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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
BY VIRGINIA L. GOTT
College
Radcliffe
Despitea ratherwide rangeof disagreement amongNationalSocialist
writers,a general,characteristic NationalSocialisttheoryof international
law is definitelydiscernible.Hans HelmutDietze is perhapsthe most
representativeand certainly amongthemostthoroughly NationalSocialist
writerson thissubject. HelmutNicolai,ErnstWolgast,NorbertGiirke,
HerbertKraus,and G. A. Walz maybe considered as rankingnextin im-
portancefromthe pointof viewof expounding themosttypicalNational
Socialistdoctrinesin the fieldofinternational law. The wordsand deeds
oftheFuihrer haveformed, ofcourse,thebasisuponwhichthesedoctrines
stand. Althoughthe utterances as wellas the actionsof Hitlerhave not
alwaysbeenconsistent (thisis obvious in any comparison ofMein Kampf
this
withhisspeechesas Reichskanzler), fact does not seem greatlyto have
hinderedthe formulation of an international legal theory,but thenthis
theoryitselfmay appear to many,whenviewedobjectively, as likewise
inconsistent.However,justas itis possibleto dismisscertainstatements of
Hitler as embodyingwordscoinedmorefor tacticalpurposesand not
sincerelyin line withNationalSocialistideology,so it is possibleto see
throughmanyof the inconsistencies in the NationalSocialisttheorieson
internationallaw and obtaintherealvolklich-nationale pointofview.'
A characteristicofNationalSocialistwritings on law is to be foundin the
emphasislaid uponthefactthatlaw is conditioned by theformofsociety
itgoverns. Actualsocialconditions orrelationships, notabstractnorms, are
claimedto be the basis forrecognition of all law. Reality,die konkrete
Wirklichkeit,shoulddetermine thenatureoflaw,2forit is herein thesocial
forcesthatlawhasitssource.3 The fundamental it is claimed,is the
reality,
permanent divisionofmankind intodifferent racesandnationalities (Vo6lker),
thecentralfactfromwhichall thoughtmustproceed.4Thisis at thevery
core of the NationalSocialistWeltanschauung; we findthis themerising
againand againoutofthevariations oftheirthought.
Developingupon this hypothesis,the most representative National
1 NorbertGurkedistinguishes the National Socialistpointof view,aptly termedthe
volklich-nationale,
fromthe Catholicchurch(katholisch-kirchliche), thedemocraticpacifist,
themarxistand thepositivist pointsofview. In "Der StandderV6tkerrechtsuissenschaft",
Deutsche Hamburg,1937,p. 82.
Rechtswissenschaft,
2 H. H. Dietze, "Europa als Einheit,"Zeitschrift
fuirVolkerrecht, Breslau,1936,p. 295,
"nichteineabstrakteNorm,sondern diekonkreteWirklichkeit(ist)derGeltungs
undErkenntnis-
grundallenRechts."
3 H. Nicolai,Rassengesetzliche
Rechtslehre,
Muinchen, 1934,p. 27.
4 NorbertGuirke, Grundziigedes Vol1kerrechts,
Berlin,1936,p. 16.
704
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 705
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706 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 707
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708 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 709
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710 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL, OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 711
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712 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
filling
thisduty,Hitleron March6, 1936,marchedhistroopsintotheRhine-
landindisregard ofthePact ofLocarno. He justified
thismoveonthebasis
thatit was the demandoftheprimitive rightofa Volkforsecurityofits
bordersand preservation ofitsmeansofdefense,whichcausedtheGerman
Government to reestablish
its unlimitedsovereignty
in the demilitarized
zoneoftheRhineland.58PossessionoftheSaar and hencea changeofthe
internationalorderwassimilarly demandedbyDr. Frank,on thegrounds of
itsbeingin linewiththenaturalorderofthings.59
NationalSocialistsclaim,however,thattheydo notrepudiatethesanctity
of treaties,pacta suntservanda. "That famous phrase pacta suntservanda,
the hypothesis and verybasis forthe existenceof an internationallaw, is
recognized as valid by NationalSocialistsin the international
sphere."60
Pacta suntservandaremainsa fundamental preceptof internationallaw,
but it is no longeran absolute,it has becomea relativeprecept. Treaties
are to be observedif theyembodyrichtiges Recht,thatis "rightlaw". If
theyarenotin keepingwiththeprimitive, naturallaw ofnations,thenit is
no longera duty,and is in factdishonorable, to observethem. Hitlercon-
sidersit a fundamental principleof internationallaw that the "sanctity
of treatiespresumesthe existenceof honorabletreaties"(Vertragstreue
ehrenhafte voraussetzt).61Thus Wolgastlikewise,thoughhe accepts
Vertrdge
pacta suntservandaas the juristicbasis (Geltungsgrund)
of internationallaw,
demandsthat thislaw be "rightlyorientatedto justice"62 (richtigerweise
if it is to be consideredas truelaw. Richter
an derGerechtigkeit),
orientiert
quitefrankly sumsup theNationalSocialistpositionwithrespectat least
to treatiesmade in the past. "Generallyrecognizedinternational legal
principlesand internationalcustomare recognized by Germanyonlythen
whentheycoincidewiththe legal conceptsof the GermanVolk,and not
becauseoftheirinternational character,but becausebasic,ethicalideas of
Germanlawareat stake."63 Thisis perhapsputting it a littlemorebluntly
thanmostNationalSocialistswouldbe willingto do,butit doesseemto be
a realisticpresentationof the NationalSocialistattitudewithregardto
decidingupon the legalityof certaininternational
agreements.But even
Richterrefusesto abandontheprinciple ofpactasuntservanda.Withregard
to thefuture,Richtermaintainsthattheprinciple simplymeansthatGer-
manywillonlyenteruponagreements whichit can keep. Withregardto
thepast,however, pactasuntservanda standsforrevision. "WhenTruth,
58A. Hitler,speechbeforethe Reichstag,March7, 1936,"Des FihrersKampfum den
Weltfrieden", Miinchen,1936,p. 29.
59H. H. Dietze,op. cit.,p. 113. The authorquotesDr. Frankfromhis introduction to
thefirstnumberoftheZeitschrift derAkademie Recht,1934,p. 1. "Das Recht
fir deutsches
Deutschlands aufdieSaar istdas unabdingbare, vonkeinemVertrag, vonkeinerMachtanwen-
dungzu erschitternde eivgeNaturrechtwiedas RechtderMutteraufihrKind."
60 H. Kraus,loc.cit.,p. 2419. 61 A. Hitler,speechof May 21, 1935.
62 E. Wolgast,"Nationalsozialismusundinternationales Recht",loc.cit.,p. 199.
63 H. Richter,loc.cit.,p. 208.
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 713
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714 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 715
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716 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW 717
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718 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
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