Paper 2 - Successes and Failures of Hitler

During his rule in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, Hitler achieved a particularly inconsistent level of success regarding both domestic and foreign policies. Although he was a strong dictator in many ways, Hitler made a few poor decisions which ultimately kept him from being a truly successful ruler. One can see a strong contrast between cautiously planned policies and actions that were seemingly based on nothing more that Nazi ideology in the methods Hitler used as a ruler of a single-party state.

One of Hitler's primary aims in domestic policy was the total indoctrination of the German people. He believed that, by using propaganda, his regime would be able to spread the popularity of Nazism among citizens, making them more loyal to the state. To do this, Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as the Minister of Propaganda, giving him control over what the people could and could not see. Goebbels' expansive propaganda campaigns included the use of radio, film, newspapers, and mass rallies, all of which were used only in ways that purely support Hitler. Any anti-Nazi messages in media such as literature and journalism were prevented from reaching the public. Such censorship quickly became a vital part of Hitler's domestic policy; within a year of his rise to power, about 4,000 books were banned for being "un-German." Children, being very impressionable, were perfect candidates for indoctrination. Education was closely controlled by the state, with textbooks being rewritten in favor of Hitler's views on history and biology. Teachers were also selected carefully, and had to be approved of by Nazis. It was made necessary for boys and girls to join youth groups, such as the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. These groups had further impact on German children and prepared them for their future roles as ideal Nazi men (soldiers) and women (mothers). Overall, Hitler was successful in his attempts at indoctrination. While there were some groups of rebellious young people, such as the Edelweiss Pirates, no notable movements against Hitler came from the people of Germany.

Another of Hitler's domestic aims was the unification of Germany under one political party. Hitler hoped to turn Germany into a single-party state under the Nazis, eliminating any internal threats of political opposition. The method he used to achieve this goal was known as Gleichschaltung, meaning "forcible coordination." Hitler effectively transformed Germany into a police state, using force and violence to keep order in his nation. These methods were often carried out by the Gestapo, Hitler's secret state police, who were responsible for the arrests of "Enemies of the State," which included a range of potential political opponents to the Nazis, ranging from Jews to communists. After being arrested, these people were sent to concentration camps, where they were kept as prisoners and systematically killed. Hitler also used legal methods to maintain his position of power. The Enabling Law was passed in 1933, allowing the dictator to establish his own laws without receiving the consent of the Reichstag. Hitler appeared to be successful in this case as well, but it could easily be argued that this success was almost entirely false. Hitler did very little in terms of actually uniting Germany. He did not make any convincing efforts to make peace with Germans who had different political views. Rather than bringing the people of Germany together, Hitler simply turned those who did not agree with him into outcasts and "Enemies of the State."

Hitler was able to achieve some amount of success in his foreign policy aims, specifically in his attempts to overrule the Treaty of Versailles. After the First World War, Britain and France forced this treaty on Germany, which was blamed for causing the conflict. Germany was inflicted by several strict limitations and punishments from which it seemed impossible to recover. Hitler, like most Germans, viewed the Treaty of Versailles as being cruel and unfair, and made it's abolition one of his goals. There were many situations in which Hitler blatantly ignored the treaty, but Britain and France showed no tangible opposition to his actions. (Stopped here in class) For example, by 1935, Hitler had increased the size of Germany's military by 550,000 troops, when the Treaty of Versailles had only permitted the country to have 100,000. France and Britain were concerned by this, but did nothing to stop it. The next year, Hitler sent 30,000 armed soldiers into the Rhineland, which had been occupied by the French. Hitler remilitarized the area, knowing that he would be forced to give up if France reacted, but there was no reaction. Similarly, in 1938, Germany formed an Anschluss, or union, with Austria. Germany was forbidden from making this type of alliance, but again, Hitler was largely ignored by western Europe.

