Modern History Notes
Modern Essay Plans
To what extent can Nazism in power be seen as totalitarianism in the period 1933-1939?
Introduction
• Within a year Hitler coming into power 1933 German democracy no longer existed and Germany had a ruthless dictatorship
• Totalitarianism is defined as a system of Gov in which power and all aspects state affairs are in the hands of one party, including total control over all aspects of life, and who seek to shape the way society thinks and acts by imposing the will of the party in power – this was certainly Hitler’s Germany
P1
- Hitler’s concept of leadership expressed in Mein Kampf was to rule unrestricted
- Nazi’s given power and moved quickly to set up totalitarian state; intended to establish a dictatorship in which the Nazi Party would be the sole political force in Germany
- Mere two months of chancellorship had achieved this aim with Enabling Act
- Nazi regime governed using combination of persuasion and violence
- Took forms of propaganda and terror – two essential elements of totalitarian state
- Propaganda sought to influence majority to accept the state, set out to reinforce ideology National Socialism so Germans would accept philosophy of party “Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer!”
P2
- Fuhrerprinzip – principle which made Hitler the basis of the party and placed all authority in his hands
- All-powerful leader who would end divisions and weaknesses of the democratic system and replace them with an authoritarian state
- Hitler set about to establish absolute person rule
- Tactic to use the constitution to alter the constitution
- Volkischer Beobachter reminded Germans from now on ‘our constitution is the will of the fuhrer’
- Leader would receive total and absolute obedience of the people as he fulfilled his mission and led the German people towards their destiny
- New Government projected as Gov of revival – Nazi’s spoke of bridging divisions in society and the creation of a new sense national unity
To what extent can Nazism in power be seen as totalitarianism in the period 1933-1939?
Introduction
• Within a year Hitler coming into power 1933 German democracy no longer existed and Germany had a ruthless dictatorship
• Totalitarianism is defined as a system of Gov in which power and all aspects state affairs are in the hands of one party, including total control over all aspects of life, and who seek to shape the way society thinks and acts by imposing the will of the party in power – this was certainly Hitler’s Germany
P1
- Hitler’s concept of leadership expressed in Mein Kampf was to rule unrestricted
- Nazi’s given power and moved quickly to set up totalitarian state; intended to establish a dictatorship in which the Nazi Party would be the sole political force in Germany
- Mere two months of chancellorship had achieved this aim with Enabling Act
- Nazi regime governed using combination of persuasion and violence
- Took forms of propaganda and terror – two essential elements of totalitarian state
- Propaganda sought to influence majority to accept the state, set out to reinforce ideology National Socialism so Germans would accept philosophy of party “Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuhrer!”
P2
- Fuhrerprinzip – principle which made Hitler the basis of the party and placed all authority in his hands
- All-powerful leader who would end divisions and weaknesses of the democratic system and replace them with an authoritarian state
- Hitler set about to establish absolute person rule
- Tactic to use the constitution to alter the constitution
- Volkischer Beobachter reminded Germans from now on ‘our constitution is the will of the fuhrer’
- Leader would receive total and absolute obedience of the people as he fulfilled his mission and led the German people towards their destiny
- New Government projected as Gov of revival – Nazi’s spoke of bridging divisions in society and the creation of a new sense national unity