Lebensraum ('living space'), is a geopolitical concept which was adopted by Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the leader of Nazi Germany, to justify the military domination of Central and Eastern Europe, and then the USSR. Hitler promised that Lebensraum in the east would gain vast new space and resources and so ensure economic prosperity and autonomy for Germanic peoples.
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Definition
Timeline
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1920Lebensraum is point three in the German Nazi Party's 25-point programme.
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1925Adolf Hitler presents his ideas on Lebensraum in his book Mein Kampf.
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1930Nazi racial theorist Alfred Rosenberg discusses the idea of Lebensraum in his book Myth of the Twentieth Century.
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1937According to the Hossbach Memorandum, Adolf Hitler presents the idea of Lebensraum and foreign conquest to his military leaders.
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Jun 1941 - Dec 1941Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's failed attempt to conquer the USSR.
