Nazis in Power free essay sample

Hitler’s Nazi party enjoyed widespread popularity among the German people between 1933 and 1939 as a result of their domestic policies. Through the economy, the biggest factor in support of reducing mass unemployment, they introduced the KDF, Strength through Joy this allowed Germans to enjoy paid holidays and concerts. They also helped reinforce law and order, ensuring there were no street battles in Nazi Germany. Germans appreciated this as it was fresh and strict following the previous weak Weimar Government. The Nazis had youth policies which were appealing to the parents and children as they encouraged the likes of camping and sports. These factors were the main reasons that the Nazis had great popularity as they related to many German citizens. However, there were also serious concerns of coercion being used to enforce German peoples’ acceptance. They brought around the totalitarian state which was to Nazify the country; this meant that everyone was mainly completely controlled by the Nazis. Also, Anti-Semitism focused on the races and religions that Nazis did not believe as pure. The Jews were targeted and eventually stripped of their German citizenship. In addition, women were also discriminated against as the Nazis felt that they should have a lesser role than men, and if they had any disability or disorder they should not be allowed to have children. Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state in which all means of protest or dissent were blocked. However, despite this, the Nazis enjoyed great popularity throughout Germany, as they had associated with so many Germans and seemed extremely similar to the thoughts of the citizens. However, although many accepted the Nazi ways, many more were afraid to speak out at Nazi excesses, so there was coercion used as the party were very threatening and had many policies which would destroy anyone who did not follow the Nazi rules. The Nazi party received a great deal of support for the economic policies which set out to do things Weimar could not. When the Nazis were in power they managed to put people back to work and the unemployment figures fell rapidly from 26% in 1933 to below 1% in 1939. These figures were impressive and German people supported the Nazis for being able to lower unemployment. The German labour front forced people into jobs and created new jobs by forcing people like Jews and woman, who were not included in unemployment figures, out of their jobs. Hitler also gained popularity by giving people an incentive to work. The KDF, strength through joy organization offered people rewards such as paid holidays, holiday camps and the people’s car if they were loyal workers. This had huge support and although people were now working longer hours for less money they didn’t mind as they were getting things they never would have has the chance to have before such as the Volkswagen car. This shows that people did appreciate Hitler’s economic policies as he gave incentives and dropped unemployment figures. Due to the Weimar government, law and order had pretty much broken down and riots had started and the Reichstag fire had happened. Hitler made this a first priority and stopped it in order to restore law and order. In order to ensure law and order, Hitler created the apparatus of a police state. The SS was the state’s internal security service and its purpose was to root out all opposition, real or imaginary. They wore threatening black uniforms and people were frightened of the SS. The Gestapo was the secret police and acted on suspicion in order to take out any anti-socials. These police made many German people nervous and this lost some support of the Nazis as people missed their freedom and did not like being controlled. However it still did gain some support as people disliked the breakdown of law and order in Weimar and so were prepared to accept the totalitarian state that concentrated on removing undesirables who most Germans disapproved of anyway. The Nazis also had very strict youth policies in Germany. Their aim was to turn boys into soldiers and girls into housewives and mothers. From 1933, parents were encouraged to enrol their children in the youth policies but by 1939 it was compulsory. Boys took part in activities such as shooting and camping, designed to toughen them up into good German soldiers. By 1936 60% of boys were enrolled in some kind of youth activity. Girls were toughs to go by the slogan of the 3K’s: Kinder, Kirche and Kurche, meaning children, church and kitchen. German people supported these ideas and youth policies as parents liked their children to be disciplined and it also gave incentives such as free uniforms for poorer children so they could be clean and look smart, also free holidays for poorer kids too. However the youth policies did not always enjoy widespread popularity as people did accept these policies at first but as they became compulsory in 1939 people were not so willing. Some young Germans even rebelled and formed their own gangs. If the Nazis caught these youths the punishments were harsh. The most famous was the White Rose movement, the leader of the movement Sophie