3. Nazism as totalitarianism Flashcards
What is totalitarianism?
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
What does this model of totalitarian do in relation to Nazism?
model describes Nazism but does not explain it
What was Nazi ideology?
aside from its racist beliefs, was more about power than doctrine
any parallels with definition of totalitarianism to Nazism?
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
Historians view of Nazism as totalitarianism?
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
Historian Ian Kershaw view of Nazi as totalitarianism?
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
process of ‘Gleichschaltung’ in relation to totalitarianism ?
involved the destroying of democracy and the establishment of totalitarian rule by one party
the enabling act 1933 (totalitarianism)?
effectively removed all democratic powers from the Reichstag
What other methods other than Enabling act and ;Gleichschaltung’ relate to totalitarianism ?
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
what did Hitler work towards?
establishing a totalitarian control of the armed forces
term to describe all of armed forces combined:
Wehrmacht
What was the Wehrmacht like before Hitler control?
had operated under a policy of a ‘state within a state’ and remained a powerful independent force in Germany.
How did Hitler come to control the army?
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
How did Hitler establish totalitarian control within army?
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
By 1941, what did Hitler have?
complete control of the Wehrmacht as Hitler held the position of supreme commander
what cant the Nazi party be accredited with?
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
What was the goal of the state?
create the pure Aryan community, the ‘Volksgemeinschaft’ and to cleanse the people and establish a Nazi society.
What did historian Friedlander note about goal of state?
“ideology took the same path as policy”
Actions taken against Jews?
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.
What law did Nazis also introduce against Jews?
the Law for the Restoration of a Professional Civil Service which dismissed all non-Aryans from the public sector
what debate is there for treatment of Jews?
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
Who also came under influence of Nazi Party ideology?
Youth
What happened to education system?
. As early as 1934, the education system was ‘Nazified’ as pupils began to be indoctrinated with Nazi ideologies
What did the Reich minister for education state?
that the goal of schools was to “create Nazis” and therefore all teachers were forced to take an oath of allegiance to Hitler.
What king of youth organization formed?
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.
What happened to families under Nazi regime?
Families also changed under the Nazi regime with women being reduced to their traditional family roles eg. Producing a family
religious life?
also changed as the Church was gradually undermined, and all German art and cultural life changed dramatically
German art?
was to become strictly Nazified and anti-modern art was banned
What do historians point about their philosophies?
no continuity as women later became highly involved in the workforce, after being driven out of it, during the war
How did Nazi party aim for totalitarian control of the economy?
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
Hitler tight control of working class by?
abolishment of unions and control of wages
Big businesses?
remain independent the state despite the implementation of laws which eliminated 40% of big businesses in one day
What does historian, Schweitzer, outline in regard to big businesses?
outlines the powers that the big businesses held during the time of the Third Reich
How nazis consolidate power within businesses?
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
What did Goebbels begin?
began his totalitarian control of all means of communication
What came under control of the Ministry of Propaganda?
press, radio and theatre industries
control of communication and film?
Means of communication were also heavily censored, as was film with all scripts being looked over by the Reich before being made
access to news?
only one Nazi publishing house and journalists were ordered what to write.
Through control of media/comm what was Goebbels able to do?
persuade the masses through a very successful propaganda campaign
Since propaganda could not persuade an entire nation what did Hitler do?
Nazi Party established a system on terror through terroristic police control
what police forces used?
Gestapo and the Nazi police
the Gestapo and the Nazi police were powerful because?
above the law and could legally impose the will of the Fuhrer on all of society
Impact of use of terroristic police control?
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
Why did Hitler not have full control of state?
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
What did Hitler allow others do which went against idea of one person in control?
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.
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.
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.”
Quote against Nazism as being described as totalitarianism
Ian Kershaw:
“All in all, the value of totalitarian concept seems extremely limited”
