political science

Gustavo E. Deseda
Professor Cremona
POS200BF
March 4, 2013.
What are the main ideals of Nazism, and what are the sources of this ideology? Why is it still important to study such political thought?

Political ideologies are usually defined within a left-right political spectrum. Nazism falls outside this conventional spectrum and falls within syncretic politics. It is a negative form of syncretic politics, as it is located on the far right of the political spectrum. Nazism is a mixture of Völkisch ideals, Wagnerian Romanticism, Social Darwinism, Pan Germanism, and Nietzsche 's concept of Übermensch. Adolf Hitler developed the ideals of Nazism after carefully studying the politics in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He believed that the diversity that existed within the Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the many reasons why it eventually fell apart. Hitler perceived democracy as an extremely unstable ideology because it gave ethnic minorities a certain degree of power. Nazism was also based on military supremacy, and the notion that the growth of a nation depends heavily on military power.

Hitler was a leader that appealed immensely to the masses. He divided everything in simple black and white terms, and knew exactly how to appeal to the ideals of the desperate German populace. The Germans were desperate to salvage their nation after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. His calls for reconstructing Germany appealed greatly to the Germans, and their desperation was one of the main reasons why his ideologies became a reality. The effective use of scapegoats was also a highly determining role in the development of Nazism ideal. The blame for Germany 's miseries was placed upon the Jews, the Romani, and other ethnic minorities, as well as the communists. Therefore, Nazism is a form of extreme nationalism that was set forth by Hitler and reconstructed Germany 's economy after the failed attempts of the Allied forces to pacify Germany. The fundamental ideas were forged in Hitler 's early years. He sought to unify the country under one superior race, and to unite the nation against a common enemy using eugenics as a justified science. The main ideals of Nazism are based on unity under the Aryan race, military supremacy, and intense economic development. Hitler 's early years in Vienna set the foundations for Nazism. Two political movements created a deep impression on Adolf during his years in Vienna. Georg Von Schönerer, an Upper Austrian Pan-German, inspired in him the German racist nationalism. The other important influence was the Mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger. Hitler took the best from both worlds. Von Schönerer sought to maximize the success of the German race, and was highly influenced by Pan-Germanism. One of his techniques when it came to manipulating the masses was instilling both physical and spiritual fear. Hitler acknowledged the importance of uniting everyone under a single ideal and that there is no better way to do that than by stirring patriotism among citizens. Hitler borrowed many of his ideals from George, but his ways of enforcing them were adopted from Lueger.

One of the things that Von Schönerer’s party lacked was the ability to recognize the importance of uniting the Church and the State. This was a pitfall of the German racist nationalists, and Hitler wanted to avoid missing the importance of the roles of the Church in facilitating the role of the State. Lueger promoted anti-semitism, and his views were practical and extremely organized. He was able to successfully transform an ideology into a systematic entity, reinforced all the stereotypes that surrounded the Jews, and placed upon them the blame for the hardships that the German lower and middle classes faced. A key technique that Lueger implemented was knowing how to manipulate the people 's protests into a political gain. This is exactly what Hitler did when he appealed to the people 's desperation. One thing led to another. The Treaty of Versailles and the failure of the Weimar Republic caused hyperinflation and led to extreme anxiety. Hitler rose to power slowly, and knew how to appeal to this desperate condition. He successfully united the Germans against a common enemy, stimulated the economy in order for it to develop, and ultimately led the country to World War II. The Allied forces had failed in their attempts to pacify Germany. Hitler created his war machine, exacerbated German Romanticism, and controlled everything through a totalitarian regime that exercised arbitrary repression.

