Figure 1.--Hitler had a special appeal to young people. Here he meets with youthful members od the SA at the Braune Haus, the SA's headquarters in Munich. |
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The National Socialist German Worker's Party (NAZIs) became the most powerful of all Fascist parties. It was not founded by Hitler, but became dominated by him at
an early point. He fashioned it an instrument for a personal totalitarian dictatorship. Mussolini and his Fascists seized power in Italy a decade before the NAZIs seized power ans stronly influenced Hitler. After the NAZIs seized power
they soon elclipsed Mussolini's Fascists.
Germany's defeat in World War I staggered the Germany people. They had such faith in the Army which had played a key role in achieving national unification. At the beginning of 1918 victory looked assured. The Russians were knoick\ked out of tge War and forced to sign the Breast-Litovsk Treaty which made Germany dominant in the East and allowed for the creation of a German protectorate in the vast Ukraine (March 1918). It also enabled the Germans Army to focus on the Western Front. Ludendorff's massive offensive nearly achieeved victory (July). Yet only months later the German Army was decisely defeated and forced to sign an Armistace (November). After 4 years of terrible sacrifice, the German people were horrified and bewildered at the outcome. Thus World War I set the stage for much of the rest of the 20th century. It shatered the existing order in Europe. After the War the question became what would replace it.
Germany was devestated by its defeat in World War I. Agricultural production was impaired and there was wide-spread food shortages, even starvation. The monarchy which had been at the center of German political life was abolished. The War had also humiliated the Germany Army, perhaps the most respected national institution. Democratic politicans formed a governent, but had forced to accept the Versailles Peace Treaty that was very unpopular with the German people (1919). The most important party was the Social Democrats (SDP), but they were far short of a majority in the Reichstag. Radicals on the right and left fought in the street. Middle class Germans were terrified that the Communists might succeed in seizing power as in Russia. The Catholic Party was also Important as was the Natuionsalist Party. There were also a number of small xhnephobic right-wing parties with varying platforms except for a mutual opposition to the Versailles Treaty and democratic government.
The National Socialist German Worker's Party (NAZIs) became the most powerful of all Fascist parties. It was not founded by Hitler, but became dominated by him at an early point. He fashioned it an instrument for a personal
totalitarian dictatorship. Mussolini and his Fascists seized power in Italy a decade before the NAZIs seized power and stronly influenced Hitler. After the NAZIs seized power they soon elclipsed Mussolini's Fascists. One of the central questions of the 20th century is how an esentially criminal gang took over the government of a great nation. There are of course many factors involved. Perhaps the central one is the power of natioanalism, a still powerful force today, although waning in much of Europe. Here was Hitler's great skill as a politican. The vast majority of the German people did not endorse the plan he spelling out in Mein Kampf with almost startling frankness. Most Germans did, however, believe and some with great fervor that Germany was an agreved nation that was being trampeled by its enemies. And most wanted the territorial and populatioin losses of the Versailles Treaty reversed as well as other restrictions of the Treaty. Hitler by concentrating on these popular issues was able to attract adherents and voters that never would have endorsed his real program. His success was made possible because the Weimar Republic allienated the right and military because of Versailles and the middle-class because of the disastrous inflation. The Depression was a claminity because it alienated many working-class people from democracy and the Weimar Republic. The central factor, however, has to be Hitler's skillful political manipulation of and handling of the issues, especially nationalist fervor.
NAZI Party idelogy is not easy to describe. This is in part because what Hitler wanted and whatvthe NAZI faithful wanted was not identical, although therec were many shated interesys. Hitler's ability to bridge or mask these differences are a tribute to his masterful political skills. Thus Hitler adjusted his speeches and writing to the political conditions. The Party he seized control over and the belieffs of the SA faitful was strongly nationalists, but consisted of many working-class members who wanted deep-seated social revoloution. Hitler was sympathetic to this, but saw what Roehm and others did not see, that Germany's industrial establishment and military would never allow such a revolution which seem to close to what the Communists wanted. Thus Hitler carefully crafted his speeches and writing to what was necessary to achieve power. Hitler wanted to create a New Germany, but he also wanted to obtain the loyalty of the indiustrialists and military who he needed for his primary goal--to create a New Europe which Germany dominated and which could only be achieved by war. The New Europe would given Germany the Lebensraum it needed and allow Germany to reshape the ethnic make up of Europe. Here the primary goal was the destruction of the Jews and the enslavement of the Slavs. Hitler was rematkably honest about this in Mein Kampf, although he down played the obvious fact that his goals could only be achieved by war.
Here we will discuss the individuals who played a role in the NAZI Party. We will also discuss individuals who assisted the NAZIs as well as those who opposed them.
