Historical Look: Rise of the Third Reich

Nazi Germany was without question the most evil government in modern history. They were the cause of two of the most devastating events of the 20th century; World War II and the Holocaust. What's most intriguing to me is not their villainous regime of racism, national pride, and war-mongering, yet how this regime was able to come to power in the first place. In this post I intend to study how Germany was able to quickly transform their entire society into such a hateful one.

I've always found the developing stages of a social movement to be the most fascinating part of history. Whether it's political, religious, or cultural these historic revolutions demonstrate a significant social transition on a massive scale. I've posted many historical studies in the past concerning these social-political transformations; such as the establishment of the Roman Empire, the United States of America, Russian Revolution, Fascist Italy, and the early spread of Christianity to name a few.

For good or for bad these historic reformations are an undeniable part of human history and I merely want to recognize them. I made this study a while back on the Rise of the Third Reich however never posted it as I considered it a touchy subject. I figured now would be a good time to post about it, as I've recently embarked on a study of German culture and history. I simply want to share some basic insight on this sensitive subject without any bias. Nazi Germany was a terrible thing, however it was perhaps one of the most influential events of the 20th century. I think it's important that we don't forget about our human history yet rather learn from it to progress onward. 

The German Revolution

After WWI, the Treaty of Versailles, put the entire blame of the war on Germany. As a result Germany was forced to disarm, make territorial concessions, and pay reparations. This caused an economic downturn and angered many German nationalists and revolutionists. he German Revolution of 1918-1919 was a politically-driven civil conflict in Germany among nationalists, communists, and the the German monarchy. It was the first major event, that led to the end of the German Empire and the formal establishment of a new democracy known as the Weimar Republic.

The Weimar Republic became a liberal democracy, led by their first president, Friedrich Ebert. for 15 years Ebert was able to sustain political revolts and uprisings and work to restore Germany's struggling economy. The period lasted from 1919 to 1933, and eventually failed for several reasons, mostly due to strong opposition. The greatest of this opposition came from a group of right-wing extremists, known as the Nazis. They were led by Adolf Hitler. 

The Nazi Party

The Nazi Party was a far-right political ideology that was established by German nationalists. These members were mostly frustrated with the Treaty of Versailles and wanted to return their country to it's own destiny. It was formed by Anton Drexler in 1918 as the National German Worker’s Party. The basic agenda of the Party was;

• Fascism Ideology (Nationalized Socialism)
• Anti-Capitalism, Anti-Communism
• German Cultural Pride; considered themselves the Master Aryan Race
• Opposition to the Treaty of Versailles
• Antisemitic
• Anti-Monarchist

The Beer Hall Putsh

By 1923, Adolf Hitler had become head of the Nazi Party and lead an attempt to overthrow the government known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The coup was unsuccessful and Hitler was sent to jail for a year. While in prison he wrote his fascist manifesto known as Mein Kampf.  The manifesto mostly blamed Jews for all of Germany's problems. Once he was out of prison, Hitler began a political campaign with his Nazi party. He was known for his passionate speaking that quickly gained the public's attention. He promised to regain power, save the German economy, overturn the Treaty of Versailles, and restore German pride. By 1932 he was elected as chancellor to President Hindenburg and finally in the driver's seat of total reformation. 

The Reichstag Fire

On Feb, 27th of 1933, there was a major fire at the Reichstag parliament building which became a pivotal event for the establishment of Nazi-Germany. The fire was reported as an act of terrorism initiated by Communists. However this was a controversial event, and many speculate that it was a Nazi staged event in order to further their political strength. It granted Hitler more power to purge any political dissidents. The Reichstag Fire was seen as the ultimate attack against Germany, and used as a rallying cry to unite Germans and vilify communists. 

In 1934, Hitler gained full control of the army through the Night of the Long Knives, which was a purge of political opponents. He managed to kill many political opponents, including the leaders of the SA (storm-troopers). Following this purge, Hitler was able to unite the SA with the SS (shield squadron) and thus establish a greater German Army.

Establishment of the Third Reich

A month after the Night of Long Knives President Hindenburg had died, and Hitler became dictator of the newly established totalitarian regime. Germany thus became known as the “Third Reich”  as a historical reference to the Holy Roman Empire, and the German Empire.  From 1933-1939 the Nazis began to rebuild their economy and government structure. 

The Nazis were ale to unite their country in a rapid time frame due to their iron fist control. They were able to gain support through fear and heavy propaganda. Joesph Goebbels headed up the propaganda machine using big events, such as the Nuremburg Rally or the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify Germany's new government. Wilhelm Frick was put in charge of education, with an emphasize the shape young German minds. 

Another key ingredient for this quick rise to power was Hitler's secret police force known as the Gestapo. It was headed up by Henrich Himmler who also lated commanded the SS armed forces. This gestapo was crucial in establishing civilian loyalty and eliminating those who were opposed. They infiltrated the streets and would not hesitate to spy, injure, arrest, or kill any dissidents to the Fuhrer.

Antisemitism

Jews were especially despised within the new German regime, and led to blatant racism. From the beginning of it's establishment, the Nazi regime began passing laws that restricted Jewish rights. Jews were eventually cleared from the streets, stripped of their citizenship, and banned from Germany. On The Night of the Broken Glass, Germans deported nearly 30,000 Jews to concentration camps. This marked the beginning of the Jewish-Eradication and the prelude to the Holocaust.

In 1935 the Nurmeburg Laws were passed which limited many of the Jew's basic human rights. After the Kristallnacht of 1938 Jews were deported out of Germany and into ghettos and labor camps. The Warsaw Ghetto in occupied-Poland, was one of the largest of these Jewish ghettos (Warsaw Ghetto). At the start of World War II these concentration camps were used primary as forced labor for the Nazi war effort. Executions were quite common early on for workers who were disloyal or inefficient.

By 1943 as the Nazi's began to lose initiative in the war, Hitler declared a Final Solution to completely eliminate all Jews. This was carried forth through firing squads and gas chambers. By the end of 1945 nearly 6 million Jews had been exterminated by the Nazi Germans. This terrible human atrocity was one of the darkest events in human history and demonstrates the evil that was the Nazi Regime.