SGQ #4

9-29-09

QW's:

1. “The aims and policies of single-party state rulers rarely followed their declared ideology.” To what extent do you agree with this assertion?
2. Compare and contrast the rise to power of two rulers of single-party states, each chosen from a different region.

MWH 309-318

1. What did National Socialism (actually Hitler's Nazism) stand for?
A. What were the movement's four general principles?
i. "national community" formed by all classes and parties united
ii. the ruthlessly efficient organization of all aspects of the lives of the masses (interests of state came before peoples interests)
iii. the entire state must be organized on a military footing, since it was likely that greatness could only be achieved by war
iv. "the race theory" - Aryan race, free of Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, etc

B. What evidence suggests Nazism was a "natural development of German history"?
i. British and American historians it was "a natural extension of earlier Prussian militarism and German traditions"
ii. Marxists historians believed National Socialism and fascism in general were the final stage of Western capitalism
iii. Sir Lewis Namier (Polish Jew historian) said that individual Germans are "useful, decent citizens, but in groups... are apt to develop tendencies that make them a menace to their fellow-men".

C . What evidence suggests Nazism was a "distortion of normal development" of German history?
Historians like Gerhard Ritter and K. D. Bracher argued that Hitler was striving to break away from the past and introduce something completely new.

D . What evidence suggests Nazism was a bit of both?
As said by Ian Kershaw, "the mentalities... of the elites and the masses which made Hitler's rise possible, were products of strands of German political culture" and "without the unique conditions in which he came to prominence, Hitler would have been nothing... he exploited the conditions brilliantly."

2. How did Hitler consolidate his power?
A. Actions leading up to the March election of 1933
i. Tried to whip up a majority using "all apparatus of state" including press and radio
ii. senior police officers were replaced with reliable nazis and 50,000 auxiliary policemen were called up
iii. meetings of all parties except nazis and nationalists were wrecked and speakers beat up
B. The Reichstag fire
i. what happened?
February 27 PM, Reichstag burned down apparently by a young Dutch anarchist called van der Lubbe (who the SA probably knew about and actually helped to start fires, so they could blame it on the communists)
ii. what did it mean?
That Hitler could use the fire to stir up fear of communism and ban the party. However, the Nazis still did not win enough seats to be the majority, so they were still dependent on the support of the nationalists (led by Papen and Hugenburg)

3. How was Hitler able to stay in power?
A. What was the Enabling Law?
It stated that the gov't could introduce laws without the approval of the Reichstag (laws would be drafted by the chancellor and put into effect the day they were published) for the next 4 years, could ignore the constitution and could sign agreements with foreign countries
B. How did the Enabling Law pass?
Such a major law needed a 2/3 majority, but Hitler surrounded the Reichstag meeting place (The Kroll Opera House) with his SS and SA, chanting "We want the bill, or fire and murder", and when the Catholic Centre Party voted for it... It passed by 441 to 94 votes.
C. What was gleichschaltung?
Hitler's policy of forcible co-ordination which turned germany into a totalitarian or fascist state. the gov't tried to control as many aspects of life as possible, using a huge police force and the Gestapo.

D. What were the characteristics of gleichschaltung?
i. ONE PARTY STATE; All political parties other than National Socialists banned
ii. Separate state parliaments lose all power, most functions taken over by a Nazi Special Commissioner. No more state, provincial, or municipal elections
iii. "The civil service was purged" (Jews and enemies of the state gotten rid of)
iv. Trade unions, a likely source of resistance, were abolished, their funds confiscated and leaders arrested. Replaced by german Labour Front, to which all workers had to belong and no strikes were allowed.
v. Education system closely controlled (distorted textbooks, professors closely monitored). Also, Hitler Youth (broke family bonds, taught children first duty to Hitler)
vi. Bans placed on contraceptives to help Aryan women have children; all "unfit" members of society were forcibly sterilized
vii. All communications and the media were controlled by the Minister of Propaganda (e.g. books considered "un-german" were banned
viii. How was the economic life of the country organized?
a. telling industrials what or what not to produce
b. moving workers to where labor was needed
c. encouraging farmers to increase agricultural yields
d. controlling food prices and rents
e. manipulating foreign exchange rates to avoid inflation
f. introducing vast schemes of public works (slum clearance, land drainage, and motorway building
g. forcing other countries to buy german goods (either refusing to pay cash for imports to germany, or by refusing permission to foreigners w/ german bank accounts to withdraw cash, so they had to spend it on german goods)
h. reduce dependence on foreign countries: manufacture synthetic rubber and wool + experiment to produce petrol from coal
i. increasing expenditure on armaments (1938-9 [in "peacetime"]: military budget was 52% of gov't spending)
ix. How was religion handled? : brought under state control
a. Catholics
1933 Hitler's Concordat with the Pope (would not interfere with church in any way), but then gov't broke that, dissolved catholic youth league, closed catholic schools down, and sent thousands of nuns and priests to concentration camps
b. Protestants
Hitler tried to organize protestant groups into a 'Reich Church'; when pastors protested, they were sent to concentration camps. But they continued to be the only constant quietly resistant group.

x. Above all, germany was a police state (police helped by Gestapo and SS to try and control all opposition to the state and send people to concentration camps etc. However, police were actually understaffed and relied heavily on common people coming forward with information.

xi. Anti-Semitism
a. how was it legalized?
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 deprived jews of their german citizenship, forbade them to marry non-Jews...
b. examples of the law being carried out
1. Kristallnacht November 1938
2. Hollocaust
3. ?

E. How popular were Hitler's policies?
i. personal appeal - Hitler's use of huge military parades, displays, etc. appealed to the masses because it seemed he was offering action and a great new Germany.

ii. unemployment - Very successful and hence popular: huge public schemes, expanding party and administrative posts, and elimination of Jews etc. holding jobs provided jobs for many germans

iii. working people - the abolition of trade unions was made up for through the benefits from the Strength through Joy Organization: subsidized holidays in germany and abroad, cruises... holidays with pay, control of rents.

iv. upper class - wealthy industrialists and businessmen now felt safe from a communist revolution, were rid of trade unions, and felt promises about profit from public work schemes and rearmament

v. farmers - nazi aim of self-sufficiency in food production -> fixed prices on food assured profit. Also, farms were made hereditary and had to be passed on to next of kin, so farmers could not be forced to pay off debts by having their farms taken away

vi. the Army -
a. officers - liked Hitler because of his much publicized aim of setting aside the restrictions of the versailles Treaty by rearmament and expansion of army to full size

b. lower ranks - steady infiltration of National Socialists

c. Night of Long Knives - impressing to army leaders (how Hitler had "handled" the troublesome SA ["gangsters" led by a homosexual who wanted to be made a general] on June 30, 1934 by having the SS murder them)

vii. foreign policy - (see section 5.3) brilliant success! : breach of versailles, March 1938 Anschluss with Austria (Germany takes over Austria and gains good position for Italy and France, etc.