3. Nazism as totalitarianism

Question 1

What is totalitarianism?

Answer 1

a system of government where there is only one party led by one person, the imposition of a single ideology, monopolistic control of the armed forces and of communication, terroristic police control and control over the entire economy

Question 2

What does this model of totalitarian do in relation to Nazism?

Answer 2

model describes Nazism but does not explain it

Question 3

What was Nazi ideology?

Answer 3

aside from its racist beliefs, was more about power than doctrine

Question 4

any parallels with definition of totalitarianism to Nazism?

Answer 4

It was a single party led by one man, it did control communication and the armed forces but it did not have control over the whole economy, though it did have control over the main aspects of the economy

Question 5

Historians view of Nazism as totalitarianism?

Answer 5

Some historians see Nazi Germany as Totalitarian. However, others see it as ‘Polycratic’ because it was a state in which there was a constant struggle for power between Hitler’s immediate subordinates as they sought to increase the size of their own individual institutional empires

Question 6

Historian Ian Kershaw view of Nazi as totalitarianism?

Answer 6

draws attention to the fact that for a totalitarians society to exist, it needs a passive population unable to respond, and the Nazis achieved this majority of support in 1942 and Hitler was an admired and popular leader

Question 7

process of ‘Gleichschaltung’ in relation to totalitarianism ?

Answer 7

involved the destroying of democracy and the establishment of totalitarian rule by one party

Question 8

the enabling act 1933 (totalitarianism)?

Answer 8

effectively removed all democratic powers from the Reichstag

Question 9

What other methods other than Enabling act and ;Gleichschaltung’ relate to totalitarianism ?

Answer 9

They made a number of subsequent laws which made the Nazi party the only legal party Germany and their power was further consolidated by the reconstruction of the Reichstag and the removal of all forms of democracy

Question 10

what did Hitler work towards?

Answer 10

establishing a totalitarian control of the armed forces

Question 11

term to describe all of armed forces combined:

Answer 11

Wehrmacht

Question 12

What was the Wehrmacht like before Hitler control?

Answer 12

had operated under a policy of a ‘state within a state’ and remained a powerful independent force in Germany.

Question 13

How did Hitler come to control the army?

Answer 13

the abolishment of the SA at the Night of the Long Knives, where he managed to secure the backing of the army by making them swear a personal oath of allegiance on all members

Question 14

How did Hitler establish totalitarian control within army?

Answer 14

swiftly removed all opposition that remained in the armed forces which meant a change in the High Command in 1938 and extended the powers of the SS

Question 15

By 1941, what did Hitler have?

Answer 15

complete control of the Wehrmacht as Hitler held the position of supreme commander

Question 16

what cant the Nazi party be accredited with?

Answer 16

cannot be accredited with a fully developed philosophy, however, Hitler did set out some beliefs in Mein Kamp based on strong ideas of racism and nationalism

Question 17

What was the goal of the state?

Answer 17

create the pure Aryan community, the ‘Volksgemeinschaft’ and to cleanse the people and establish a Nazi society.

Question 18

What did historian Friedlander note about goal of state?

Answer 18

“ideology took the same path as policy”

Question 19

Actions taken against Jews?

Answer 19

the 1st April 1933 there was the first Boycott Day where anti Jewish slogans were painted on Jewish buildings and detachments of the SS and SA were positioned outside Jewish shops and prevented people from entering.

Question 20

What law did Nazis also introduce against Jews?

Answer 20

the Law for the Restoration of a Professional Civil Service which dismissed all non-Aryans from the public sector

Question 21

what debate is there for treatment of Jews?

Answer 21

debate amongst historians as to the fact that the extermination of the Jews was the ideological goal of the Nazi Party from the very beginning

Question 22

Who also came under influence of Nazi Party ideology?

Answer 22

Youth

Question 23

What happened to education system?

