Synthesis: (Kershaw) Working towards the Fuhrer: ambitious Nazis seized upon Hitler’s vision of conquest, racial purity, social Darwinism to pursue policies that fitted in with Hitler’s overall ideas. Hitler gave his verbal approval to euthanasia program put forward by Bouhler’s office acting on a letter.
Lack of formal restraints led to CUMULATIVE RADICALISATION
Hitler’s role was to legalize different groups’ attempts to fulfil his wishes. His role was as a ‘figurehead’; without him the regime would have collapsed because he was the integrating force.
So, neither a totalitarian regime or weak dictator, but a system of ambitious Nazis with Hitler as their figurehead working along the lines of his Weltanschauung. Weltanschauung based on ‘struggle’ and ‘force’.
Hitler was the mobiliser, legitimator of policies, but did not specifically initiate many policies.
Hitler was uninvolved in decisions but this highlights his great power. To maintain his image as the infallible leader, he could not be involved in factional struggles, but just let the strongest official win.
All the subordinates worked along the lines of the fuhrer; nothing could be done without these central ideas. So Hitler was CRUCIAL, but he did not need to send out a stream of directives.
Hitler had a clear blueprint of intent, based on a strong and coherent ideology which inspired his policies, accompanied by a complete opportunism in his methods and tactics.
‘Through working towards the fuhrer, initiatives were taken, pressures created, legislation instigated – all in ways which fell into line with what were taken to be Hitler’s aims, and without the dictator necessarily having to dictate’ (Kershaw)
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Kershaw examines Hitler’s reign during the 1930s in his essay “Hitler.” The term “working towards the Fuhrer” is instrumental to Kershaw’s depiction of Hitler during the Third Reich. According to Kershaw, through “‘working towards the Fuhrer’, initiatives were taken, pressures created, legislation instigated- all in ways which fell into line with what were Hitler’s aim, and without the dictator necessarily having to dictate.”1 Kershaw argues that the radical action that leduo222222222222 to policy formation was often times provoked from below, and not by Hitler himself.…
- 1028 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
On April 20, 1989, one of the world’s most profound leaders, public speakers and war generals was born in Braunau, Austria (Scholtz 417). Hitler rose to become the highest-ranking official of the Nazi Party that was erected in 1920 (Carney 305). His fellow party members knew him a very well spoken man as well as having innate leadership skills (Scholtz 420). At the end of the 1920’s the German people suffered from unemployment, poverty, starvation, and most of all, hope (Robinson 856). Along with the economical and social collapse of the 1920’s, Germany’s politicians were caught up in petty squabbles and the whole republic was falling apart. Hitler used this opportunity to take power. He would not try and cease power at first; he would use his gift of persuasion (Carney 308). He made promises to restore the republic by stabilizing the economy and giving people back their jobs. This was all he needed for people to vote him in as President of Germany. As president, he did just as he promised, he brought the republic up out of the ashes of the 1920’s and 30’s and rebuilt (Scholtz 423). Little did the people know, Hitler had other plans up his sleeves. Shortly following the elections in 1933, Hitler ordered his secret police to commence their systematic takeover of the Government (Carney 311). He would stop it nothing until the entire country was his. Once Hitler ceased complete control, he would begin to set in motion, one of the worst tragedies to ever befall the earth. It started with simple boycott of Jewish stores and shops (Scholtz 424). He wanted to make it known that Jews were not welcome in his new régime, and they would pay the price if they stayed. Hitler soon passed the Nuremburg laws, which forbade Jews from owning things pets, cars, nice furniture, expensive clothing, etc (Robinson 867). In 1935, Hitler revealed his plans to begin war against the free world (Scholtz 426). This started a chain of horrifying and deadly events…
- 3641 Words
- 15 Pages
Powerful Essays -
During 1933, many things were put into practise to help the Nazi consolidation of power. Hitler was appointed Chancellor in a very legal fashion as Hindenburg enabled him to have the status in a strictly legal way in accordance to the constitution of the Weimar Republic. However, in order for Hitler to gain the dictatorship he so desperately wanted, many other acts of legislation came to light within 1933 that seemed legal but in a more twisted way by Hitler. Legislation, among other things, helped bring Hitler to power and to gain the dictatorship power he received.…
- 1090 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
An important factor of Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933 was his personality, Adolf Hitler was a genius; it took overwhelming intelligence to come from such a poor background to the Chancellor of Germany, but he managed it suggesting that he was a stubborn man and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. Hitler was a very popular man, which helped him make the public like him. In doing this he was able to make them listen to what he had to say, he was a very powerful speaker and the speeches he wrote were very inspiring which filled the listeners with aspiration. His personality links to every one of the point I am going to make in this essay because if he didn’t put his twist on things he would never have done them, he turned the Depression into a beam of hope for Germany. This factor defiantly helped Hitler in his rise to power because his personality is who he is, his stubbornness and arrogance defiantly helped him become one of the most listened to men in Germany.…
- 1439 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
“The new regime made no bones about using coercion in many forms against its declared enemies”2 However, enemies were not the only group that were at threat from Hitler and his coercion policies. Hitler, unlike previous German rulers, realised that in order to secure his position he must have a wall of protection against any possible uprising in the country if he was to remain as the Chancellor of Germany. The SS was created by Hitler and expanded “into a nationwide organisation to hunt down enemies of the state.”3 Here Historian, Boxer, highlights the idea that the SS were created to wipe out any possible opposition to Nazi ideology a prime example of this being The Night Of The Long Knives. This saw Hitler wipe out his previous task force in 1934, as he feared they might “compromise his plan to suppress workers’ rights in exchange for German industry making the country war ready.”4 Hitler showed here that he was prepared to use physical coercion tactics on almost anyone including men he had worked closely with as “Rohm and dozens of SA leaders were summarily executed.”5 Had Hitler not have used coercion in this example then it could have been possible that the “radical ambitions of the SA, who kept longing for a real social revolution.”6 May have had enough strength to remove Hitler from power and begin a revolution of their own; therefore in this case coercion proved to be important to him and his challenge of…
