Germany: Nazism, Totalitarianism, and the Rise of Hitler
Germany and the Rise of Nazism
In 1918, after Germany’s defeat in World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. The Weimar Republic was founded, and a democratic constitution was established. The Weimar Republic was threatened by left-wing revolutionary movements and by several coup attempts from the extreme right. Much of the unrest was due to the fact that Germany had to accept military defeat and the harsh peace terms imposed on them. Germany considered the Treaty of Versailles humiliating. The post-war years were marked by economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
Adolf Hitler was a soldier in World War I. He could not accept Germany’s defeat, and in 1920, he joined the National Socialist Workers Party of Germany (Nazi Party) and emerged as its leader. The Nazi Party used a red flag with the swastika as its emblem and had paramilitary groups: the SA (assault troops) and the SS (protection troops). Hitler’s ideologies and thoughts were reflected in the book Mein Kampf. He expressed his disrespect for parliamentary democracy and his hatred of Bolshevism. He also advocated anti-Semitism (prejudice against Jews) and the superiority of the Aryan race, as well as the need to build a great empire.
Hitler’s Rise to Power
The Nazi Party began to receive support. In the elections of 1932, they won 13 million votes, and in 1933, Hitler was named chancellor. Hitler used the fire in the Reichstag (Parliament) to his advantage, taking full power. The Nazi squads set fire to the Reichstag and blamed it on the communists. He used this event to demand full powers, eliminating his opponents. In 1934, Hitler declared himself Führer (leader) and Chancellor of the Third Reich.
The Totalitarian System
In 1934, individual freedoms and rights were abolished. The dissolution of political parties and trade unions was decreed. All workers joined the German Labour Front. In this year, the Gestapo (secret police) was created.
Nazi Ideology and Persecution
To form the Nazi state, absolute ideological unity was needed. The propaganda was based on racist and nationalist ideas. In Germany, Jews were considered the inferior race and were constantly persecuted and eliminated by the Nazi Party. The persecution of the Jews was most prominent:
- A boycott of Jewish businesses was ordered in 1933.
- The Nuremberg Laws, which prohibited interracial marriage and excluded Jews from German citizenship, were enacted in 1935.
- In 1938, Jews were obligated to use a Jewish identity badge.
Concentration camps were created to imprison socialists, communists, democrats, and Jews.
Soviet Union: Stalin’s Dictatorship
Lenin died in 1924. Different proposals caused a power conflict between the party leaders, especially Trotsky and Stalin. Stalin, the General Secretary of the CPSU since 1922, took control of the situation after 1927 and became the leader of the USSR. Trotsky was exiled and, in 1940, assassinated by Stalin’s order.
Stalin’s Collectivist Economy
Stalin imposed a collectivist economy and society to generate growth and make the USSR a great power. The economy was based on three main factors:
- A planned, state-managed economy that produced five-year plans to organize agricultural and industrial production.
- The prohibition of private property; all of it became part of the state. Stalin enforced the organization of the agricultural sector, creating tension.
- Priority was given to heavy industry in order to build infrastructure.
Fascism
Fascism is a complex ideology; it is a set of political actions, a political philosophy, or a mass movement. Fascism is authoritarian and promotes nationalism at all costs. It was a prominent force in the 1930s (Hitler = Fascism).