The Role of German Intellectuals and Scientists in the Conceptual World of Hitler

The role of German intellectuals and scientists in shaping the conceptual world that Hitler inhabited has too often been underestimated. A key metaphor of space to the east, which had dominated much German spatial thinking since the 1890s, emerged as a central element. Though Hitler never cited Mckinder directly, his thinking mirrored the geographer's view that control of Central and Eastern Europe was the key to control of the Eurasian heartland.