Nazi Ideology: Racism, Anti-Semitism, and Economic Autarky

Racism and Anti-Semitism

The new state replaced social cohesion and class structure with national unity and racial supremacy. To remove perceived impurities, a euthanasia program was deployed to eliminate the physically and mentally handicapped.

The Nazis persecuted Jews in three distinct phases:

• 1933–1935: Jews were deprived of their rights and property. The 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped them of German citizenship and forbade intermarriage.
• 1938: Violence escalated. On the night of November 9–10, 1938, the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) occurred; SA and SS forces looted and destroyed Jewish shops and synagogues, while thousands of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
• 1942 onwards: The Final Solution was implemented, aiming for the total elimination of the Jewish population in Europe. Millions were sent to labor and extermination camps, resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.

Autarky and Economic Reset

The Nazis enforced strict order and discipline in factories, integrating workers into the German Labor Front. The economic policy of the Third Reich occurred in two periods:

1934–1936: Economic Revival

The regime fought unemployment and promoted foreign trade through massive public works projects, including highways, airports, stadiums, hospitals, and universities. Foreign trade grew by controlling imports and increasing exports.

1936 onwards: The Four-Year Plan

Implemented by Hermann Goering, this phase focused on economic autarky and intensive rearmament. It promoted the use of domestic resources, the creation of synthetic products, and the expansion of the war industry, while freezing wages and lengthening the working day.

However, the regime could not overcome the lack of raw materials like oil and rubber, nor food shortages. These issues were addressed by seeking Lebensraum (living space) to appropriate resources from other countries. While production increased and full employment was achieved, this economic policy was unsustainable in the long term and inevitably led to war.