Rise+of+the+Nazis

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The Rise of the Nazi Party
In the atmosphere that existed in Germany at that time, extreme parties began to gain popularity. They seemed to be the only ones offering a clear message and strong leadership. The Communists wanted to make Germany more like Russia. The fascists, or Nazis, on the other hand, supported dictatorship and an economy dominated by large corporations. They were also racist, and admired certain so-called "pure" races. Their leader was Adolf Hitler.

Hitler exploited people's bitterness over unemployment, poverty, and the Treaty of Versailles. He told the German people he had a plan to make Germany a great nation again. His plan included the following items.

- He would stop paying the reparations to other nations.

- He would invest in Germany's industries to create growth.

- He would build up Germany's military forces.

- He would end unemployment.

Hitler also used "scapegoats" to attract followers. This means that he blamed groups of people for Germany's problems. He blamed communists, the Roma, trade unionists and of course, the Jews. The key to this type of politics is to offer simple solutions that appeal to the worst of people's nature. Watch this video for more on this... media type="youtube" key="crfnezpitm0" height="390" width="480"

It was a powerful message. Even Martin Niemoeller was impressed. In his 1933 autobiography he looked forward to a "National Revival" that he hoped Hitler would bring about. Niemoeller would later regret this statement.

Just before the election of 1933, the German Parliament Buildings burned down. Many historians believe that the Nazis themselves set the fire, but Hitler blamed the Communists - a tactic designed to scare people into voting for the Nazis.

Hitler also enlisted his supporters in the Storm Troopers to threaten voters with violence if they did not openly support the Nazi Party. Not surprisingly, the Nazis won the most seats in the German Parliament, and Adolf Hitler became Chancellor.

Once in office, Hitler asked Parliament for special powers to deal with the "enemies of Germany" who he claimed were trying to destroy the government. He pointed to the burning of the Parliament Buildings as proof that the threat was real.

As soon as Parliament had granted him these powers, he abolished the Parliament Hitler would now rule as a dictator. He called himself the Führer (or leader) and his word was law. Anyone who opposed him would be imprisoned, tortured, or murdered.

 Propaganda
 Hitler and his chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels were masters of propaganda. They used film, radio and newspapers to get their message out. The newspapers were afraid of being on the wrong side of Hitler and so they constantly wrote things that were favourable to the Nazis. This is always a dangerous situation and it has happened in other countries since then, most notably in the United States in the early years of the 2000's when the US invaded Iraq. The press sided with the US government in almost every instance. This made it easier for the government to convince it's citizens to go to war, even when there was little or no reason to do so.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> There is a famous quote by Goebbels that is quite frightening. It is, "repeat a lie often enough, and people will believe it". THIS is how the Nazis convinced the people of Germany. The press constantly lied to the people, on behalf of the Nazis. The people wanted a strong leader, to make their problems go away, so they didn't do the THINKING necessary to be good citizens. Citizens who do whatever the government says without thinking about whether it is right or wrong, are not good citizens.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Did You Know? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The Nazis never won a majority of seats in any election. But in 1933 they won a plurality - that is, they had more seats than any other party. The other parties were too disorganized to form an alliance against the Nazis. If they had, history might have taken a very different course. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: normal;">Questions

<span style="background-color: #e3e3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">1. What aspect of Hitler's plan do you think Germans would have found most appealing before his election? Why?

<span style="background-color: #e3e3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">2. Imagine the press in Germany had stood up to Hitler and not printed the disgusting views of the Nazis. Do you think Hitler would have still been successful at gaining control of Germany? Why or why not?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Hitler's Economic and Social Policies, 1933 to 1938
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">At first, Hitler focused on building up Germany's economy and reducing unemployment. Like other Western nations, Germany began a huge program of public works - projects paid for by the government, such as road building and the installation of water and sewer pipes. Hitler also authorized the production of an affordable volkswagen or "people's car," for ordinary working families.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Hitler created hundreds of thousands more jobs when he began to build up the German military. The buildup was above the levels allowed by the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler claimed that Germany had to protect itself against the Communists, and especially the Soviet Union, if it should attack.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">At the same time, Hitler began to reduce people's civil liberties. (Civil liberties are the rights of people to do, say, and act as they please in society, as long as they're not breaking any laws or hurting other people.) Trade unions were banned, newspapers had to support Nazi policies, and teachers were expected to tell their classes how wonderful Hitler was. Books that did not conform to Nazi views were burned in huge bonfires. Hitler, with the press, convinced the public that they needed to give up their liberties in order to be safe. This, of course, was a lie.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">Questions
<span style="background-color: #e3e3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">3. Identify two things that Hitler did to help the German economy after he came to power. Explain how these actions would have helped Germany's financial recovery.

<span style="background-color: #e3e3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">4. What do you think would happen if a Canadian leader today tried to reduce people's civil liberties the way Hitler did <span style="font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Verdana; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px;">?