Political Study: Nazism

So now moving to the crux of far-right politics, is the branch of fascism known as Nazism. While Italy can be regarded as the fathers of fascism, it was Nazi Germany who turned it into a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the 1920s-1930s, Adolf Hitler established this new form of political ideology that was an offshoot of fascism. While his vision would still have the same totalitarian structure, the key difference between Italian fascism and Nazism would be the racial component. One of the major driving forces of the Nazi ideology was it's belief in a master Aryan race. Furthermore it considered other races, most notably Jews and Slavs to be sub-humans which drove many of their genocide atrocities. 

I want to dive into all the unique components of this ideology purely from an academic stance. Once again what especially interests me is how this ideology quickly caught on and completely transformed an entire nation. Furthermore the nation of Nazi Germany actually thrived economically for a brief period during the 1930s. They hosted the Olympics in 1936 and in 1938 they were the 3rd largest economy in the world behind the United States and the Soviet Union. Of course this was all short-lived after they declared war on all of Europe and began mass genocides. 

I think first it's important to establish the roots of this ideology. This notion of German nationalism, Aryan superiority, and antisemitism did not start with Hitler. It was actually present during the German Empire of 1871-1918 under Kaiser Wilhelm II who established a thriving authoritarian/militarized state. The hostility towards the Jews was widespread throughout Europe, thru much of history. This extreme hateful ideology really caught fire after Germany's defeat in WWI. Germany was faced with heavy repercussions for instigating the war which caused much political resentment. So it's fair to say while the roots were there, the movement of Nazism did not properly get started until after WWI. 

German Nationalism

The driving force of a fascist regime is the empowerment and expansion of the nation. In the case of Nazism it started back in the mid 1800s, with the notion of Pan-Germanism. This eventually led to the German Revolution of 1848 by the German Confederation. They sought to re-unite all German states throughout Europe into one national identity. This included all nations with German heritage such as Belgium, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and the Baltic States. The basis of this ideal came from the Holy Roman Empire that ruled much of central Europe during the middle ages, which the Nazis considered the 1st Reich. 

The ideals of the German Revolution eventually took hold by the 1870s when Germany re-established itself as a world super-power under Otto von Bismark. This vision became reality with the Unification of Germany in 1876, where Prussia became a part of the German Empire. This quickly became a booming nation of industry, technology, and military that was beginning to reshape the world balance of power. This is why the Nazis consider it the 2nd Reich. However the German Empire did display some warning signs of aggressive foreign policy seeking to expand their territory. It was due to this ambitious desire to be a world power, that WWI broke out, and Germany received much of the blame. 

The notion of Pan-Germanism once again became a patriotic rally cry for Germans after the devastating Treaty of Versailles, 1919. Much of it's territory was pealed back as a consequence for losing WWI (such as parts of France, Denmark, Poland, and Lithuania). The Austria-Hungarian empire was also split up as a result of the war which led to a German leaning Austria. This further strengthened the cause of pan-Germanism to reunify the central lands into a Greater Germany. This was essentially the driving force of the Nazis who sought to restore a new powerful nation in central Europe with German pride. 

The Nazis saw this form of proud nationalism as a way to unite the people into a superior race and weed out the ethnic races. This concept was known as the Volksgemeinschaft "National Community" which sought to eliminate any class struggle. Everyone is expected to do their duty and work together harmoniously for the good of the nation. While it likely came off as a radical revolutionary ideal, it was more so a conservative movement to restore Germany back to it's roots. The Nazis intended to first strengthen their nation from within and then expand eastward to establish a new powerful empire known as the Third Reich 

Racial Superiority

One of the defining features of Nazi rhetoric was their hateful racial theory, which consider the Aryan race superior to all. This form of scientific race theory became prevalent during the mid 1800s following Darwin's theory of evolution. Theorists such as Arthur de Gobineau, Houston Chamberlain, and Hans FK Gunther developed the earliest model of a racial hierarchy which would later influence Hitler and the Nazis. These theorists considered the white races of Aryan or Nordic descent to be superior to everyone else. This gave way to the Volkisch Movement in Germany by the early 1900s which sought to cleanse the nation of foreign races.

