Nazi Germany: Totalitarianism and Its Foundations

The Rise of Nazi Germany

Post-World War I Germany and Economic Crisis

In Germany, in 1918, after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Weimar Republic was proclaimed. It had to assume the military defeat and the harsh peace terms imposed by the victors.

The economic situation was very difficult due to war debts and the heavy reparations Germany had to pay the victors. This provoked a crisis, leading to rampant inflation, the depreciation of the German mark, and the closure of small businesses, thus increasing unemployment.

The Rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler's Ascent

Adolf Hitler founded the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP).

The difficult economic situation resulting from the Great Depression of 1929 and increasing social malaise caused conservative forces to dominate and reach an agreement with Hitler. He was supported by the middle classes, ruined farmers, and workers desperate due to poverty and unemployment.

Establishing Totalitarian Control

The Nazis transformed Germany into a totalitarian regime in which Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled institutions, society, and individuals.

Under the undisputed authority of the Führer, a group of party leaders organized the new state with an iron fist.

He created the SS (Schutzstaffel, Hitler's elite protection group, which dealt with concentration camps) and the Gestapo (the official secret police in charge of repression).

Key Characteristics of the Nazi Totalitarian Regime

Economic Autarky

The main concern of the Nazis in the economic sphere was to aim to make Germany into a self-sufficient state. The economic results included:

• Converting Germany into one of the world's leading industrial powers.
• Prioritizing heavy industry, especially weapons, which facilitated re-militarization.

Ideological and Social Control

German society was based on absolute ideological unity, rooted in racist and nationalist ideas. Youth education was very important through organizations, chief among them the Hitler Youth.

Racial Purity and Persecution

The racial issue culminated in the systematic persecution of the Jews.

Territorial Expansion and Lebensraum

Hitler's expansionist theory was driven by the concept of Lebensraum (living space), which led to the direct occupation of territories such as Poland and Ukraine. His ultimate goal was to annihilate his maximum enemy: Russian Bolshevism.