Anti – democratic figures had seen the Nazi party as potential allies to provide popular support for an authoritarian regime. From this we can learn that the increase of support in which the Nazi party had gained, Hitler had also gained too. However the Nazi party were only ever capable of receiving 37% of the vote, this implicates that despite the increase in popularity, the level of support was not as significant as Hitler had hoped and therefore he could not had been elected by popular support alone. On the one hand, it must not be diminished that the Nazi party created a new outlook for most Germans. They were beginning to doubt that Germany had any pride left.
How did the ideology of the NSDAP develop between 1920 and 1926? In February 1920, the NSDAP published its first programme which became known as the "Twenty-Five Points". In the programme the party refused to accept the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and called for the reunification of all German people. The people of Germany were very politically confused and thus the programme was a complete dichotomy; consisting of two conflicting ideologies it meant that it wouldn’t ‘shut the door’ on anyone, and would appeal to the greatest number of people. To reinforce their ideas on nationalism, equal rights were only to be given to German citizens.
However as the war progressed and more issues became apparent, the divide between the rich and the poor and the left and the right wing became vaster. Before the war had commenced liberals and socialists were aggravated with German democracy. Germany portrayed itself as a democratic state, however all the power belonged to the elite. Kaiser Wilhelm II even boasted that he had never read the constitution. Therefore Liberals wanted constitutional reform and more power to be given to the Reichstag.
How far is it true to say that German people were increasingly reluctant to support the Nazi regime between September 1939 and early 1943? From the September 1st 1939, the start of the war, loyalty was crucial to the Nazi regime in order to maintain the war effort back in Nazi Germany, especially until the point of early 1943, when they were defeated in Stalingrad. This question is difficult to answer as you can’t be certain whether or not people really supported the regime, or just pretended to, in fear that if they didn’t then they would be reported to the Gestapo. This is also makes the support the Nazis had difficult to measure as civilians may have just been ‘reluctantly loyal’, and in fact didn’t actually support what the regime were doing. The word ‘support’ in relation to the question, means to me that a particular social group conformed with the Nazi regime, with no protesting and no opposition, by early 1943.
In a political sense, it ‘got his foot in the door’, so to speak. It came about largely due to problems with Weimar democracy and weak decisions; there were serious miscalculations in the appointment of Hitler. Many of the elite, particularly Papen, became intrigued and willing to co-operate with Hitler (even settle for a Hitler government), as they wanted his huge support base to further their own power ambitions and counter the rise of communism. He had the support required to solve Germany’s parliamentary crisis, and crucially he had the reluctant backing of Hindenburg, a nationalistic president who also feared a Bolshevik revolution and believed the Nazis could protect Germany from this. Despite the efforts of many to encourage Hitler’s appointment, there was no intention of forming a permanent leadership with him; the elite groups around Hindenburg planned to use Hitler to gain his support base, then abandon him when he was no longer needed.
What impact did Nazism have on the German population? After coming into power in 1933 it became their aim to create a totalitarian state headed by Hitler, under which they could control the everyday lives of the German people. They hoped to achieve this through organisation and to discourage any form of thinking that was not part of the state approved ideology. The Nazis impacted on the German people by controlling key institutions such as the army, the education system, the church and employment. There is strong debate as to whether the Nazis provoked a social revolution in Germany and if they had a lasting impact on the lives of the German people.
Although they didn’t have overall majority they were the biggest single party Germany had at the time. The German voters were clearly swept away by Hitler’s great speaking power and his all-embracing showmanship that his opponents lacked. The Nazis party had enrolled a highly professional man to make and produce all their propaganda in the early 1930’s his name was Dr.Joseph Goebbles who joined the Nazi party in 1924. Joseph was a keen follower and his malicious anti-Semitism was well known, which was perfect for the type of propaganda Hitler wanted which made Germany look great and wealthy and only Hitler himself could achieve this. The economic causes were world wide and affected most of
On the other hand Hermann Goering, head of the Four Year Plan, aimed to focus the economy onto preparing the country for war. Hitler became less involved as he took the Darwinist view of survival of the fittest, believing that the strongest would come out on top. This view is supported by source W which refers to a “Mosaic of Party and state agencies” with “over-lapping jurisdictions” who all try to gain power within there specific area by showing their loyalty towards the Fuhrer. This supports the view that the Nazi State lacked coherence because it suggests that the power of each institution depended entirely on their relationship with Hitler. The over-lapping institutions in the Nazi government led to administrative chaos because their responsibilities and functions were not
One also needs to take into account the weaknesses of their democratic government of the Weimar Republic and its failure to deal with the problems of the day. This essay requires an explanation of the phenomenal electoral success of the Nazi Party between 1929 and 1933 with particular reference to the contribution made by their leader, Adolf Hitler. Arguably the most important reason for the Nazis rise to power was the personal qualities and leadership Adolf Hitler himself possessed. Hitler was a great and mesmerising speaker, he was a strong performer and when he spoke he aroused the emotions of his listeners and they were convinced just by his persona instead of what he was saying. This was important for Hitler’s rise to power as he gained huge population and support due to his impressive speeches.
Those that the Nazis did not trust because of their political views were sacked. Lessons were to start and finish by giving the Nazi salute and saying ‘Heil Hitler!’ As well as preparing young people to be future soldiers of Nazi Germany, Hitler demanded that schools impose his racist and nationalist beliefs. Young people were not encouraged to think for themselves and make choices but to accept Nazi views and attitudes. The whole education system had been reversed. The Nazi’s had been successful in changing and impose their views on the young and vulnerable people.