He Nazism Is characterized by being the party of the working class founded by Adolf Hitler after World War I finalized.
It was an ultranationalist political movement that did not place its faith in the liberal-democratic ideal of the time. Nazism was characterized by revenge for the humiliation that Germany had had to undergo during the treaty of Versailles.
As its name suggests, the Nazi Party presented itself initially as the nationalist response to international socialism.
In this way, it attracted the attention of those who did not believe in the resurgence of the German government after the catastrophe resulting from World War I (Hickey, 2013).
Weimar's constitution in 1919 endorsed the development of a complete democracy, but the government that appeared during this time was unable to counteract the burden of the difficult situation resulting from the outcome of World War I.
The lack of satisfaction with the parliamentary institutions led to the creation of the Nazi Party with Adolf Hitler as its leader from 1933.
One of the most important features of the Nazi Party was its ability to transform the structure of the German state in a relatively short time.
In this way, the New Reichstag (the lower house of parliament) passed in 1933 an"Enabling Act"in order to end the stress of the state and nation.
By means of this act, all the power of the country was transferred to Hitler, who initiated to the Nazi era in all Germany.
Main Features of the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party commanded by Hitler had the following characteristics:
1 - Totalitarian
The entire German State was included by the Nazi Party. The subordination of the individual to the omnipotent state was manifested in many ways.
Freedom of expression and grouping were abolished, and all media that could shape public opinion - press, theater, film, radio, schools and universities - were under complete control of the state. Also, all political parties and guilds were dissolved.
Cultural and social life was controlled and supervised by the state. In October 1933, a Reich Culture Chamber was established, under the supervision and control of Dr. Goebbels, who was to look after all the cultural aspects of life.
In relation to economic life, the Minister of Economy was designated as the one in charge of ensuring the well-being of Germany's economy, being able to carry out any action that he considered necessary to maintain that welfare (History, 2014).
2 - A State with a Single Party
Nazi Germany was a one-party state. Only the National Socialist Party was legally recognized.
The Nazi party was endorsed by law as the one in charge of protecting the ideals of the German State. Its emblem (the swastika) was the emblem of the state and its leader was the head of state.
Numerous powers were transferred to party organizations, such as the right of municipal councilors to congregate, selection of jurors and members of the boards of educational institutions, background investigation of individuals, and access to any Matter of the state.
3 - Purity of Race
The Nazi state was a popular state claiming to be descended from the Nordic race. This is how he claimed that the family of the Germans belonged to the Nordic family, who had been responsible for achieving the greatest achievements in the annals of history.
For this reason, the state considered that the nation should keep its racial record flawless and glorious, with a single race that was pure and preserved without being contaminated by inferior races, such as the Jewish.
Thus, Nazi Germany not only snatched the belongings of the Jews living inside their territory, but also subjected them to a brutal persecution (ideology, 2017).
4 - A Responsible Single Leader
The Nazi state was based on the principle that there was only one leader responsible - directly or indirectly - for the life and behavior of all individuals in the state. This supreme leader was Adolf Hitler.
The leader's actions and decisions were not subject to any scrutiny or criticism, as they were assumed to be correct.
Democracy and any talk about a state in which the people had power was a self-deception, since all the power of the state belonged to a single leader.
Therefore, his will was considered as law. Those who opposed the leader's will were forced to obey it, otherwise they would be thrown into concentration camps (Mondal, 2016).
5 - The Nazi Economy
In order to improve the Nazi economy, the finance minister had the objective of making Germany a self-sufficient country (Autarchy).
The Autobahn (German motorway system) created jobs for those who were unemployed, with the aim of creating new avenues. Also, new weapons and vehicle factories were opened.
Some jobs in the military were created for those without jobs. The Jews were arrested and so many workplaces were open for those who were unemployed, mainly as teachers or doctors.
