Firstly, they were successful at controlling the society, as Hitler managed to get the Reichstag to agree to the Enabling Act. This meant that the Reichstag was literally voting themself out of power. It allowed Hitler and the Nazi Party to pass any laws they wanted to without permission from the Reichstag or the German people. This allowed Germany to be totally under control of one dictator, Hitler, and gave him all the power he wanted. Through the Enabling Act, he could then step out and truly begin transforming Germany into one big Nazi-controlled country that would obey his every word.
The Nazis took complete control of the Press, so that all of its content could be strictly regulated to glorify the Nazis. This was important as the Nazis would then be perceived as a great party to reign over Germany, it made the German republic believe in them because of the way they were publicized so they had the control of them as they believed they were good. Radios played a huge part in propaganda for Germany because all stations were under Nazi control so only Nazi approved stations were played; cheap radios were so everyone could get news and reports about the Nazis which were played in cafes and in town centres. This was important was it meant everyone was being controlled by what they heard and they could not escape Nazism. Even films were censored to promote Nazis as a superior race.
In Hitler’s autobiography, Mein Kampf , he states that the use of propaganda is a means and a must for National Socialism. If Nazism was to remain powerful, it was vital to have good public opinion. By controlling the mass media, Hitler was able influence public opinion, implement his policies, and maintain his power. In one of his speeches, Hitler states, “Truth is the foundation on which the power of the press stands and falls. It may be good to have power based on arms but it is better and more joyful to win and to keep the hearts of the people.” Throughout Triumph of the Will, adoration and approval for Hitler is clearly shown on the faces of those in the crowd.
I know from my background knowledge that once Hitler was named Chancellor big bankers and industrialists, including Krupp and I. G. Farben, had lobbied Hindenburg and schemed behind the scenes on behalf of Hitler because they were convinced he would be good for business. Hitler promised to be for free enterprise and keep down Communism and the trade union movements. Being appointed as Chancellor also was a starting point to his dictatorship as without it he would have been able to continue his consolidation and wouldn’t have been able to pass such laws as the Enabling Act. Another way Hitler established a dictatorship was through the passing of the Enabling Act 1933. This established a dictatorship because it allowed Hitler to arguably do whatever he pleased.
However, this meant that the public could have found the constant propaganda boring so might not listen to it as much. This was easily dealt with by putting light hearted entertainment (obviously still controlled by the government) on the radio and people would still listen to the propaganda as it was their only source of entertainment. By doing this, it made radio incredibly more effective because it meant that Nazi Propaganda could be delivered subconsciously to the German public through the entertainment. On the other hand, many people could argue that newspapers were the better form of mass indoctrination because of the creation of
This gave Hitler tremendous power within the organization as they knew they could not afford to lose him. The Party Gets a New Name In April, 1920, Hitler advocated that the party should change its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). Hitler had always been hostile to socialist ideas, especially those that involved racial or sexual equality. However, socialism was a popular political philosophy in Germany after the First World War. This was reflected in the growth in the German Social Democrat Party (SDP), the largest political party in
Legality was a policy where Hitler’s objective was to legally consolidate power which was suitable and pleased most of the German people. The Nazis policy of legality was vital in giving the Nazis legal means to begin the seizure of power and thereby consolidate their power. This was to gain support from the majority of the population of Germany. This was evident from the result of the Reichstag fire which was a clever act by Hitler. The Reichstag Fire allowed the Nazis to legally consolidate their power this was by issuing the emergency decree ‘For the protection of the people and state’ on 28th February.
Along with the farmers, many shopkeepers and small businesses were very receptive to the idea that their problems were due to Jewish Capitalism. The Nazis very effectively took advantage of the current economic situation, as they knew many ordinary Germans were desperate for a solution. The German people were so pre-occupied with the hardships that they were facing that they heard the messages they wanted to hear within the Nazi Party promises. Their previous disapproval faded dramatically as they focused more heavily on the promises of work and bread (things the party had been promoting since 1920), rather than their more extreme anti-Semitic
I agree with Margret MacMillan that Hitler would want to gain more power no matter what happened. Hitler wanted more and more power, and to achieve the status that he desired for Germany he used many different tactics. Hitler convinced the Germans that they would return to international status through his speeches and Nazi propaganda. To achieve his own desire for more power Hitler created Lebensraum which
Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP [Name of the Writer] [Name of Instructor] [Subject] [Date] Abstract This paper discusses the various events and circumstances that allowed Hitler and his Nazi Party NSDAP to come to power. Germany was plagued by many problems at the end of war and most of them were attributed to the then German government. Taking advantage of the problems Hitler offered solutions that he would implement once he came into power. The masses were very captivated by the style of Hitler’s leadership and so they chose him as their leader. Table of Contents Abstract ii Introduction 1 Discussion 1 Problems that Germany faced during 1919 to 1932 1 The Solution Offered By Hitler and NSDAP 2 The role and significance