Introduction
This section provides an in-depth analysis of Hitler’s Germany from 1933 to 1939, detailing the Nazi regime's consolidation of power, wide-ranging domestic policies, the totalitarian nature of the state, and the extent and limitations of resistance within Germany. For context on how Hitler's rule was a drastic pivot from previous governance, consider reading about Weimar Germany (1918-1933).
Consolidation of Power
Initial Seizure and Legal Manipulation
- Appointment as Chancellor: Hitler's appointment on January 30, 1933, was a crucial step in the Nazis' rise to power, facilitated by conservative politicians like Franz von Papen who believed they could control him. This appointment marked a significant shift from the strategies employed during the era of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
- Reichstag Fire and Subsequent Decrees: The Reichstag Fire in February 1933 was a pivotal event. The subsequent Reichstag Fire Decree suspended civil liberties, allowing for the arrest of political opponents, primarily Communists.
- Enabling Act: Passed in March 1933, this act allowed Hitler to legislate independently of the Reichstag and the President, effectively legalising his dictatorship.
Propaganda and Elimination of Opposition
- Role of Propaganda: Joseph Goebbels, as Minister of Propaganda, launched campaigns to promote the Nazi ideology and Hitler’s image, utilising media, arts, and culture.
- Suppression and Elimination of Opposition: The SA (Sturmabteilung) and later the SS (Schutzstaffel) played key roles in suppressing opposition. The Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 saw the purging of SA leadership and other opponents, consolidating Hitler’s control over the party and the army.
- Death of Hindenburg and Hitler’s Ascendancy: The death of President Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934 allowed Hitler to combine the positions of Chancellor and President, solidifying his control as ‘Führer and Reich Chancellor’.
Hitler’s Pre-war Domestic Policies
Economic Policies
- Economic Recovery and Autarky: The regime prioritised economic recovery and Autarky. Massive public works programs, notably the autobahns, and military rearmament significantly reduced unemployment.
- Four-Year Plan (1936): This plan aimed at making Germany self-sufficient in key materials and ready for war within four years. It included measures to increase production and control prices and wages.
- Rearmament and Military Expansion: The rearmament policy, contravening the Treaty of Versailles, boosted the economy and employment, and was central to Hitler’s vision of German resurgence. The aggressive foreign policies that accompanied Hitler's domestic agendas were reflective of wider Italian and German foreign policies between 1919 and 1941.
Social Policies
- Promotion of Traditional Gender Roles: The regime emphasised traditional gender roles with incentives for women to leave the workforce and focus on family. The “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” doctrine aimed at increasing the birth rate and promoting Nazi family values.
- Youth Indoctrination: The Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls were instrumental in indoctrinating the youth with Nazi ideology, fostering loyalty to Hitler and preparing them for future roles in the Nazi state.
- Persecution of Jews and Minorities: Anti-Semitic policies escalated with laws like the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which stripped Jews of their civil rights, and events like Kristallnacht in 1938, which saw widespread violence against Jewish people and property.
IB History Tutor Tip: Understand how Hitler's strategic use of legal means, propaganda, and suppression laid the groundwork for the Nazi regime's totalitarian control and its impact on German society and beyond.
Political Policies
- Totalitarian State and Gleichschaltung: The regime established a totalitarian state, suppressing all forms of dissent and opposition. The policy of Gleichschaltung, or coordination, brought all aspects of society, including trade unions, media, and cultural institutions, under Nazi control.
- Control of the Military: The Blomberg-Fritsch Affair and subsequent reorganisation of the military in 1938 further consolidated Hitler’s control over the armed forces, ensuring their loyalty and alignment with Nazi goals.
Nature of the Nazi State
Totalitarian Control
- Dictatorship and Control Mechanisms: Hitler’s absolute dictatorship was maintained through a combination of terror, propaganda, and surveillance. The SS and the Gestapo were instrumental in enforcing loyalty and eliminating dissent.
- Role of Ideology: Nazi ideology, with its emphasis on Aryan racial superiority, nationalism, and anti-Semitism, permeated all aspects of life in Germany, shaping policies, education, and culture.
Ideological Indoctrination
- Education and Culture: The Nazi regime exerted control over education, rewriting curriculums to align with their ideological beliefs. Culture, including art, literature, and film, was used to propagate Nazi values and censor opposing viewpoints.
Resistance to the Nazis
Forms of Resistance
- Internal Opposition: Resistance in Nazi Germany was varied but limited due to the regime’s repressive nature. Groups like the White Rose Movement and individuals such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer demonstrated moral opposition to Nazi policies.
- Organised Resistance Movements: Small, organised groups like the Confessing Church and the Kreisau Circle worked clandestinely against the regime, offering alternate political and moral viewpoints.
