- Timeline
- Economy
- Corruption
- Force, from the SD to the Gestapo
- Propaganda and Indoctrination
- Foreign Policy
- Opposition to the Nazis
- Was Hitler a weak or strong dictator?
Timeline
1935 The Nuremberg Laws are passed, alienating the Jews from German society.
1936 September, Goering begins the Four-Year Plans. Schacht loses some of his influence on the economy.
1936 November, Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Italy.
1937 Japan joins the Anti-Comintern Pact
1938 September, the Munich Agreement is signed.
1938 November, the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath is killed by a Jewish youth and Goebels and Hitler uses the event to launch Kristallnacht.
1939 March, Hitler breaks the Munich Agreement and takes all of Czechoslovakia.
1939 August, Germany and the USSR sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
1939 September, Germany invades Poland, triggering the Second World War in Europe
Economy
Was there an economic miracle in Nazi Germany?
Yes, there was…
From Hyperinflation to Full Employment: Nazi Germany’s Economic Miracle Explained
Macroeconomics in Germany: The forgotten lesson of Hjalmar Schacht
No, there was not…
But the economy began to overheat because the militarisation of Germany (Hitler preparing for war) became the priority.
This rearmament was criticised by the respected historian on the Second World War, Richard Overy (who has an important perspective for Unit 14).
Hjalmar Schacht had a big impact on the Nazi economy, arguably responsible the economic ‘miracle’ before 1937.
A Reinterpretation’
Furthermore, Hitler ‘expected much more to be…
A Reinterpretation’
If the economy was not performing, the Nazis would find scapegoats…
R. Overy, Hitler’s War and the German Economy:
A Reinterpretation’
How was rearmament financed?
Hitler with Reichsbank President Hjalmar Schacht (May 5, 1934)
- In addition to the 12 million Mefo bills which were issued, the government also sold 19 million bonds.
- Undoubtedly, the confiscation of (mostly) Jewish assets before they emigrated during the 1930s was also a financial help to rearmament.
Theft
Hitler’s Nazi party financed WW II with stolen Jewish money
A 1938 Nazi Law Forced Jews to Register Their Wealth—Making It Easier to Steal
How did this help Hitler maintain power?
- Unemployment was reduced.
- Nazi propaganda explained that all positive economic news was due to the excellent economic stewardship of Hitler.
- The rearmament allowed Hitler to conduct a successful foreign policy. This reinforced the ‘superman’ ideology of Hitler, especially with Goebbels effective propaganda machine.
BUT
- Hitler was unable to produce both ‘guns and butter‘ so his popularity may have decreased because of the lack of civilian consumables.
Guns or Butter: The Nazi Economy
Corruption
Corruption and Plunder in the Third Reich
Force, from the SD to the Gestapo
Explain how effective the following was in maintaining Hitler’s power in Germany.
A. Gestapo Nazis: A Warning from History, episode 2, 27.06, History Learning
B. SS History Hit
C. Terror in Nazi Germany USHMM
D. Holocaust – Kristallnacht, Nuremberg Laws, Concentration Camps, Band of Brothers, from 32.00 and the resources below…
How effective was anti-Semitism in maintaining Hitler as an authoritarian leader? If you are answering this question, you will undoubtedly use cinema as one of the examples in how the Nazis created division in society and hatred towards the Jews. This provided them with scapegoats at the time of need.
Arguably, the ‘Eternal Jew’ was one of the more famous examples of anti-Semitic propaganda, perhaps because it was shown in countries other than Germany during the Second World War. But it was not successful in terms of popularity, as the analysis shows below.
Prof. Jordan Peterson Analyzes Nazi Propaganda Film “The Eternal Jew” (Der Ewige Jude, 1940)
Aryan Ideology
Nazis wanted to keep the German population ‘pure’. As a result they sterilised people who were seen to have mental handicaps, genetic diseases or even the blind. The poster below shows how the Nazis attempted to persuade Germans that this was the right thing to do.
