History and anthropology
Totalitarian governments are regimes where the state has absolute control. The branches of governance in a totalitarian state are well centralized. They are characterized by a single party with total military control, the media have limited freedom, and the law enforcers use terror as a control tactic. Nazi Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, was a totalitarian state. The purpose of this paper is to discuss Nazi Germany as a totalitarian state. The paper will highlight various issues such as the life of young people, employment, women, the church, censorship, and propaganda. Adolf Hitler played a very critical role in the removal of Roehm. Many Hitler supporters complained about Roehm for many years in history. Many generals who supported Hitler believed that Sturm Abteilung had a huge capability to absorb the relatively small German Army and put Roehm into power to be the overall leader (Phillips 131). Many industrialists did not embrace the socialistic ideas that were embraced by Roehm. The industrialists have been very instrumental in funding the Nazi victory. They disregarded the views that there was a need for any revolution they failed to appreciate a socialistic economy was fit for the Nazi. Adolf Hitler appreciated that Roehm had the capability to remove him in power with the Sturm Abteilung. He was kept updated on any coup plans that were developed by Roehm.
Hitler’s reign of 1933 to 1945 was a reference to a totalitarian dictatorship. The Nazi rule in Germany was also referred to as the Third Reich. Historians such as Karl Bracher referred Hitler as master of the Third Reich. While a dictatorship is mainly a government where one individual has absolute control power, a totalitarian system is characterized by centralization. The combination of the two concepts totalitarian dictatorship refers to a government that has one individual at the top with all whom the power is vested (Kaius 87).
From 1933 until 1945, the rule that existed in Germany was centralized with Hitler having absolute power, and no authority was allowed to question the regime. Around 1933, the Nazis had become victors, having won over many of their rivals. The opposition was also defeated, giving them an opportunity to establish a strong totalitarian dictatorship. There exist several factors that provided suggestions that the Nazis were successful in establishing a full totalitarian dictatorship. Some of the factors that favored its establishment included a lack of opposition. The Nazi was able to keep close control over propaganda, the control of the strong military and the education, Hitler’s personality cult was another very important factor in facilitating the development of totalitarian dictatorship.
The lack of an opposing party to oppose the Nazi regime encouraged the Nazis to subdue many people and put it clear that the regime created by Hitler was not subject to questioning y anyone. There was regular emergence of some small rebellious groups who did not have enough power to challenge the Nazi reign. Nazi did not require the use of huge military power to crush down the small groups. Hitler applies terror when dealing with rebellious groups, which discouraged and kept of rebellious groups and oppositions (Rita 2017). Hitler executed over 3000 people and arrested over 300000 supporters of communist activities. The rebellious people were subjected to imprisonment without being offered a fair hearing throughout the period. The simplest forms of provocation to Hitler had serious consequences, jokes, and other comments that degraded Hitler was not allowed, and such people were sent to stay in the concentration camps. The use of terror instilled fear amongst many people preventing opposition towards Nazi. Many people developed the fear of being arrested or sent away.
Traditional social structures were highly discouraged and suppressed in the Nazi reign. The main objective of the Nazi revolution was the establishment of volksgemeinschaft. This establishment required separation of the German race from the Jewish people. Nazi was critical in the destruction of the Germans morals through inciting evil and polluting the wellbeing of the Germany people (Phillips 76). The Nazis adopted policies to solve the problems faced by the Jews resulted in more anti-Semitism. There were increased activities of terror use. Boycotts by the Jews resulted in the expropriation of essential property, which was owned by the Jews. There was the emigration of a huge number of Jews, while the latter developed protests accompanied by violence. Volksgemeinschaft played an essential role in attracting the Germans who were in the working class to solve the challenge of the long-standing of alienation. Nazi was struggling to provide employment to many millions of people who did not have jobs who had been inherited.
Nazi German subjected many children to executing. Adolf Hitler, in 1939 ordered that many women and children from different races be killed mercilessly. The German Nazis converted their youth into the “Hitler youth,” which enabled young people to execute the government ideologies. Hitler held the belief that youths were not an important part of governance because they did not have the ability to vote. After finishing school, the boys were taken to be part of the Reich labor force while the girls were to become loyal wives and fecund mothers after finishing school.
Works Cited
Laima, Rita. Skylarks and Rebels: A Memoir about the Soviet Russian Occupation of Latvia, Life in a Totalitarian State, and Freedom. Columbia University Press, 2017.
Phillips, Peter. The Tragedy of Nazi Germany. Vol. 33. Routledge, 2019.
Tuori, Kaius. Empire of Law: Nazi Germany, exile scholars and the battle for the future of Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2020.