The slogan of the Volkisch Movement was "blood and soil", a desire to return to their native German roots. The Nazis eventually incorporated these ideals into their greater scheme of racial superiority for Germany. They felt the white race was a superior master race over darker-toned, eastern, Asian, Romani, Slavs, and especially Jewish races. They also considered homosexuals, disabled people, and any political opponents as inferior. However this theory was full of contradictions as most Slavs, Jews, and eastern people were still white. Furthermore they welcomed darker-toned ethnic groups such as the Italians, Greeks, and Japanese into their master race (simply because of their political alliance). This notion of racial superiority became the backbone of Nazi ideology and especially the catalyst for their antisemitic agenda.     

Antisemitism

The discrimination towards the Jewish people has been around since the biblical age, and has seen many terrible instances throughout the history. In ancient history they were persecuted by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The earliest pogroms occurred in Alexandria, Egypt from 38-117 BC due to political tensions with the Romans. The Jewish revolt of 70 AD, caused the destruction of the second temple by the Romans and the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora. The Christians then took a harsh stance against Judaism by declaring them responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. This notion became the backbone of the Christian inquisitions throughout the middle ages. 

Germany likely established it's antisemitic roots from the protestant reformist Martin Luther and his harsh antisemitic writing, On the Jews and Their Lies (1543). Antisemitism really began to escalate in the 20th century beginning with Russian Pogroms which blamed Jews for the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published in 1903 as a false document that revealed a Jewish conspiracy for world domination. Also new racial theories began to emerge throughout the later 1800s which considered the Jews as an inferior race based on their biological genetics. 

This fervor especially took off throughout Germany after WWI, when the nation needed a scapegoat. New far-right movements and societies began to accuse the Jews as the primary cause to their defeat in WWI. They considered the Jews as enemies of the state for their selfish greed, moral corruption, and sympathy towards Communism. This racial rhetoric became the backbone of the Nazi Party which sought to identify themselves as the pure Aryan race of Germany that intended to clear out the ethnic assimilation, primarily the Jews. Once Hitler took power in 1933, new harsh laws were passed to persecute the Jews. They were eventually moved into ghettos and then tragically deported to concentration and extermination camps during the Holocaust. 

Anti-communism

The Nazis disliked the free market system of capitalism which enabled global trade more then nationalized trade. However they still sought to empower the wealthy, thru separate classes that all contributed to the nation. Therefore they perceived the notion of a class struggle to be very damaging to the nation, and thus detested the practice of communism. This Marxist ideal sought to spread it's ideology globally across Europe and into America (whereas the Nazis saw their Fascist society as strictly for the nation of Germany). Ultimately communism is seen as an enlightened liberal ideal of revolution while Fascism was seen as a conservative restoration of old tradition and order. 

Furthermore the Communist revolution was often associated with anarchy and what were deemed as "Jewish" immoral principles. Afterall one of the key leading figures of the Russian Bolshevik Party, Leon Trotsky, was Jewish. This was a big reason the Nazis felt the Jews associated with Communism and sought to sabotage their nation internally. From 1918-1919 German underwent various failed Communist revolutions and uprisings which enhanced the anti-communist rhetoric. During the Nazis rise to power they used their paramilitary to purge Communist leaders thru political violence. In 1933 Hitler was able to coordinate his final blow against the German-Communist party by blaming them for the Reichstag Fire. With the arrest of nearly 4000 Communist officials, Hitler was able to officially establish his dictatorship. The propaganda of anti-communism and antisemitism continued to be fed to the public as an incentive to later invade the Soviet Union.       

The Fuhrer Principle

Similar to Fascist Italy or Communist Russia, Nazi Germany established a totalitarian government where there was one sole leader (almost like a king or a shogun). This sole leader, known as a dictator, had absolute authority over all components of the government. Hitler was seen as the "Fuhrerprinzip" the Leader Principle at the top of the pyramid. There was to be no questioning of his will thru any bureaucratic system of checks-and-balances. While Hitler still had many top advisors and chief directors overseeing various departments, they all swore total devotion to his direction. Hitler oversaw every aspect of the government, including the military strategy. 

