One of the largest figures in Nazi Germany. Imperial Foreign Minister. The person whose name the historical document is named after - the Non-Aggression Pact. Joachim Ribbentrop was influential in Nazi Germany, but, like many other war criminals, an inglorious end awaited him.
At the beginning of the path to the heights of power
Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893 - 1946) joined the ranks of the Nazi Party in 1930, even before the possessed Fuhrer came to power. In the political system of the Third Reich, this man served as Hitler's foreign policy adviser.
Ribbentrop was born on April 30, 1893 in Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia) in a military family. His father was a career officer. In 1910, after graduation, Ribbentrop lived for some time in Canada, where he was engaged in the wine trade.
There are military pages in the biography of Joachim. Four years later, half of his departure for Canada, he returned to his homeland and volunteered for the army. As part of the Kaiser's hussar regiment, he fought on both the Eastern and Western fronts. During the fighting he was wounded. For bravery he was awarded the Iron Cross of the first degree. Before the end of the First World War, he was sent to Turkey, where he served with the rank of chief lieutenant in the German military mission.
Ribbentrop after World War I
The war ended, Ribbentrop decided to plunge into commerce again and started selling wine. Being a very wealthy businessman, he got married. The daughter of one of the wealthy winemakers became his wife. Over time, representatives of the new nobility began to gather in the luxurious mansion of a successful businessman. Surrounded by the political and industrial elite, Ribbentrop felt important. On one of the evenings in the early 30s, he met Adolf Hitler. Ribbentrop fell under the influence of the personality of the future Fuhrer of Germany, was fascinated by his ability to lead people. Joachim decided to join the ranks of the NSDAP. In the Ribbentrop house, negotiations between representatives of political parties took place more than once. It was here that the question of the appointment of Hitler as Reich Chancellor was decided.
In 1932, on the initiative of Hitler, Ribbentrop founded a special bureau, which was engaged in identifying diplomats who were not distinguished by political reliability. After a close acquaintance with Himmler, Ribbentrop recruits SS men into his bureau.
In 1933, Ribbentrop was promoted to the rank of SS Obergruppenfuehrer, which corresponded to the army rank of major general.
After Hitler's political victory, Ribbentrop was actively involved in the implementation of German foreign policy. His competence included preparing the country for an alliance with militaristic Japan.
In February 1938, Joachim Ribbentrop becomes Reich's Reich Foreign Minister. While in this high government post, he played one of the key roles in the preparation and unleashing of World War II.
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and World War II
On August 23, 1939, in the capital of the USSR, together with the head of the foreign policy department of the Country of Soviets, Vyacheslav Molotov, Ribbentrop signed the famous Non-Aggression Pact between the two countries. Several days passed. On September 1 of the same year, Hitler's Germany attacked neighboring Poland. So the Second World War was unleashed.
On June 22, 1941, Hitler began a war with the USSR. At the head of his department, Ribbentrop took an active part in all the political processes taking place at that time in Europe and on the Eastern Front. He was a staunch supporter of the inhuman racial theory of Nazism. With his participation, Slavs and Jews were exterminated in the territories occupied by the Germans.
However, Ribbentrop's star went down over time. He ceased to enjoy the confidence of the Fuhrer and the ruling elite. After the defeat of Nazism, the former Reich Minister hid in Hamburg, where he was arrested by the British occupation troops. Together with other Nazi leaders, Ribbentrop was tried by a military tribunal. He was convicted on all four counts and sentenced to death. Ribbentrop was hanged on October 16, 1946. Thus ended the career of the former fine wine merchant.
