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Nazi Ideology

Nazi Ideology. What was the Nazi ideology? Where did it originate from? . Ancestry. Various locations - combined trends Realpolitik (Bismarck) Nationalism (Johann Fichte) Godless humanism (Friedrich Nietzsche)

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Nazi Ideology

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  1. Nazi Ideology What was the Nazi ideology? Where did it originate from?

  2. Ancestry • Various locations - combined trends • Realpolitik (Bismarck) • Nationalism (Johann Fichte) • Godless humanism (Friedrich Nietzsche) • Racial theories (Houston Stewart Chamberlain & Comte de Gobineau = extremes of Darwinism; Aryan triumph over lesser races) • Italian fascism; Stalin’s control methodology • Post WW2 view: roots of German authoritarianism and nationalism • German historians e.g. Ritter (1955) - unprecedented social & economic pressures of 1920s & 1930s • Bracher (1978) - combination of two

  3. Mein Kampf • Cohesion: Nazi programme 1920 (before Hitler) • Mein Kampf (My Struggle): written during imprisonment after 1923 coup; published 1925 • No precise manifesto for govt. But showed principles. • Central: basis of state not class or economy but race: need to eliminate alien elements who would weaken / corrupt ethnic community (Volksgemeinschaft) = Jews - international conspiracy • Also: Lebensraum (Living space) - at expense of other races e.g. Russia

  4. The Führerprinzip • Doctrine of political authority • Unquestioning obedience to chief • Personal authority • Appealed to those who thought democracy had failed

  5. Socialist Element • But: views not unanimous • Socialist element crucial to some e.g. former soldiers in S.A. • Gregor and Otto Strasser: led left wing faction • But: Hitler couldn’t restore strong government without support of capitalist forces – didn’t want to alienate them • Negative cohesion through hate • Key: anti-semitism. Origins?

  6. Task: Hitler's early ideological beliefs • Read the source material • Highlight and note in the margin evidence of doctrines we have mentioned • Are there any not yet covered?

  7. Taking control • Gleichschaltung – ‘co-ordination’ • Destruction of all groups that could limit his power • E.g. Law against Formation of New Parties (July 1933) • January 1934 Provincial Assemblies abolished (Lander) – Nazi governors (Reichstatthalter) in their place • Trades Unions disbanded • Infiltration of Nazis

  8. Institutions that compromised • Too powerful to be coerced • Industry support for Nazis • e.g. steel magnate Fritz Thyssen • Catholic Church – Concordat (July 1933) • Nazis would not interfere in Church education – church not in politics • German army (Reichswehr) – common interests • Commander in chief and War Minister forced out

  9. What was the Nature of Hitler’s Rule?

  10. Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. Guided by racist and authoritarian ideas, the Nazis abolished basic freedoms and sought to create a "Volk" community. In theory, a "Volk" community united all social classes and regions of Germany behind Hitler. In reality, the Third Reich quickly became a police state, where individuals were subject to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment.

  11. In the first months of his chancellorship, Hitler began a concerted policy of "synchronization," forcing organizations, political parties, and state governments into line with Nazi goals and placing them under Nazi leadership. Culture, the economy, education, and law came under greater Nazi control. Trade unions were abolished and workers, employees, and employers were forced into Nazi organizations. By mid-July 1933, the Nazi party was the only political party permitted in Germany. The Reichstag (German parliament) became a rubber stamp for Hitler's dictatorship. The Fuehrer's will became the foundation for government policy.

  12. The appointment of Nazi party members to government positions increased Hitler's authority over state officials. According to the Nazi party's leadership principle, authority flowed down from above and absolute obedience towards one's superior was expected at each level of the Nazi hierarchy. Hitler was master of the Third Reich.

  13. Nazi rule • Main features? • How was authority imposed? • What was the nature of the government?

  14. Task • Notes from Collins pages 313-4 under following headings: • Centralised authority, or a confusion of administrations? • Theoretical power structure • Reality of power • Historiography • The roles of propaganda and terror • Propaganda • Gestapo • Conclusion

  15. More on propaganda • Forms?

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