MR SPENCE HISTORY
Authoritarian States:
Hitler's Germany
Key Content​
-
The path to power
-
Consolidation of power
-
Opposition to Nazi rule
-
Aims and impacts of Nazi policies.
As with Mao's China, the disastrous economic policies of the Nazi regime should have been terminal for the regime. From 1933, Hitler and his acolytes pushed forward an increasingly reckless agenda that prioritised military spending at the expense of every other societal aspect. The result was international isolation, extreme debt and lowered living standards for the general population. As well as outlining the Nazis' disastrous economic management, you also need to examine two supposed bright spots of their rule, the reduced unemployment and transformation of the auto industry. In both cases, you will see some major caveats to the claims of Nazi success.
​
The Nazis had limited success in achieving their goals through their social policies. Despite the propaganda emphasis on the physical fitness embedded into the population by the regime, actual results were mixed. Having inherited an effective health system on just about every measure, German public wellness declined under Nazi rule. The Nazification of schools was successfully achieved, but the resulting decline in academic standards hampered the country economically and militarily. Hitler Youth was initially popular and increased party loyalty by driving a wedge between teenagers and their parents. However, the novelty had worn off by the 1940s, and the ill-discipline inculcated into members led to a breakdown in social order. As with Mao, you can discuss minorities and women in this question. You do have enough material on health and education to focus on these areas.
​
The standard view onNazi culture is that Hitler, with Propaganda Minister Goebbels, controlled all artistic creation and established rigid guidelines to make room for their own kind of culture.’ Having purged the arts of the democratic ethos of Weimar modernism, the Nazis exploited them to serve propaganda, crafting art, novels and movies that were mediocre in quality and yet awesomely powerful in their ability to spread lies, misinformation and Nazi ideology. You will need to explain how they used cinema, literature, theatre and music to achieve their aims. Still, many of the modernist art and music that Hitler despised remained, even if it was driven underground. The infighting and confusion that characterisedthe regime’s policy-making meant it was never possible to define ‘Nazi’ music, art or architecture. Propaganda also has to be viewed to be effective, and Goebbels had to ensure his films were entertaining enough to attract an audience and turn a profit.
​
Domestic Policies
The role of women within Nazi Germany lends itself to treatment in an IB essay. The major debate is whether women should be seen as victims or collaborators with the regime. On this topic there is a sharp divide. Some historians see the manifest discrimination, narrow gender roles, and exclusion from political power as evidence of female suffering under the regime. Others counter by emphasising the greater female support for the regime. They also demonstrate that few Nazi goals regulating female behaviour were realised, and through Nazi organisations, women exercised greater influence than they had during the Weimar years. Ultimately, the experiences of women in Nazi Germany were too disparate to allow a meaningful generalisation about the female experience under Nazi control. Still, you will have to attempt to make an argument about the overall impact that the Nazi's had.
​
​Unlike the Nazi policies towards women, there is no debate about the impact of the policies aimed at Germany's minorities. The Nazi regime targeted groups such as Jews, Romani people, homosexuals, and people with disabilities, among others. These groups were subjected to discrimination, persecution, and ultimately, genocide. The Nazis implemented policies that stripped minorities of their rights, property, and even their lives. In an IB essay, be sure to note that there is no credible perspective other than the Nazis committed previously unthinkable atrocities in pursuit on pseudo-Scientific notions of a Volksgemeinschaft. As Germany's Jews were the numerically largest persecuted group, many students dwell on their suffering and run out of space, to mention the other Nazi victims. Your focus has to be on Germany. As horrific as the death camps were, Germany's Jewish population in 1939 was just over a third of what it had been in 1933, so your focus should be on the development of the persecution. Eastern Europe's Jews, who suffered in proportionally greater numbers, are not part of Hitler's authoritarian state. There is no need for a comparison between the different groups of victims. It is however important to acknowledge the suffering of each in your essay.​​​​
​
​
Women and Minorities
Defining the extent of Hitler's authoritarianism is difficult.
-
Writing at the turn of the century, Ian Kershaw estimated that there were over 55,000 academic works on the Nazi regime.
-
It is also easy to become distracted by academic debates on the characteristics of totalatarian vs authoritarian control.
-
Hitler's vision for Germany was clear, but achieving it was the job of others.
-
Adjudging the Nazis as holding complete authoritarian control removes the culpability of those who willingly perpetrated crimes in their name.
​
There is no doubt that Hitler was lazy. His chief architect, and later Minister of Munitions, Albert Speer remembered:
"I would often ask myself did he really work? Little was left of the day; he rose late in the morning and conducted one or two official conferences; but from the subsequent dinner on he more or less wasted his time until the early hours of the evening. His rare appointments in the late afternoon were imperilled by his position for looking at building plans. The adjutant often asked me: "please don't show any plans today."
