debate on Nazism and Europe.