- 15 Oct 2006 21:31
#1002151
Economic Left/Right: -9.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -9.28
I wrote this essay for History class, and because it's longer than my average History homework essays, and is quite interesting, I thought that I might share it with my fellow Pofoers. You can ignore some of the repetition, such as the repeated linking to the question, as it is just an exam technique...
To what extent were Hitler's ideas 'rooted in the past', yet very suited to Germany in the early 1930's?
Many of Hitler's ideas that made up the ideology of Nazism were unoriginal and rooted in Germany's past; all Hitler did was put them together as one ideology. However, those ideas suited Germany in the early 1930's, when it was weak and war-devastated.
First of all, Hitler's idea of a Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) was to bring the 'pure' German people together, under a strong national unity government controlled by one, unquestionable Fűhrer (Fűhrerprinzip). This was based on the fact that Germany had never had a democracy before the Weimar Republic, and that all the Weimar governments were made up of coalitions and were very indecisive. The coalition governments made the principle of democracy seem very weak and unattractive, and therefore a strong, united government looked like a great alternative.
The concept of Volksgemeinschaft was based on the belief that the world was a racial, rather than a class, struggle. This idea wasn't started with Hitler, as many people before him believed that the world was about the survival of the fittest. For example, in 'Foundations of the Nineteenth Century', written in 1900, Houston Stewart Chamberlain talked about the struggle of the Germanic race and social Darwinism. Many other social Darwinists and eugenicists, such as Alfred Ploetz and Lanz von Liebenfels, also argued that the Germanic race should be improved through the manipulation of the population, and that some people were more racially 'valuable' than others. They argued that only through selective-breeding, sterilisation, and even execution, would the Aryan race be able to stay pure and therefore survive. This shows that Hitler didn't come up with the ideas of social Darwinism and racial struggle, but in fact, they were old systems of thought that Hitler was able to manipulate.
At the centre of social Darwinism was the notion of a racial pyramid – Hitler believed that the Aryan race was a pure, and therefore superior race; and placed the Jewish race at the bottom of the racial pyramid, as he viewed the Jews as being inferior, and even sub-human. This form of thought was not at all original, because anti-Semitism existed in Europe in the past. Hitler's views of the Jews came from the streets of Vienna, where he lived, before the First World War, from the trenches on the western front and from post-war Bavaria. This also shows that Hitler only took what already existed and put it together; he did not come up with his own ideas.
Furthermore, communism, which many Europeans feared, was on the rise in Russia. Of course, after the communist-inspired revolution, which took place in Bavaria in 1919, while Hitler was there, many Austrians and Germans, including Hitler himself, were affected. They blamed communism on the Jews and believed that it was a Jewish conspiracy that wished to take over Germany. This increased hatred towards the Jews and was a main factor towards anti-Semitism. It is another piece of evidence that proves that anti-communism and anti-Semitism were rooted in Germany's past, and were not original ideas of Hitler's.
Lebensraum, which literally means 'living space' was also an old idea. Lebensraum was the idea of expanding Germany's land towards the east, forming a Greater Germany, and using the Slavs, who inhabited that area, as slaves. The term 'Lebensraum' was first used by Friedrich Ratzel, a German geographer and ethnographer. Ratzel argued that the Germans would benefit from trade if they expanded using the navy, and would economically benefit from the support of other, weaker nations Germany would take over. However, the idea of expanding Germany's land didn't start with Ratzel; it can be dated back to the medieval times, during the reign of Frederick Barbarossa, the king of Germany and later the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who wanted to expand his empire using force. Hitler named the invasion of the eastern front of the Soviet Union 'Operation Barbarossa', which is evidence that he adopted his ideas from Frederick Barbarossa.
The concept of 'blood and soil' was also not of Hitler's creation. It was the main idea behind the Volksgemeinschaft, where the good of the nation comes before that of the individual. However, it can be traced back to the late nineteenth century, when novelists such as Friedrich Griese, wrote about 'blood and soil', and the spirit of the German peasant. This is later seen in Hitler's strong support for the peasants, and the belief that they were Germany's future. This is also evidence that Hitler's ideology was based on thoughts that existed before he wrote his book, Mein Kampf.
However, even though most of Hitler's ideas were old and unoriginal, they seemed well-suited to Germany in the early 1930's. Germany, after the First World War, was weak and devastated; it lacked both political and economic power. Therefore, Hitler was able to manipulate the thoughts of many people before him and put them together to form an ideology that gained mass support.
Because Germany was devastated, first by the war, then by the Great Depression, the Germans wanted to blame a group of people on all their problems – the Jews made a good scapegoat. They also liked the idea of taking over land and exploiting it's resources to benefit their own economy, which was a great disaster.
Furthermore, they liked the idea that they were superior, and that only they should benefit from Germany's resources. They wanted a strong, united government under a strong Fűhrer to replace the weak coalition governments that seemed to go nowhere.
In conclusion, a lot of the ideas that made up Nazism were old and rooted in Germany's past; such as Lebensraum, blood and soil, racism, and social Darwinism. They existed way before Hitler came to power. However, because Germany was very weak, and the Weimar governments were unable to do anything about it, the idea of a Volksgemeinschaft and Lebensraum, where Germans lived for the good of the nation, without any groups that were believed to be inferior, such as the Jews, seemed like a very attractive solution.
