StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Third Reich- Nazi Germany - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Name Date Course Section/# Totalitarianism: A Foregone Conclusion? The events surrounding the rise of Stalin in the Soviet Union and the rise of dictators like Mussolini and Hitler in Europe proved to be a defining mark of the 1930’s and early 1940’s…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.6% of users find it useful
Third Reich- Nazi Germany
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Third Reich- Nazi Germany"

Download file to see previous pages

In this way, many scholars have concluded that the regimes of Stalin and Hitler were not themselves totalitarian as much as they were merely representations of what some have termed “organized chaos”. However, such a view, although it has some merit, flies in the very face of prior and existing definitions of the term as well as the key signs that these regimes demonstrated prior to the Second World War. As such, this brief essay will attempt to chronicle some of the ways in which both of these regimes epitomized totalitarianism in every aspect of the word.

For purposes of clarity, this essay will utilize one of the prominent Soviet historians Robert Conquest’s definitions of totalitarianism. Conquest says the following, “Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever necessary (Conquest 74). As such, the all encompassing nature of the state and the level to which the state is controlling nearly every aspect of the life of the society is the predominant factor.

Naturally, when one considers the level of totalitarianism that existed within both the Soviet and National Socialist systems, it will be necessary to consider the following freedoms: economic, political, social, press, and art. As this analysis will make manifestly clear, both regimes sought outright control of nearly every aspect of these freedoms that have been enumerated upon. With respect to Nazi Germany, upon coming to power, Hitler began to seek immediate consolidation of all power that was within his grasp.

The changes were incremental as directorates were set up to oversee the administration of the press, the oversight of opposing political parties, a rigid oversight of the German economy, and even directorates that oversaw the representation of various art, architecture, and music that was to be created during the years that the Third Reich had control over the German population (Stone 50). Each of these apparatus was specifically designed to give the National Socialist party, under the leadership of Adolph Hitler, a complete and total control of the ways in which the different functions of government and society would be able to both oversee and direct the state towards ideals that would better serve the purpose of the leadership.

In this way, the reader begins to gain a better grasp of how totalitarianism was well rooted within the National Socialist Party long before the outbreak of war in 1939. As a further evidence of this, one need only look at the way that the educational system was fundamentally re-oriented to provide a means of uplifting the state, nationalism, patriotism, sacrifice, and racial pride. Moreover, the prevalence of the Hitler youth as early as 1933 presented a new face to the means by which the state not only wanted to control every aspect of politics, education, the media, property, culture, but also the minds of the youth as a function of reshaping the state into the ideal that the leadership had set before them.

Likewise, if one considers the case of the Soviet Union during this same time period, a similar story is told; however, with far bloodier undertones and consequences. Upon the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and a brief power struggle, Joseph Stalin assumed leadership of the Soviet Union up until well after the conclusion of WWII. As such, Stalin was perhaps the living embodiment of totalitarianism. To attempt to relate

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Third Reich- Nazi Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved de https://studentshare.org/history/1463561-third-reich-nazi-germany
(Third Reich- Nazi Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/history/1463561-third-reich-nazi-germany.
“Third Reich- Nazi Germany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1463561-third-reich-nazi-germany.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Third Reich- Nazi Germany

The Nazi Party Performance

THE NAZI PARTY Name ' Course Date Nazi was a political party based in germany in the period 1920-1945.... The party was created from the current far-right racist nationalist movement of and the hostile anti-communist culture, which fought against the emergency of communist revolutionaries after the First World War in germany.... Contemporary historians argue that Nazi rose as a result of: Hitler's mesmerizing skills and personality, the party's effective use of propaganda, the challenges faced by the republic of Weimar, Hitler's utilization of the Dolchstoss myth, the great depression encountered by the germany people, and their fear of communism, attracted a massive support in 1920s....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Nazi Germany in Animation Works from 40s-60s

Name: Professor: Course: Date: nazi germany in Animation works from 40s~60s Animations can be referred to as pictures displayed in rapid and sequential motion.... One of the notable cases is the racist animation used to depict nazi germany by Americans.... The paper shall also focus on the nazi germany and the manner by which the animations were depicted and were used.... Again, information of how the nazi germany brought in the same issues affecting animation studios in America shall be investigated....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

The rise and fall of Nazi Germany

The reseacher of this paper "The rise and fall of nazi germany" hightlights how Nazi Party thrived on propaganda to consolidate its support and rise to national prominence.... In effect, the rise to power in nazi germany, and the Third Reich, becomes a significant area of study since there were other parties in Germany that were competing against the Nazi Party and never reached the status of the Reich.... Before investigating how Nazis rose to power in germany, it is important to understand the person who was instrumental in the rise of the Nazi and the Third Reich to power in germany....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

Political Violence in Germany in the Lead up to Nazi Power

He spent six years covering the events, atmosphere and politics of nazi germany for audiences elsewhere in Europe.... ernt Engelmann's autobiographical memoir In Hitler's germany, written half a century after the event in 1986, serves to fill this lacuna.... hellip; In the extract in question Engelmann recounts a dramatic event he experienced when he was a school kid growing up in late Weimar germany.... Even eight months before germany came under the grip of the Third Reich there were troubling early signs of what is in store....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Mothers in Fatherland by Claudia Koonz

Claudia Koonz, a professor at Duke University, focused her research and writings on nazi germany to the role women played in the rise and reign of Hitler and his supporters.... That way a paradox arose in nazi germany, a paradox in which women supported something that will give them a second class citizen status at best.... This, de facto and de iure, was a huge step back for women of germany who were among the first in the world to be granted voting rights under the Weimar Republic....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Volkish Thinking and Nazi Policies

“This idea found many adherents, reacting to both the Napoleonic conquest of germany from 1806 to 1811 and the rationalism and scientific advances of the English and the French later in the century” (Iggers 1988).... The paper "Volkish Thinking and nazi Policies" highlights that cultural nationalism, as was the conception of Volkism, is not always a harmless attempt to learn more about one's own culture.... This discussion analyzes the influence of Volkish thought in the shaping of nazi policies beginning with a historical definition of the term 'Volk' and the reasons for its integration into German society of the 1800s....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Nazi Foreign Policy Ambition

The author of the "nazi Foreign Policy Ambition" paper examines the Aryan nazi desire to be the world's dominant power in terms of acquiring territory beyond simply Russia and Europe.... No greater example of this is the nazi's plans to ultimately invade the U.... nbsp;  Beginning in 1933, the nazi regime dramatically expanded its authority by invading other countries with its own horrific style of murder, terror, and total domination....
14 Pages (3500 words) Coursework

Catholic Churchs Response to Nazi Anti-semitism

The paper "Catholic Churchs Response to nazi Anti-semitism" states that there were Catholics, normally parishioners, nuns, and priests that helped Jews escape from the Nazis.... hellip; Although the Pope Pius remained neutral concerning nazi anti-Semitism, he did not condone Hitler's actions.... here is a distinct difference between Catholic anti-Semitism before the Nazis came to power and nazi anti-Semitism.... hen the nazi Party came to prominence, many Catholics believed what Jews believed at the time....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us