Furthermore Hitler embodied a cult of personality, where the public revered him as a divine persona. This was first achieved by Hitler's passionate charisma and speeches that essentially brought him to power. But even more-so his image was glorified thru propaganda as a supreme heroic leader of mythological qualities. Every public office, school, or institution had an image of Adolf Hitler on their wall as if it were some sort of crucifix or religious relic. The phrase "Heil Hitler" became a common cry of national pride accompanied by the iconic Nazi salute. The youth and naive were especially brainwashed to buy in to this image of Hitler as their Germanic messiah. 

Militarism and Expansionism

A major part of the Nazi's long-term plan was to expand their nation into an empire which would provide more living space and resources. This concept was known as "Lebensraum" and fell in line with the old German question of reuniting their territory as they once did during the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire. Hitler first intended to regain the territory that was lost in WWI Treaty of Versailles (such as Austria, the Sudetenland of Czechoslovikia, parts of Poland, and southern Germany). He then intended to acquire new eastern lands thru military invasion such as Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, and Russia.   

In order to achieve this conquest, militarism became the most important industry of Nazi Germany. This served multiple purposes as it boosted the nation's economy and lifted the nation's moral. To serve for the military was considered a great duty of service and honor towards one's nation. The expansionism sentiment was at it's height when Nazi Germany easily acquired Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938. Their eastern invasion of Poland in 1939 marked the beginning of WWI and a declaration of war by France and Britain. 

Nazi Germany did not originally intend to occupy the western lands, however needed to do so in order to secure it's western flank. Throughout 1939-1940 it easily swept thru the Lowlands, Scandanavia, and into France in what was known as their blitzkrieg. The acquisitions of these territories further strengthened Nazi resolve, that is until they met strong opposition against the British. Hitler decided to abandon their campaign against the British since they did not have air or navy superiority. By the summer of 1941 he initiated his early promise to lay claim to the eastern lands with a total invasion of the Soviet Union. This of course became the turning point and downfall for the Nazi Regime, as the nation was just to large to conquer. 

Occultism

One of the more interesting elements of the Nazi ideology was this fascination with occultism. This is often a common theme in Hollywood movies such as Indiana Jones or Captain America, where the Nazis are in search of some ancient magical relic. In truth the Nazis did have several societies who bought into a form of supernatural mysticism. The most prominent of these organizations was the Thule Society, who sought to link the old German mythological and pagan practices with new ideals of racial theory. This new school of thought, known as Ariosophy, was essentially a branch of racial Aryan theory that brought in mystical elements.

The Nazis incorporated many of these occultist symbols into their propaganda such as the use of swastika, or an emphasis on ancient runes. Their purpose was to link their new Aryan vision as a call from the Germanic gods and legends of old. It was not just the Fuhrer yet rather the German people "the volk" who were to sense this chosen mythical superiority.  Many of the Nazi rallies had pagan elements such as ritualistic ceremonies, solstices, bonfires, torches, and candles which sought to distance itself from Christianity and create a new form of worship. They even practiced astrology and divination as a means for inner strength guidance.  

Rudolf Hess and Alfred Rosenberg were both prominent supporters of this racial-mystical element, however none compared to Henrich Himmler. The SS commander, saw this occultist practice  as a new form of mystical religion. He thought of Christianity as too weak, forgiving, and accepting of the Jewish people. He intended for his SS to not just be a paramilitary force but to be seen as an order of Teutonic Knights. This symbolism was further enhanced thru use of runes and sacred initiation ceremonies. The medieval Wewelsburg Castle was chosen by Himmler as the SS headquarters, to embody this mystical element.  

Himmler also established a scientific department, known as the Ahnenerbe, whose sole purpose was to provide scientific proof of their Aryan supremacy. They conducted various expeditions seeking to find the origins of the Aryan race and the lost mythical land of Thule. They considered the witch trials as an unjustifiable hunt by Christians to root out paganism. They even conducted medical experiments on different races to prove their biological physical theories. This was all the beginning of a very dark religion, driven by pure hatred. This practice essentially sought to replace Christianity with a new form of satanic pagan worship, with Hitler as their new demonic messiah.