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Contents 1 Reasons for the Rise of Fascism in Germany 2 Characteristics of National Socialist Rule 3 An Evaluation of National Socialism 4 An Evaluation of Nazi Economic Policy 5 Comments

Reasons for the Rise of Fascism in Germany

• The economic collapse of Germany after 1929 (main reason)
• The lack of democratic roots in Germany
• Under the Weimar republic
• It was impossible to secure a majority in parliament (this depicted democracy as a weak Gov. system)
• The president had the authority to declare a state of emergency (Hitler used Hindenburg’s ability to do this in order to establish his dictatorship)
• The fear of communism (Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor as a result of such fears)
• The Nazis exploited the weakness of the Weimar system and often used violence against their opponents
• The Nazis made use of propaganda to shape public opinion
• The Nazis used resentment against the Versaille Settlement to their ends.
• Some other political parties did not support democracy and represented potential allies for Hitler

Characteristics of National Socialist Rule

• Germany became a one party state
• Hitler was supreme within the party and he was taken as the personification of National Socialism.
• Totalitarianism was introduced
• Education was controlled
• Strict censorship of the media
• All non-Nazi youth movements were banned and replaced (ie: by movements such as Hitler Youth)
• The churches were brought under Nazi control
• Trade Unions & strikes were banned
• The use of terror was made to crush all resistance
• The army was brought under Nazi control
  • Officers swore loyalty to Hitler
  • Gradually Nazi officers filled army ranks
  • The non-Nazi commander and war minister were removed in scandals at least engineered by the Nazis
  • The S.S. was built up
• The Nazis made great use of propaganda
• The economy (see notes on inter-war period)
• Racism / The Aryan Germans were declared to be the ‘Master Race’
• Expansionism / Hitler claimed to reunite all Germans and Nazi interests centered on obtaining land in Europe
• There was a close identity btw party and state
• Centralization of power.

An Evaluation of National Socialism

• Failed in the long run and brought disaster to Germany
• Brought short term benefits (see notes on Economic Problems)
• Drove to exile Germans who could have contributed greatly for Germany (ie: Einstein)
• There was strict censorship of art, literature and academic life; which all did not flourish under the Nazis
• Women’s rights suffered
• Loss of civil liberty
• Nazi extremism brought about Allied extremism and eventually events such as civilian bombings (ie: Dresden)
• Some successes: construction of autobahns, establishment of enterprises like Volkswagen, and scientific advances in areas such as synthetics, and rocketry.

An Evaluation of Nazi Economic Policy

• Measures reducing U. marked w/ a * represented a manipulation of statistics
• Increases in output were directed to the armed forces (this meant recession was inevitable except in the case of war)
• Economic improvements were accompanied to loss of individual freedom

Comments