Impact and Limitations
- Gestapo’s Suppression of Resistance: The Gestapo’s extensive network of informants and brutal methods severely limited resistance activities.
- Significance of Resistance: Despite its limitations, resistance within Germany, such as the July 20 Plot in 1944, highlighted the courage of individuals and groups opposed to the Nazi regime. The resistance against Hitler can be contextualised by understanding Bismarck's influence on Prussia and the final German unification, as well as the impact of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) on the Soviet Union.
IB Tutor Advice: Focus on analysing the effects of Nazi policies on different groups within German society, highlighting contrasts between propaganda's portrayal and the reality of totalitarian control and persecution.
Through a detailed exploration of the consolidation of power, domestic policies, the nature of the Nazi state, and resistance to the regime, this section offers a comprehensive understanding of Hitler's Germany from 1933 to 1939, crucial for students studying this period in IB History.
FAQ
The Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) played a vital role in Nazi Germany as a tool for indoctrinating the German youth with Nazi ideology. Established as the sole official youth organisation after 1933, it became mandatory for Aryan German children to join. The organisation focused on physical training, military preparation, and ideological education, inculcating values of obedience, loyalty to Hitler, and belief in Nazi racial ideology. Girls were part of the League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel), where they were prepared for their roles as mothers and homemakers. This widespread indoctrination was crucial for the regime, as it ensured a new generation of citizens loyal to Nazi ideals.
Nazi economic policies had a profound impact on the German economy in the 1930s. Focusing on economic self-sufficiency (Autarky) and preparation for war, these policies included massive public works programs, like the construction of autobahns and buildings, and an extensive rearmament campaign. These measures drastically reduced unemployment, which had crippled the Weimar Republic. The introduction of the Four-Year Plan in 1936 further aimed to make Germany self-sufficient in key resources and ready for military conflict. While these policies temporarily boosted the economy, they were unsustainable in the long term and heavily reliant on state intervention and military expenditure.
The Night of the Long Knives, from June 30 to July 2, 1934, was a pivotal event in the consolidation of Nazi power. During this purge, Hitler ordered the assassination of the SA’s leadership, including Ernst Röhm, and other political adversaries. This action served multiple purposes: it eliminated potential rivals within the Nazi Party, particularly the SA, which had become increasingly unruly and a threat to Hitler's leadership. Additionally, by acting against the SA, Hitler gained the support and trust of the German Army, which viewed the SA with suspicion. This purge thus reinforced Hitler's absolute control over the Nazi Party and garnered the military's support, crucial for his plans for expansion and war.
The Nazi regime exercised stringent control over the press and media to suppress dissent and propagate its ideology. Immediately after coming to power, the Nazis moved to centralise and control all forms of media. The Reich Press Law of 1933 and subsequent regulations required journalists to register with the Reich's Press Chamber, effectively barring Jews and political opponents from the profession. Newspapers and publications were censored and often taken over by the Nazis. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels played a key role in controlling the media narrative, using radio, film, and print to disseminate Nazi ideology and suppress any form of criticism or alternative viewpoints. This control was crucial in maintaining the regime's power and shaping public opinion in line with Nazi beliefs.
The Reichstag Fire, occurring on February 27, 1933, significantly aided Hitler's rise to power by providing a pretext for the declaration of emergency measures. Blaming the fire on Communist conspirators, the Nazis used this event to justify the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties, including freedom of speech, press, and assembly. This decree allowed the Nazis to arrest thousands of Communists and Social Democrats, effectively silencing their most vocal opponents. The atmosphere of fear and chaos created by the fire and the subsequent crackdown played a crucial role in consolidating Nazi control over Germany, paving the way for the establishment of a totalitarian state.
Practice Questions
The Nazi regime consolidated its power between 1933 and 1934 through legal and extra-legal measures. The Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act were crucial; the former suspended civil liberties, and the latter allowed Hitler to legislate without Reichstag's consent, effectively dismantling parliamentary democracy. The regime also utilised propaganda, under Goebbels, to manipulate public opinion and glorify the Nazi ideology. The Night of the Long Knives in 1934, a brutal purge of the SA leadership, eliminated potential rivals and solidified Hitler's control over the military and the party. These actions, blending legality with terror, enabled the Nazis to establish a totalitarian state.
Nazi social policies significantly impacted German society from 1933 to 1939, particularly in terms of gender roles, youth indoctrination, and racial ideology. The emphasis on traditional gender roles, encapsulated in the “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” doctrine, aimed to increase birth rates and reinforce the family unit as central to Nazi ideology. Youth were heavily targeted for indoctrination, with organisations like the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls shaping a generation in alignment with Nazi ideals. Additionally, the persecution of Jews and other minorities, notably through the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht, created a society deeply divided by racial ideologies, marking the descent into state-sanctioned racism and violence.