​​Hitler's disinterest in governance led to accusations that he was a 'weak dictator,' and his underlings effectively ran Germany between 1933 and 1945. Those who advocate this point of view are called structuralists. Those that put Hitler at the centre of events are structuralists. Recently structuralists have fallen from favour, but most academics accept their views that Nazi Germany was chaotic and poorly governed.
​
Ultimately, Hitler's greatest strength was his charisma and his ability to personify the German people's resentment and insecurity about their national identity. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Hitler disappeared from public view as he devoted his attention to the Wehrmacht. Devoid of a talisman, the daily life for most in Nazi Germany became indistinguishable from other military dictatorships run by thick gauleiters promoted for their willingness to obey orders unquestionably.
​
How Authoritarian was Hitler's Regime?
Potential IA Questions
How far did the Japanese public support the Meiji reforms?
How far was the Tonghak rebellion the reason for the First Sino Japanese War?
How far was technology responsible for the Japanese victory in the First Sino Japanese War?
How far did Japan benefit from the Treaty of Shimonoseki?
How far did the First Sino Japanese War increase nationalism in Japan/China?
Who murdered Empress Myeongsong?
Why was the 1913 Alien Land Act passed?
 Why did Japan sign the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance?
 How responsible was Admiral Rozhestvensky for the defeat at Tsushima?
 How successful was the Japanese Army in the Russo Japanese War?
How beneficial was the Treaty of Portsmouth for Japan?
How beneficial was the 1910 annexation of Korea?
Why did Japan join the First World War?
How successful was the Japanese campaign at Tsingtao?
Why did Japan not send troops to Europe in the First World?
How important was Japan's contribution to the First World War?
How far did the Renaissance improve the lives for the women of Milan?
Why did Japan issue the 21 Demands in 1915?
How far were Japan's 21 Demands a foreign policy misstep?
How far did Japan benefit from the Paris Peace Conference?
Why did the League of Nations not adopt the Racial Equality clause?
How deep was the Japanese anger at the rejection of the Racial Equality clause?
Why significant was the Washington Naval Conference in promoting disarmament?
How successful was the Washington Naval Conference for Japan?
How representative was the Japanese government in the 1920s?
How extensive was cannibalism during the Great Famine?
How far were foreign commitments responsible for the Great Famine?
How far did natural disasters contribute to the Great Famine?
How far did the CCP overestimate their food reserves in 1958?
How effective was the Socialist High Tide?
How successful was the First Five Year Plan?
​
How far were the Nazis responsible for falling unemployment in the 1930s?
How successful was the Nazi autobahn construction?
How successful were the Nazis in creating Autarky?
How supportive was big business of the Nazis?
How far had living standards declined in Germany by 1939?
unpopular was the Hitler Youth by 1945?
How far had educational standards declined in Germany by 1939?
How far did the Nazis ferment generational conflict?
How beneficial were Nazi health policies between 1933 and 1939?
How effective were the Nazi's tobacco and alcohol campaigns?
How militarily beneficial was the Nazi emphasis on physical education?
How far was the German medical profession Nazified?
How disastrous was the 'degenerate' art exhibition for the Nazi regime?
How far did the Nazis remove Weimar-style architecture from Germany?
How far did Hitler achieve his architectural dreams for Berlin?
How successful were the Nazis in removing jazz from Germany?
How far were the Nazi book burnings a spontaneous event?
How far did Leni Reifenstahl subscribe to Nazi views?
How popular were the propaganda films of the Third Reich?
How unpopular were Nazi policies towards the 'hereditary ill'?
How far were racial policies applied to Germany’s prison population?
How severe was the persecution of the children of French colonial soldiers?
Why were the Sorbs and Wends treated comparatively better than other minorities in Nazi Germany?
How enthusiastically did the Nazis pursue their Madagascar Plan for Germany's Jews?
How popular were the Nuremberg Laws?
How extensive was the persecution of the Sinti and Roma in the Weimar Republic?
How successful were Nazi pro-natalist policies?
How successful was the 1934 Marriage Law?
Should women be seen as victims of the Nazi regime?
How far were economic factors the reason for female support of the Nazis in 1932-1933?
How far were Nazi beliefs on female beauty realised?
How far did the Nazis control the German civil service by 1939?
How far had Nazism left Germany by the end of 1945?
How popular were the Nuremberg Laws with the German public?
How far did the Nazis reorganise the German government?
How extensive were the Gestapo's powers in Germany?