How did life change in Germany under the Nazis?
How Did Life Change in Germany Under the Nazis?
Hitler became German chancellor in January 1933. He immediately took steps to complete a Nazi takeover. Following the Reichstag fire, the night of the long knives, the 1933 election and the death of Hindenburg Hitler took over as supreme leader in 1934. Hitler believed he was the saviour or the people. He did not want opposition of any kind in Nazi Germany. There were to be no other political parties and no debate. His vision was of a strong, militaristic society of pure Germans. He wanted absolute control and the Nazis set about changing society and key organisations to bring that about. This essay will explore how life changed for the German population as a result of these aims.
The Nazis wanted to eliminate all opposition within Germany. They wanted to promote a cult of the leader- Hitler. To ensure this Hitler needed to take control of the mass media and control the culture of the country. Hitler’s minister of propaganda was Joseph Goebbels. He believed that Hitler was the saviour of Germany. He organised hugs rallies and marches in support of Hitler. The Nuremberg rallies took place every summer. They were truly impressive. Goebbels also took control of the media. Under the Weimar republic there had been freedom of expression but this disappeared. Only Nazi approved books, art, films and music were allowed. He also controlled all the radio stations. Goebbels and Hitler planned that the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin should be a “showcase” for Nazi ideology and indeed the stadium, the organisation and technology were all admired but to the dismay of the Nazis a black American athlete Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals and became the star of the games. It was also important that Hitler himself was accepted as the saviour of Germany and a truly heroic leader. One of the Nazis greatest successions was the way in which they were able to portray Hitler. Nazi propaganda such as posters and portraits showed Hitler as a brave
Hitler became German chancellor in January 1933. He immediately took steps to complete a Nazi takeover. Following the Reichstag fire, the night of the long knives, the 1933 election and the death of Hindenburg Hitler took over as supreme leader in 1934. Hitler believed he was the saviour or the people. He did not want opposition of any kind in Nazi Germany. There were to be no other political parties and no debate. His vision was of a strong, militaristic society of pure Germans. He wanted absolute control and the Nazis set about changing society and key organisations to bring that about. This essay will explore how life changed for the German population as a result of these aims.
The Nazis wanted to eliminate all opposition within Germany. They wanted to promote a cult of the leader- Hitler. To ensure this Hitler needed to take control of the mass media and control the culture of the country. Hitler’s minister of propaganda was Joseph Goebbels. He believed that Hitler was the saviour of Germany. He organised hugs rallies and marches in support of Hitler. The Nuremberg rallies took place every summer. They were truly impressive. Goebbels also took control of the media. Under the Weimar republic there had been freedom of expression but this disappeared. Only Nazi approved books, art, films and music were allowed. He also controlled all the radio stations. Goebbels and Hitler planned that the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin should be a “showcase” for Nazi ideology and indeed the stadium, the organisation and technology were all admired but to the dismay of the Nazis a black American athlete Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals and became the star of the games. It was also important that Hitler himself was accepted as the saviour of Germany and a truly heroic leader. One of the Nazis greatest successions was the way in which they were able to portray Hitler. Nazi propaganda such as posters and portraits showed Hitler as a brave