Earlier political and military gambles had worked often enough to encourage Hitler's confidence in another long shot. The interpretation developed here connects that confidence with a poor understanding of other countries and the scale of American power. A German-controlled Britain and Royal Navy would give Roosevelt reasons to oppose German expansion well before it directly reached the United States. The idea that great powers declare war rather than receive declarations offered Hitler a claim to initiative, although Britain and France had already declared war on Germany. Treating American entry as inevitable could therefore make declaring first seem attractive without resolving Germany's existing military commitments.
Chapter · 1:01:36-1:05:31
Hitler's gambles and the prestige of declaring first
Earlier long-shot successes and a poor understanding of American power encouraged Hitler to treat war as inevitable and claim the initiative by declaring it himself.