Hitler's final foreign policy aim was the creation of a "great German Reich" in Europe. This empire would require "lebensraum," or living space. In addition to this, Hitler hoped that he would be able to unite all German speaking countries under the power of the Nazis. Hitler made some definite progress toward this goal, forming a union with Austria in 1938 and then invading and annexing Czechoslovakia in 1939. There was very little resistance to either of these actions, making it appear as if the expansion of Germany's Reich would be unstoppable. However, Hitler made a deadly mistake in 1939 when he invaded Poland. France and Britain felt that Germany had become too much of a threat and that Hitler could not be trusted, as he had claimed that he was done expanding his power after taking Czechoslovakia. Because of this, the two western countries reconsidered their policy of appeasement and declared war on Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, Hitler had agreed to a non-aggression pact with Russia, meaning that neither country would attack the other when they both invaded different parts of Poland. Germany broke this Nazi-Soviet pact in 1941 by invading Russia. By doing this Hitler had opened a two-front war, which he was not ready to fight. Germany's involvement in World War II ended along with its hopes of creating an empire in 1945, when Hitler committed suicide.

In conclusion, Hitler was an unsuccessful ruler of a single-party state. His few successes were generally more dependent on the weaknesses of others, such as the German people's susceptibility to propaganda and Europe's unwillingness to be strict with Germany, than on his own strengths as a dictator. Even with these accomplishments, Hitler did very little to help or improve his nation, instead merely improving his own image and that of his regime. In the end, almost everything that Hitler had achieved in his reign either proved to be superficial or collapsed after Nazi Germany's defeat in the Second World War.

10/30 Paper 2 Outline

Evaluate the successes and failures of one ruler of a single-party state.

During his rule in Germany from 1933 to 1935, Hitler showed a particularly inconsistent level of judgment regarding both domestic and foreign policies. Although he was a strong dictator in many ways, he made a few poor decisions which ultimately kept him from becoming a truly successful ruler. One can see a strong contrast between cautious foresight and seemingly thoughtless actions in matters ranging from Hitler's management of his own country to his negotiations and conflicts with others.

Domestic Policy Aim: Indoctrination

• Hitler aimed to use propaganda to spread the popularity of Nazi beliefs.
• Placed Joseph Goebbles (Minister of Propaganda) in charge of propaganda and censorship. About 4000 books were banned within a year of Hitler's rise to power.
• Education was closely controlled by the government. Textbooks were rewritten to fit Nazi ideals, and teachers had to be Nazi-approved.
• Youth organizations such as the Hitler Youth (all boys had to join at 14) and the League of German Maidens prepared children for their future roles as ideal German men and women (soldiers and mothers)
  

Domestic Policy Aim: Employment

• Hitler aimed to decrease the rate of unemployment in Germany
  
• Unsuccessful- though records do show that unemployment decreased dramatically (over 6 million were unemployed in 1932, full employment was achieved by 1939), it stayed mostly consistent after it changed. This was because the reason for this increase in employment was that Hitler did not count enemies of the state, women, or people in the military as being unemployed, and because censorship had caused many people (writers, teachers, artists) to lose their jobs.
  

Domestic Policy Aim: Uniting Germany under a single political party

• Hitler aimed to turn Germany into a single-party state under the Nazis (Gleichschaltung, or forcible coordination)
  
• Methods: Enabling Law (1933, Hitler did not have to ask the Reichstag for consent to make laws), establishment of a Police State
  
• Seemed successful, but at what cost? This was mostly done through the use of fear and violence (Gestapo, Concentration Camps). Didn't actually unite Germany, but eliminated his opposition
  

Foreign Policy Aim: Overrule the Treaty of Versailles

• Increased the size of Germany's military to 550,000 troops by 1935 (Treaty of Versailles only allowed 100,000) with no tangible opposition from Britain or France
• Remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936 - sent in 30,000 troops, French did not react
  
• Anschluss with Austria in 1938 - Germany was forbidden from making alliances, but again France and Britain did nothing to stop it.
  

