The nature of nazi ideology

Question 1

Volkisch nationalism

Answer 1

Restoration of German supremacy

Question 2

Volksgemeinschaft

Answer 2

‘people’s community’

Question 3

Anti-semitism

Answer 3

Anti-Jewish and Aryan race

Question 4

Social Darwinism

Answer 4

Ubermenschen and untermenschen

Question 5

Blut und boden

Answer 5

‘Blood and soil’

Question 6

Traditional family roles and values

Answer 6

Strong, conservative family unit - husband to work, wife
to have and raise children

Question 7

Fuhrerprinzip

Answer 7

Secured Hitler’s control over Reichswehr (army) and then broader
Wehrmacht (combined armed forces)

Question 8

Supremacy of the state

Answer 8

The individual will make sacrifices for the State. ‘National will’ was
called upon to make a Greater Germany

Question 9

Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer

Answer 9

‘One people, one realm, one leader’

Question 10

Gleichschaltung

Answer 10

‘çoordination’ of all aspects of life to ensure ‘supremacy of the State’

Question 11

Weltenshauung

Answer 11

Nazi/Hitler’s ‘World view’ encompasses all of these elements

Question 12

Concordat

Answer 12

Agreement with the Catholic Church for Church to remove itself from politics if Nazi Party allowed it to survive

Question 13

Lebensraum

Answer 13

It is the German right as superior race to expand east and claim ‘living space’

Question 14

Autarky

Answer 14

Self-sufficiency

Question 15

Mein Kampf and 25 Point Program

Answer 15

Documents that were central to ideology

Question 16

Nazi Ideology

Fuhrerprinzip.

Answer 16

The key part of their ideology was having one prominent and dominating leader who had immense control over party operations. Hence, Hitler’s ideas underpinned the Nazi ideology.

This was characterized by Historian lan Kershaw as the Fuhrerprinzip, which described Hitler as the supreme leader.

The Nazis created the ‘Hitler myth’ to characterize Hitler as a hardworking, selfless and brave leader who would lead Germany to greatness. He was a man of the ‘volk’ (people) and his.

The authoritarian state was dedicated to militarism, cleansing the state of impure racial groups and the subordination of people to the greater interests of the nation.

Question 17

Nazi Ideology

Social Darwinism

Answer 17

Hitler operated by blaming Germany’s problems on scapegoats such as Jews and Communists who put the ‘pure’ Aryan race in danger.

This played into Nazi racial ideology which functioned based on ideas of racial superiority.

Racial superiority was backed up by Social Darwinism (A racist pseudoscience) which stipulated that some races were superior.

It utilized language such as ‘Ubermensch’ for the superior race and ‘Untermensch’ for the inferior. Part of consolidating Germany would be to cleanse the Untermensch out through Eugenics (Racial hygiene).

This would biologically improve the Aryan master race by eliminating inferior groups from the gene pool through euthanasia, forced sterilization and laws to prevent relationships between different groups.

Question 18

Nazi Ideology

Volksgemeinschaft.

Answer 18

Another major part of Nazi ideology was the commitment to the Volksgemeinschaft.

This would create a new classless society which was fully integrated and under the control of the Nazis.

Hitler desired to have strong national solidarity and this is reflected in the use of the Nazi slogan ‘Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer’, meaning one people, one country, one leader.