To what extent were Hitler's ideas 'rooted in the past', yet very suited to Germany in the early 1930's?
Many of Hitler's ideas that made up the ideology of Nazism were unoriginal and rooted in Germany's past; all Hitler did was put them together as one ideology. However, those ideas suited Germany in the early 1930's, when it was weak and war-devastated.
First of all, Hitler's idea of a Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) was to bring the 'pure' German people together, under a strong national unity government controlled by one, unquestionable Fűhrer (Fűhrerprinzip). This was based on the fact that Germany had never had a democracy before the Weimar Republic, and that all the Weimar governments were made up of coalitions and were very indecisive. The coalition governments made the principle of democracy seem very weak and unattractive, and therefore a strong, united government looked like a great alternative.
The concept of Volksgemeinschaft was based on the belief that the world was a racial, rather than a class, struggle. This idea wasn't started with Hitler, as many people before him believed that the world was about the survival of the fittest. For example, in 'Foundations of the Nineteenth Century', written in 1900, Houston Stewart Chamberlain talked about the struggle of the Germanic race and social Darwinism. Many other social Darwinists and eugenicists, such as Alfred Ploetz and Lanz von Liebenfels, also argued that the Germanic race should be improved through the manipulation of the population, and that some people were more racially 'valuable' than others. They argued that only through selective-breeding, sterilisation, and even execution, would the Aryan race be able to stay pure and therefore survive. This shows that Hitler didn't come up with the ideas of social Darwinism and racial struggle, but in fact, they were old systems of thought that Hitler was able to manipulate.
At the centre of social Darwinism was the notion of a racial pyramid – Hitler believed that the Aryan race was a pure, and therefore superior race; and placed the Jewish race at the bottom of the racial pyramid, as he viewed the Jews as being inferior, and even sub-human. This form of thought was not at all original, because anti-Semitism existed in Europe in the past. Hitler's views of the Jews came from the streets of Vienna, where he lived, before the First World War, from the trenches on the western front and from post-war Bavaria. This also shows that Hitler only took what already existed and put it together; he did not come up with his own ideas.
Furthermore, communism, which many Europeans feared, was on the rise in Russia. Of course, after the communist-inspired revolution, which took place in Bavaria in 1919, while Hitler was there, many Austrians and Germans, including Hitler himself, were affected. They blamed communism on the Jews and believed that it was a Jewish conspiracy that wished to take over Germany. This increased hatred towards the Jews and was a main factor towards anti-Semitism. It is another piece of evidence that proves that anti-communism and anti-Semitism were rooted in Germany's past, and were not original ideas of Hitler's.
Lebensraum, which literally means 'living space' was also an old idea. Lebensraum was the idea of expanding Germany's land towards the east, forming a Greater Germany, and using the Slavs, who inhabited that area, as slaves. The term 'Lebensraum' was first used by Friedrich Ratzel, a German geographer and ethnographer. Ratzel argued that the Germans would benefit from trade if they expanded using the navy, and would economically benefit from the support of other, weaker nations Germany would take over. However, the idea of expanding Germany's land didn't start with Ratzel; it can be dated back to the medieval times, during the reign of Frederick Barbarossa, the king of Germany and later the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who wanted to expand his empire using force. Hitler named the invasion of the eastern front of the Soviet Union 'Operation Barbarossa', which is evidence that he adopted his ideas from Frederick Barbarossa.
The concept of 'blood and soil' was also not of Hitler's creation. It was the main idea behind the Volksgemeinschaft, where the good of the nation comes before that of the individual. However, it can be traced back to the late nineteenth century, when novelists such as Friedrich Griese, wrote about 'blood and soil', and the spirit of the German peasant. This is later seen in Hitler's strong support for the peasants, and the belief that they were Germany's future. This is also evidence that Hitler's ideology was based on thoughts that existed before he wrote his book, Mein Kampf.
However, even though most of Hitler's ideas were old and unoriginal, they seemed well-suited to Germany in the early 1930's. Germany, after the First World War, was weak and devastated; it lacked both political and economic power. Therefore, Hitler was able to manipulate the thoughts of many people before him and put them together to form an ideology that gained mass support.
Because Germany was devastated, first by the war, then by the Great Depression, the Germans wanted to blame a group of people on all their problems – the Jews made a good scapegoat. They also liked the idea of taking over land and exploiting it's resources to benefit their own economy, which was a great disaster.
Furthermore, they liked the idea that they were superior, and that only they should benefit from Germany's resources. They wanted a strong, united government under a strong Fűhrer to replace the weak coalition governments that seemed to go nowhere.
In conclusion, a lot of the ideas that made up Nazism were old and rooted in Germany's past; such as Lebensraum, blood and soil, racism, and social Darwinism. They existed way before Hitler came to power. However, because Germany was very weak, and the Weimar governments were unable to do anything about it, the idea of a Volksgemeinschaft and Lebensraum, where Germans lived for the good of the nation, without any groups that were believed to be inferior, such as the Jews, seemed like a very attractive solution.
Last edited by Abood on 16 Oct 2006 14:12, edited 2 times in total.
Economic Left/Right: -9.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -9.28
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