Foreign Policy Aim: Create a "great German Reich"

• Made an Anschluss with Austria, Annexed Czechoslovakia (1939), no reaction from France/Britain (appeasement)
  
• Invaded Poland (1939), France and Britain declared war
• Betrayed the Nazi-Soviet Pact w/ Russia
• Unsuccessful: opened a two-front war with enemies it was not ready to fight, Hitler commits suicide in 1945, loses everything
  

Not a successful ruler; Hitler's successes often relied more on the weaknesses of others than on his own strengths. In addition, these successes did little to benefit the state of Germany, mostly serving only to improve the image of the Nazis.

10/29 Class Notes

3 Successes of Hitler

• Propaganda - Indoctrination of children (Hitler Youth, changing of textbooks)
• Keeping order inside Germany - Use of Gestapo, SS
  
• Overruling the Treaty of Versailles - increasing size of military, invading territories
  

2 Failures of Hitler

• Invading Britain - Germany lost the Battle of Britain, let British retreat in the Battle of Dunkirk
• Opening a two front war - Germany was not ready to fight Russia or America

1 Different Interpretation

• It could be argued that Hitler only kept order because he killed many of his own people

10/28 Paper 2 Notes

Failures:

• Opening a two-front war (invaded Russia June 22, 1941, declared war on America in 1941)
• Employment
  

Successes: Often related to taking advantage of the weakness of others

• Propaganda
• Invading the West
  

Class Notes 10/27

Battle of Dunkirk- Germany attacked French and British forces at Dunkirk, allowed the British to escape to fight later.

Battle of Britain- Germany uses blitzkrieg tactics and bombs British targets. Britain fights back and eventually wins the battle.

Churchill- Prime minister of Great Britain

Jewish people in Poland were forced to live in ghettos.

HW 29

A.1. Declaring war on America was a great mistake for Germany, which was already struggling to fight two other nations at the time. Having been brought into the war, America helped make its allies, Britain and Russia, even stronger in addition to sending its own military forces to Europe.

A.2. I think that Germany would have had a much better chance of winning the war if it had not gotten America involved. Without America, there would not likely have been as much coordination between Britain and Russia, and Germany may have been able to defeat those two nations separately.

B. General von Stauffenberg's attempt to kill Hitler could be seen as a reasonable action with the purpose of bringing peace back to Europe. However, although the war probably would have ended more quickly if he succeeded, I think that the course of history would have been very similar. On the other hand, without the inclusion of Russia and America's roles in ending the war, Germany may not have ended up being as divided as it was during the Cold War.

HW 28

A.1. Rudolf Hoss could be considered evil because of his role in the holocaust. He was in charge of creating places in which Jews and enemies of the state could be killed as efficiently as possible. He then had other Nazis remove anything valuable from the bodies.
A.2. Rudolf Hoss may not have been evil because he was doing what he was told to do by the Nazis, and because his perception was twisted by propaganda.

I agree with the intentionalist view of the holocaust. Hitler had said throughout his rise to power that he intended to exterminate the Jews. If the holocaust was, in fact, forced on Hitler, he still did everything he could to justify it, implying that it was the right thing to do.

HW 27

A. According to source B, German colonists had high expectations of what life would be like in the "great German Reich," believing that they would be living under ideal conditions in beautiful, spacious areas.

B.1. Foreign workers were made to work for as long as their employers demanded, and they had to accept punishment from their employers.
B.2. Foreign workers were prohibited from complaining, visiting churches or theaters, having sexual intercourse, being educated, getting health care, and having any more food than necessary.
B.3. The Germans probably treated foreigners so badly because of their Nazi ideology, which promoted the idea of a pure German race. Nazis were also setting strict policies against immigration, which may have been another reason for this treatment.

C.1. Hitler wanted to completely destroy Leningrad and leave its population to die.
C.2. Hitler probably gave this order because of his strong position against communism, and because he did not want to include Russians in his Reich, hoping for racial purity.

10/21 Class Notes

Possible Causes of World War II:

• Treaty of Versailles
• Hitler himself?
• Germany as a whole?
  
