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ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD 2.6 - 90470 TOPIC: WEIMAR/NAZI GERMANY IDENTITY: ADOLF HITLER GRADE: Merit Adolf Hitler. A strong leader in his own time, known as the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, or the Nazi’s. Today, we remember him as a madman, persecutor of the Jews, invoked of the Holocaust. But Hitler did have an influence. I have chosen to write on the topic of The Weimar republic and the Nazi state and about how this man, Adolf Hitler, influenced the development of the Nazi identity. The distinctive sense of identity in this topic is none other than the identity of the Nazi Party themselves. The Nazi identity was composed of beliefs which they all shared and were willing to fight for. These beliefs included a need for a strong leader, which turned out to be Hitler; Anti-semetism or hatred for the Jews who became a scapegoat for the Germans, belief that the place for a woman was in the home and that being a mother was the best thing a woman could do for Germany; wanting to end unemployment in Germany, belief that Jews, Homosexuals, Gypsies, Tramps alcoholics and the mentally ill were a threat to the Nazi idea of a perfect or Master race which the Nazi’s called Aryans. Aryans were blond haired, blue eyed and tall. Can be summed up in this slogan: “Ein Volk, Ein Reich. Ein fuhrer” or “One people, one government, one leader.” There are a range of factors which contributed to the Nazi sense of identity. The ones with the most influence were beliefs, shared experiences and culture. The Nazis, as I have outlined, had a vast amount of beliefs. First of all, they believed that there was “a Master race”, one that was superior to all the rest. The Aryans, as they called this race, were blond haired and blue eyed. The Nazis released a torrent of propaganda which promoted these people as being “culture creators”, and they were encouraged to marry and make more little Aryans, and soldiers for Germany. In the mid 1930’s, The Nuremburg laws were passed. These laws stated that it was forbidden for a German to engage in sexual intercourse or be married to a Jew. Any marriages made of this kind would be considered null and void. In the country, places were created where members of the SS (german army under Hitler) could breed with approved Aryan women. The Nazis also believed that there were two strands in the bible, one Aryan, promoting a master race, and one condemning the Jews. Another belief shared by the Nazis was the belief that they should stop unemployment in Germany. They went about this in a number of ways, by creating large work projects like building autobahns, and introducing the “Strength through Joy” movement which enabled Germans to get rewarded for working and could even quality for a cruise upon a luxury liner. They also introduced Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) camps, or working camps. Jews and women without jobs were not counted as being unemployed, which significantly lowered the unemployment rate. Experiences that were shared by the Nazis include the failure of the Munich hall beer putsch, when Hitler first tried to take over the Government and abolish the Weimar; opposition by the social democrats, the communists, the Church, Jews and Germany’s youth; and the Nazis shared Anti-semetism. Hitler was incredibly influential through all of this. First of all he began the whole thing using the enabling act to appoint himself Fuhrer and constantly using Article 48. Article 48 enabled him to issue laws without them passing through the Reichstag, or German Government, and this gave Hitler almost unlimited power. Hitler first concentrated on how he was going to influence the Nazis while he was in jail after the Munich Putsch. He wrote his book “Mein Kampf” or “My Struggle” and rethought his ideas. He decided that he would work from within the government and get the majority of the vote. He was a wonderfully powerful public speaker, and organised mass rallies. He also had powerful and strong people working around him. I believe that the main way Hitler influenced the Nazi identity was through creating shared experiences and expressing beliefs through propaganda. The shared experience I have outlined already, the Munich Putsch, was created by Hitler and enabled him to contribute to the Nazi identity. He also shared with the Nazis his hatred of the Jews, and ideas to get rid of them. In conclusion, I believe that Hitler contributed to the Nazi identity and influenced it by creating experiences that were shared by him and his party. He also used propaganda and mass rallies to appeal to the German people which meant that the Nazis would be more in favour. This was how Hitler contributed to the Nazi sense of identity and became one of history’s most well-remembered leaders. ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD 2.6 - 90470 TOPIC: WEIMAR/NAZI GERMANY IDENTITY: NAZI IDENTITY GRADE: Merit The leader of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, had a significant role in the development of a distinct party identity. He raised the profile of the party, unified it, reshaped it’s policies and formed the S.A. The Nazi Party had a strong identity a dedicated membership whose beliefs were a strong part of that identity. They believed that the Aryan race was superior and that it’s opposite was the Jew. Thus they were feisty antisemetist. This is why the party passed the ‘Nuremburg Laws’ when it was in poser, in 1936. These Laws limited the rights of Jews in such ways as preventing mixed marriages, preventing Jews from owning businesses or being given public contacts. The party was agressive. Adolf itler formed a private army, the SA. It was uniformed and disciplined. It protected the parties meetings and disrupted the meetings of others. It had street fights with communists (whose ideas the Nazi’s hated). Hitlers forming the SA did a good deal to strengthen the identity of the party by making members feel more secure. Hitler revamped the organisation of the party into areas, each with certain roles and a leader. This formed the identity of an organised and effective party, where each person knew their role. At the