On January 30th, 1933 Adolf Hitler walked into Hindenburg's office to assume his hard fought role as chancellor and grab hold of the reigns of a 14 year-old German democratic republic. On this day Ludendorff would warn Hindenburg of the future repercussions of his decision; “by appointing Adolf Hitler Chancellor of the Reich, you have handed over our sacred German Fatherland to one of the greatest demagogues of all time. Future generations will curse you in your grave for this action.” This insight would later prove to ring true and mark the end of Hitler’s “rise” and the beginning of the end for Weimar Germany and German democracy for the next 12 years. In order to understand how this position was obtained, one must examine the economic, political and social implications of the years that preceded the achievement as well as Hitler’s own ideology and personal assets.
AJP Taylor stated, "Only the Great Depression put the wind into Hitler's sails". Indeed, this declaration illustrates a view that is commonly used to explain the drastic increase in popularity of the NSDAP after Stresemann’s death in 1929. In 1930 the Nazi party saw their seats increase from 12 in 1928, to 107 seats in the German federal election. One could argue that these statistics can be explained by examining the effects that the Wall Street Crash of 1929 had on Germany. After the Wall Street Crash, the US called in its loans to Germany, thus leading to an economic collapse and social disorder as rates of unemployment and starvation grew. Numbers of unemployment rapidly and consistently increased from 2 million in 1928 to 2.5 million in 1929, 3 million in 1930, 5 million in 1931 and finally 6 million in 1932 just before Hitler took his place as Chancellor. In 1930 Chancellor Bruning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay in hopes of establishing a means to an end. This legislature, however, was not approved by the Reichstag and thus led to President Hindenburg instituting the use of Article 48 in order to pass the measures by decree. Contrary to creating any solutions, this act put the government in further disorder and created an anarchist movement from the people. As put by historian Tony Howarth, “Hitler's policies were half-baked, racist clap-trap... but among the jumble of hysterical ideas Hitler showed a sure sense of how to appeal to the lowest instincts of frightened masses”. Amidst the chaos, Germans began looking for radical solutions and a source to blame their desperations on and Hitler gave them just that. His sympathetic policies and use of propaganda appealed to the masses. The middle class, after a shocking awakening to the obvious failure of democracy, opted for an extremist government. Nationalists and racists supported Hitler’s view that the Treaty of Versailles and reparations were to blame for Germany’s distraught social and economic situation. Although many of the workers turned to communism, this scared the wealthier classes in to financing Hitler’s campaign. Conclusively, Hitler took advantage of the vulnerable economic state of his country in order to gain support for his radically right winged party.
Despite the obvious correlation between economics and political growth, to blame Hitler’s rise to power solely on The Great Depression and the failure of Democracy in Weimar Germany is a simplistic approach to a much more complicated accomplishment. Hitler’s achievement was due far more to his party’s appeal to German society than it was to the people’s disapproval for the previous government. The NSDAP offered Germany what the other parties could not; a return to a nation built upon a traditional lifestyle of customs and security. Dr. Paul Josef Goebbels who was in charge of propaganda did a thorough job in effectively communicating these ideas and increasing support by targeting the interests of specific groups in society. The Berlin chapter of the Nazi party began printing Der Angriff as a form of propaganda. As Goebbels stressed himself, “the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly- it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over”. In the case of the Nazis, these points were mainly anti-Semitism and an obvious criticism of the Weimar Republic. Evidently this tactic appealed to the public as a growing demand caused circulation to increase from 2,000 copies in 1927 to 146,694 by 1936. Furthermore, Hitler’s party took a clear stance against the rational fear of impending Communism on Weimar Germany. Unlike central parties such as the SPD who appeared to be impartial to the movement, the NSDAP put to rest many of the people’s uncertainty by employing the use of the Sturmabteilung
in order to eradicate extremist left-wing opponents. Although the group’s success was made possible through the use of committing acts of violence and terror, this
proved to be a success in its own right because it scared off other potential opponents in addition to the targeted groups. Through a combination of tailored appeal to the population and the suppression of potential opposition, Hitler had made it possible to gain a sufficient lead in the polls.
However, by 1933 when it came time for President Hindenburg to appoint a new Chancellor, conditions in Germany had already begun to improve. Levels of unemployment fell from 5.5 to 4.5 million with starvation rates to match. Surprisingly, in the parliamentary elections of Novemeber 1932 the NSDAP’s votes dropped from 4.2 % to 33.1 % while other, smaller party’s support actually increased. Hitler’s personal qualities had been a crucial aspect in carrying him so far. One of his early followers, Karl Ludecke described him by saying; “He was holding the masses, and me with them, under an hypnotic spell by the sheer force of his beliefs. His words were like a whip. When he spoke of the disgrace of Germany, I felt ready to attack any enemy.” Attributes such as captivating, manipulative speech, self-confidence and determination which gave Hitler his powerful, appealing façade was overlooked by Hindenburg and Papen who offered him the position of Chancellor. With the results of the latest polls, they were under the false perception of Hitler’s true intentions and potential and thus maintained the disillusionment that they would be able to maintain control over him after handing over to him the position.
With hindsight, this conception would prove to be false and more dangerous than anyone could have foreseen. Instead of being controlled, Hitler would use Article 48 to obtain absolute power. After years of gradually gaining support through manipulation of Germany’s vulnerable economic and social status as well as his party’s personal appeal to society, he had obtained his final position as Chancellor before absolute dictatorship.
Showing posts with label Hitler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hitler. Show all posts
How did Adolf Hitler Become Chancellor?
“By appointing Adolf Hitler Chancellor of the Reich, you have handed over our sacred German Fatherland to one of the greatest demagogues of all time. Future generations will curse you in your grave for this action.” With hindsight, Erich Ludendorff’s words, aimed at Hindenburg after the nomination of Hitler as Reichskanzler in January 1933, are astoundingly accurate. The seizure of the Chancellorship was the leap onto the path to totalitarianism, genocide and world war. Yet one must remember that at the time, this was unpredictable. In order to understand how the appointment was possible, one must untangle the mélange of civilian, economic and authoritative procedures that laid the foundation for Hitler’s rise to the post.
Historians such as David Heath K.M. of Glencairn argue that the NSDAP enjoyed a rapid influx of votes during the last years of Weimar simply due to “protest votes”[1]. After Gustav Stresemann’s disadvantageous demise in October 1929 for instance, the DVP suffered a sudden oscillation of voting results due to the forfeiture of its main head supplying concrete direction and purpose. Müller and Brüning’s chimerical attempts at coalitions failed, as the principal parties found it impossible to coordinate their conflicting policies. In addition to that, during the Great Depression that broke out in the same month as Stresemann’s death, moderate parties appeared to lose millions of votes to more radical groups explicitly opposing democracy. This is manifested in the election results of 1930: the NSDAP won 107 seats in the Reichstag, second only to the SPD with 143 seats, closely followed by the KPD with 77 seats. During times of increasing unemployment and penury, “voters, it seemed, were losing faith in the larger parties”[2], choosing to express their discontent by casting their ballots for extremist, anti-democratic organisations instead. Paul Bookbinder similarly argues that the NSDAP received many votes from anti-Catholic Protestants[3]. However, this is a simplistic approach that labels the entire concept of democracy a sham; it is ridiculous to suggest that millions of people would hoax their own representative government and consciously choose to have it dissolved, despite their deprivation. One must not disregard the genuine appeal that the NSDAP had to all facets of German society as an honest party. Propaganda, deployed by publicity-mastermind Dr. Paul Josef Goebbels, “succeeded in transcending social boundaries and uniting highly disparate social groups on the basis of a common ideology”[4], aiming at all citizens: workers, farmers, men, women, youth. It drew on the rigid German customs familiar to everyone; in a society cultivating the grounded fear of social upheaval from radical Communists, the NSDAP had reassuring voice calling for the return to order and tradition. It offered the stability and concrete beliefs that the SPD, DVP and ZP could not; its solidity was sharply silhouetted against the whimsical haze of the others.
“Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.” George Bernard Shaw’s words are tailored to illustrate Hitler’s opportunity to become Chancellor after his party became the largest in the Reichstag in July 1932 with 37.3% of the votes. After the foundering of four consecutive Chancellors since 1928, President Hindenburg, executing Article 48 of the Weimar constitution, was obliged to appoint a new one. The orthodox notion is that he naturally looked to Hitler due to the fact that he was the leader of the strongest political party and thus had clear piloting potential. However, this is not the case; in fact, this was the point at which Hitler was at his weakest. In the parliamentary election of November 1932, the NSDAP lost 4.2% of votes, dropping to 33.1%, while the KPD and DVP showed slight increases[5]. It appeared that Hitler’s career had reached an anticlimax. While conditions in Germany improved (unemployment fell from 5.5 to 4.5 million)[6], the NSDAP rapidly lost support. Hindenburg chose someone he thought would be unassuming and highly unlikely to do anything drastic. Franz von Papen, bitter about his replacement by General Kurt von Schleicher, hoped to oust the latter; his conspiracy[7] involved the placement of Hitler as Chancellor and himself as a manipulative Vice-Chancellor. Hitler was guessed to be safe and muted. This was possibly the gravest miscalculation in history. Difficult as it is to express, knowing what he brought to the twentieth century, Hitler’s political astuteness was greatly underestimated. Not only were his speeches gripping, his eyes captivating[8] and his ideas substantial, Hitler also had the invaluable talent of political infighting by playing ministers against one another.[9] According to French Ambassador André-Francois Poncet, “he was an ice-cold realist, a profoundly calculating person.” This would be a factor leading to his eventual seizure of absolute power as undisputed Führer of the German Reich in 1934.
One of the most important driving forces of the early twentieth century, often forgotten as a main catalyst of socio-political changes in the Weimar Republic, was the sweeping fear of Communism. 1917 saw the fall of one of the most well-anchored dynasties in Eurasia: the Romanov monarchy. David Heath, Laird of Glencairn, persuasively argues that communism was a realistic threat to Weimar: 50,000 Spartacists, led by Liebknecht and Luxembourg, who in turn seemed to be Lenin’s puppets, roamed the streets of Berlin in 1919[10]; the Red Army and workers’ councils called for a Socialist revolution, Bolshevism and anarchy seemed close to vanquishing the last shred of order. Hitler’s NSDAP displayed a clear stance against this threat, unlike many of the moderate parties. Industry and businesses chose to trust Hitler’s promise of capitalism, sponsoring him in the hope of purging Weimar of the threat of nationalization. These included successful businessmen Thyssen, Krupp and Ford[11]. Their money gave Hitler the ability to campaign and reach vast areas of the country: he was able to fly from town to town and broadcast speeches via radio, thus winning the hearts of countless Germans. The Sturmabteilung, violent as it was, personified a distinct front against Communism and not only eradicated Hitler’s left-wing opponents, but also proved to the public how resolute he was to act against the Marxist terror. However, this also had another effect. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany’s army was limited to 100,000 men. With 3 million members in the Sturmabteilung opposing the vast number of Communist sympathisers, a German civil war would be a cataclysm impossible to mollify. It was clear to Hindenburg that Hitler, were he not elected Chancellor, had the power to begin it, since he would have no more to lose. The army, their nationalist purpose naturally precipitating a loathing for Communism, had to accept Hitler as the most stable choice, albeit supposedly temporary.
Tragically, Hitler’s rise to power was everything but temporary.
[1] Hayse, Michael R. Recasting West German Elites: Higher Civil Servants, Business Leaders and Physicians in Hesse Between Nazism and Democracy, 1945-1955. Page 20. Berghahn Books, 2003.
[2] Shelton, Dinah. Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Volume 1. Page 400. Macmillan Reference, 2005.
[3] Bookbinder, Paul. Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable. Page 81. Manchester University Press, 1996.
[4] Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. Page 264. London: Penguin Books Ldt, 2003.
[5] Orlow, Dietrich. Weimar Prussia, 1925-1933: The Illusion of Strength. Page 162. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991.
[6] Stachura, Peter D. Unemployment and the Great Depression in Weimar Germany. Page 109. Macmillan 1986.
[7] Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. Page 306. London: Penguin Books Ltd, 2003.
[8] Pinkus, Oscar. The War Aims and Strategies of Adolf Hitler. Page 8. McFarland, 2005.
[9] Harvey, Richard. Hitler and the Third Reich. Page 60. Nelson Thornes, 1998.
[10] Bookbinder, Paul. Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable. Page 57. Manchester University Press, 1996.
[11] Duthel, Heinz. The Bilderberger Group - Saviors or Destroyers? Page 423. 2008.
Historians such as David Heath K.M. of Glencairn argue that the NSDAP enjoyed a rapid influx of votes during the last years of Weimar simply due to “protest votes”[1]. After Gustav Stresemann’s disadvantageous demise in October 1929 for instance, the DVP suffered a sudden oscillation of voting results due to the forfeiture of its main head supplying concrete direction and purpose. Müller and Brüning’s chimerical attempts at coalitions failed, as the principal parties found it impossible to coordinate their conflicting policies. In addition to that, during the Great Depression that broke out in the same month as Stresemann’s death, moderate parties appeared to lose millions of votes to more radical groups explicitly opposing democracy. This is manifested in the election results of 1930: the NSDAP won 107 seats in the Reichstag, second only to the SPD with 143 seats, closely followed by the KPD with 77 seats. During times of increasing unemployment and penury, “voters, it seemed, were losing faith in the larger parties”[2], choosing to express their discontent by casting their ballots for extremist, anti-democratic organisations instead. Paul Bookbinder similarly argues that the NSDAP received many votes from anti-Catholic Protestants[3]. However, this is a simplistic approach that labels the entire concept of democracy a sham; it is ridiculous to suggest that millions of people would hoax their own representative government and consciously choose to have it dissolved, despite their deprivation. One must not disregard the genuine appeal that the NSDAP had to all facets of German society as an honest party. Propaganda, deployed by publicity-mastermind Dr. Paul Josef Goebbels, “succeeded in transcending social boundaries and uniting highly disparate social groups on the basis of a common ideology”[4], aiming at all citizens: workers, farmers, men, women, youth. It drew on the rigid German customs familiar to everyone; in a society cultivating the grounded fear of social upheaval from radical Communists, the NSDAP had reassuring voice calling for the return to order and tradition. It offered the stability and concrete beliefs that the SPD, DVP and ZP could not; its solidity was sharply silhouetted against the whimsical haze of the others.
“Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.” George Bernard Shaw’s words are tailored to illustrate Hitler’s opportunity to become Chancellor after his party became the largest in the Reichstag in July 1932 with 37.3% of the votes. After the foundering of four consecutive Chancellors since 1928, President Hindenburg, executing Article 48 of the Weimar constitution, was obliged to appoint a new one. The orthodox notion is that he naturally looked to Hitler due to the fact that he was the leader of the strongest political party and thus had clear piloting potential. However, this is not the case; in fact, this was the point at which Hitler was at his weakest. In the parliamentary election of November 1932, the NSDAP lost 4.2% of votes, dropping to 33.1%, while the KPD and DVP showed slight increases[5]. It appeared that Hitler’s career had reached an anticlimax. While conditions in Germany improved (unemployment fell from 5.5 to 4.5 million)[6], the NSDAP rapidly lost support. Hindenburg chose someone he thought would be unassuming and highly unlikely to do anything drastic. Franz von Papen, bitter about his replacement by General Kurt von Schleicher, hoped to oust the latter; his conspiracy[7] involved the placement of Hitler as Chancellor and himself as a manipulative Vice-Chancellor. Hitler was guessed to be safe and muted. This was possibly the gravest miscalculation in history. Difficult as it is to express, knowing what he brought to the twentieth century, Hitler’s political astuteness was greatly underestimated. Not only were his speeches gripping, his eyes captivating[8] and his ideas substantial, Hitler also had the invaluable talent of political infighting by playing ministers against one another.[9] According to French Ambassador André-Francois Poncet, “he was an ice-cold realist, a profoundly calculating person.” This would be a factor leading to his eventual seizure of absolute power as undisputed Führer of the German Reich in 1934.
One of the most important driving forces of the early twentieth century, often forgotten as a main catalyst of socio-political changes in the Weimar Republic, was the sweeping fear of Communism. 1917 saw the fall of one of the most well-anchored dynasties in Eurasia: the Romanov monarchy. David Heath, Laird of Glencairn, persuasively argues that communism was a realistic threat to Weimar: 50,000 Spartacists, led by Liebknecht and Luxembourg, who in turn seemed to be Lenin’s puppets, roamed the streets of Berlin in 1919[10]; the Red Army and workers’ councils called for a Socialist revolution, Bolshevism and anarchy seemed close to vanquishing the last shred of order. Hitler’s NSDAP displayed a clear stance against this threat, unlike many of the moderate parties. Industry and businesses chose to trust Hitler’s promise of capitalism, sponsoring him in the hope of purging Weimar of the threat of nationalization. These included successful businessmen Thyssen, Krupp and Ford[11]. Their money gave Hitler the ability to campaign and reach vast areas of the country: he was able to fly from town to town and broadcast speeches via radio, thus winning the hearts of countless Germans. The Sturmabteilung, violent as it was, personified a distinct front against Communism and not only eradicated Hitler’s left-wing opponents, but also proved to the public how resolute he was to act against the Marxist terror. However, this also had another effect. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany’s army was limited to 100,000 men. With 3 million members in the Sturmabteilung opposing the vast number of Communist sympathisers, a German civil war would be a cataclysm impossible to mollify. It was clear to Hindenburg that Hitler, were he not elected Chancellor, had the power to begin it, since he would have no more to lose. The army, their nationalist purpose naturally precipitating a loathing for Communism, had to accept Hitler as the most stable choice, albeit supposedly temporary.
Tragically, Hitler’s rise to power was everything but temporary.
[1] Hayse, Michael R. Recasting West German Elites: Higher Civil Servants, Business Leaders and Physicians in Hesse Between Nazism and Democracy, 1945-1955. Page 20. Berghahn Books, 2003.
[2] Shelton, Dinah. Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Volume 1. Page 400. Macmillan Reference, 2005.
[3] Bookbinder, Paul. Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable. Page 81. Manchester University Press, 1996.
[4] Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. Page 264. London: Penguin Books Ldt, 2003.
[5] Orlow, Dietrich. Weimar Prussia, 1925-1933: The Illusion of Strength. Page 162. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991.
[6] Stachura, Peter D. Unemployment and the Great Depression in Weimar Germany. Page 109. Macmillan 1986.
[7] Evans, Richard J. The Coming of the Third Reich. Page 306. London: Penguin Books Ltd, 2003.
[8] Pinkus, Oscar. The War Aims and Strategies of Adolf Hitler. Page 8. McFarland, 2005.
[9] Harvey, Richard. Hitler and the Third Reich. Page 60. Nelson Thornes, 1998.
[10] Bookbinder, Paul. Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable. Page 57. Manchester University Press, 1996.
[11] Duthel, Heinz. The Bilderberger Group - Saviors or Destroyers? Page 423. 2008.
Did Hitler truly believe in the policies he initiated and what he preached regarding antisemitism?
A. Plan of Investigation
Subject of the Investigation:
Did Hitler truly believe what he preached about antisemitism or did he express these views in order to inspire and gain support from the masses? It has long been recognized
Methods:
Will examine primary evidence, including personal writing and speeches of Hitler, and secondary evidence composed of various books written by different historians. Summary section will be an annotated bibliography with sections on:
Childhood and background of Hitler
Views expressed by Hitler on antisemitism in Mein Kampf and other works and speeches
Policies undertaken by Germany under Hitler regarding antisemitism pre-war
Antisemitic policies during the war
The two books written by Lord Bullock on Hitler, Hitler and Stalin Parallel Lives an A History of Tyranny will be evaluated in section C with emphasis on origin, purpose, value and limitation, the position expressed by Historians and evidence from primary sources will then be examined, compared, and analyzed in section D, and a conclusion reached with justification in section E.
190
B. Summary of Evidence:
Hitler was born in the town Branau in Austria on April 20, 1889. He was the fourth child of Alois Hitler and Clara Pölzl. Hitler's farther was a fairly well off customs and Hitler had the opportunity to go to the Linz Realschule a good secondary school, but following his father's death in 1903 he moved to another school in Steyr. Hitler's results seem to indicate an indifference to his education and in 1905 at the age of 16 he dropped out of school altogether. He first visited Vienna in 1906 and later moved their in 1907 in pursuing his dream to enter the Academy of Fine Arts there. He was however, rejected twice the school claiming he was unfit to be a painter. Following his second rejection from the school and the death of his mother in 1907 Hitler, lived a life of relative obscurity for a number of years. In 1913 he moved to Munich and when Germany entered the Great War in 1914 he petitioned to serve in the German army, a request that was granted. Hitler served admirably in the army receiving a number of awards and honors including the Iron Cross, First Class in 1918. Upon Germany's defeat in the Great War Hitler returned to Munich where he joined, what would later become known as the Nazi party, the German Worker's Party. He quickly became a member of the parties executive committee and he soon turned full time to politics.
Hitler's best known work is probably Mein Kampf written while in jail 1924 was originally written in to volumes released respectively in 1925 and 1926.
The first well known and documented pre-war antisemitic policies was “Law for the Restoration of the Public Civil Service”, which hindered Jews ability to hold various positions, join different organizations and curtailed other parts of daily life, created in 1933. This law was later followed by the Nuremberg Laws. The Nuremberg Laws are the two measures announced in Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg on September 15th. The two laws were “The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor” and “The Reich Citizenship Law”. The first one dealt primarily with the forbidding of sexual interaction between Jews and non-Jews, and the second stripped all “non-Germans” of their citizenship. Possibly the most important of the laws passed before 1939 was the one defining who was a Jew as this outlined who was to be persecuted. Some comparisons can be drawn between the collective antisemitic legislation passed by the Nazi's, especially “The Law of the Protection of German Blood and German Honor”, and the racial discrimination laws seen in some US states a fact Hitler freely acknowledged. Numerous pogroms and boycotts also occurred pre-war including the largest, Kristallnacht, on November 9-10, 1938, during which an estimated 7,500 Jewish stores and businesses were broken into, about 100 Jews were killed and about 30,000 more taken to concentration camps, what Daniel Holdhagen referred to as the “crowning moment in the wild domestic terror Germans perpetrated on Jews” (99).