• World economic crisis 1929-30's
• Appeasement/mistakes of others?
• Rise of dictators?
• Fear of worldwide communist revolution

Many western nations were more afraid of communism than they were of the Nazis. They may have hoped that Germany would help protect them from the Soviet Union.

Activity:

1. Britain did not intervene for various reasons. Some British people believed that Hitler was justified in taking back the territory Germany lost in WWI. Others hoped that Germany would fight Russia, keeping the West safe from communism. Neville Chamberlain seemed to believe that what was happening in Czechoslovakia was none of Britain's business, and that Hitler would not invade any other countries.
2. Source 20.34 shows how Britain realized that it may have appeased Hitler for too long, and that it would have to resist further expansion of Germany, which was clearly an aggressive threat.
3. Sources 20.35-38 suggest that Italy supported Hitler in his annexing of Austria. However, the first of these sources shows Italy as being more important than Hitler, while the last suggests that Hitler was becoming more powerful than Mussolini.
4. A. Sources 20.39-41 show Russia's views of Germany's actions. Russia viewed Germany as a threat, but they suggest that capitalist western nations were protecting and guiding Germany. B. Source 20.42 shows that the Soviet Union has decided to work with Nazi Germany, despite having previously been afraid of being invaded.
   

HW 26

A.
B1. Germany and Russia agreed not to fight with each other over Poland. Germany would take the western part of the country, while Russia would get the eastern part.
B2. This may have been surprising because Hitler had claimed that he would not invade any other countries after Czechoslovakia.

1. Appeasement refers to Britain and France trying to avoid violent conflict with Italy, Germany and Japan by not resisting their actions and demands.
2. This may have been justified for a number of reasons. Firstly, they thought that war would only become more devastating after World War I. It was also thought that Germany could work with the rest of Europe both economically and against communism, which was threatening to spread from Russia. In addition to this, some people thought that Germany's grievances with the Treaty of Versailles were understandable.
3. Appeasement does not seem to have caused World War II, but it almost encouraged it when Britain and France may have been able to easily stop Germany from becoming a threat by taking a firm stance on the issues facing Europe. For example, Hitler admitted at one point that if there was any resistance from France when he remilitarized the Rhineland he would have been forced to give up. However, there was little resistance to Hitler's actions, allowing him to become a powerful figure in Europe and setting up World War II.
4. Hitler used propaganda in order to make it seem as if Germany was justified in invading Czechoslovakia. The propaganda campaign was based around the idea that Germans in Czechoslovakia were being discriminated against by the government. While it may have been true that Germans were living under difficult conditions, Nazi propaganda exaggerated this fact dramatically.
   

HW 25

A. Rearmament refers to when Hitler expanded Germany's military, ignoring the Treaty of Versailles. Remilitarization was when Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland to take it back from the French. Anschluss refers to the union Germany formed with Austria in order to unite German-speaking people.

B. In 1934, Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles by increasing the size of his army to 300,000 men and building 2 battleships and 6 submarines. In 1935, Hitler announced that there would be compulsory military service, which would further expand the army. In 1936 the German army moved into the Rhineland, an action that was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Germany also formed a union (anschluss) with Austria in 1938, once again going against the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler seemed to be making a large amount of progress towards achieving his foreign policy goals by 1938. He had broken the Treaty of Versailles multiple times without any opposition, and had built up an intimidating military in doing so. He had also started to reclaim territory, such as the Rhineland, and he had some success in uniting the world's German-speaking countries, as seen in the anschluss with Austria.

10/19 Class Notes

3 policies against opponents

• Jews couldn't be citizens
• German citizens couldn't marry Jews
• Made it illegal to join other parties
  

2 economic policies

• Gave out government contracts to businesses
  
• Used quotas
  

1 policy to gain support of common people

• Leisure programs

"3 legs of the stool" (Nazi support)

• Afraid
• Ignorant
• Willing Collaboration

How did Hitler get support from the following groups?

