TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > History > Fascism in Germany
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
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