During the WWII what some now refer to as the Nazi's “final solution” was implemented by Hitler's regime. The death camps Treblinka, Sobibór, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek and Auschwitz, all built between 1940 and 1942, were running at full capacity. About 3 million are thought to have been killed at these extermination camps alone. Many Jews also died in ghettos and work camps due to malnutrition and poor sanitary conditions. Execution carried out by police squads and other German sponsored groups were very common happening throughout the war. Death marches where Jews were forced to literally walk mile upon mile until they were dead also occurred numerous times. Collectively these measures are thought to have killed 6 million Jews.
Subject of the Investigation:
Did Hitler truly believe what he preached about antisemitism or did he express these views in order to inspire and gain support from the masses? It has long been recognized
Methods:
Will examine primary evidence, including personal writing and speeches of Hitler, and secondary evidence composed of various books written by different historians. Summary section will be an annotated bibliography with sections on:
Childhood and background of Hitler
Views expressed by Hitler on antisemitism in Mein Kampf and other works and speeches
Policies undertaken by Germany under Hitler regarding antisemitism pre-war
Antisemitic policies during the war
The two books written by Lord Bullock on Hitler, Hitler and Stalin Parallel Lives an A History of Tyranny will be evaluated in section C with emphasis on origin, purpose, value and limitation, the position expressed by Historians and evidence from primary sources will then be examined, compared, and analyzed in section D, and a conclusion reached with justification in section E.
190
B. Summary of Evidence:
Hitler was born in the town Branau in Austria on April 20, 1889. He was the fourth child of Alois Hitler and Clara Pölzl. Hitler's farther was a fairly well off customs and Hitler had the opportunity to go to the Linz Realschule a good secondary school, but following his father's death in 1903 he moved to another school in Steyr. Hitler's results seem to indicate an indifference to his education and in 1905 at the age of 16 he dropped out of school altogether. He first visited Vienna in 1906 and later moved their in 1907 in pursuing his dream to enter the Academy of Fine Arts there. He was however, rejected twice the school claiming he was unfit to be a painter. Following his second rejection from the school and the death of his mother in 1907 Hitler, lived a life of relative obscurity for a number of years. In 1913 he moved to Munich and when Germany entered the Great War in 1914 he petitioned to serve in the German army, a request that was granted. Hitler served admirably in the army receiving a number of awards and honors including the Iron Cross, First Class in 1918. Upon Germany's defeat in the Great War Hitler returned to Munich where he joined, what would later become known as the Nazi party, the German Worker's Party. He quickly became a member of the parties executive committee and he soon turned full time to politics.
Hitler's best known work is probably Mein Kampf written while in jail 1924 was originally written in to volumes released respectively in 1925 and 1926.
The first well known and documented pre-war antisemitic policies was “Law for the Restoration of the Public Civil Service”, which hindered Jews ability to hold various positions, join different organizations and curtailed other parts of daily life, created in 1933. This law was later followed by the Nuremberg Laws. The Nuremberg Laws are the two measures announced in Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg on September 15th. The two laws were “The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor” and “The Reich Citizenship Law”. The first one dealt primarily with the forbidding of sexual interaction between Jews and non-Jews, and the second stripped all “non-Germans” of their citizenship. Possibly the most important of the laws passed before 1939 was the one defining who was a Jew as this outlined who was to be persecuted. Some comparisons can be drawn between the collective antisemitic legislation passed by the Nazi's, especially “The Law of the Protection of German Blood and German Honor”, and the racial discrimination laws seen in some US states a fact Hitler freely acknowledged. Numerous pogroms and boycotts also occurred pre-war including the largest, Kristallnacht, on November 9-10, 1938, during which an estimated 7,500 Jewish stores and businesses were broken into, about 100 Jews were killed and about 30,000 more taken to concentration camps, what Daniel Holdhagen referred to as the “crowning moment in the wild domestic terror Germans perpetrated on Jews” (99).
During the WWII what some now refer to as the Nazi's “final solution” was implemented by Hitler's regime. The death camps Treblinka, Sobibór, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek and Auschwitz, all built between 1940 and 1942, were running at full capacity. About 3 million are thought to have been killed at these extermination camps alone. Many Jews also died in ghettos and work camps due to malnutrition and poor sanitary conditions. Execution carried out by police squads and other German sponsored groups were very common happening throughout the war. Death marches where Jews were forced to literally walk mile upon mile until they were dead also occurred numerous times. Collectively these measures are thought to have killed 6 million Jews.
How Did Hitler Consolidate Power?
“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”[3] This is one of Hitler’s most famous statements and the ideology he followed. Hitler’s primary method of consolidating power was to forcefully entice the German people by the means of terror and use of propaganda. In other words, even if the German people did not know that they were being dragged to supporting Hitler against their will, this was exactly what Hitler was doing. On the other hand, for the Germans that were reactionary against his Nazi regime, they were sentenced to time in concentration camps. This did not bother him as he already had control and strong support from a great number of the German youth. As Hitler said: “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” [4] He had the future of Germany in his grasp. But for Hitler to better control Germany and diminish rebellions he had to strike terror into the people and those who would oppose his rule. Therefore, Hermann Goering established the GESTAPO on April 26, 1933. [5] Goering wrote in his book “Germany Reborn” “Finally I alone created, on my own initiative, the State Secret Police Department. This is the instrument which is so much feared by the enemies of the State, and which is chiefly responsible for the fact that in Germany and Prussia today there is no question of a Marxist or Communist danger.”[6] But it was in April, 1934, when Goering handed the GESTAPO over to Himmler that it began to develop as a division of the SS, where after they truly became a terrorizing force over the German people.[7] However, it was not until the Gestapo law publicized by the government on February 10, 1936 that the Gestapo organization was above the law. [8] This meant that the courts were not allowed to interfere with the activities of the Gestapo in anyway. The “enemies of state” were placed in ‘Schutzhaft’ or protective custody but this did not mean the person was protected against harm.[9] They were placed in concentration camps and tortured depending upon their hierarchical standing. This was but one method in which the Nazi party tried to forcefully get the German people to blindly support them.? Whilst terror was being applied to manipulate the actions of the German people, propaganda was also extensively used to control the way people thought. Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as Reichminister for propaganda and National Enlightenment in 1933. [10]Goebbels’s job was to control what was shown to the public, certifying that nothing damaging to the Nazi Party was shared with the public. He also tried to propagandize the views of the Nazi party and in return give off a positive sentiment. Goebbels, with the title of Reichminister for propaganda was given complete control over the press, radio, cinema and theatre all of which materially benefited Hitler’s consolidation of power. One of the first demonstrations against non-Nazi teachings, illustrating Nazi mind control over the German youth was on the midnight of 1933, May 10th, where thousands of Nazi College students participated in the mass burning of books. [11] Many of the books which were already censored and written by Jews and communists; approximately 20,000 books were burnt outside the University of Berlin.[12] In addition, Goebbels and other members of the Nazi party were already rewriting all textbooks and teachings to educate the German youth. This was very important in fact in creating loyal followers of Hitler and the Nazi party. The Nazi schooling curriculum would include biology, history, geography, science, etc. But the aim of the Nazi teachings would be to promote a knowing a race superiority, self-discipline and strong nationalistic fervour at a young age. For example, biology was the study of different races to ‘scientifically prove’ racial superiority.[13] “Racial Instruction” began at the age of six and Hitler himself decreed that “no boy or girl should leave school without complete knowledge of the necessity and meaning of blood purity.” [14]As Hitler himself said,: “Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state. The state will take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing.”[15] Another key element in Goebbel’s propaganda movement was to heighten Hitler’s position as Fuhrer in the eyes of the German people. In other words it was to make him appear even greater. On Hitler’s birthday, Joseph Goebbels would always prepare a speech in front of the German masses to compliment him for what he has been ‘doing’ for Germany. On Hitler’s 49th birthday in 1938, Goebbels said: “In these moving moments, we saw in the Fuhrer's face that the pain of his people was his pain, that he shared their pain and misery, that no one could suffer more for his homeland than he.” [16]This is only just one extraction from the long speech Goebbels had to make. However, it shows how Goebbels was through propaganda in speech making Hitler appear to the German people as an honorary hero of Germany. He wanted to make the people see Hitler as their saviour and moreover as their “God.” At the same time, Hitler and his Nazi party was also brainwashing kids into an organization known as the Hitler Jugend. In 1932, there was just under 107,956 youths in the Hitler Jugend. By the end of 1939, there was over 8,000,000 enrolling.[17] He stated that: “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already... What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.’”[18] This is exactly what Hitler had accomplished. They were loyal to him as the SS were. For when Allied forces invaded Germany near the end of war, the Hitler Jugend stood against them. The new generation of Germany had been completely brainwashed by Hitler and Nazi propaganda. Hitler was able to consolidate power through many ways, but the easiest way in which he did so was by “forcefully” making people support by “brainwashing” people with the use of propaganda and striking terror in them. He had the support of a large number of the youth in Germany and regular Germans so controlling and improving his view to the German people was not too hard.