• Big Business - government contracts, outlawed labor unions
  
• Army - Germany became an increasingly militaristic society
  
• Common Workers - Leisure cruises, made more jobs available by eliminating enemies of the state
  

Last Word

D - Dissolution of other parties
O - Outlaw Judaism
M - Military power
E - Eliminate "enemies of the state"
S - SS and SA used to keep Hitler in power
T - Treaties of Versailles and Saint Germain abolished
I - Indoctrination of the German people
C - Create a totalitarian state
P - Pure German race
O - Organize leisure activities
L - Long-lasting world power
I - Immigration stopped
C - Censorship of the media
Y - Youths raised with Nazi ideals

HW 23

Chapter 8

A.1. The liner was probably going on a cruise to a place like the Canary Islands.
A.2. The people on the liner were probably all workers who were loyal to the Nazi party.
A.3. About 62 marks, which is 2 weeks' wages.
A.4. The Nazis may have wanted Germans to be able to ignore the war and feel comfortable despite all the terrible things that were happening.
A.5. The photograph was probably taken to encourage people to work hard and be loyal to the Nazis so that they could be rewarded with a vacation like the cruise shown.

B.1. The joke seems to be referring to how quickly the automobile industry was forgotten in favor of war industries.
B.2. The joke suggests that not all Germans completely approved of their government's actions, specifically the decision to go to war.

Chapter 9

A. Propaganda is the advertisement of certain ideas and beliefs to large groups of people. Rallies are massive assemblies that use things like parades, music, and speeches to convey propaganda to the people. Censorship is when ideas are stopped from reaching the public.

B. I think that the second joke would have been permitted, because it does not say anything offensive about the Nazis. The first joke gives a negative portrayal of Hitler, while the third suggests that the SS is bad and could be outwitted by an enemy of the state.

HW 22

Question 1: How did the Nazis use the education system to: A) Help establish an authoritarian state and B) Achieve one or more of their other aims?

A. Schools indoctrinated children with class assignments, encouraging them to think certain ways about certain things (war, Germany, religion), Teachers had to receive special training and join Nazi teachers unions

B. Children were taught that the state was more important than individuals and spread other propaganda messages (ie. Jews are evil, Germans should join the military)

Question 2: Discuss 3 Social and Religious policies that A) Helped establish an authoritarian regime and B) helped achieve one or more of their other aims?

A. The Hitler Youth gave children training similar to what they would do in the military, encouraging them to fight for their country. Nazis also took people's focus away from religion, making them focus more on Germany.

B. Laws preventing Jews from being or marrying German citizens helped accomplish the goal of creating a pure German race.

Question 3: Complete questions B+C from handout 7

B.1. 1933-1934 - This may have been because Jews were not counted as unemployed, women were removed from the workforce, and many people started to join the military.
B.2. 1935-1936 - This may have been because the largest changes Hitler made to the workforce had already taken place.

C. 6,014,000; 302,000; 5,712,000; enemies of the state; women; pocket money; free meals; unions; 1,400,000

Journal of an Enemy of the State (HW 20)

Things have not gone well in Germany since the elections of 1932. The Nazi party, having grown immensely since its formation, has become the indisputable authority in my country, despite Hitler having been denied the position of Chancellor by President Hindenburg. I suspect that some amount of political corruption was involved in that man's rise to power. If Germany's Nationalist leaders had the idea that Hitler and his followers could be controlled, they were evidently mistaken. The situation has quickly gotten out of hand. The SA, Hitler's loyal private army of Storm Troopers, has caused endless grief for anyone who dares to oppose the Nazi ideology. My fellow party members of the KPD have been subjected to brutal violence by these thugs, I myself having narrowly escaped death or injury multiple times.

