Unit 2, Lesson 7

Reichstag

the German parliament

Rise of Nazism

While he was in prison, Hitler realized that Nazis would have to attain power by legal means, not by violent overthrow of Weimar Republic; this meant Nazi Party would have to be mass political party that could compete for votes with other political parties After his release from prison, Hitler expanded Nazi Party to all parts of Germany; by 1929, it had national party organization; 3 years later, it had 800k members & had become largest party in Reichstag Germany's economic difficulties were crucial factor in Nazi rise to power; unemployment had risen dramatically, growing from 4.35 million in 1931 to 6 million by winter of 1932; economic & psychological impact of Great Depression made extremist parties more attractive Hitler promised to create new Germany; his appeals to national pride, national honor, & traditional militarism struck emotional chord in his listeners

Women & Nazism

Women played crucial role in Aryan state as bearers of children who, it was believed, would bring about triumph of Aryan race; Nazis believed men were destined to be warriors & political leaders, while women were meant to be wives & mothers; by preserving this clear distinction, each could best serve to "maintain whole community" Nazi ideas determined employment opportunities for women; it was thought jobs in heavy industry might hinder women from bearing healthy children; certain professions, including university teaching, medicine, & law, were also considered unsuitable for women (especially married women); Nazis instead encouraged encouraged women to pursue other occupations, such as social work & nursing; Nazi regime pushed its campaign against working women with poster slogans such as "Get ahold of pots & pans & broom & you'll sooner find a groom"

concentration camp

a prison camp

Hitler & His Views

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria on April 20, 1889; a failure in secondary school, he eventually traveled to Vienna to become an artist but was rejected by Vienna Academy of Fine Arts He stayed in the city, supported at 1st by an inheritance; while in Vienna, he developed his basic ideas, which he held for the rest of his life At the core of Hitler's ideas was racism, especially anti-Semitism; he was also an extreme nationalist who understood how political parties could effectively use propaganda & terror; finally, during his Viennese years, Hitler came to believe firmly in need for struggle, which he saw as "granite foundation of the world" At the end of World War I, after 4 years of service on Western Front, Hitler remained in Germany & decided to enter politics; in 1919, he joined little-known German Workers' Party, 1 of several right-wing extreme nationalist parties in Munich By summer of 1921, Hitler had taken total control of party, which by then had been renamed National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) or Nazi for short; within 2 years, party membership had grown to 55k people, with 15k in the party militia (variously known as SA, Storm Troops, or Brownshirts, after color of their uniforms) Overconfident Hitler staged armed uprising against government in Munich in November 1923; this uprising, called Beer Hall Putsch, was quickly crushed, & he was sentenced to prison; during his brief stay in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), an account of his movement & its basic ideas In Mein Kampf, extreme German nationalism, strong anti-Semitism, & anticommunism are linked together by social Darwinian theory of struggle; this theory emphasizes right of superior nations to lebensraum (living space) through expansion; it also upholds right of superior individuals to gain authoritarian leadership over masses

Victory of Nazism

After 1930, German government ruled by decree with support of President Hindenburg; Reichstag had little power, & thus Hitler clearly saw that controlling parliament wasn't very important More & more, right-wing elites of Germany (industrial leaders, landed aristocrats, military officers, & higher bureaucrats) looked to Hitler for leadership; he had mass support to create right-wing, authoritarian regime that would save Germany & people in privileged positions from Communist takeover; in 1933, Hindenburg, under pressure, agreed to allow Hitler to become chancellor & create new government Within 2 months, Hitler had laid foundation for Nazis' complete control over Germany; crowning step of Hitler's "legal seizure" of power came on March 23, 1933, when 2/3rds vote of Reichstag passed Enabling Act; this law gave government power to ignore constitution for 4 years while it issued laws to deal with country's problems Enabling Act gave Hitler's later actions a legal basis; he no longer needed Reichstag or President Hindenburg; in effect, Hitler became dictator appointed by parliamentary body itself With their new source of power, Nazis acted quickly to bring all institutions under Nazi control; civil service was purged of Jews & democratic elements; concentration camps were set up for people who opposed new regime; trade unions were dissolved; all political parties except Nazis were abolished By end of summer 1933, only 7 months after being appointed chancellor, Hitler had established basis for totalitarian state; when Hindenburg died in 1934, office of president was abolished; Hitler became sole ruler of Germany; public officials & soldiers were all required to take personal oath of loyalty to Hitler as their Führer (Leader)

What different perspectives would Germans have regarding his leadership?

