Was Nazism an Ideology?
Nazism, ideological or not? This is a very important question when looking into the rise of Hitler and how he used his so-called 'ideologies' to win over the support of the German people. The dictionary definition of the word 'Ideology' is 'Ideas that form the basis of a political or economic theory', from this we should be able to weigh the evidence to see if the Nazis ideas about political and economic system form an ideology. The Nazis did not fit the criteria for being ideological; they were contradictory and hypocritical. The Nazis coagulated the ideas and theories of philosophers, musicians and scientists and produced them in a way that appealed to the masses this is what made the Nazi party believable and supportable. Hitler presented to the masses a bombardment of political and ideological ideas, which seemed to take into account every individual and personal opinion of the average and indeed middle class German. The nationalistic component to Nazism appealed to every !German, the fact that they were superior and stronger than other nations appealed to the masses and the apparent coherent way in which Hitler presented these ideas made it more believable than ridiculous.Firstly it is necessary to look at what Hitler and
The Jew became the universal scapegoat for the n!azis, responsible for all the problems of Germany past and present. It went against the German Historical traditions of militarism and absolutism, and further more, it encouraged the development of an even greater evil, communism. Yet Hitler's nationalist aims did not end there. Since then Germany had lurched from crisis to crisis. He believed that the weimar republic had humiliated Germany and had put shame on the German people. " Obviously this is alienating the Generals, as the original autocratic and militant regime of the army would be abolished for a new 'peoples' army, which is very socialistic and partly communistic. Every aspect of Hitler's thinking was to be found in the nationalist and racist writings of the 19th century. This was the basis of Hitler's demand for Lerberndtaum (living space) !for Germany. Hitler's National Socialists believed heavily in the 'November Criminals' and 'Stab in the Back' theories. This remained the vaguest element of the Nazi ideology, and is therefore difficult to define precisely. As he argued in Mein Kampf:"the German people must be assured the territorial area which is necessary for it to exist on earth. In Hitler's book Mein Kampf (My Struggle), 1925 he states that "Politics is the art of using men's weaknesses for one's ends. His idea of an all German Reich was a simple repition of the demands for the 'Greater Germany' made by those German nationalists who criticised Bismarck's limited unification. " This clearly shows Hitler's intentions on how to get the support of the German people, by appealing to every single German regardless of social standing.
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Acceptance Essays