It has been made clear that the National Socialists of Germany do not look fondly upon the Socialists of the Soviet Union, and I recognize that Stalin's methods have not had ideal results. But, having lived under these circumstances, it is difficult not to wonder if Germany is really better off being led by Hitler. My party had expected that this would happen in the event that Hitler rose to power, and I, along with other communists, have publicly spoken my mind on the matter. As such, I fear for my life. I have seen, often in the confusion and excitement of Nazi rallies, close friends being pulled aside and stabbed to death by the SA, while the crowds looked on as if they did not recognize the chaos around them. In fact, it is possible that they are not aware of it, as it is not easy to focus on anything when surrounded by the overwhelming amounts of propaganda employed by the Nazis, ranging from eye-catching banners to blaring loudspeakers.

These days, however, I see most of this from my windows. I am afraid to leave my home, knowing that I now qualify as an "Enemy of the State." I have heard stories of the concentration camps, and the "Deaths Head" units that run them, their uniforms adorned with skulls and crossbones. I am almost beginning to find it amusing how the Nazis seem to go out of their way to portray themselves as hateful villains through the use of such emblems. But they have effectively created a police state that rules with fear as much as propaganda, and I can not pretend to be immune to either of these. Goebbel's efforts have blurred the lines between myth and reality, to the extent where even I am failing to remember what is true. Meanwhile, the threat of the Gestapo has me afraid to sleep at night. At any moment, I could be dragged from my home and forcibly thrown into a prison camp, serving as an example to others who might make the mistake of thinking freely or with morals. I can only remain in hiding for so long, with nobody left to trust. Even now, as I write in this journal, I think that I am growing anxious to hear the police knock on my door, so that I can finally know what my fate will be.

Class Notes 10/7

Major aims of the Nazis:

1. Germans want "Lebensraum," or living space (point 3)
   
2. Create a pure German race (point 4)
   
3. Indoctrination through education (point 20)
   
4. Re-militarize Germany (point 22)
   
5. Abolish the treaties of Versailles and Saint Germain (point 2)
   

HW 19

A. The Gestapo was the organization that served as Hitler's secret police force. Protective Custody refers to an order by which "enemies of the state" are sent to prison at concentration camps. Deaths Head Units were the branch of the SS that ran these concentration camps.

B. The people who were arrested as "enemies of the state" included Jews, people who opposed Hitler politically to various levels, people who are declared "work shy" (the example given suggests that this refers to people who turn down offers of unemployment relief), people who were part of the "Bibelforscher" (a religious group that refused to military service), homosexuals, and professional criminals.

C.1. Judging from the evidence in document B, the purposes of the concentration camps were to remove people who were potential threats to the Nazis from society and to punish these people for disagreeing with Nazi beliefs.
C.2. The prisoners were probably treated badly because they were members of groups that the Nazis disagreed with and had very little respect for, and because the SS had a large amount of freedom to do what they wanted.

Class Notes 10/6

• Hitler liked to have his rallies at night
• he often made a dramatic entrance
• usually stood there for a while before talking, tried to get the crowd anxious
• speeches would start off calm, gradually build up

Treatment of opposition- leader of the SA, (Ernst Roehm) was arrested on Hitler's orders and shot, because he wanted to merge the SA with the rest of the army, which would give him more power than Hitler
Enabling Law- Legal method used to maintain power, gave Hitler complete control over laws
Schuzstaffel, or SS, were Hitler's private guards, used to maintain power and deal with opposition
Hitler made people fear that communists would take over Germany (communist plot)
Night of the Long Knives- Hitler had the Shuzstaffel execute his opposition
SA (storm troopers)- Hitler's private army

HW 18

A. 1. Ludecke refers to slogans, posters, symbols (such as the swastika), loudspeakers, music, and radio.
A. 2. The people were probably excited about Hitler's arrival because of the extensive propaganda used by the Nazi party.
B. 1. He says that the SA men were carrying Nazi banners with pointed tips on them, and that the pointed out individuals and attacked them.
B. 2. Isherwood says that the SA moved very quickly in doing these things, and they probably also had a lot of political support.
B. 3. A novel like Goodbye to Berlin may not be entirely reliable, because the writer my have exaggerated certain points of his stories. However, it is valuable as it shows a certain view of contemporary events and gives us a better understanding of what kind of things happened during Hitler's rise to power.