Nazi Party Origins, and Political Thought.
Nazism was a political movement that developed in Germany during the 1920's. The Nazis, lead by Adolf Hitler, controlled Germany's government between 1933 and 1945. Nazism was a fascist movement, which restricted personal freedom, and targetted the Jews, and other minority groups. Nazism opposed democracy, socialism, communism, and other systems that favoured equality. Hitler promised to build a harmonious, orderly, and powerful Germany, but instead, he brought war, and mass murder. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria. He was the fourth child of the third marriage of Alois Hitler. His mother, Klara, was a farmers daughter. He left school at 16, two and a half years after his fathers death, and wanted to study art. However he was rejected entry of the Acadamy of fine arts twice. Hitler lived in Vienna for five years, where he soon considered himself an artist. He admired the leadership of the Social Democratic Party, and was soon influenced by the Viennese nationalistic tendancies. Sexuality was a charactoristic of Viennese anti-semitism.
"The black haired Jewish youth lies in wait for hours on end, satanically galring at and spying on the unsuspicious girl, whom he plans to seduce, adulterating her blood and removing her from the bosom of her own people. The Jews are responsible for bastardising the white race." ( - ibid, p273 )
In all the pages in his book "Mein Kampf", that Hitler devotes to the jews, he does not bring forward a single fact to support his accusations. Infact, Alan Bullock states that "To read these pages is to enter into the world of the insane" The origins of Hitler`s ideas on race lie in the theories and writings of earlier authors such as Gobineau and Houston Chamberlain. Their works concentrated on the biological struggle between races. They advocate the superiority of the Aryans as the one truely civilised race, and that the mission of the German people should be to strengthen the Teutons, (the purest form of the Aryan race) and to rule over inferiour races. They also go as far to say that the Jews were a `counter race`, who aimed to destroy the Aryans by intermarring and polluting their blood From a relatively early age, Hitler was interested in the military. In 1913 he applied to join the Autrian army, but it called for a physical examination, and was found unfit for service. Hitler`s Austrian origins had clearly influenced him significantly. The Incorporation of Austria within the German Reich was one of his key philosophies, and indeed he carried out this promise in 1938
"I believe that it was God's will to send a boy from here into the Reich, to let him grow up and to raise him to be leader of the nation so that he could lead back his homeland into the Reich." - Hitler`s speech in Vienna, April 9, 1938
In 1914, with the outbreak of the first world war, Hitler applied to the German army, and was accepted. He served on the western front for the majority of the war, and was wounded twice. Hitler was wounded, and in a military hospital when Germany surrendered in 1918. He was deeply shaken by the news of the armistice, and believed that the unity of the German nation was threatened, and that he must rise and save Germany. HItler new he must become increasingly involved in politics to employ his philosophy over the whole country, and to forfill his dreams and ambitions for Germany. In 1919, Hitler began to attend small meatings of a small newly formed nationalist group called the German Workers Party. This party had a membership of about 25. He soon joined the party, became it`s leader, and changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party. This group called for the complete union of all the German peoples, including the Austrians. They also called for the cancellation of the treaty of Versaille. The main theorists of national socialism included General Karl Haushofer, a German geographer who had significant influence over German Foreign affairs, and Alfred Rosenberg, who was responsible for the early Nazi philosophy. The movement of National Socialism, soon became known as Nazism. Hitler was an excellent Orator, and soon built up the party's membership, mainly helped by his ability to stir crowds. Hitler attacked the government, and declared that the newly renamed Nazi Party would restore the economy, assure work for all, and lead Germany to greatness again. Hitler also organised a private army he called storm troopers. The troopers, under the emblem of the Swastika, fought the armies of the communists, democratic socialists, and those who tried to break up Nazi rallies. National Socialism was in many respects similar to Italian Fascism, however the roots were significantly different with Prussian military authoritarianism being a major Nazi influence. In 1923, Hitler established the newspaper Volkischer Beobachter (Racial Observer) which was the official party dailer paper. Also in 1923, Germany was in grave trouble, France and Belgium were in occupation of the Ruhr district, strikes were commonplace, and the economy was under considerable strain. Hitler saw an opportunity to overthrough both the Bavarian and national government. On November 8 1923, at a rally in Munich, Hitler proclaimed a Nazi revolution. The next day he tried to seize the Bavarian government, in what became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler lead over 2,000 storm troopers on a march against the government, but government police openned fire, and stopped the procession killing 16.
The plot had failed and HItler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. He was released nine months later in December 1924. The national government had implimented a ban over the Nazi party, and many supporters had drifted to other groups. Hitler finally convinced the government that his party was act legally and the ban was lifted. Hitler began to make friends, and new supporters in small towns, labour unions, farmers and businessmen. By 1929, Hitler had set up another party guard, The Schutzstaffel, more commonly known as the SS. By 1929, although not gaining substancial voter support, they had won 12 seats in the Reichstag, and were an emerging important minority power. Between 1928 and 1929, Hitler had begun to assemble the Nazi Pary ellite. Those selected were those that had helped hitler to rise in the Nazi party. Those included Joseph Goebbels, the cheif Nazi propagandist, Herman Goering, Hitler`s second in command, Rudolf Hess, Hitler`s private secretary, Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS, Ernst Rohm, cheif of the SA, and Alfred Rosenberg, the party philosopher.
"For modern society, a colossus with feet of clay, we shall create an unprecedented centralization which will unite all powers in the hands of the government we shall create a heirarchical constitution, which will mechanically govern all movements of inderviduals."
The above quote is point 25 from the Nazi Party's 25 point constitution, which conveys the Party's political thought and aims.