The rise of the NAZIs is a frightening enough event, but perhaps even more frightening is how Hitler and the NAZIs so easily bent the German nation to their evil purposes. Every country has evil people, but how could a small group of evil thugs so easily cow a great nation into participating or at least acquiese in what were some of the most evil actions of the 20th century. Again the principal reason appears to be the considerable political skills of Adolf Hitler and his ability to give the Gerams what many wanted (jobs, order, and prestige) while laying the foundation for what he wanted (war, conquest, anf genocide).
One of the unanswered questions of World War II is how Hitler who showed such consumate political skills in his rise to power and then making huge gains as a result of first apeasement and then war become such an inept ruller. The turning point seems to have been the fall of France. It was at that point that Hitler ceased being a fabulously successful politican and became one of the most disastrous military commander in European history. Hitler in an increadibly short period turned a commanding military position in Europe against a beleagered Britain into defat on all fronts against a massive Allied coalition. We know of no other leader in history who demonsated such skill and ability, however, evil, during one point of his careeer and such stupidity and ineptitude during the second phase.
The NAZI Party was organized on a hierarchial basis. At the top of the Party structure was German Führer Adolf Hitler. This was both a party and government post Hitler assumed in the death of President Hindenburg (1934). Hitler thus combined the Party leadership and Chancelor positions he already held with that of the presidency. His title at that time became Führer. Hitler's successor designate was first, Hermann Goering (until the last weeks of the Reich), and second, Rudolf Hess (until his flight to Scotland in 1941). The leadership corps of the Party began with Hitler as was divided into six levels below him: 2. Reichsleiter (ministers)
3. Gauleiter (3 through 7 known collectively as Hoheitstraiger) |
4. Kreisleiter
5. Ortsgruppenleiter
6. Zellenleiter
7. Blockleiter.
The Party was also organized into several leadership groups and associated federations. These varied somewhat ober time, both in numbers and responsibilities.
The NAZIs were noted for their propaganda. Hitler conceived about making propaganda in Mein Kampf. He wrote, "The masses find it difficult to understand politics, their intelligence is small. Therefore all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points. The masses will only remember only the simplest ideas repeated a thousand times over. If I approach the masses with reasoned arguments, they will not understand me. In the mass meeting, their reasoning power is paralyzed. What I say is like an order given under hypnosis." [Hitler] This was complicated while there was a free press. Once the NAZIs had control of the coercive force of the state, this changed. And Hitler chose Dr. Josef Goebbels to mastermind the ppropaganda effort. It was not the appointment that Goebbels wanted. It proved to be a masterful appointment. Goebbels
mastermined the NAZI propaganda program. He quickly gained control over the print media and broadcast media. Journalists rapidly fell in line. Those who did not were fired or arrested. He had a special interest in the film ijndudsry. And Germany had one of the most important film industries in Europe.
The careful staging and extensive photographic images made an indelible impression. Perhaps the greatesy propaganda film of all time was "Triumph of the Will". That NAZI propagand was carefully staged and orcestrated is undeniable. Less commonly asked is how effective it was. Here there are two components that must be assessed--domestically and internatonally. It does seem to have been effective domestically, albeit only when combined with the NAZI police state and total domination of the media. NAZI propaganda helped bend Germany to Hitler's will. The German devotion to Hitler continued even after the War was irevocably lost. Most German casualties occurred after there was no longer any chance of victory. Htler's morbid spell on Germany was not broken until he committed suiside in Berlin (April 1945). Internationally, the impact of German propaganda is more difficult to assess. It does not seem to have won over any significant converts. Only Slovakia and Croatia enthusiastically joined the NAZIs, but this seems more related to domestic politics than NAZI poropaganda.
Most countries were repulsed by NAZI propaganda. NAZI propganda and the threat of war seem to have been a factor in the British and French abandoing the Czechs at Munich (1938). And fear of the Germans was an element in American isolationism. Even so, NAZI propaganda so repulsed the public in the democraxies that there was virtually no opposition to war when it came.
Germans tend to see Hitler and the NAZIs as an aberation in the great arc of German history. This may be the case, but it also seems to us to be an all to easy simplification of one of the most crucial events of the 20th century.
The NAZIs are often considred to be a conservative force. They are often referred to as a right wing group in contrast to the Socialists and Communists on the left. This topics has come up on a number of HBC pages. Some readers write that they see the NAZIs as a socialist more akin to the Communists than conservative parties. They note the name of the party and support from working-class Grmans. We do not agree that the NAZIs were a left wing party. There are many fundamental differences between NAZI and Communist ideology. We would agree, however, that the NAZIS were not a conservative party, but a party preparing a massive revolution in Germany. Even so we see a fundamental similarity shared by the NAZIs and Communists which is totalitarianism. And ghere the centralshared tenant is the subordination of the individual to the state and the elimination of basic civil liberties.
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf (1925).
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