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H MH Germany > 3. Nazism as Totalitarianism > Flashcards

3. Nazism as Totalitarianism Flashcards

1
Q

what can totalitarian state be defined in terms of?

A

3 criteria

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2
Q

what are the 3 criterias?

A

Whether the state controls absolutely all aspects of life (centralisation).
Secondly, whether the individual is subordinated to the state and lastly,
whether all forms of cultural and political opposition are suppressed.

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3
Q

what did Hitler and Nazi party implement?

A

implemented many policies of a totalitarian nature

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4
Q

what was inappropriate to term Nazi Germany was between 1933 and 1945?

A

inappropriate to term Nazi Germany a totalitarian state

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5
Q
  1. when was enabling act passed?
A

On March 23rd 1933

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6
Q
  1. what did enabling act grant?
A

Hitler absolute and full budgeting powers, and the right to make constitutional amendments, essentially - dictatorship.

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7
Q
  1. what did enabling act and hitler’s new power facilitate?
A

‘Gleichschaltung’, or synchronisation

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8
Q
  1. what did Hitler sought to do?
A

either to abolish or gain centralised control over all alternate loyalties to Nazism.

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9
Q
  1. e.g. of control?
A

Trade unions, for example, were abolished in May 1933 and subsumed into the collective “Labour Front” in October 1933.

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10
Q
  1. why were Trade Unions abolished?
A

was so the Nazis could more easily review workers and identify dissenters.

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11
Q
  1. what acted as turning point for “Minister of Armaments and War Production” Speer to gain greater freedom?
A

following Goebells “total war” speech in 1943

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12
Q
  1. what centralised the German economy?
A

Initiatives such as the “Main Committees and Rings” and the “Central Planning Board”

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13
Q
  1. what did centralisation of German economy result in?
A

totally re-gearing production mobile, “Blitzkreig” warfare to conventional warfare. Such policies are highly totalitarian

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14
Q
  1. what does the term ‘control’ suggest?
A

detailed calculation

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15
Q
  1. what did control rarely apply to?
A

This rarely applied to Nazi policy development

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16
Q
  1. what did Hitler detest?
A

detested paperwork. He trusted that, from general verbal direction, appropriate policy would be developed.

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17
Q
  1. what did Hitler also believe in?
A

“survival of the fittest.

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18
Q
  1. what does Boszat suggest the survival of the fittest created?
A

this created a “polyocracy,” that is, a group of competitive authorities in conflict.

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19
Q
  1. why did activities become increasingly extreme?
A

As Nazi hierarchy was based on pleasing authority, they vied for attention

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20
Q
  1. what do specific historians term the survival of the fittest effect?
A

Structuralist historians, such as Ian Kershaw, term this “spiralling radicalisation”.

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21
Q
  1. e.g. of such system?
A

The Nazi eugenics program, for instance, was sparked by a letter.

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22
Q
  1. why was Nazi eugenics program initiated?
A

A father requested that he be able to kill his disabled child. An ambitious Nazi converted it into what would become national policy.

23
Q
  1. such chaos is not..?
A

a careful, solid totalitarian nature

24
Q
  1. what were German ppl subordinated to?
A

state

25
Q
  1. why were thousands of victims of eugenic program killed?
A

simply to uphold Nazi ideology’s notion of racial purity.

26
Q
  1. another example of strict subordination? why?
A

German children’s enthusiasm for organisations such as the ‘Hitler Youth’ or ‘League of German Maidens’ was placed secondary to the State’s desire to produce strong future soldiers and practical future mothers.

27
Q
  1. what exemplifies totalitarian with children?
A

By 1939, all ten-year old children were legally bound to enter the State youth system.

28
Q
  1. what is also another hallmark of tot?
A

cultural control

29
Q
  1. what was established 13th March, 1933?
A

Goebells’ ‘Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda,”

30
Q
  1. what did the Ministry do?
A

saturated the German people with Nazi ideology

31
Q
  1. when was the Reich Chamber of Culture formed?
A

On 10th March 1933

32
Q
  1. what did the reich chamber of culture apply?
A

applied ‘Gleichschaltung’ to cultural expression.

33
Q
  1. e.g. of cultural control?
A

All theatre scripts, for example, had to be consistent with Nazi ideology. Most extolled “Blut und Boden” (“Blood and Soil”), that is, the idolising of the German peasant

34
Q
  1. What was the Reich Press Law?
A

resulted in mass censorship of newspaper material, dissolved most independent newspapers and required all newspaper editors to be Aryan.

35
Q
  1. what was already gov controlled when Nazi assumed power?
A

radio

36
Q
  1. what did Nazi turn radio into?
A

Nazis swiftly turned into a mass communication tool

37
Q
  1. propaganda tool?
A

architecture

38
Q
  1. works of albert speer such as?
A

‘Zeppelin Field’ were designed in classical Grecian style. The romantic, ordered design was used to convey an image of German might.

39
Q
  1. what also served to deify Hitler through architecture?
A

his rallies inspired a quasi religious experience

40
Q
  1. Nazi also established rigid?
A

political control

41
Q
  1. what ensured Nazi’s faced no official political opposition?
A

. The “Law against the Establishment of Political Parties,” passed on 14th July 1933

42
Q
  1. what were state gov replaced with?
A

with Nazi officials, ensuring national political control

43
Q
  1. what did establishment of Special Courts in 1933 allow?
A

allowed the Nazis to manipulate verdicts and sentences for both their supporters and opponents.

44
Q
  1. Three other main, ongoing Nazi organisations ensured political suppression include?
A

the SS (Originally Hitler’s bodyguard, but expanded enormously after the “Night of the Long Knives” operation under Heinrich Himmler), SD (The intelligence unit of the SS) and the Gestapo (Secret Police).

45
Q
  1. when did these org increase their control and influence?
A

As the rest of the German political organisations ground into chaos and confusion

46
Q
  1. what perception was seen through these org, esp Gestapo?
A

that the Nazis were an omnipotent, omnipresent present entity

47
Q
  1. what overall annulled major political opposition to Nazism?
A

Such fear, of the SS, SD and Gestapo’s brutality, and also of the grimness of concentration camps

48
Q
  1. what do these examples seemingly show Nazis as?
A

highly totalitarian

49
Q
  1. however, what was Hitler’s leadership style?
A

charismatic”, that is, based on popular appeal.

50
Q
  1. why was it based on popular appeal?
A

largely due to Goebells’ skills as propagandist. He created the “Fuhrer Myth,” - the image of a modest, sacrificing genius who had solely realised Germany’s successful reconstruction

51
Q
  1. what also contributed to his popular appeal?
A

. Hitler’s oratory skills and the militaristic, nationalistic and racist values he extolled

52
Q
  1. why was the fuhrer myth leadership problematic?
A

its fragility. If the façade breaks, it becomes extremely hard to maintain control.

53
Q
  1. evidence of facade breaking?
A

. Until around 1942, his government and military enjoyed amazing success. As such, the totalitarian abilities of his regime had not been arduously tested. After this point, however, military defeats culminated, and Hitler’s popular appeal deteriorated

H MH Germany (11 decks)

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