Success and Failures of Hitler
Paper 2 - Successes and Failures of Hitler
During his rule in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, Hitler achieved a particularly inconsistent level of success regarding both domestic and foreign policies. Although he was a strong dictator in many ways, Hitler made a few poor decisions which ultimately kept him from being a truly successful ruler. One can see a strong contrast between cautiously planned policies and actions that were seemingly based on nothing more that Nazi ideology in the methods Hitler used as a ruler of a single-party state.
One of Hitler's primary aims in domestic policy was the total indoctrination of the German people. He believed that, by using propaganda, his regime would be able to spread the popularity of Nazism among citizens, making them more loyal to the state. To do this, Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as the Minister of Propaganda, giving him control over what the people could and could not see. Goebbels' expansive propaganda campaigns included the use of radio, film, newspapers, and mass rallies, all of which were used only in ways that purely support Hitler. Any anti-Nazi messages in media such as literature and journalism were prevented from reaching the public. Such censorship quickly became a vital part of Hitler's domestic policy; within a year of his rise to power, about 4,000 books were banned for being "un-German." Children, being very impressionable, were perfect candidates for indoctrination. Education was closely controlled by the state, with textbooks being rewritten in favor of Hitler's views on history and biology. Teachers were also selected carefully, and had to be approved of by Nazis. It was made necessary for boys and girls to join youth groups, such as the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. These groups had further impact on German children and prepared them for their future roles as ideal Nazi men (soldiers) and women (mothers). Overall, Hitler was successful in his attempts at indoctrination.
During his rule in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, Hitler achieved a particularly inconsistent level of success regarding both domestic and foreign policies. Although he was a strong dictator in many ways, Hitler made a few poor decisions which ultimately kept him from being a truly successful ruler. One can see a strong contrast between cautiously planned policies and actions that were seemingly based on nothing more that Nazi ideology in the methods Hitler used as a ruler of a single-party state.
One of Hitler's primary aims in domestic policy was the total indoctrination of the German people. He believed that, by using propaganda, his regime would be able to spread the popularity of Nazism among citizens, making them more loyal to the state. To do this, Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as the Minister of Propaganda, giving him control over what the people could and could not see. Goebbels' expansive propaganda campaigns included the use of radio, film, newspapers, and mass rallies, all of which were used only in ways that purely support Hitler. Any anti-Nazi messages in media such as literature and journalism were prevented from reaching the public. Such censorship quickly became a vital part of Hitler's domestic policy; within a year of his rise to power, about 4,000 books were banned for being "un-German." Children, being very impressionable, were perfect candidates for indoctrination. Education was closely controlled by the state, with textbooks being rewritten in favor of Hitler's views on history and biology. Teachers were also selected carefully, and had to be approved of by Nazis. It was made necessary for boys and girls to join youth groups, such as the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. These groups had further impact on German children and prepared them for their future roles as ideal Nazi men (soldiers) and women (mothers). Overall, Hitler was successful in his attempts at indoctrination.