According to Hitler 's Nazism, Germany had to be united under a single supreme race. He claimed that the Aryan race is by nature the superior race, and that it was the mark of superiority. The Aryan race was defined as strong and aggressive, as well as being blond and blue-eyed. Only by uniting Germany under the Aryan race would Hitler succeed in restoring Germany 's grandeur. Unity within this superior race was the key to success, and inferior races had to be removed from the equation. Hitler wanted to take Nietzsche 's ideas of "breeding upwards", in order to further the creation of an Übermensch. According to Nazism, weak nations were the product of impure and inferior races. Hitler believed that the mark of weak nations was diversity, because this led to divisions among the different ethnic groups. He viewed the Jews, disabled, homosexuals and gypsies as an inferior race that was invading Aryan lebensraum (living space). Ethnic minorities were viewed as parasites, since they were draining the German nation from its resources. All of these groups were considered lebenswurtes, life unworthy of life. As Richard Weikart, profesor at California State University, stated: Since Hitler believed that nothing exists beyond nature, he tried to find his purpose in life in obeying the iron laws of nature. Darwinian biology was especially significant in this regard, as he tried to apply its lessons to politics and society. Darwinism -especially forms of it often disparagingly called Social Darwinism today- taught him that life is a constant struggle for existence leading to biological progress. Hitler embraced eugenics and racial extermination of allegedly inferior races as means to improve the human species and foster progress.

It is unbelievable the way in which Hitler manipulated the situation perfectly on his favor in order to achieve his goals. One of the characteristics of extreme right syncretic politics is the use of scapegoats in order to justify the actions of the government. After the failure of the Weimar Republic and the Treaty of Versailles, the German people were desperate. Through personal appeal and ability, Hitler 's ideals thrived in the perfect conditions. The failure of the Weimar Republic and the economic woes of the nation were attributed to the Jewish, in order to unify Germany against a common enemy. By unifying the country, Hitler succeeded in pulling it out of its economic black hole. The process was slow and took some years, but in the end Hitler had achieved most of his goal of wiping out the Jewish race. Through arbitrary repression, totalitarianism, and effective use of the media, he managed to make the German people indifferent to the acts of torture and murder that the government performed. Slavic people were also seen as parasites and invaders of lebensraum, as a result of the invasion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

According to Nazism, these many ethnic groups created an unbalance of loyalty towards the Fatherland. This ideology sought to unify all German speaking peoples, while multiculturalism and multilingualism were viewed with disdain, as they representedcauses of divisions within nations. Hitler viewed USA’s success as being a cause of the ethnic cleansing and many policies directed towards the Native Americans, which greatly diminished that race. If the superior race is in need of lebensraum, it has the right to wipe out all inferior races occupying it. Goebbels, Hitler’s Nazi propagandist, was a great leader convincing the Germans to believe this. He successfully manipulated the media to the extent that the Jews were viewed as criminals and parasites by the German populace. By removing the inferior races, the regime stated, a successful economic policy could be established.

Nazism treated international and domestic economic policies separately. Domestic economic issues were of primary importance, whilst international economic policies would stem out of the success of the first ones. Economic policies were aimed towards eliminating the hyperinflation caused by the Treaty of Versailles and the post-war reparations. Another one of the goals of Nazism was to tackle unemployment in order to expand the production of consumer goods and create upward mobility in the different economic levels. By improving the living standards of the lower and middle sectors, it claimed, the economy as a whole will experience a boost in its improvement. The History Learning Site states that: The Nazis introduced public work schemes for men who worked in the National Labor Service (RAD). Their work would have included digging ditches on farms to assist irrigation, building the new autobahns, planting new forests etc. The men of the RAD wore a military style uniform, lived in camps near to where they were working and received only what we would term pocket money. However, compared to the lack of success of the Weimar government and the chronic misery of 1931 to 1932, these men felt that at least the Nazi government was making the effort to improve their lot.

The Weimar Republic had failed to address these needs, and the Nationalsozialisten wanted to revamp the economic policies in order to secure their success and that of the nation. The NSDAP was very successful in improving the economy since between 1933 and 1936, as German GDP increased by 9.5%. The industrial growth alone was of 17.2%. In less than four years, the Germans were out of the economic depression. Annually, public consumption increased by 18.7% and private consumption rose by 3.6%. It is important to note that these economic techniques were mostly consumptive. These procedures included expansion of the war-fighting machine, through the media and nationalist paraphernalia, make-work projects, and a draft that removed males from the labor force. Nevertheless, there were some limitations to these policies, as inflation loomed around after some years. This economic expansion and the war machine are perceived as some of the many causes that led to the war. At an international level, the Nazis attributed the global economic depression of the 1930s to the Jews. This further exacerbated the motivation of the German people to completely obliterate them.

