Nazism and WWII
Kosher Aziz
HIST 3019: Modern History
Professor Smith-Wilson
July 31, 2013
Aziz 1
Nazism, what is it? Is it a form of a cult or a government movement? What
came to the rise of Nazism? What good attributes resulted from
Nazism? Was it all just pointed out to be all around a bad thing or a bad move?
Well, in many people’s eyes, Nazism is seen as an all-great evil thing. To a point
it is; It is a form of totalitarianism. The term refers to a state in which all aspect of
life is rules by an absolute dictator. After the events of World War I, Germany
was never the same, nor was the world for that matter. A new breed of hatred
was born into the world more so in Germany, and of course, Adolf Hitler knew
this. In ways he took command of it all. Of course, he wasn’t just thrown into
power like that; Hitler served in WWI as a dispatch runner. It meant taking
messages back and forth from the command staff in the rear to the fighting units
near the battlefield. So how does a man go from being a dispatch runner to one
of the most influential and most powerful men in the world at the time? What did
he want to achieve? Well, this essay is here to answer these questions. The rise
to fame of a poor man and becoming one of history’s most feared, hated, sought
after man the world has ever seen at the time.
What were Hitler goals as a leader? Simple, to rule the world and bring
Germany back to its rightful glory as Europe’s/the worlds strongest country and
military might. “Genghis Khan ruled most of the world in the 13th century. This
was one of Hitler’s goals and it was to outdo him. He wanted to conquer the
entire world in the 20th century. And the worlds man power. Control the land and
Aziz 2
you control the world. This was Hitler’s theory.”1 This was his goal once he had
Nazi Germany but he didn’t have it just yet. Before all of this, he joined a party
known as German Workers’ Party. He was ordered at the time to investigate a
small group in Munich known as the German Workers’ Party. When he was
there, he listened to a speech by Gottfried Feder entitled, “How and by what
means is capitalism to be eliminated?”2.
Once the speech ended and everyone was about to leave, Hitler
overheard that a man in the crowds began to agree about the split of Bavaria and
start a South German nation with Austria. This enraged Hitler and went out as
much as to speak out against him. This caught the attention of Anton Drexler
who was one of the founders of this party and offered Hitler to join. A Few days
later, he joined the party and this ultimately began his political career to power.
How would he achieve such a feat? Hitler would develop hatred like no other
towards the Jews and those he did not see fit to be in his ranking. He was always
after the perfect race; blue eyed, blond haired and fair skinned. He thought that
they were far superior to any other races and beings. This all steamed from when
Germany surrendered the First World War. Hitler was hospitalized at the time
and when news broke out, he was devastated that such an outcome would
happen. “There followed terrible days and even worse nights – I knew that all
"The Nazis Strike (1943) Original WWII Footages Full Length Historical
Documentary Propaganda Film - YouTube." YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHeT9errq8w (accessed July 31, 2013).
2 "The History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler Joins German Workers' Party." The
History Place. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/joins.htm
(accessed July 31, 2013).
1
Aziz 3
was lost...in these nights hatred grew in me, hatred for those responsible for this
deed.”3 This sparked what would be on of the coldest and darkest days in history.
This hatred sparked a nation of hatred that was lead by a party’s leader
who bestowed this hatred on his people. This sparked the holocaust in which the
Nazis targeted many groups that were undesirable by the Nazi State that
included; Gypsies, Slavs, the disabled, homosexuals and the Jews. “Although the
accepted figure for the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust is six million, an
exact figure is hard to reach because the Nazis destroyed their records. Recent
research suggests that the figure may be as high as eight million”4 . This hatred
stemmed back to when he was a teenager where he applied for an Art school in
Vienna and was failed by the professors. At the same time his mother was
suffering from breast cancer and had been unsuccessfully operated on in
January.5 After hearing the news of him failing school, he left Vienna to go back
home where we found out that his mother passed away 4 days before Christmas.
This turn of events would ultimately cast the shadow of hatred towards the Jews;
he felt he had not fulfilled his goals and he never got to show his mother that he
has succeeded. It started from his childhood and was amplified when he returned
home from the war blinded by gas.
With this entire going on, was it a truly bad feat? Well, to some it is a yes.
Hitler, Adolf. Mein kampf, München: F. Eher nachf. g.m.b.h., 1933.
“Genocide - World War 2 on History." History: Shows, Schedules and
Resources. http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/ww2/genocide.html
(accessed July 31, 2013).
5 Race, now Hitler also had strong pride in the German, and all things. "The
History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler Fails Art Exam." The History Place.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/art.htm (accessed July
31, 2013).
3
4
Aziz 4
The end’s does not justify the means. To others however, what Hitler did was
good. Not the whole holocaust was a good idea. What was good from this
outcome was what Hitler did for the country as a whole. He made the people
believe
In something and offered one of the best ideas at the time and that was to unite
Germany as a whole again. Hitler united what was referred to as a broken
Germany , thanks to the
Treaty of Versailles. At a time of depression in the 1930’s, Hitler formed an
idea/plan that would let Germany prosper. He would make it so that every citizen
would work to better Germany’s arm. This was great for the country because it
wouldn’t let the great depression hit them as hard as it hit America and other
parts of the world. When the people heard about this plan, they were all onboard
and made it easier for the Nazi party to gain power and control over the people.
In conclusion, the debate on whether Nazism was good or bad is still split.
Yes, the holocaust was extreme and was inhuman across every level but at the
same time it is what united Germany together. Ideally, the idea was executed
terribly and it cost the lives of millions of people. Had there been a proper leader
who was not corrupt with his own hatred for certain races and cultures, the
outcomes may have greatly differed from what we now know today.
“Propaganda, foreign policy
success, the economic recovery of Germany from the Great Depression, as well
as Nazism's promise to create an ordered society for the majority of Germans
appealed to a vast portion of the German population, who had been traumatized
Aziz 5
by the 1929-32 economic crisis as well as the contradictions of modern
capitalism. Above all else, Nazism was allowed to make inroads into German
society by the German public because it was accepted as the best possible
political system to meet the needs of security, sensual satisfaction and social
aspiration.”6
"Impact of Nazism on German society." jarbury.net.
http://portal.jarbury.net/essay/nazigermany.html (accessed August 1,
2013).
6
Aziz 6
Bibliography
"Impact of Nazism on German society." jarbury.net.
http://portal.jarbury.net/essay/nazigermany.html (accessed August 1,
2013).
Race, now Hitler also had strong pride in the German, and all things. "The
History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler Fails Art Exam." The History Place.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/art.htm (accessed July
31, 2013).
“Genocide - World War 2 on History." History: Shows, Schedules and
Resources. http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/ww2/genocide.html
(accessed July 31, 2013).
Hitler, Adolf. Mein kampf, München: F. Eher nachf. g.m.b.h., 1933.
"The History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler Joins German Workers' Party." The
History Place. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/joins.htm
(accessed July 31, 2013).
"The Nazis Strike (1943) Original WWII Footages Full Length Historical
Documentary Propaganda Film - YouTube." YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHeT9errq8w (accessed July 31, 2013).