Answer 23

. As early as 1934, the education system was ‘Nazified’ as pupils began to be indoctrinated with Nazi ideologies

Question 24

What did the Reich minister for education state?

Answer 24

that the goal of schools was to “create Nazis” and therefore all teachers were forced to take an oath of allegiance to Hitler.

Question 25

What king of youth organization formed?

Answer 25

the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens were strictly militarized, was aimed at preparing the generation for war and created a youth who would adhere to the regime imposed on them.

Question 26

What happened to families under Nazi regime?

Answer 26

Families also changed under the Nazi regime with women being reduced to their traditional family roles eg. Producing a family

Question 27

religious life?

Answer 27

also changed as the Church was gradually undermined, and all German art and cultural life changed dramatically

Question 28

German art?

Answer 28

was to become strictly Nazified and anti-modern art was banned

Question 29

What do historians point about their philosophies?

Answer 29

no continuity as women later became highly involved in the workforce, after being driven out of it, during the war

Question 30

How did Nazi party aim for totalitarian control of the economy?

Answer 30

through the Nazi Labour Law in 1934, under which both employers and employees were put under the control of the government, and the four-year plan in 1936

Question 31

Hitler tight control of working class by?

Answer 31

abolishment of unions and control of wages

Question 32

Big businesses?

Answer 32

remain independent the state despite the implementation of laws which eliminated 40% of big businesses in one day

Question 33

What does historian, Schweitzer, outline in regard to big businesses?

Answer 33

outlines the powers that the big businesses held during the time of the Third Reich

Question 34

How nazis consolidate power within businesses?

Answer 34

neutralising big businesses in giving industrialists open ended contracts and thus sidelining them from the political arena where previously he need to protect economic interests prompted their interference in state matters

Question 35

What did Goebbels begin?

Answer 35

began his totalitarian control of all means of communication

Question 36

What came under control of the Ministry of Propaganda?

Answer 36

press, radio and theatre industries

Question 37

control of communication and film?

Answer 37

Means of communication were also heavily censored, as was film with all scripts being looked over by the Reich before being made

Question 38

access to news?

Answer 38

only one Nazi publishing house and journalists were ordered what to write.

Question 39

Through control of media/comm what was Goebbels able to do?

Answer 39

persuade the masses through a very successful propaganda campaign

Question 40

Since propaganda could not persuade an entire nation what did Hitler do?

Answer 40

Nazi Party established a system on terror through terroristic police control

Question 41

what police forces used?

Answer 41

Gestapo and the Nazi police

Question 42

the Gestapo and the Nazi police were powerful because?

Answer 42

above the law and could legally impose the will of the Fuhrer on all of society

Question 43

Impact of use of terroristic police control?

Answer 43

The Germans were forced to comply to Nazism but some historians point out that the terroristic police control implemented by the Nazis only survived through the aid of the German peoples as the Gestapo relied on denunciations made by members of the public. This proved to be a way for people to voice their own extremist views

Question 44

Why did Hitler not have full control of state?

Answer 44

he allowed for the overlapping of certain positions because he believed that this would allow for the strongest individuals and the ones with the best ideas to emerge

Question 45

What did Hitler allow others do which went against idea of one person in control?

Answer 45

Hitler allowed for people to make their own decisions but would just have to follow his own ideology outlined in his book, Mein Kamp.
Some historians also believe that Hitler was quite lazy as he thought that if he left things alone they would eventually sort themselves out.

Question 46

Quote to show how Few areas of life escaped intrusion and ppl had to cope with constant surveillance. Germany’s geographical compactness and closeness of party to everyday life made total control effective.

Answer 46

Richard Overy:
“For an average Germany family regular contact with the party youth groups, the local SA, the party welfare collections or the women’s associated was unavoidable. Party symbols and language were pervasive.”

Question 47

Quote against Nazism as being described as totalitarianism

Answer 47

Ian Kershaw:

“All in all, the value of totalitarian concept seems extremely limited”