Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state?

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Assan Hussain 11LS                                     History

                                                                                                         28/04/2007

                                                                                                                                                         

Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state?

    This question has been argued and debated for centuries and what has bemused many historians is to what extent did Hitler and the Nazi regime dictate Germany. In this essay I will evaluate the question “was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state?” A totalitarian state is when all aspects of life within a country, in this case Germany, are under control of a person or group; this person is often referred to as a dictator. In this essay I will outline the aspects of Germany life and consider to what degree Germany was a dictatorial state at the time of Hitler’s and the Nazi regimes climax. The following are the aspects of Germany life,

  • Women
  • Young People
  • Workers
  • Media/Propaganda

During the course of the essay I will decide whether or not Hitler had these certain aspects totally under control.

Hitler joined the German army at the outbreak of World War I. He was twice decorated for bravery. When Germany was defeated in 1918, he was distraught.

Hitler was convinced that Germany had been "stabbed in the back" by Jews. Turning to politics as a vehicle to promote his beliefs, Hitler joined the small ‘German Workers' Party. He quickly became its leader.

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 On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg. Hitler realized that two forces within Germany represented potential challengers to his power, the army and the S.A. Hitler decided that the military support was more crucial and had the S.S. execute the leaders of the S.A. including Rohm who posed a tremendous threat towards Hitler.

The death of President Hindenburg offered Hitler an opportunity to consolidate the powers of the Chancellor and the President. Hitler was now head of state, commander of the armed forces and the political head of the government.

In Hitler's Germany there were ...

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