Scholl was hanged for rebelling. Although at the beginning many youths and parents did support these policies, especially poorer families, by the time it was compulsory parents were worried about their children being brainwashed and began to rebel. While the Nazis were in power Germany became a totalitarian state, every aspect of people’s lives were controlled and regulated by state. Things such as employment, education, youth and even your leisure time was controlled, it was said the only freedom German’s had was their sleep. Hitler took over things such as Trade Unions and on the 2nd of May 1935 the trade unions were abolished and the Nazi Labour Front took over. This was the beginning of the forced co-ordination in Germany. On the 14th of July 1935 Hitler banned all political parties aside from the Nazis and developed the creation of a one party state so that there were no further elections. Newspapers that were critical of the Nazis were shut down and Hitler supplied every German with a radio so they could hear the Fuhrer. Speakers were put up on street corners so no one could avoid messages and state messages from the Fuhrer were compulsory. Police states like the SS and the Gestapo were ordered to eliminate all opponents and the concentration camps were set to be a symbol of terror. Although some Germans did accept and agree with these policies as it got them out of the mess from Weimar, German people were terrified and even law abiding citizens became frightened to speak. People missed their freedom and widespread popularity across Germany for the Nazis disappeared as they took over people’s lives. The Nazis had very traditional domestic policies when it came to women. They felt that woman should have an important but subsequent role to men. Married woman in Germany got sacked from their jobs to make way for men as it was felt their husband could look after them. This infuriated a lot of German woman as they enjoyed their work. Marriage loans were also given to encourage women into marrying and to bear children. For each child a woman had, a quarter of their loan was paid off. Women were also forbidden to marry non-Aryan men and those who were already married had their marriages cancelled. Also in Nazi Germany a woman was not allowed to have a child if she had learning difficulties, or suffered from depression or was an alcoholic, nearly 225,000 women were forcibly sterilized due to these circumstances. Mary Fulbrock states that â€Å"Hitler’s views on woman, which now would appear extraordinarily sexist, where at the time fairly representative†. This quote is showing that although these policies were harsh, many women did support the traditional ideas that Hitler brought about. Nevertheless, many women did feel very restricted in Nazi Germany and they had no ambitions in life other than being a wife and mother, causing their support for the Nazis to fade. The Nazis policies on anti-Semitism were very strong and for most people the Nazi dictatorship is linked forever to the persecution of the Jews and the anti-Semitism of the state was a factor in its popularity with many Germans. When the Nazis took over at first the harassment was petty and low level. Germans were forced to boycott Jewish shops, windows of Jewish shops were smashed, Jews had yellow park benches and they were not allowed to sit down on trains or buses. However, in 1935 the Nuremburg laws were introduced and harassment became more serious. These Nazis race laws meant that Jews were no longer citizens in Germany and could not be elected or vote, Marriages were cancelled and people were not allowed to work for Jews. Then by 1938 in relation to the death of a German diplomat by a Jew the Nazi leader Goebbels organized nationwide violence against Jews. 10,000 Jewish shops were destroyed, synagogues burned down and at least 90 Jews murdered. Although these laws were horrific, many Germans hated the Jews as much as Hitler and his domestic policies to destroy them made a lot of German people support him more. People saw Jews as anti-socials and liked the fact that Hitler’s policies on anti-Semitism were destroying them. To conclude, in general many German people did support the domestic policies of Hitler and a lot of his ideas managed to enjoy a widespread popularity between 1933 and 1939. People loved that his economic policies were getting unemployment figures down and they liked the incentives he offered for loyal workers. Germans liked that they didn’t have to fear law and order being destroyed again, as Hitler had restored it. They also enjoyed how the youth policies gave them disciplined children and that the Nazis had traditional views and ideas in the way Germany was run. Nevertheless, many of Hitler’s domestic policies caused resentment and a number Germans did not support his ideas. People disliked that their children were being brainwashed and that they had a severe lack of freedom now. Germans were living in fear and they did not support Hitler’s policies due to this. Therefore, despite his incentives and the many people who did show his widespread popularity, there were still a lot of Germans who did not support the Hitler and the Nazi party.