Nazi Ideology in 1933

What did Nazism stand for?

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you should:

• Be able to explain the difference between ideology, policy and propaganda

• Understand what Hitler’s ideas were and where they came from

• Have decided if you think Hitler had a coherent ideology or not

‘Ideology’

• What is an ‘ideology’?

• A doctrine. An ambition. An optimum goal. Idealistic.

• A unifying system of beliefs belonging to an individual group.

• An organised and coherent collection of ideas.

Policy and propaganda

• 1) How would you define ‘policy’ and ‘propaganda’?

• 2) How are ‘ideology’, ‘policy’ and ‘propaganda’ linked?

• Policy – implementation, realistic, road map.

• Propaganda – distortion of facts to suit a certain purpose.

• Differences and links?

Nazi Ideology• How as historians can we find out what Nazi

ideology was?

• Mein Kampf (My Struggle) – Hitler’s autobiography, dictated to Rudolf Hess while in Landsberg prison

• Published over two volumes and released in 1925 and 1926 (in all good book shops and a few rubbish ones too)

• Considered a vital source for understanding Hitler’s mind and beliefs (Nazi Ideology or ‘Weltanschauung’ world view)

• However, others feel the 750 pages of confused, inaccurate and repetitive highlight that Nazi ideology was not a system of well defined principles but rather a glorification of prejudice and myth

Mein Kampf

P.13 -15 (McDonough)

•1) Race•2) Volksgemeinschaft•3) Nazi state – Authoritarianism and Social Darwinism•4) Socialism•5) Anti-Semitism•6) Foreign PolicyIn groups of 6, write notes on one of

these areas – you will feedback to each other to complete a full set of notes

Where did these ideas come from?

• Race

• Hitler’s racial ideas were not new and drew upon C19th race theories.

• The existence of an Aryan race was a myth and only existed in the writings of theorists who described the Scandinavian and Northern people Nordic.

• The writings of Gobineau – French racial theorist saw humankind in a process of decline. Racial mixture would lead to the ruin of the Aryan race (finest branch).

• Houston Stewart Chamberlain – British born writer who saw race at the centre of historical development and the Jews as an alien people.

Where did these ideas come from?

• Anti-Semitism

• Hitler certainly was not the first person to be openly hostile to the Jewish community.

• Hatred, discrimination and violence can be dated back many centuries and in a large number of countries (German Crusade 1069, Expulsion of Jews from England by Edward 1 in 1290).

• In 1879, German journalist Wilhelm Marr originated the term antisemitism, denoting the hatred of Jews.

• The nineteenth century ‘voelkisch movement’ made up of German philosophers, scholars, and artists who viewed the Jewish spirit as alien to Germandom -- shaped a notion of the Jew as "non-German”.

• Karl Haushofer who was among a group of academics at Munich University would be one such example.

Where did these ideas come from?

• Authoritarian, aggressive and crude Social Darwinist philosophy

• Formed from German philosophers such as Hegel, Treitschke and Nietzsche who stressed the importance of force, state supremacy and the necessity of war.

• Idea of Germany as militarist, anti-liberal and anti-democratic was a longing to the days of Prussian dominance and the unification of Germany in 1871.

To describe Hitler’s thinking as an ideology is to flatter it. Discuss

• The schools of thought:

• William Shirer – ‘a grotesque hodgepodge concocted by a half baked, uneducated neurotic’.

• Vague and mystical. It was not a system of well defined principles rather a glorification of prejudice and myth.

• Or

• Alan Bullock – consistent in adhering to ideas and conceptions.

• Coherent and well defined framework of ambitions.