Christie35 said:
Question for whoever wants to join in:
To what extent was Germany a totalitarian state in the period 1939 - 1945?
Between the period 1933 and 1945, Germany was, to a certain extent, a totalitian state. A totalitarian state is where there is one supreme ruler or dictator, who leads a one party state. In a totalitarian state, the dictator has an ideology, or a complex interpretation of how society should operate. Germany was a terror state, as it had the SS, the Gestapo and the concentration camps. There was also control over mass media though censorship and propaganda. Hitler also was able to control the economy, however it is questionable as Germany was still a capitalist society with cartels, and many historians have argued that Germany between the 1933 and 1945, was not a totalitarian state entirely, as it appeared to have followed a polycratic system, and had a tradition of following authority anyway.
On the onset of the Depression, Hitler was elected Chancellor and turned Weimar Germany into a totalitian state. Through the Enabling Act, he gained unlimited powers and after he had the Emergency Act passed, he was able to pass laws by decree without the support of the Reichstage or the President's signature on future Acts before they became Laws.
Between 1933 and 1945, Germany had one supreme ruler, and dictator. This occured after the death of Hindenburg, when Hitler combined both Chancellorship and Presidency into Fuhreship, thus buiding on his totalitarian state, As supreme ruler of Germany, Hitler was able to impose his own idealogies as to how he believed society should operate. With the establishment of the SS, the Gestapo and the concentration camps, Hitler, as supreme ruler was able to create a terror state.
In a totalitarian stare, the dictator would impose their own idealogies on the people. In Germany, Hitler was able to impose his ideologies throught the use of propaganda and censorship, and thus had control of mass media. As he was not academic, he thought little of intellectuals, and only saw education as indoctrination. He had Nazi youth groups set up for the emergence of what he considered to the master race: the Aryans.
With Hitler's complicated interpretation as to how society should operate, and his racial policies, Hitler believed education should indoctrinate his ideologies into the minds of the emerging master race. As he desregarded intellectual thought, he established the SS and the Gestapo to monitor the lives of ordinary citizens. Anyone who spoke out against the regime would be sent to concentration camps, thus creating a terror state. With his ideology of the creation of the master race, anyone else who he believed was not suited to be part of his master race such as the Jews in particular, were sent to concentration camps. This further emphasised Hitler's totalitian and terror state.
After the death of Hindenburg, Hitler took control of the armed forces, by making them take the oath of alligence. Upon taking this oath, Hitler ensured absolute obedience from the army, and the consequence of desertion was death. The army thus took as oath of absolute obedience which further enhanced Germany's totalitarianism between the period 1933 and 1945.
As supreme ruler, Hitler was able to control social life, however as ruler, his authority over every aspect of German life: work and leisure were controlled by smaller rulers: Himmler-leader of the SS, Speer- Hitler's favourite architect, Goebbels- master of propaganda and Bormann- Hitler's right-hand man. Each of these individuals had control over a certain aspect of German life, such as ensuring a terror, totalitian state through the use of the SS and the Gestapo, media and education through the use of propaganda and censorship, labour and industry, religious and secular life and other aspects of social and leisure were controlled by different individuals.
Many historians such as Gerhard Schulz in the mid sixties claimed that Germany was more like a polycracy, rather than a totalitarian state. He said that Germany had internal divisions, that struggled to acquire power. This meant that the government was not tightly disciplined and hence caused choas within the leadership group.
Another historian who rejected the idea of Germany's totalitianism as a terror state was Eric Johnson. He described the Nazi regime as a 'police state'. He said: "The key to understanding Nazi terror is its selective nature". Basically, the Nazi regime targeted and romoved anyone deemed unfit to be part of the master race. So thus, the Nazis took advantage of the people's willingness and tradition of submitting to higher authority.
In conclusion, Germany was, to a certain extent, a totaliarian state between the period 1933 and 1945. Evidence to suggest that this is so was the Enabling Act, and Hitler's Emergency Act, Hitler being Germany's one supreme ruler, his indoctrination of ideologies and his absolute control of the armed forces and every aspect of German life by means of propaganda and censorship and so was able to enhance this totalitarianism by setting up a terror state. On the other hand, many historians have argued that the Nazi regime was closer to a polycratic system, rather than a totalitarian state, and that Germany's nazi regime between the period 1933 and 1945 had a 'selective nature' and took advantage of the people's tradition of submitting to authority, thus allowing for contentment anyway, regardless of Hitler being an autocrat and supreme ruler.
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Have I answered the question?
. If not, then Im impressed lol