How Joachim von Ribbentrop helped Hitler divide the world
How did Nazi Germany conquer so much land so quickly? One of Hitler's lesser-known right-hand men, Joachim von Ribbentrop, laid much of the groundwork.
Image: Joachim von Ribbentrop | Public Domain
After the end of World War I, all the blame for the horrifying conflict fell on Germany, which suffered economic ruin as a result. However, as Adolf Hitler rose to power, he was determined to restore Germany’s once-formidable place in the world – even by force.
Nazi Germany backed up its words with action, its armies invading and conquering more and more territory on the continent. In the late 1930s and into World War II, Austria, the Sudetenland, Poland and France all fell like dominoes to the Nazis.
How had Germany loosened the tight restrictions placed on it by the Treaty of Versailles? With more than a little skilful diplomacy – and that's where Joachim von Ribbentrop proved especially useful. Sky HISTORY examines how Hitler's foreign minister helped pave the way for the run of Nazi triumphs featured in World War II with Tom Hanks.
Joachim von Ribbentrop’s early life
Joachim von Ribbentrop was born on 30th April 1893 in Wesel, at that time part of the German Empire. Upon his birth, Ribbentrop’s name did not include the ‘von’, a particle usually reserved for Germans of aristocratic background. Joachim’s father Richard was not a member of the nobility but instead an army officer.
The young Joachim studied the French language at the Lycée Fabert school in Metz from 1904 to 1908. He also became fluent in English, but Richard was dismissed from the Prussian army in 1908, reportedly for criticising Kaiser Wilhelm II. After World War I broke out, Joachim enlisted in the Prussian 12th Hussar Regiment.
Joachim married into a wealthy family in 1919. Several years later, he was adopted by his aunt who enabled him to add the ‘von’ to his name. Was he the original ‘nepo baby’? It’s certainly the kind of accusation that would be flung his way as he rose through the political ranks.
Ribbentrop’s relationship with Hitler
By the early 1930s, Joachim von Ribbentrop had become friendly with Hitler and joined his burgeoning Nazi Party. Joachim even played a part in orchestrating Hitler’s political ascendancy, with Ribbentrop’s home being used for meetings between Hitler’s allies.
The new German leader believed that Ribbentrop, as a businessman experienced in selling beverages to international markets, had the credentials to excel in foreign diplomacy. Ribbentrop was also known to flatter Hitler by echoing his radical views – including, especially disturbingly, his antisemitism.
Ribbentrop’s mixed fortunes dealing with the British
Ribbentrop advised the Nazi Party on foreign policy before taking up an increasing number of foreign diplomacy duties. In June 1935, he secured the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, enabling Germany to expand its naval strength beyond the limits previously imposed at Versailles.
In 1936, Hitler made Joachim von Ribbentrop the German ambassador to the UK. In this role, Ribbentrop aimed to forge an Anglo-German alliance, but often alienated his British hosts. In two separate incidents, one at Durham Cathedral, the other when meeting George VI, he caused outcry by attempting a Nazi salute.
It’s even rumoured that, at some point, Ribbentrop slept with Edward VIII’s lover Wallis Simpson, who allegedly leaked British state secrets to the Nazis. Whatever the veracity of these rumours, Ribbentrop did fail to convince Britain to join the Anti-Comintern Pact. In the event, only Germany, Italy and Japan signed up to this anti-communist agreement, setting the stage for the Axis alliance.
Ribbentrop’s stint as German foreign minister
Ribbentrop served as the Third Reich’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1938 to 1945. Arguably his biggest diplomatic feat was signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union led the two to carve up Poland in 1939.
The German invasion of Poland provoked ire from Britain and France, sparking the beginning of World War II. Over the ensuing years, Joachim von Ribbentrop’s political influence waned. So determined was Hitler to fight the war to the bitter end, he no longer saw a pressing need for Ribbentrop’s diplomatic skills.
An ignominious end for Joachim von Ribbentrop
Hitler committed suicide on 30th April 1945, eight days before Germany’s unconditional surrender. However, the victorious Allied powers certainly hadn’t forgotten Ribbentrop’s role in stoking the tensions that originally ignited the war.
At the postwar Nuremberg trials, Ribbentrop was found guilty of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. He was consequently executed on 16th October 1946. Right to the end, Ribbentrop never publicly recanted his support for his former boss, the defeated Führer.
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