The Nazi movement is a revolutionary movement that was associated with the mass murder of Jews and Communists in an attempt to restore the reputation of Germany at the international level. The movement gained momentum during the 1929 global depression. The suppression of Jews was meant to bring cultural and national renewal to the Germans.
The appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor marked the beginning of the Holocaust. Hitler soon established a dictatorship regime that abolished all political parties and alienated Germany from the rest of the world. The Nazis’ ability to wield power and carry out the Holocaust is attributed to three factors.
To begin with, Hitler had some very enthusiastic supporters. Secondly, the many people who seemed less enthusiastic got along with the conditions of Hitler’s regime. The third factor is because few people had both the desire and courage to resist the Nazis.
The Nazi regime under the leadership of Hitler was very powerful because of the enthusiastic supporters of the Nazi party. Some of Hitler’s supporters were not even aware of the gravity of their actions at that time. The Holocaust was fueled by the Anti-Semitic propaganda that was being spread by Hitler’s supporters.
The Anti-Semitic propaganda was meant to create a rift between the Jews and the native Germans. The propaganda was able to manipulate the Nazi party supporters to burn the Kronenberg synagogue in 1938 (Mayer 20). After the disbandment of all political parties by Hitler’s regime, all politicians were forced to join the Nazi party or completely retire from politics.
The supporters who were behind the Anti-Semitic movement were commonly known as the SA policemen (Mayer 20). Karl-Heinz Schwenke is a notable Anti-Semite crusader during the Hitler regime.
Schwenke started spreading the Anti-Semite propaganda even before the Nazi party took over power from the previous government. Schwenke believed that the high inflation rate that was being experienced in German at that time was caused by Jews and this had led to him losing his business (Mayer 115).
Schwenke was an ardent supporter of the Nazi party, and he demonstrated this when he blatantly refused to support his son’s marriage because the bride’s father was not a member of the Nazi party (Mayer 21). Bruno Lipstky is another fanatic Hitler supporter who insisted on marching with the Nazi party members although he was a disable (Mayer 120).
The Anti-Semitic propaganda spread by supporters of the Nazi party was based on economic concepts and not necessarily political. Klingelholfer, who was a loyal party member claimed that the polices of the Nazi party were not racial but entirely political (Mayer 132).
The Hitler regime and its supporters always rejoiced at the suffering of Jews. Johann Kessler, one of Hitler’s loyal supporters rejoiced when a synagogue where Jews used to worship was completely burned down. Kessler considered this as the type of change that Hitler and his Nazi party had promised to them (Mayer 34).
The Hitler regime was not that popular during its initial stages but many Germans had no choice but get along with it. Germany suffered an economic depression after the First World War which led to many people losing their jobs while young people were unable to access meaningful employment.
This difficult economic situation led to Gustavo Schwenke becoming an SA policeman for money in the year 1932 (Mayer 114). Heinrich Wedekind was a baker who joined the Nazi party in order to maintain a relationship with his wife and two children. The other reason why Wedekind joined the Nazi party was to save his bakery business at that time. Wedekind later found a perfect excuse to quite the SA movement (Mayer 37).
Herr Damm is another opportunistic supporter who joined the Nazi party in order to get a job. Damm became a member of the Nazi party in order to in order to secure a job in the party offices (Mayer 90). Since it was risky to engage in open rebellion against Hitler’s regime, some people joined the Nazi party because they had no other option.
Rosenthal, a bank director then is an example of this group of people (Mayer 79). Another party member who was forced to join the Nazi party is Willy Hofmeister. Hofmester was a police officer who was forced to join the party by the Police Chief (Mayer 99). Other people later joined the Nazi party because everybody was doing it.
Hitler’s regime was so powerful that no one had the desire and courage to resist it. The Nazis increasingly became brutal to anyone who engaged in open rebellion. This was attributed to the fact that Hitler and his party had come to power through militarism.
Anyone who tried to oppose the party together with its policies was instantly killed by Hitler’s security forces or ardent supporters. Many people who were opposed to the Anti-Semitic movement imitated by the Nazi party were force to flee the country because their lives were in danger. Ernst von Weizsackker was a minister in the previous government who was against the Nazi doctrines.
Weizsacker ordered the killing of millions of Jews as a way of racial cleansing (Mayer 86). Herr Simon joined the Nazi party as a way of getting rid of Communists whom he hated so much. Heinrich Hildebrandt is a high school teacher who joined the Nazi party although he was against their ideologies and policies (Mayer 35).
Hildebrandt was influenced to join the Nazi party by his father who was an old army colonel. His father’s aim was to keep him at his possession (Mayer 35). The Nazi regime was widely feared in Europe and the rest of the world because of its brutality.
All German citizens were forced to join the Nazi party either willingly or unwillingly because the consequences of rebellion were very severe (Mayer 35). Under Hitler’s leadership, Germany became a one party state.
In the height of the Second World War, Hitler ordered the persecution and extermination of all the Jews across the world. This decision was arrived at after realizing that deportation was proving to be costly. It is the overwhelming support that Hitler received form the Nazi Supporters and international allies that enabled him to wield a lot of power.
In conclusion, Hitler is still being remembered in history as one of the most brutal and evil leaders that the world has ever seen. The Anti-Semitic movement initiated by Hitler later degenerated into a Holocaust. Hitler and his supporters were able to carry out the Holocaust because of the immense power wielded d by the Nazis.
The Nazi party had a fanatical following across the country and this provided Hitler with a perfect opportunity to carry out his mission of suppressing Jews and Communists in Germany and the rest of the world. All the German citizens were forced to comply with the Nazi doctrines that aimed at eliminating Jews and Communists from the face of the earth.
Works Cited
Mayer, Milton. They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1955. Print.