The website link is below.
German Law Authorizes Sterilization for Prevention of Hereditary Diseases
Propaganda and Indoctrination
Can you see how the Nazis are trying to create the Volksgemeinschaft or ‘people’s community’?
NAZI PROPAGANDA AND CENSORSHIP
Education and Youth
What does this movie clip (based on a true story) show you about Nazi education?
An excerpt from the guidelines above,
What do you learn from the video below?
An interesting consequence of the Hitler Youth is the effect on education. As students spent so much time on Youth acitivities, they had less time for school. According to historian Daniel Horn in The Hitler Youth and Educational Decline in the Third Reich,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/367724?origin=crossref
Propaganda & Censorship
This is a very useful resource to learn about this topic, lots of images to demonstrate the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda. Note: this is not my resource, it is only borrowed.
Opposition to the Nazis
A. Plots to kill Hitler
KILLING HITLER: THE MANY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS ON ADOLF HITLER
B. White Rose
C. Edelweiss Pirates
But why was there so little opposition to the Nazis?
The Left were not able to, or did not sufficiently, oppose the Nazis…
Conservative opposition failed to have an effect on Hitler’s government too.
- They were fearful of revolution if they acted forcefully (a repeat of 1918-19?), an overthrow of the system could be detrimental for them (interestingly, many conservatives were more active against the Weimar Republic than they were against Hitler).
- The conservatives could have opposed Hitler’s actions in 1938 (Anschluss), 1939 (Czechoslovakia) and 1941 (USSR) but chose not to. It was seen by some in the Wehrmacht at the time that the invasion against the latter was a strategic mistake but they still went ahead with it.
- The Army were undoubtedly powerful in Germany during the Nazi regime and could have acted more forcefully. But they had taken an oath, at their own behest, in 1934 and stuck to it.
- Arguably, they did not want to see the possible breakup of Germany if they acted. If army officers were involved in a putsch for example, it could divide the Wehrmacht and invite Soviet or Western defeat and possible occupation. Furthermore, the Nazi propaganda programme had been effective and, if any resistance was attempted, could turn the population against the conservatives or army hierarchy .
- Finally, there was little foreign assistance to possible opponents in Germany. If France and Britain had acted more forcefully in the 1930s (albeit with hindsight) , connections could be made with them and Hitler’s power curtailed or removed.
If the conservatives managed to replace Hitler,
- Would Germany have to give back the territories they had just won?
- Would there have to be any reparations? How would German people react to this?
The Church
- According to Volker Ullrich, Hitler’s aim was to rid Germany of any religious institution other than the NSDAP. But he realised that this would have to be a gradual process as he could not afford to alienate so many religious people.
- As a result, he signed the Concordat with the Catholic Church in 1943.
- Pastor Martin Niemöller…
A famous quotation but one that was made after the Second World War had ended (1946). As the website explains, Niemöller was a former Nazi member who became disillusioned with Hitler’s actions and policies by 1934. He set up the Pastor’s Emergency League in opposition to him and his government and was eventually imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1938 to 1945 as a result.
Foreign Policy
Note: this is not my resource, it is only borrowed.
Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, in the podcast series ‘The Rest is History’ argue that Hitler was an opportunist with his foreign policy. They give the following examples:
- Germany signed a naval agreement with Britain in 1935, this showed that the Stresa Front was no as united as it seemed against Hitler. Importantly, although the idea was largely Hitler’s, the signing of this was not part of a grand strategic plan. After Britain signed it, Hitler realised that now was the time to remilitarise the Rhineland. Britain was clearly not interested in mainland Europe and, although high-risk (even some of Hitler’s military commanders were unsure of the move) German forces moved in to the Rhineland on March 7 1936. The move was condemned by both France and Britain but no military action was forthcoming. Hitler had won! He was now incredibly popular in Germany, further maintaining his position as Fuhrer, and a future European war was more likely.
Was Hitler a weak or strong dictator?
Read the following to find out more.