How far does the evidence of the sources provided suggest that Hitler succeeded in creating a Volksgemeinschaft? "Good Times, Bad Times" By Ulrich Herbert, 1985, gives

Jamie Dwight

Trinity School

Centre No: 51225

AS History Coursework Assignment

Part A: How far does the evidence of the sources provided suggest that Hitler succeeded in creating a Volksgemeinschaft?

“Good Times, Bad Times” By Ulrich Herbert, 1985, gives us the view that a successful Volksgemienschaft was produced. During the period of 1933 and 1939 Hitler managed the “reduction of unemployment, an economic boom, tranquility and order”. During this time people were also “guaranteed pay packets, order and KdF” All of which were part of a success in creating a “people’s society”. The lines “National Socialism’ makes them think merely of work” also suggest that Hitler did succeeded in creating a Volksgemienschaft as part of Hitler’s “people’s community” was that people should work in order to gain social benefits. The unreliability of this source is that it only reflects the opinions from West Germany, which is half of the population, it also does not give us a clear idea of who was asked in the survey. As if Aryan were asked then they would have a biased view, as the Volksgemienschaft was a “people’s community” for pure Germans.This source can also be unreliable in suggesting that Hitler succeeded in creating a Volksgemienschaft, as it is a memory written in 1985, a long time after Hitler’s reign.

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The newspaper article shows Hitler’s views on the role of woman rather than the actually story of women’s life in Germany, 1934. However it did appeal to women as it convinced them that they had a purpose in society. Hitler wrote, “How could the greater world survive if there were no one to make the cares of the smaller one?” Hitler made this statement to make it seem that the women had a place in the society as a proud housewife and mother. This article shows that a Volksgemienschaft was created as the women was part of the “people’s community” as a housewife and mother. The unreliability of this source is that we know in theory this was the idea, but we have no proof that this view was put into practice, and that women were see as such a important figure of the “people’s community”.

Hitler not only made his ideology of everybody being a member of the Volk, appeal to women but also the younger generation. This is see when A.Klonne remembers his time spent in the Hitler Youth. He was “full of enthusiasm…comradeship, loyalty and honour”, and especially enjoyed the trips and sports. This clearly shows that Hitler succeed in producing a sense of community, for the youths of Germany. Klonne also gives us the negative prospect of the Volksgemienschaft, with his view that the “absolute obedience” was unpleasant, and that “it was preferred that people should not have will of their own and should totally subordinate themselves”, realise’s that he should be allowed to have his own views. The unreliability is that we don’t know if Klonne was an Aryan, therefore having a more biased view towards the Nazi Youth Camps. This source is also unreliable as the younger generation would be acceptable to a different society than the Older Generation, and so we only get a youthful outlook of what the Volksgemeinschaft was like for them. This source is quite reliable as it give evidence that Hitler succeeded in the youth camps to some level of creating a Volksgemeinschaft, as A.Klonne was there to experience it himself.

The main reason why Hitler did not succeed in creating a Volksgemeinschaft, was because of his Anti-Semitic views, this is backup by a German women’s memories of Melita Maschmann. She remembers how “Jews were being driven from their professions and homes and imprisoned in ghettos”. This shows that Hitler purposely took the Jews rights away, and believed that there should not be part of the “people’s community”. The source also suggests that Hitler forced his anti-Semitic views on people. This source fully shows that Hitler could not succeed in creating a Volksgemeinschaft, as the Volksgemeinschaft was aimed at making everybody in society equal, but this source clearly shows that Hitler targeted the Jews and many other minority groups as inferior race. However Hitler did managed to create his “people’s community” one which he believed should be made up of pure Germans