Another way in which Hitler was able to consolidate power was by pleasing the German people. Hitler at the time was seen as an icon of victory. He had three main aims which many historians argue today were long term effects in Germany leading to World War Two: ‘tearing up’ the Treaty of Versailles, Lebensraum and uniting the Germans in a single country. However, these long term effects set the foundation for a stronger Germany. In 1934, a year after Hitler’s coming to power; he gave orders to rearm Germany. The army grew from 100,000 men to 300,000 by October 1, 1934. [19] They also constructed two battle cruisers called the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau and six submarines which were all prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles.[20] In just a year’s time, Hitler openly announced the decree of conscription and that the army would be increased to 550,000 men.[21] At the same time, countries around Germany were forming diplomatic alliances but none did anything to stop Germany’s breaching of the Treaty of Versailles. On March 2, 1936, Hitler ordered his army to march into Rhineland. [22] He sent in 30,000 equipped troops but it was a gamble as he noted that if the French were to act “we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs.”[23] But out of luck, the British refused to help the French and they also did not fight. So the Germans were able to easily occupy the Rhineland. During the same year as the occupying of the Rhineland in 1036, Hitler also formed a number of foreign alliances. In 1936, he had the Rome-Berlin Axis pact with Mussolini and the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan on the other side of the globe. By forming these alliances with foreign countries he was not only strengthening Germany, but he was also building up an even greater belief in him within the German people. In 1938, Hitler was ready to form a union, or Anschluss with Austria. He wanted to bring German speaking people into a single country. But the Anschluss was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.[24] Hitler began by ordering the Nazi Party in Austria to create chaos. When the Austrian leader Schuschnigg banned this, Hitler held a meeting with him whereby he threatened to invade if the Nazis were not given the most important roles in the Austrian government. Schuschnigg had to agree but he tried to hold a vote for Austria to remain independent or part of Germany. However Hitler had other plans, Schuschnigg was replaced by and Austrian Nazi called Seyss-Inquart and asked Hitler to send German army into Austria to restore order. Later on, the Gestapo and SS were sent in to deal other enemies. Austria was now part of Germany and its people lived under the Nazi reign of terror. However, Hitler wanted more land. He looked to the richest part of Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland as it contained 3 million people living there that spoke German because it was part of the Austrian Empire before 1919.[25] Hitler ordered the Sudeten German Party leader, Konrad Henlein to stir up trouble in Sudetenland[26]. Henlein arranged riots complaining that the Czech government was treating Sudeten Germans unfairly. Whilst this was happening Hitler gathered his armies around the border ready to fight. But this time they couldn’t invade as the Czechs had a powerful ally, France to help them. Hitler was not ready to battle two countries at the same time. But within a few months time, Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain persuaded France to let Germany have Sudetenland as they feared that it could escalate into a big war. France agreed with Britain that they would not be involved and Germany took over the Sudetenland. Hitler was keeping his promises to the German people. He promised ‘living space’ and breaking of the Treaty of Versailles and that is what he gave them. By doing this Hitler gained an even greater support from the German people and was able to consolidate power fairly easily with few people against him.
Hitler was able to consolidate power by keeping his promises to the German people. He had gained an allegiance from them and could further expand his power by taking over other countries with support from Germany. Britain and France adopting a policy of appeasement made it even easier for Hitler to consolidate power. He was gaining more support than he ever had and was becoming overly audacious in his plans. However, Hitler did not stop and with his invasion into Poland whereby he knew Britain would protect them he did not layback. This was the final string triggering World War II.
Skills shown in answering the question- ¾ (presentation a problem in particular)
Knowledge- 4/4
Understanding the question- 4/4
Historiography- 4/4 (although limited to simple quotes)
Analysis and interpretations- 2/4 No attempt to provide contrary arguments
17/20
[1] The Origins of the Second World War, A.J.P.Taylor, Page 21.
[2] The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, William Shirer, Page 212
[3] http://thinkexist.com/quotation/make_the_lie_big-make_it_simple-keep_saying_it/175795.html
[4] Hitler, one of his speeches in year 1935. http://thinkexist.com/quotation/he-alone-who-owns-the-youth-gains-the-future/348635.html
[5] The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, William Shirer, page250
[6]
[7] The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, William Shirer, page250
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid, page 251,
[10] http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw35propaganda.htm
[11] http://blog.tianya.cn/blogger/post_show.asp?BlogID=1157398&PostID=12666086
[12] Hitler’s Dictatorship, Part One, page 19.
[13] http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Nazis_Education.htm
[14] Ibid
[15] Notable Quotes of Socialism, http://www.wealth4freedom.com/truth/Socialism.htm
[16] Joseph Goebbels, “ ‘Es gibt Männer, die man achtet, bewundert und verehrt ---den Fuhrer aber lieben wir.’ Die Rundfunkrede des Reichsministers Dr. Goebbels am Vorabend des Geburtstages des Fuhrers,” Volkischer Beobachter, 21 April 1938.
[17]http://www.japanweb.info/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5sb2VzZXIudXMvZXhhbXBsZXMveW91dGguaHRtbA%3D%3D&b=31
[18] The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, William Shirer, Page 249
[19] Hitler’s Dictatorship, Undoing The Treaty of Versailles, page 22
[20] The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, William Shirer, Page 260
[21] Ibid
[22] Ibid, page 268
[23] Hitler’s Dictatorship, Undoing The Treaty of Versailles, page 23
[24] Ibid
[25] Ibid, page24.
[26] Ibid.
How and why was Hitler able to become Chancellor of Germany?
“Adolf Hitler was one of the most influential historical figures of the 20th century” [1]as written in John Toland’s biography of Adolf Hitler. He was an extremely nationalistic rightist who wanted Germany under his leadership to become a militaristic state. His craving for power was answered in January 1933 when he was invited by President Hindenburg to become the German Chancellor.[2]He later used his influence to achieve his aspirations of forming a dictatorial empire. But before becoming Chancellor, what made him and his Nazi Party appeal so strongly to the German population? Moreover, how and why was Hitler able to attain this position of greatness? This topic is still widely debated by many historians today.