6 - State of Terror
Hitler's initial goal was to establish a totalitarian dictatorship in Germany, with himself as supreme leader. In order to achieve this, the opposition had to be eliminated, and people had to respond freely to their indications.
This was achieved through a policy of a State of Terror, element that became an icon of Nazi Germany.
Under the orders of Heinrich Himmler, the paramilitary group Schutzstaffel or SS was formed, committed to controlling internal state security, carrying out tasks such as monitoring concentration camps or destroying Sturmabteilung or SA (a Nazi paramilitary organization Which went against Hitler's ideals).
7 - Fields of Concentration and Jewish Extermination
The Nazi Party created concentration camps, controlled by the SS to contain and exterminate"enemy"prisoners (national minorities, Jews, communists and traitors).
Some prisoners would be employed as slave labor or executed. In 1935 the laws of Nuremberg were introduced to segregate and persecute the Jews, making them insecure even in their own homes.
The Wannsee conference for its part introduced the idea of a Final Solution to eliminate all Jews at the same time.
This event was the cusp of Nazi terror against the Jews, as the worst and most terrifying case of persecution and xenophobia recorded in history. This is probably one of the most remarkable features of Nazi Germany.
8 - Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of psychological manipulation. It is the promotion of specific ideas through the use of repetition.
In Germany, from the year 1933 until the year 1945, Goebbels was the minister of the propaganda. He felt a deep hatred for the Jews and was an enthusiast of his persecution.
The newspaper Der Stümer was quite popular at the time and promoted the hatred for the Jews, for this reason it was the favorite newspaper of Hitler.
On the other hand, the swastika was used on the Nazi flag and by 1935 this became the flag of Germany.
At Nuremberg meetings thousands of people had to shout"Sieg Heil"in unison and people were forced to say"Heil Hitler"as they passed by other people on the street.
Radio, books and films promoted hatred for the Jews and the greatness of Hitler and Nazism. In this way, the propaganda contributed to the modification of the beliefs of the people against Nazism and the Jews.
9 - Anti-Semitism
One of the most well-known features of the Nazi state in Germany is anti-Semitism. At first there was not a lot of attention paid to this issue, since Hitler needed the majority of people in Germany to vote for him. However, with the passage of time, brutality against the Jews increased considerably.
Anti-Semitism became an extreme form of racism and hatred for a race of people. In 1933 there was a boycott of Jewish stores. Hitler blamed the Jews of the Versailles Treaty and the country's economic problems, such as the economic depression.
All Jews were revoked from government offices and professional duties. In 1934, Jews were excluded from public places, including parks and swimming pools. All this was due to Hitler's will to preserve the purity of the Aryan Race (Mgina, 2014).
10 - Foreign Policy
Hitler's main goal was to destroy the Treaty of Versailles. He also wanted more living space and the union of all German-speaking countries. In this way, Hitler disarmed the treaty by invading Rhineland.
On the other hand, Hitler and Mussolini (both sanctioned by the League of Nations) formed the Axis of Rome and Berlin in 1936.
This was later strengthened by the Steel Pact in 1939, during the Munich conference, where other leaders tried to calm Hitler's hopes, but he finally got Sudetes and the rest of Czechoslovakia.
At this time, Hitler was unstoppable and invasions continued, involving other republics like France, Poland and the British Isles.
References
- Hickey, P. (November 23, 2013). Patrickhickey1 . Retrieved from"What were the main characteristics of the Nazi State 1933-1939?: patrickhickey1.wordpress.com.
- History, A. (2014). Alpha History . Retrieved from the NAZI IDEOLOGY: alphahistory.com.
- Ideology, N. (2017). Key elements of the Nazi ideology . Obtained from Nazi Ideology: nazism.ne.
- Mgina, E. (April 2014). Top 5 Resources . Obtained from FEATURES AND CAUSES OF NAZISM: top5resources.blogspot.com.br.
- Mondal, P. (2016). com . Obtained from 4 Important Features Characterized by Nazi Regime: yourarticlelibrary.com.