How far did Hitler succeed in creating a Volksgemeinschaft between 1933-39?

In May 1933, Hitler Abolished individual Trade Unions and created the German Labour front which brought all workers and employees together in the same organization this enabled them to feel united and by 1939, there were 22 million members of the German Labour front, which showed that a vast number of people, prepared to be evolved with the project.

The Nazi party also helped the rural areas feel included in the community in June and September 1933 the nazi's announced generous credit arrangements for rural improvements and imposed tariffs on imported food to encourage people to help their Volksegenossen and buy German food. This increased the self-reliance of Germany and helped the rural outlands feel included.

Hitler also put a great emphasis on sport as a way of bringing the national community together and encouraged workplaces to have sports teams, to play each other. He also decreed that 15% of the school curriculum would be given to physical exercise in order to help build a healthy master race.

A central point to creating the Volksgemeinschaft was the changing role of women in German society. In the years during and after the First World War, women had a more involved role in the work place due the lack of men available to work due to the fact they were fighting and dieing. Hitler wanted to change this and believed that although women were equally important as men they had different role to play in the Volksgemeinschaft to men. They were to be mother's and child bearer's they could no longer be professional's. This not only potentially increased the number of likely members of the Volksgemeinschaft but also freed up job's to give to those men who had been made unemployed by the depression. In June 1933 marriage loans for ethnically pure Germans were introduce, tax relief if women didn't work, increased family allowance and the honor Cross of German Mother Hood. Were all introduced in order to entice Women from the work place back to there homes and to have babies.

The next Generation of Nazi's were also indoctrinated with the idea's of a Volksgemeinschaft in the same way that we are with the idea of democracy. In that they were taught at school that it was the norm and that view supporting, other things were either wrong or inappropriate. The Hitler youth (similar in basic principles to the Scout's) was the main way in which young people were taught the principles of Nazism and helped to make the young generation believe in the principle's the Nazi's represented. This is shown by the fact they were willing to fight and die for their Volksgemeinschaft during the Second World War.

The Nazi party also passed law's against those elements, which they believed, did not belong to the national community, in April 1933, all Jews were banned from the civil service and by July Sterilization of the Hereditarily diseased was introduced. In October 1934, the Government started arresting Homosexuals. In September 1935, the Nuremberg laws were passed which discriminated against Jews and Romany's. By 1938 there was an increased level of anti-Semitic legislation and by Aug 1939 euthanasia of mentally ill and physically incapacitated people started. This showed that Hitler was willing to legislate his way into creating his national Community by passing Law's which legally discriminated against the people who were not to be included in the National Community.

I believe Hitler went a long way in creating a national community by 1939 because people were willing to fight and die for the nazi's, most non-German elements had been excluded from society. There were also 22 million members of the German Labour front. In addition, many people benefited from the Nazi rule in Germany. There was a vast economic revival between 1933 and 39 which brought the German people back on an equal footing with the rest of the world. Many parts of the hated Versailles treaty had been overturned by Hitler by 1939. The Industrial W/C were happy with their 'Bread and Games' and the rural W/C enjoyed the benefits that the regime had brought by tariffs on imported food. However the only point where he did not succeed is that until the war started and the final solution was implemented he was unable to rid Germany of those people who were not part of the society but which the society was paying for by keeping them in concentration camp's. However, it could also be said that the fact he could have 6 million people killed and the Volksgemeinschaft accept this, as ok may be the great triumph of the National community. In that he had convinced them so well that, they actually believed that the Jews and other non-society members were inferior and there fore it didn't matter if they lived of died. Hitler defiantly managed to create a society in which the majority of ethnic Germans believed them selves to be the superior master race. However he did not succeed in the respect that all German people were not living in Germany occupied territory by the end of 1939 the were at least 1 million ethnic German's living in Rumania and many others which had lived in German colonies before and during World War one which had not been regained by 1939.

Hitler went a long way in creating a Volksgemeinschaft by 1939 but there was still some work to do en ensuring all ethnic German's were part of the national Community and he still had to remove the unwanted element's from the living space the German Nation had acquired. However the task was nearer it's completion than its beginning.