However, Nazism was limited when it came to international economic affairs. Their primary goal was to ensure success at a domestic level by unifying all the Germans under the one ideal of serving the Fatherland. The NSDAP incorporated international resources into Germany by means of force rather than by trade. International economics was mainly on the sidelines for the Nazis, as opposed to today 's nations that set international economics as one of the pillars for their success. Another characteristic of Nazi economics is that the government has complete control of all the finances and investments, as well as industries and agricultural forces within the country. A key difference between Nazism and Communism is that, despite the fact that the government controlled all these assets, a corporate and privately owned power still existed and was supported by the government. Price played an essential role in the economic development of the Third Reich. The State did not allocate resources like a communist government would; instead, the government paid for all of these goods. The role of price is extremely important when it comes to this because it provides the government and the people with information necessary to know how to allocate resources relative to scarcity of materials. A clear idea could be developed as to what the technological needs of the different areas in the country were.

It is important to mention that Nazism began as a unionist labor movement and slowly developed into a totalitarian dictatorship. This was due to their primary goal of eliminating all differences and creating unity, main reason why labor unions were suppressed. The creation of the German War machine helped accomplish Germany 's economic development, pulling the nation out of the war. Yet, this economic success was one of the factors leading to this international conflict. Nazism is considered an ideology that lies to the far right of the political spectrum. The Nazi regime was a totalitarian regime that exercised arbitrary repression, keeping the people blinded to the horrors that the government committed. It is still important to study this political thought because it can happen anywhere, especially in situations in which the people are desperate. Hitler’s rise was due in great part to his personal appeal and ability in conjunction with the situation that was experienced in Germany. The economic expansions, the war machine and the extreme use of media when it came to manipulating the masses, were all factors that led to the rise of Nazism. It was a product of a carefully elaborated plan. Nazism leaders managed to successfully blame minorities, particularly the Jews, for the woes of the nation, and because of this Nazism sought to unify Germany under a single Aryan race. There was to be no room for multiculturalism, as Hitler was inspired by the Pan-German movement and the creation of a single Germanic empire.

Regimes like this justify the extermination, torture, and discrimination of ethnic minorities, and completely oppress the masses. This is the main reason why governments like this should never be repeated again history, yet they constitute a reality in many nations. For this matter, it is paramount to learn about their concepts and ideologies.

Works Cited
Sheehan, James. "Karl Lueger (1844-1910): Christlichsoziale Politik Als Beruf. Eine Biographie". Catholic Historical Review 97.3 (2011): 600-601.
"Pan-Germanism". Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2011): 1.
Crim, Brian E. “"Our Most Serious Enemy”: The Specter of Judeo-Bolshevism In The German Military Community, 1914–1923." Central European History (Cambridge University Press / UK) 44.4 (2011): 624-641.
Talay, Zeynep. "Self and Other In Der Mann Ohne Eigenschaften." German Quarterly 86.1 (2013): 60-71. http://www.nazism.net/ Weikart, Richard. “The Root of Hitler’s Evil”

Cited: Sheehan, James. "Karl Lueger (1844-1910): Christlichsoziale Politik Als Beruf. Eine Biographie". Catholic Historical Review 97.3 (2011): 600-601. "Pan-Germanism". Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2011): 1. Crim, Brian E. “"Our Most Serious Enemy”: The Specter of Judeo-Bolshevism In The German Military Community, 1914–1923." Central European History (Cambridge University Press / UK) 44.4 (2011): 624-641. Talay, Zeynep. "Self and Other In Der Mann Ohne Eigenschaften." German Quarterly 86.1 (2013): 60-71. http://www.nazism.net/ Weikart, Richard. “The Root of Hitler’s Evil”