Nazism and the Third Reich - Term Paper Example

Nazism and the Third Reich The Third Reich represents one of the darkest moments in Germany history. Established during the height of the fascist frenzy which propelled the National Socialist party to power in post-War Germany, the Third Reich and Nazi Germany are terms which are often used synonymously to describe this particularly ominous period. As a totalitarian dictatorship which replaced the Weimer Republic and officially lasted for a dozen years, the Third Reich was established on the supremacy of the fascist political doctrine and the supremacy of the German Aryan race. Seeking to explore the emergence of Nazi political dominance in the wake of the collapse of the Weimer Republic, this question will explore the political evolution of fascism in Germany. Many questions will be discussed with reference to the creation of German fascism and how it came to be the underlying ideological underpinning of the Nazi regime. Arguing that unlike the Republican parties of the Weimer Republic, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Party never lost sight of politics, this essay will explore the evolution of National Socialism in Germany with an eye to how the Nazis appealed to their constituents and grew, up to, as well as after the Weimer Republic collapsed. Politics and the Rise of the Nazi Party in Germany An authoritarian political movement which evolved during the early half of the twentieth century, fascism was the dominant political ideology in Germany for more than a dozen years. Championed by the charismatic torchbearer of this new and increasingly powerful political movement, Adolf Hitler brought fascism to the forefront of German politics by tapping into widespread social discontent following World War I. The section below will describe nascent fascism and its early years in Germany. What lead to the development of fascism in Germany? Fascism arose in response to a variety of domestic and international factors following World War I. Fascism can be defined as a militant political movement which promoted a unique mixture of ideology and organization in an attempt to create a “new type of civilization” (Knox 11). German fascism advanced an ideology of extreme nationalism, secular idealism and national rejuvenation. From a tactical and organizational standpoint, this movement employed the use of violence to achieve its aims and rejected parliamentary democracy. Additionally, it drew upon corporatist ideas of harmony through hierarchy and advocated national efficiency. Revolutionary in nature, it sought to transform and renew German society though a rejection of egalitarianism and by embracing rigid hierarchical classifications. German fascism evolved during the Weimer Republic and was created in opposition to socialism, communism and liberal democracy. It evolved in juxtaposition to the egalitarianism espoused by political movements of the era including communism and liberal democracy and early fascists found fertile ground for their movement in Germany after World War I (Gay 3-22; Haffner 34). Dissatisfaction on a variety of fronts paved the way for the emergence of the fascist political movement in Germany. From a foreign policy standpoint, many Germans were dissatisfied with the results of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, a peace treaty which ended the Great War and imposed a negotiated solution on the warring parties. Germans were particularly upset with heavy reparations at the Treaty of Versailles including loss of land and steep financial payments culminating in national embarrassment. The Great Depression of the 1930s exacerbated an already dire economic situation in Germany and many Germans turned to a doctrine which promoted the restoration of German national pride through strong government and cultural renewal. In addition to Versailles, another international impetus for the rise of fascism in Germany was the so-called “Red Menace”, the communist threat to the current political order and the revolutionary appeal of international communism. The fear of communist revolution played into the hands of early fascists who were vocal in their dislike of communism and their rejection of its emphasis on class struggle. Importantly, the Red Menace was also a particular important domestic antecedent for the rise of fascism in both Italy and Germany. As mentioned above, a rejection of class cleavages and the divisive class ideology of communism gave fascism wide appeal among members of the upper strata of German society. A patrimonial society with deep social and economic divisions, Germany was beset by strong social cleavages. Fascism was able to appeal to the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie as well as the working classes in its appeal to a strong and unified and strong Germany. Accordingly, National Socialism is anti-liberal and anti-individualistic; by implication it is irrational, mystical, and romantic; by its results it is totalitarian to the point of religious obsession. That such a world-concept has conquered a nation which is famed for its scientific thoroughness, is mainly due to the fact that National Socialist philosophy coincided with a spiritual vacuum in Germany, created by the humiliation of political defeat and the difficulties of economic post-war adjustment (Loewenstein 780). As an ideology, fascism promoted a strong and united Germany – extremely important during a period of national embarrassment and deep economic woes - and nationalism was an inherent component of the German fascist movement. Through the oratory skills of Adolf Hitler and a persuasive propaganda machine, the fascist doctrine served to unify all peoples of Germany when in 1933 the Nazi Party carried out their successful machtergreifung (seizure of power) and established the Nazi dictatorship and Third Reich in Germany (Dietrich 387). The fascist doctrine in Germany also paved the way for the concept of a Greater Germany which required territorial expansion and was a direct cause of outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. As an inclusive doctrine movement which sought to unite all ethnic Germans into one state and against all divisive stripes, Nazism successfully unify the German people under the umbrella of Nazi fascist ideology. Accordingly, early into his assumption of power in 1933, Adolf Hitler implemented Gleichschaltung – literally, to bring everyone together or in line - and consolidated his rule (Fulbrook 54). Concluding Remarks Fascism was an intensely chauvinistic ideology imbued with extreme nationalism and in the German context, sustained beliefs about the superiority of the German “Aryan” race and the natural inferiority of other peoples, particular the Jews. Imbued with a sense of intense nationalism and inherently militaristic, fascism became a force to be reckoned with and this authoritarian political movement evolved during a period of widespread dissatisfaction following the end of World War I. International antecedents for the rise of extreme fascism expressed through the National Socialist party in Germany include stern reparations in the wake of World War I, loss of land, dire economic woes exacerbated by a global depression and overall national embarrassment following the Treaty of Versailles. The “Red Menace” and the threat of international communism also played a role in the rise of the Nazi movement in Germany and fears concerning a communist menace were successfully manipulated by the National Socialists to gain adherents to their unique brand of fascism in Germany. Domestic factors accounting for the rise of fascism during the Third Reich included the susceptibility to fascist ideology after World War I, the promise of economic stability and an extreme nationalism which promoted German greatness. The ideology of fascism trickled down into all aspects of German society during the Third Reich. Upon their assumption of rule, the implementation Gleichschaltung further served to inculcate the masses in Nazi ideology and fascist doctrine. In this manner, Adolf Hitler was an expert politician who never lost sight of the importance of politics. Works Cited Dietrich, Donald J. “National Renewal, Anti-Semitism, and Political Continuity: A Psychological Assessment”. Political Psychology 9.3 (1988): 385-411. Fulbrook, Mary. The Divided Nation. London: Blackwell, 2002. Gay, Peter. Weimar Culture: The Outsider as Insider. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001. Haffner, Sebastian. Defying Hitler. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Knox, MacGregor. “Conquest, Foreign and Domestic, in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany”. The Journal of Modern History 56.1 (1984), 2-57. Loewenstein, Karl. “Law in the Third Reich”. The Yale Law Journal 45.5 (1936): 779-815. Read More