same time he introduced the ‘Fuhrer principle’, which means that everybody was totaly loyal to one leader, Hitler. This gave him total control of the party. Hitler bought the party into the public eye. He made frequent speeches, more posters and propaganda was used and the first mass-meetings were held. Not only did this express the identity and ideas of the party in a clear way, but it strengthened member’s feelings of being part of something meaningful. The mass rallies at Nuremburg are a good example of where Hitler took the party along these lines. Hitler himself was an important factor in the development of identity, but some others are important. The impact of the Treaty of Versallies and the economic depression are notable. Some of the clauses of the Treaty of Versallies caused a lot of anger among German people. The war guilt clause, loss of territory and the scale of reperations were some. The Nazi identity included wanting to right these percieved wrongs and restore Germany to it’s former strength. The economic depression in Germany when the party was formed led to the establishment of many of it’s policies. For example the Nazi solution to unemployment was to create a ‘National Labour Force’, to work on public works such as roads. It is worthy of note that the party was not successful until conditions were similar in the 1930’s. In conclusion, Hitler was a powerful and dynamic leader who made a huge contribution to the Nazi identity. He established the SA, revamped the organisation and unified the party and bought the party into the public eye. These contributed to the identity as well as expressing it in ways like mass rallies. ACHIEVEMENT STANDARD 2.6 - 90470 TOPIC: WEIMAR/NAZI GERMANY IDENTITY: NAZI IDENTITY GRADE: Achieved Adolf Hitler was not only an influential leader of the Nazi Party but also an influential leader of the Nazi identity, creating a slick image the German public was drawn to for reasons of security and interest in a party whose policies aimed to get Germany back on track. Hitler influenced the development of the ideal Nazi, the Nazi character while preaching to the people his policies on Treaty of Versaille (to abolish it completely) the incompetent Weimer government (to oust it) and economic policies that would lead to German prosperity. His presence in Weimar Germany would be felt and pressed upon by all. The structure of the Nazi Party was unique. It had its own private ‘force’ the SS men, the leader was charismatic and disciplined in a perceived state of chaos in Weimar Germany. They held rallies, printed propaganda effectively and packaged their policies in a way that most Germans – moderate or extreme found attractive. The party was not just a political identity, it was a way of life. After 1933 when it had full power in Germany and was in the process of ‘Nazifying’ it, it was obvious Nazi characteristics were going to seep into every factor of German life. The members were all seen in clear uniforms, with red armbands giving off a feeling of aura and radiating power. Factors culminating in the Nazi identity were in place since 1923 – after Hitler had been sentenced to jail for starting the Munich Putsch. It was during his 9 month stay he wrote his autobiography outlining his policies and views about Jews, the Weimar Government, Leberstraum, dominance of the Aryan Race, his vision for Germany. After jail he regrouped the Nazi party and set his sights on power in the German Parliament. The image of Nazi’s in uniform, the idea of strength and disciplined help gain monetary support for Hitler and his party as well as general support of the public. His meteoric rise to power was accentuated by his oratory skills, a factor of important in any charismatic leader. This skill he had for public speaking gained more and more support from converted believers. Disillusionment of the German people also benefited to the growing awareness of the Nazi Identity. They were sick of the incompetent government who were weak in policy and could not tackle the important problems facing Germany. Hitlers propaganda-man Joseph Goebbles fed off this feeling of dissatisfaction with the Weimar Govt, producing leaflets, posters stating the Nazi’s strength, accenting Hitlers strength of leadership, and putting Communism, Jews and the Weimar Government in a bad light. Hitlers political skill allowed him to manipulate certain events to the good of the Nazi party. The Reicstag Fire is an example of his technique to manipulate the President into believing his claim that behind the fire was a communist plot. He was able to use it to his advantage and be rid of Communist enemies. His policies were a major factor in shaping the dark side of the Nazi party’s identity. He was anti semitic, a personal view which led him to believe the Jews and the Communists plotted for Germany’s demise. His anti Jew stance became a reality in the Neuremberg Laws of 1935 which effectively banned their basic rights and gradually made them aliens in their own country. Kristallnacht in 1938 came about when a Jew shot a German Official in Paris – it led the way for an all out pogom in the streets of the destruction of Jews’ property and homes, by Nazi supporters. Hitler helped to create this hate of Jews which heralded the Nazi Identity. By now everyone knew his and the Nazi view of the Jews. As they became more powerful, Jews gradually lost their rights. Badges were immediate visionary signs of the Nazi blitzkrieg. Hitler’s tendency to go big as rallies and Nazi events was feverish and caught on with the public who got taken up in the flood of excitement generated by these images. Hitler’s influence on the shaping of the Nazi Identity was intense, and mostly all of his making. His policies and stances gave personal support for the greater good of the country were impeccably tailored and developed to put Nazi images on every aspect of life, and to carefully hide the darker aspects for instance the extermination of Jews. He used propaganda as an important tool of work in this shaping of the Nazi Identity and other methods that many Germans were not aware of his other actions. He developed Nazi Identity to be all powerful and present, so that other identities were suppressed.