As Hitler stated, “we have already set a target, and for this struggle we will fight, until the death!”[3] This goal was Hitler accomplished in 1933 when he became Chancellor. Hitler was released from Landsburg Prison on 20 December, 1924.[4] On the 16th of February 1925 the ban on the Nazi Party was lifted as he promised to achieve power without violence.[5] But he was not allowed to speak publicly until 1928. By 1928 the Nazi Party only had 12 seats in the Reichstag. However by November 1933 they were the dominant party in the Reichstag with 196 seats. Over the course of 5 years he was able to revive the Nazi Party and bring it into power. But above all, we should ask how this was possible.? Hitler had the ability to emotionally stimulate masses of population with his remarkable speeches and influence people into completely loving him.The best example would be his speech at Zirkus where people went completely mad.. As he wrote in Mein Kampf, Hitler raised the emotional level of people to the point that they cheered insanely. “…In ever greater spontaneous outbursts” as he put it[6], and when his speech was coming to the end. Someone in the audience started to sing the national anthem and everyone followed. Hitler wrote, “Did the audience find its relaxing conclusion…”[7] Another example would be Ernst Hanfstaengl’s wife and Goebbels complete admiration of him. As we can see in “Rise of Evil”,[8] both of these people fell in love with Hitler and as written in Goebbels diary, this is confirmed. “I Love him. The social question. A completely new insight…I bow to the greater man, to the political genius,”[9] from this extraction from one of his journal entries we can notice how much Goebbels worships Hitler. This not only tells us how persuasive Hitler was, but how emotionally moving, charismatic and manipulative his speeches must have been. This was but one of his personal attributes which allowed him to stand out among many German Party spokespersons. Apart from being a magnet to the many German people who attended his speeches, another character which made him stand aloof from other politicians would be his attitude and strong beliefs. As Hitler stated in the Rise of Evil after his return from Landsburg prison: “There are only two possible out comes, either we cross over the enemy’s body, or there cross over ours…But I will not fail….” From this extraction we see how audacious a person Hitler was to an extant he confirmed to his party that they will not fail. Better proof of this would be his turning down of Hindenburg’s offer of Vice-Chancellorship; he was determined. “The chess game for power begins,” Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary. “The chief thing is that we remain strong and make no compromises.”[10] This was the exact attitude Hitler had towards everything thrown against him. However, Hitler’s personal qualities were not the only factor which encouraged the German people to vote for him. We should also take into consideration the political background of Germany at the time. In fact we could start right from the creation of Weimar Germany. As A.J.P Taylor said: “Weimar Germany was doomed from the start.[11]” This was very true and in fact William Shirer shared a very similar approach as he wrote in “The Rise and fall of the Third Reich suggesting that Germany had no democratic tradition and many parties were against the creation of a Democracy. These people were generally old monarchists, the army, the industrialists, the nationalists and many other conservative parties. In fact there were many parties in the far left and rightwing that constantly tried to overthrow it. In addition, the constitution was corrupt as the Reichstag consisted of 600 representatives and by 1930 there were no less than 28 parties competing for election. With many parties existing, compromise was impracticable. This meant that there were always elections and that the political status of Germany was astoundingly unstable. This also made it very easy for Hitler to manipulate the Reichstag because his Nazi party held 196 seats in November, 1932 making them the biggest party. [12]As shown in Rise of Evil, his party was leaving the Reichgstag building during assemblies. Because of this, nothing could get done and no votes could be cast. In the November 1932 election, for example, over 50 per cent of the votes were for the Nazi and Communist parties.[13] This shows that people wanted a strong leader as they were voting radically for the most leftist and rightist parties. This explains how Hitler was able to prosper and gain support from people such as Fritz Thyssen[14] and other leading industrialists who donated large sums of money as they wanted Hitler to fight communism which would in return benefit them as well. He also had the largest majority of Germans from all social classes voting for him. He had the power to control the fate of Germany. As Mao Zedong believed: “Only by motivating the majority of the people, you will only thereafter ensure the succession of the revolution.”[15] This is what Hitler had accomplished. Hitler also stated: “It is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge.”[16] Since most of Germany already had faith in him, he was for sure to succeed in “his struggle.” Hitler’s rise to power was not a coincidence. He had gained the support of many of the German people through his speeches and use of Nazi propaganda. He also had the economical support of businessmen and since the German government was corrupt and dissolved, Hitler could easily manipulate it. This is how Hitler was able to take power and establish his own Government.
Hitler never had more than 37 percent of support from honest elections, whereby the opposition stood strongly with 63 percent support.[17] So if at the time, Germany was truly democratic, why was Hitler able to become Chancellor in 1933? First of all, Tthe German government had many fatal flaws which contributed to ineffective decision making or in fact, you could say complete failure in decision making. There were never less than 28 different parties competing for election which made it impossible to attain a majority vote on many issues. Apart from that, many German leaders had a weak devotion to democracy. Even the elected President, Hindenburg strongly detested democracy as he constantly used Article 48 as a way of maintaining power In contrast with Fredrick Ebert, Hindenburg used Article 48 as a means of dictatorially ruling Germany. But The Great Depression which hit Germany harder than any other nation was what truly simulated masses of people into voting radically for leftwing and rightwing parties and especially the Nazi’s. In 1928 there were 2 million unemployed in Germany and The Nazi Party had 12 seats in the Reichstag.[18] By 1932 when there were 6 million unemployed people, both the Nazi and Communist Party had significant increases in numbers but most outstanding would be the increase in numbers of the Nazi Party to 196 seats in the Parliament by November, 1932. [19] However, modern historians question the “true” reason behind why he became Chancellor in January, 1933. Many historians such as Lord Bullock argue that it was not really by great rise in his supporters but in fact:” “Hitler came to office in 1933 as the result, not of any irresistible revolutionary or national movement sweeping him into power, nor even of a popular victory at the polls, but as part of a shoddy political deal with the 'Old Gang' whom he had been attacking for months… Hitler did not seize power; he was jobbed into office by a backstairs intrigue.”[20] In other words what Bullock is arguing is that with the decrease in number of Nazi representatives in the Reichstag, President Hindenburg believed that since Hitler was losing support he could be manipulated. So Hindenburg by Presidential powers invited Hitler to become Chancellor. Hitler did not gain Chancellorship by election as he did not gain majority support of the Reichstag. However, he got Chancellorship because of “backroom deals.” In brief, the reason why Hitler was given the position of Chancellorship was a “mistake” made on behalf of Hindenburg, but not by democratic elections. Hitler was invited to become Chancellor of Germany.
In January 1933, Hitler was officially made Chancellor of Germany. This was a true turning point in German history as Hitler later began the creation of Nazi dictatorship. As Goebbels wrote in his Journal: “Now it will be easy to carry on the fight, for we can call on all the resources of the State. Radio and press are at our disposal. We shall stage a masterpiece of propaganda. And this time, naturally, there is no lack of money.”[21] Hitler’s rise to power was more than a coincidence of events and timing. Even though Hitler’s personal attributes did play a big part of his rise to power and influence over masses of people. But what truly allowed him to attain this position was in fact the social and political background of Germany and the Weimar Government.
[1] John Toland, “Adolf Hitler”, prologue.
[2]http://www.japanweb.info/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9BZG9sZl9IaXRsZXI%3D&b=31
[3]http://www2.laohekou.com.cn/dispbbs.asp?boardid=25&ID=13166 : Translation from Chinese.
