The Rise of German Totalitarianism

Adolf Hitler rose from modest origins in Braunau, Austria. A poor student, he dreamed of becoming an artist. After being rejected from art school, he wandered the streets of Vienna, Austria and Munich Germany without a purpose. The outbreak of World War I instilled a sense of purpose in him and he joined the German army. In the army Hitler flourished earning five decorations, including an Iron Cross; a rare award for common soldiers.

While in the hospital recovering from a poison gas attack, Hitler learned of Germany’s surrender. He was filled with a deep sense of shame and felt that Germany had been “stabbed-in-the-back” by internal enemies. After leaving the hospital, he joined the German Workers’ Party, one of the many small extremist political groups that hatched in the aftermath of Germany’s defeat.

He quickly proved himself a gifted organizer and mesmerizing speaker and in 1921 became leader of the newly named National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). This Nazi party was made up of manual laborers, former soldiers, adventurers, and misfits. They were characterized by their violent nationalism, anti-Semitism, and opposition to democratic government. They organized a paramilitary force called the SA to help intimidate those who they saw as enemies.

At this point, the Nazi’s main enemy was Germany’s democratic government, the Weimar Republic. From the beginning, the Weimar government was plagued with problems. Internally, the multitude of parties made it difficult for the government to agree on anything. Externally, communists wanted a Soviet style government and ultraconservatives wanted a return to a monarchy. Many Germans blamed the Weimar Government for signing the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty unfairly forced Germany to accept guilt for starting WWI and imposed harsh military and economic restrictions upon Germany. During the first few years, many groups tried to overthrow the Weimar Government; the Nazi’s being one of them.

In 1923, Hitler and the Nazis attempted to take over the government by kidnapping government officials in a Munich Beer Hall and then marching on Berlin. This attempt, which became known as the Beer Hall Putsch, failed miserably. Hitler and other Nazis were arrested and tried for treason. Hitler used his trial to gain attention to his cause and many German’s were sympathetic to his strong nationalist message. He only served nine months in jail.

While in prison, Hitler wrote his infamous book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In this poorly written, bizarre and self-serving book Hitler expressed most of his view which included the superiority of the German Aryan race, his hatred of all things Jewish, his disgust for democracy, the need for lebensraum (living room) for the German people, and a call to return to the greatness of the old German Empire. It was also during this time that Hitler realized the Nazis must come to power legally through elections. To do this, he realized that the Nazis must appeal to the entire German nation through nationwide organization and skillful use of propaganda to attack the Weimar Republic and offer an alternative.

Propaganda was an important part of the Nazi rise to power. Under the leadership of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda machine was one of the most effective in all of history. Both Hitler and Goebbels shared a low regard for the intellect of the masses and believed that most people would respond to emotional appeals, particularly to their hatreds. Despite their effective use of propaganda, the Nazis were only able to gain a small number of seats in parliament in the 1928 elections. Hitler remained patient throughout these trying years, confident that his chance would come.

The start of the Great Depression in 1929, proved to be the chance Hitler was looking for. All the slow economic recovery Germany made throughout the 1920’s was wiped away by the Depression. German production declined sharply, businesses failed, and unemployment rose alarmingly. It was under these conditions that the Nazis rose to prominence. In the election of 1930, the Nazis gained 107 seats in the parliament making them the second largest party in the government. While Hitler focused on traditional campaigning, the paramilitary SA, engaged in a struggle for “control of the streets.” They battled Communists and other political opponents and resorted to acts of terrorism.

After a series of political power plays, Hitler was finally appointed chancellor of Germany in January of 1933. Ironically, he was appointed because his rivals felt that he could be easily controlled. Once in power, Hitler took steps to limit the freedom of the press. Although no one is sure who committed arson, the burning of the Reichstag (parliament building) in February of 1933, provided the pretext for Hitler to persecute Communist enemies and to limit civil rights as a way to keep Germans safe from their enemies. He used the SA to intimidate members of parliament into voting for a bill that would allow him to rule by decree, effectively making him a dictator.

Once the bill was passed, Hitler set about consolidating his power. He eliminated all opposing political parties, removed all “unacceptable” members of government, and merged labor unions into a Nazi directed labor front that was unable to strike. The parliament remained, but it was only to give the appearance of democracy. Soon after coming to power, the Nazis took control of the schools and allowed only Nazi approved ideas to be taught. They also absorbed all of the youth organizations into one; Hitler Youth. This youth movement fostered a love of Hitler, obedience to party and state, and the cheering of warlike virtues.

As soon as they gained power, the Nazi began to move against the Jews and political opponents. They purged Jews from civil service and universities and subjected them to discrimination and violence. As Hitler became more powerful, these attacks became more systematic and restrictive in nature. A secret police organization, the Gestapo, was created and used to hunt down enemies of the state. In 1933, the first of many concentration camps were created to warehouse these accused enemies.

By 1934, Hitler had almost completed his takeover of Germany. Only two sources of opposition remained – the army and the SA. Military leaders were pleased with Hitler’s ideas about expanding and modernizing the army, but they feared that the SA would become too powerful and replace the official army. Hitler shared the army’s views and felt that SA leaders might try to seize power for themselves, so in June of 1934 Hitler purged leaders of the SA and had them executed without trials. This “Knight of Long Knives,” as it came to be called, convinced the army’s leaders that they should throw their full support behind Hitler and his Nazi government.

Now as the unquestioned Führer, or leader, of Germany, Hitler could set about achieving the goals he laid out in Mein Kampf.