- 998 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in 1933 brought about the beginning of the end to a brief democratic government in Germany. He worked hard to return to the old Totalitarian rule with himself as dictator, and also for ‘Machtergreifung’ – the seizure of power. Hitler had no intention of sharing power and his aim was to achieve complete control over Germany and to build a German Empire through the Nazi Party. His personality and manifesto were extremely convincing to people of all age groups and people believed Hitler had the power to restore Germany to past greatness. Promises such as the decrease in unemployment levels were also coming true and his totalitarian rule had suppressed all other opposition. Dr.Goebels also played a large part in covering up the horrific truth behind Hitler’s ideology. The propaganda convinced the German people that the violence used, such as the action of the SS, was beneficial to the maintenance of the state. The Nazi’s also began to victimize certain stereotypes so that they would gain more support and shift the blame for any problems onto groups such as the Jews. This also inevitably installed a fear in most Germans.…
- 1426 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Hitler was ambitious because he killed millions of people when he became leader until he died. He blamed the Jews for Germany’s loss in WWI. Hitler was a terrible leader, and everyone knew that he was. But nobody could stop him from killing…
- 367 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
him and to eliminate those that would stand on his way even if it meant death. Hitler was a very strong person and he would see everyone below him no one was at his level. As years go by, many schools around the world keep learning about Adolf Hitler , so the tragic events that once happened never repeats again. Hitler's childhood , ambition, and beliefs were the key to what caused everything.…
- 1020 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
" With the rise of the Nazi Party to leadership, Adolph Hitler became the leader of Germany. His government didn't follow the constitution, and his secret police eliminated all opposition. Hitler became known to the German people the leader. He believed that the German nationality was a superior race. Like other fascist governments, he waged endless war against the Jews, Roma, Slavs, and other nationalities that he considered to be inferior.…
- 501 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
As the impact of World War One took its toll on Europe countries like Russia, Italy and Germany were in dire need of a change. Germany was most impacted by the war and was left in a state where everyday citizens were homeless, jobless, and starving. Looking for someone save Germany, Germans were in a desperate need for change and turned to group of radicals that were rising in power at a rapid rate known as the Nazis. Looking for someone to “save Germany” the Nazi’s unconventional but radical beliefs gave many Germans a strong sense of hope. “One of the reasons the Nazi ideology was so successful in eliciting support for the party and consensus behind its program was that its structure was built central concepts that, in the…
- 3069 Words
- 13 Pages
Powerful Essays -
-Hitler portrayed himself for having the feelings of selfishness devotion, sacrifice, and passionate commitment to the people of germany.…
- 750 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Mein Kampf is a book of two volumes authored by Adolf Hitler. The first volume was written whilst dictated to Rudolph Hess and Emile Maurice in Landsberg prison where Hitler was sentenced to following the failure of an attempted coup d’état of the Bavarian government in 1924. Mein Kampf is significant amongst historiography as it is thought to be an insight into the mind of Adolf Hitler. This book is not only autobiographical but full of memoires and political ideologies, which have subsequently sparked debate as to whether this piece of primary historical evidence can be regarded as the blue-print for Hitler’s future ambitions. An intentionalist view by Historians’ such as Lucy Dawidowicz, argues that the Holocaust was the result of Hitler’s long term plan, whereas the functionalist perspective by Historians’ such as Christopher Browning is of the result of a competing agents within the Reich to answer the Jewish question. Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf: Nation and Race, shows to comprehend with the intentionalist interpretation that this did indeed set the foundation for Holocaust as a propaganda medium.…
- 1652 Words
- 7 Pages
Best Essays -
Broadly, the Internationalist school of thought sees Hitler as a central figure that had planned the ‘Final Solution’ long before he came to power in 1933. The radicalization of Nazi policy by mid 1930s, onwards was part of the long term plan which came to be implemented on Hitler’s own initiative. In contrast, Functionalists (also known as Structuralists) argue that the path that led to the Holocaust was a far more twisted especially in the absence of any grand plan or blue print indicating details for mass murder. Further, the policies that were implemented after the outbreak of the War were the result of competition and internal rivalries between Hitler’s Henchmen to produce policies and ideas according to what they perceived to be Hitler’s aims.…
- 1458 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Hitler’s personality and orator skills had a large part to play in the success of his political climb to dictatorship. Hitler was a strong willed and determined man. He was able to distort and mould people’s views and values…
- 862 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Adolf Hitler intended to bring all of Germany under Nazi power and Nazi power under his own personal authority. Mr. Ross's purpose was to only teach his history class a lesson of why people did not stand up to Adolf Hitler. The Political agenda of the Nazi party was a higher level of seriousness because people were dying from it and it wasn't an experiment. The classroom experiment was not as serious as the Holocaust but showed how people give away their individualism to follow the leader.…
- 1026 Words
- 3 Pages
Powerful Essays