[4]http;//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler's_rise_to_power
[5]http://www.japanweb.info/browse.php?u=aHR0cDovL2VuLndpa2lwZWRpYS5vcmcvd2lraS9IaXRsZXIlMjdzX3Jpc2VfdG9fcG93ZXI%3D&b=31
[6] Mein Kampf , page 561-562.
[7] Ibid
[8] Rise of Evil directed by Christian Duguay
[9] The Devil’s Disciples, Anthony Read, page 150-151
[10] The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William Shirer, page 148
[11] The origin of the Second World War, A.J.P Taylor, page 149
[12] http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-hitlerdemo.htm
[13]
[14] The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William Shirer, page 137
[15] The Little Red Book, Mao Zedong
[16] http://thinkexist.com/quotes/adolf_hitler/
[17] http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-hitlerdemo.htm
[18] http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar7.htm
[19] http://www.johndclare.net/Weimar6.htm#Elections%20and%20decline
[20] Hitler: A Study in Tyranny, Lord Bullock, page 137.
[21] The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William Shirer, page179
How Did Hitler Consolidate His Power?
"It is our will that this state shall endure for a thousand years."[1] Indeed all the German citizens wanted their state to maintain as long as they could ? and this of course was not an exception for the speaker of this sentence, Hitler. Not a particularly provocative point. By January 1933, Hitler was made Chancellor by the invitation of President Hindenburg. However, as he had mentioned, the ‘fuhrerprinzip’ in his book Mein Kampf [2], becoming Chancellor was not regarded as a laudable acquirement but to be a leader of German nation who had an extreme authority. Two months before he achieved the chancellorship, the Nazi Party lost 2 million votes in the election[3] and though he became Chancellor, there were only 3 seats –including himself- for the Nazi party in the Cabinet.[4] If he was to continue waning ???? in his support, being Chancellor was not quite able to be beneficial for him anymore and he still wanted his own Nazi regime, so Adolf Hitler felt the need to do something to consolidate his power.
Your English fluency appears to have deserted you for this essay.
Hitler’s first method to strengthen his power was to exterminate his opposition aided by the use of terror. The Reichstag fire in 1933 could be seen as an initial stage for Hitler to put this method into practice. On February 27th, the Reichstag was set fire and although unclear, a crazed Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was accused for the fire by Hitler[5]. By doing so Hitler could use this as an excuse to blame communists for trying to plan another Communist coup.[6] Finally, not only van der Lubbe was in trouble with his sentence to death but also thousands of other Communists by being imprisoned for planning a coup.[7] The Communists suffered again when Hitler arrested 81 Communist members of Parliament to get majority of the votes in the election of March 1933.[8] The deduction of other forces including Communists made Hitler able to pass the Enabling Act, according to Alan Bullock’s words, a constitutional foundation of law on which Hitler’s dictatorship was based[9], on March 23rd with unanimous agreement[10] that was achieved by arresting his opponents. You needn’t footnote every point; only stats and ideas. With the Enabling Act, now Hitler could pass any law he wanted. When Hitler contemplated suicide for losing 2 million votes in 1932, 63% of German electorate was against the Nazi Party.[11] This made Hitler think that not only the Communist Party but also other parties and people against him had to be eliminated in order to make the government be obedient and loyal to him. Therefore with its creation in April 1933,[12] the Gestapo started arresting all the people against Hitler and others such as Jews, homosexuals and gypsies[13] who he thought were anachronistic to the society that he demanded to be loyal. Any explanation as to why? In July, all the other parties except the Nazi Party were made illegal[14] and by 1933, there were 150,000 political prisoners in concentration camps[15]. However, the eagerness to use terror was not limited to Hitler himself. The SA with its chief organizer Ernst Röhm were willing to do more violent jobs, as he proposed to let the SA become basis for the expansion of the Army and that he should be in charge of the Armed Forces of the State.[16] With unanimous veto from the Army don’t understand, Hitler felt ashamed to make himself, with the pugnacious storm troopers, look like a hot-headed quarreller than a leader who deserved his position and also got scared because Ernst Röhm was planning a coup[17], but this plot is still ambiguous if it is true or not. His tautness finally led him to use the terror even on his own army on June 30th in 1934 which was called the ‘Night of the Long Knives,’[18] similar to Chairman Mao Zedong who purged the Red Guards and the People’s Liberation Army in 1969[19] should the footnote here not be AFTER the sentence? Nice attempt, however, in providing a regional comparison to an historical event. for he feared their uncontrollable action might harm the ‘very foundation’ of his party. While it is said that Hitler killed the storm troopers due to his fear of endless growth of violence, some evidence states that Hitler grudgingly killed them because Hindenburg, with support of army leadership, told him to purge SA.[20] This can prove the possibility that he used this as an excuse to kill the SA members because he had a fear of them just in time. The Night of the Long Knives boosted Hitler’s increase in popularity and even made him to receive gratitude from the army. Any proof or explanation as to why this should have been the case? Why would the use of terror and illegal means endear the people to him? This is a problem I had with many essays- general points without any analysis provided. This overall use of terror to exterminate his opposing forces enabled Hitler to make Germany to become one-party state and as a leader of this dominant party that ruled the nation, he could sustain and consolidate his power.
Hitler’s consolidation of social policy, especially persecution of Jews that was rooted in anti-Semitism, was also one of the main factors that helped him to control Germany. In the year Hitler became Chancellor, Jews were excluded from German community such as public office and civil service and the next year they were not allowed to be engaged in business nor professional jobs[21]. On September 15, 1935, the first official law was decreed against Jews, called the Nuremberg Laws, which seized their German citizenship[22] and it eventually became a basis for the other decrees issued to completely outlaw Jewish population in Germany. They were totally excluded from German communities as they were “forbidden” everywhere. Furthermore, hundreds of Jewish shops and homes had been smashed and burned on the “Crystal Night” in 1938, along with synagogues and holy books, and the Jewish people were beaten or killed[23]. Despite the fact that there were only 0.009% (580,000 out of 65 million) of German population consisted of Jewish people[24], why did Hitler want to annihilate the entire Jewish population? By 1936, the unemployment fell from 6 million in 1932 to less than 1 million and the national income was doubled[25]. A considerable point for this vast economic development was that this was largely due to rearmament[26]. Hitler increased the number of Gestapo officers, especially after the German police became part of the SS in 1934[27]. Even though there was a rapid growth in number of the SS officers, they did not have many jobs to do.
Schact, an economist who gave advice to Hitler, at this time felt the danger of making more and more demands on economy for rearmament because Hitler in fact he was putting too much efforts on increasing the number of arms as he thought he could recover economy by doing so,[28] which was quite unreasonable. As Hitler started to use violence against Jewish people, a lot of them got work to do, tormenting Jews like they did in Crystal Night. Besides providing them a lot of jobs that were very violent but also simple, putting his ideals into practice could even add to his credibility as even a Jewish inmate had said that he has “more faith in Hitler than in anyone else” because “he alone has kept his promises,”[29] and in fact German citizens did not know much about to what extent the violence continued upon Jews because they could not witness their lives in concentration camps and neither heart about them because released prisoners were told to go back to concentration camps if they were telling any information about those.[30] Wow- what a long sentence… A lot of citizens rather remained supportive or nonchalant as historian Daniel Jonah Goldhagen said “that day (Crystal Night) could have been the day for the German people to rise up in solidarity to support the Jews but they didn’t,” and in fact 100,000 of them celebrated the Crystal Night in Nuremberg.[31] For Adolf Hitler to exterminate Jews, there was not any obstacle and by providing more jobs to more of his officers, it contributed to Hitler’s maintenance of high position with a strong supportive and submissive group of SS and the fact that he was making economic strides with the reduction of unemployment. But there’s little here that explains how persecuting 580,000 out of a population of 65 million would help him in any real way consolidate his power. I’m glad you reference Goldhagen but there’s a difference between actually resisting, supporting, or, in this case, apathetically doing nothing. That the Germans did nothing doesn’t push your claim one way or the other.
