> if germany had won, for instance, there would be german bases in spain right now, i think. because i think its nonsense that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. if you take a look at the german history leading up to their permanent occupation nothing suggests as much. quite the opposite if anything. prussia went to war with austria hungary in the first "brother war" i.e. the austro-prussian war over the terms of the anschluss. both wanted it but the austro-hungarian habsburgs put keeping their non-german holdings up as a condition and the prussian habsburgs answered by declaring war. it was a big deal and left a sour taste in many germans mouth that to this day has germans heavily split on opinions on prussia.   -prussian_war they literally declared war after being asked if non germans and their lands can be incorporated. i dont think you can make a stronger statement on the matter so german expansionism always was just blatant projection and war propaganda that has to ignore that all these claimed territories were ethnic german because the germans were attempting to reform the german hre after its dissolution under napoleonic occupation. the entire lebensraum propaganda was entirely fabricated and parroted by a couple of aristocrats in response to growing disdain at land consolidation. it was only picked up by the nazis with the intention of kicking that can down the road while bolstering the economies of the war stricken territories. claims of proxy governments being colonial attempts during a world war after another one in which they suffered backstabs from neighbours and were for all intents and purposes fighting by themselves lack the nuance to be taken serious.
Germany