For many Germans, Hitler reestablished their sense of pride in their race & pride in their country; for Jews & other non-Germans, Hitler was evil & a cold-blooded killer

Anti-Semitic Policies

From its beginning, Nazi Party reflected strong anti-Semitic beliefs of Adolf Hitler; once in power, Nazi translated anti-Semitic ideas into anti-Semitic policies In September 1935, Nazis announced new racial laws at annual party rally in Nuremberg; these Nuremberg laws excluded Jews from German citizenship & forbade marriages between Jews & German citizens; Jews were also required to wear yellow Stars of David & to carry ID cards saying they were Jewish More violent phase of anti-Jewish activity began on night of November 9, 1938 (Kristallnacht or "night of shattered glass"); in destructive rampage against Jews, Nazis burned synagogues & destroyed 7k Jewish businesses; at least 100 Jews were killed; 30k Jewish males were rounded up & sent to concentration camps Kristallnacht led to further drastic steps; Jews were barred from all public transportation & all public buildings including schools & hospitals; they were prohibited from owning, managing, or working in any retail store; Jews were forced to clean up all debris & damage due to Kristallnacht; finally, under direction of SS, Jews were encouraged to "emigrate from Germany"

How did life in Germany begin to change during Hitler's dictatorship?

Hitler 1st became chancellor of Germany & then declared himself dictator; large masses of people came to hear Hitler speak & explain what he believed was Germany's proper place in the world; German youth were recruited to follow Hitler's directives; Jewish people were 1st reduced to 2nd-class citizens; gradually violence toward Jews grew until Krystal Night when Jewish businesses were destroyed; eventually Jews, Gypsies, & others were sent to concentration camps

How did Hitler build support for his racist agenda?

Hitler convinced Germans that German Aryan race was superior to all other races; he convinced people that Jews weren't human & blamed them for economic conditions that Germans faced in 1930s; he appealed to German youth who were more impressionable than their elders

Nazi State, 1933-1939

Hitler wanted to develop totalitarian state; he hadn't simply sought power for power's sake; he had larger goal--development of Aryan racial state that would dominate Europe & possibly world for generations to come (Aryan was term linguists used to identify people speaking Indo-European languages; Nazis misused the term & identified Aryans with ancient Greeks & Romans & 20th-century Germans & Scandinavians) Nazis thought Germans were true descendants & leaders of Aryans & would create another empire like 1 ruled by ancient Romans; Nazis believed that world had already seen 2 German empires (Reichs): Holy Roman Empire & German Empire of 1871 to 1918; it was Hitler's goal to create Third Reich, the empire of Nazi Germany To achieve his goal, Hitler needed active involvement of German people; Nazis pursued creation of totalitarian state in a variety of ways; economic policies, mass spectacles, & organizations both old & new were employed to further Nazi goals; terror was freely used; policies toward women &, in particular, Jews, reflected Nazi aims

Economic Policies

In economic sphere, Hitler used public works projects & grants to private construction firms to put people back to work & end depression; however, massive rearmament program was key to solving unemployment problem Unemployment, which had reached 6 million people in 1932, dropped to 2.6 million in 1934 & less than 500k in 1937; regime claimed full credit for solving Germany's economic woes; new regime's part in bringing end to depression was important factor in leading many Germans to accept Hitler & Nazis

Spectacles & Organizations

Mass demonstrations & spectacles were also used to make German people an instrument of Hitler's policies; these meetings, especially Nuremberg party rallies that were held every September, had great appeal; they usually evoked mass enthusiasm & excitement Institutions (such as Catholic & Protestant churches, primary & secondary schools, & universities) were also brought under control of Nazi totalitarian state; Nazi professional organizations & leagues were formed for civil servants, teachers, women, farmers, doctors, & lawyers; in addition, youth organizations taught Nazi ideals

The State & Terror

Nazi Germany was scene of almost constant personal & institutional conflict; this resulted in administrative chaos; struggle was basic feature of relationships within party, within state, & between party & state; of course, Hitler was ultimate decision maker & absolute ruler For those who needed coercion, Nazi totalitarian state used terror & repression; Schutzstaffeln (Guard Squadrons), known simply as SS, were important force for maintaining order; SS was originally created as Hitler's personal bodyguard; under direction of Heinrich Himmler, SS came to control not only secret police forces that Himmler had set up, but also regular police forces SS was based on 2 principles: terror & ideology; terror included instruments of repression & murder (secret police, criminal police, concentration camps, & later, execution squads & death camps (concentration camps where prisoners are killed)); for Himmler, chief goal of SS was to further Aryan master race