Most significantly, Hitler had to make all the citizens to believe and obey him, which he did with propaganda and education. Parallel to his elimination of political opponents, the books that were against the Nazi’s ideals, such as those written by Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann, were burned on May 10, 1933 in Berlin.[32] Thousands of students gathered at a square on Unter den Linden and started throwing the books in to the fire under the supervision of Dr. Goebbels, the new Propaganda Minister, who said “Here the intellectual foundation of the November Republic is sinking to the ground, but from the wreckage the phoenix of a new spirit will triumphantly rise,”[33] giving the students the passion about the new Nazi regime. OK…. but how did this make people support him? It was simply a staged event- does this one incident really show that people then supported him? Beginning with this book burning in 1933, the Nazis started to control the media. The editors of the Berlin daily newspapers held meeting at the Propaganda Ministry every morning and Dr. Goebbels told them what articles to write and how to do so.[34] As Adolf Hitler said “the primitive simplicity of people’s minds render them more easily prey to a big lie than a small one,”[35] he used propaganda in a big scale to brainwash people. From 1933 to 1944, the proportion of daily newspapers controlled by the Nazi Party rose from 3% to 82%[36] and especially radio and films were the media that Nazis used for their propaganda. Yes, but readership declined significantly. You’re guilty of using selective facts and quotes without proving your claims. For instance, in 1940, the Nazis promoted a film named Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew), which compared Jews to rats, convincing people about the idea that Jews were harmful parasites in their society and that it is justified to eliminate them and there were over 20.3 million people who watched it in 3 years[37] but the film mostly got unpleasant reactions from people[38]. Why? Such as? This is important- it would offer me evidence of analysis. Nonetheless, Dr. Goebbels realized that tasteless repetition of Nazi ideals in films would bore them, so he made appropriate use of entertainment in the Nazi-promoted films and as a result, the moviegoers increased from 250 million to 1,000 million from 1933 to 1942[39]. As the Nazi party’s control of mass media increased, the number of audience also increased, proving the fact that more and more people were being convinced with Hitler’s ideals that it helped him to a large extent to control German citizens. Even though there were adults among the citizens disagreeing with the Nazi government, Hitler was already ensuring the young people’s compliance to him. Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth), formed in 1926 with 6,000 members and it vastly increased to over 7 million in 1938[40], the year in which Kristallnacht took place. Members of Hitlerjugend were being stereotyped by the Nazi education, for instance, they were also engaged in the Crystal Night, tormenting Jewish people, and to them, it was simply taught as an “ethnic cleansing.”[41] Should thi not be another paragraph on this particular segment of the population? Look how unweildy your paragraph is…. With increasing loyalty from young generation, Hitler being confident, saying “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I say calmly, ‘your child belongs to us already.’ ”[42] Controlling citizens by brainwashing them with Nazi propaganda through mass media and education for young generation kept Hitler to strengthen his authority and enabled him to keep people always having same opinions with him, if not, to make them unable to protest.
Such methods to help him control Germany were: use of terror, consolidation of social policy and most importantly, controlling the citizens with propaganda and “nazificated” education. Adolf Hitler, in order to make and keep himself as a “führer,” he eliminated all the other political parties and even certain people such as Jews and it was quite astonishing that this persecution of a race could contribute to the solution of unemployment problems by providing brutal jobs. Propaganda and education (for young generation) also played an important role as these were the factors that convinced the entire nation to listen to the Nazi Party. However, it should be kept in our consideration that these were not always successful. Using terror, although people could not protest due to their fear, were frequently being counter-productive method and the propaganda, as Hitler aimed to tell a “big lie,” some of them seemed unreasonable and even incomprehensible to the people. Therefore Hitler was able to consolidate his power but in short term, making Nazi Germany last only for 12 years.[43] Yeah. Because he was fighting the British, Soviets and Americans! Not sure how this point ends an effective examination of the success of his ability to brainwash and consolidate power before the war.
Knowledge- 4/4
Historiography- ¾ A reference to Goldhagen and to Nazi speeches and films compensates lack of historican’s arguments and nterpretations.
Understanding the question- 4/4
Skill- ¾ Your writing and organisation here were problematic. Not as tight and focussed as usual. Used selective points unquestioningly
Ability to meet demands of question- 4/4 Pretty much did what I’d wanted you to do
18/20
[1] Triumph of the Will, dir. Leni Riefenstahl, writ. Leni Riefenstahl and Walter Ruttmann, Reichsparteitagsfilm, 1935
[2] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Volume II Chapter XII
[3] http://www.historystudystop.co.uk/php/displayarticle.php?article=66&topic=meu
[4] Frank McDonough, Conflict, Communism and Fascism, Europe (1890-1945),
[5] http://jewwatch.com/jew-leaders-lubbe-wikipedia-article.html
[6] http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire
[7] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/jul2001/reic-j05.shtml
[8] http://www.insolitology.com/topten/koostrenite/ri-071ri.htm
[9] http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/data.show.php?di=record&da=encyclopedia&ke=35
[10] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg.200
[11] Frank McDonough, Conflict, Communism and Fascism, Europe (1890-1945),
[12] http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-gestapo.htm
[13] http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/people/victims.htm
[14] http://library.thinkquest.org/15511/data/encyclopedia/naziparty.htm
[15] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERconcentration.htm
[16] Alan Bullock, Hitler: A study in Tyranny, Harper Torchbooks, 1962, pg.288
[17] Alan Bullock, Hitler: A study in Tyranny, Harper Torchbooks, 1962, pg 294
[18] http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives
[19] Compendium: Modern china 1800-2000, pg 282
[20] Frank McDonough, Conflict, Communism and Fascism, Europe (1890-1945),
[21] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg.
[22] http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/nurmlaw2.html
[23] Miep Gies, Anne Frank Remembered, Simon&Schuster Paperbacks, 1987, pg. 45
[24] http://jbuff.com/c113000.htm
[25] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg. 258-259
[26] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg. 259
[27] http://www.german-helmets.com/SS-HWD_MAIN.htm
[28] Alan Bullock, Hitler: A study in Tyranny, Harper Torchbooks, 1962, pg 412
[29] Elie Wiesel, Night, Hill and Wang,2006, pg.81
[30] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERconcentration.htm
[31] Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Hitler Youth, Scholastic Inc., 2005, pg. 55
[32] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg. 241
[33] http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-bookburn.htm
[34] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Arrow Books, 1960, pg. 244-245
[35] http://www.essentia.com/book/quotes/media.htm
[36] http://www.igshistoryonline.co.uk/Resources/How%20effective%20was%20Nazi%20propaganda.ppt
[37] http://www.igshistoryonline.co.uk/Resources/How%20effective%20was%20Nazi%20propaganda.ppt
[38] http://www.wallflowerpress.co.uk/publications/samples/film/holo_intro2.pdf
[39] http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/4783.php
[40] Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Hitler Youth, Scholastic Inc., 2005, pg 160
[41] Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Hitler Youth, Scholastic Inc., 2005, pg 55
[42] http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-timeline.htm
[43] http://www.indopedia.org/Nazi_Germany.html
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