Nazi Policies and Hitler’s Principles
Even before the onset of the First World War, Germany had avery complex society that was growing rapidly in industrialization.The feeling of being powerful led to the conception of the thoughtsof feudalism and modern industrialization. The country had atradition of loyalty to the authorities and militarism. According toAdamthwaite, those who did not support the politics of the day werenot welcome in the German society (9). The loyalty that the politicalinstitutions enjoyed assisted them to shield the country frominternal revolts and the tendency of other states using local molesto initiate an uprising. Also, the feeling of superiority intensifiedracism in the country.
The Germans believed they were stronger and more superior to theother races and they, therefore, had a right of way and occupation.The feeling was a major cause of defying the Treaty of Versaillessince the political leadership believed that Germany should occupythe whole of Eastern Europe (Adamthwaite 12). The Nazi party uprisingin the country emphasized on these beliefs, and others, that wereradical enough to propel the country towards occupying otherterritories. Like a planned move, the Nazi Party and its doctrinesfell under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. His ideologies were gearedtowards the war and expanding Germany. With the leader and the partyexuding confidence, as well as, the need to idealize their ideas, theSecond World War bloomed.
The Nazi or the National Socialism was a party based on the nationalideology of totalitarianism and fascism. According to Brustein, theobjective of the party was to establish a dictatorial state that wassubservience to the leader (2). The tradition of the state reflectedloyalty towards respecting the political institutions and exudedloyalty to them. The party had various policies that related to theprinciples mentioned in Mien Kampf.
First, the Nazi ideology wanted to create common enemies for all theGermans. The loyalty that the party enjoyed from the people wasfavorable for this move. Anybody who opposed the efforts of the partybecame an enemy of the people. The enemies identified by the NaziParty included the Jews, who had various businesses in the countryand occupied some civil service occupations, and the communists. Thepressure created by the political party resulted in the gradualmigration of the Jews (Brustein 4). The party was also a foe to thecommunists, freemasons, gypsies and homosexuals. Communists wereideal with democracy. The Nazi party could not allow the ideas ofdemocracy to infiltrate the country.
Secondly, the Nazi party professed the ideology of remodeling theworking class by making the workers focus on higher ideals anddreams. According to the party, the jurisdiction of the country wasnot enough for a typical German (Brustein 4). The people had to beambitious to exploit and take control of an expanded Germany.Therefore, when the efforts for occupying other territories werementioned by the party, which made it to receive a massive backup.
These policies relate to the strategies mentioned by the Mein Kampfthat was written between 1923 and 1924. Hitler confessed havingracial attributes towards individuals who were not Aryan. Aryan was aterm used in the 19th and 20th century to describe Europeans andthose of Western-Asian origin (Adamthwaite 163). Aryan, according toHitler was the master race that was pure and was not supposed to mixwith other races. Its culture was pure and according to Hitler, thepresence of Jews in the country only destroyed its purity.
Another policy harbored by Hitler was that Darwinism was the bestsurvival ideology. Those who had the capacity and resources couldcolonize the weak. Adamthwaite explains that Hitler believed that hesurvivors would wipe out the rest of the people and occupy theirterritories (163). The idea was similar to the Nazi’s policy ofencouraging Germans to be superior and remodeling the working class.With resources and military power, they could wipe out other races inthe neighboring countries and exploit their resources.
Hitler was also a lover of the military. According to the Mein Kampf,Hitler believed that the true ability of a man or a country could notbe determined in an environment devoid of war (Adamthwaite 183). Theidea coincided with the Nazi’s tradition of the militarization ofGermany and encouraging the citizens to pledge allegiance to atotalitarian leader. Additionally, Hitler believed that Germany wassupposed to be superior to the other states. He believed inlebensraum to expand the living space of Germany and establishcolonialism in other countries (Adamthwaite 165).
The interface of the Nazi party policies and the ideas of AdolfHitler laid the groundwork for the Second World War. After 1933,Hitler was not secretive anymore of his intent to expand theterritory of Germany. According to Adamthwaite, Hitler’s leadershipevinced to be the best recipe for the ambitions of Nazi. Everythingthat Hitler engaged in after 1933 propelled the country towards war(184). He looked for any loophole to defy the Treaty of Versailles,and he succeeded in waging war and occupying Rhineland. In hismessage to his generals, he expressed his confidence in takingCzechoslovakia to revenge the mistreatment met against the Germans(Adamthwaite 199). The move angered Britain and France, but theythought Hitler would stop at taking the country.
Nazi’s racism, coupled with the hatred that Hitler had for othernon-Aryans, led to the government sanctioning the Jewish businessesestablished in Germany. The consumers boycotted buying from theJewish shops. The Jews, sensing danger began migrating to otherareas. However, those who remained met their death through Hitler’shand. Six million lost their lives (Adamthwaite 211). The invasion ofPoland by Hitler triggered attacks from Britain and France. Additionally, the Nazi had influenced the Germans to believe thatthey should occupy the whole of Eastern Europe. Their allegiance tothe political and dictatorial leader could not allow them to raisebrows, even when half of the country’s resources were committed toprocuring weapons. Also, Hitler coveted to prove his might in linewith his ideology that the unvarnished wherewithal of an individualcould only be ascertained through war. According to Adamthwaite, thepressure of attack from the Soviet Union, Britain, France, Australia,Canada, China, New Zealand and the United States could not lead himto bow down (221). When he decided to quit, Germany had suffered alot of casualties, and its economy was in a deplorable condition.
In conclusion, the Nazi policies, yoked with the principles of AdolfHitler as outlined in the Mein Kampf, led Germany to trigger theSecond World War. The National Socialist Party upheld racism andmilitarization of Germany. Conversely, Hitler professed the idea ofmilitary might and the purity of the German culture. When he becamethe Nazi leader, he drove the Jews out of Germany and invadedCzechoslovakia, Poland and Rhineland. Other countries includingBritain, France, the Soviet Union and The United States among otherswaged war against Germany. To evince his might, the Nazi held itsground. By the time Hitler surrendered, he had exhausted thecountry’s resources.
Works Cited
Adamthwaite, AnthonyP. The Making of the Second World War. Vol. 28. New York:Routledge, 2013. Print.
Brustein, William I."Nazi Movement (Germany)." The Wiley-BlackwellEncyclopedia of Social and Political Movements (2013). Print.