‘Nazi consolidation of power in 1933 was primarily due to the use of terror and violence.’ How far do you agree with this judgement?
The use of terror and violence helped Nazi consolidation of power in 1933 but it was not the only factor. Other factors aided the consolidation of power such as: the use of legality to secure power by lawful means; the use of propaganda to shepherd the German people into supporting the Nazis; adapting to different demands of society to ensure the support of a wide range of people; and gleichschaltung (co ordination) ensured all aspects of Germany society was under Nazi control.
The use of terror and violence certainly contributed to Nazi consolidation of power in 1933. For example, on 27th February 1933, a communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was accused and arrested for the Reichstag fire when the actual perpetrators were most likely to be the Nazis. This was important to the consolidation of power by the Nazis because it instilled fear in the minds of ordinary Germany people which would have a negative impact on the communist party as their reputation would have been tarnished. This is of significance because the KPD were the second largest party in the Reichstag and thus were the main rivals of the Nazi party. With them out of the way, the Nazis didn’t face any real threat which made it easier for them to consolidate power. In addition, the SA and the SS broke into rival political party offices and destroyed documents and files. This form of arson intimidated the wider population, especially anyone that opposes the Nazis which helped Nazi consolidation of power because people were too afraid to stand up to these ‘hooligan-like’ SA.
The Essay on A Seize Of Power
After WWI, Germany was in a exceedingly unpleasant state. It had been forced, by the Treaty of Versailles, to take full blame for the war. This meant that Germany would have to pay reparations for all of the other countries. Reparations were even harder to pay since Germany was in the midst of one of the worst stagflation epidemics in history. Not to mention a brand new government, one that had ...
However, it can be argued that propaganda is another factor that was significant in the Nazis consolidating power in 1933. As historian Ian Kershaw explains, “It was plain from the beginning that the regime would attach a high priority to the steering of opinion.” This is accurate to some degree as the Nazis’ main tactic to gather supporters was through the use of propaganda and censorship. For example, in 1933, the People’s Receiver was introduced which was known as “the cheapest radio set in the world.” This meant that millions of Germans could afford to buy the radio which gave the Nazi party the ability to talk to people in their own homes, as well as share it with the public due to the radio speakers being stationed on the streets as well as workplaces. This led to an overwhelmingly large audience to the Nazi propaganda which made it easier for the Nazi message to be conveyed to the public. This helped the Nazis consolidate their power as they convinced more people to support them by manipulating their opinions via the use of propaganda.
Legality can also be argued to be significant in Nazi consolidation of power in 1933. The use of legality generated an air of respectability and acceptance to the actions that the Nazis carried out as it was all within the bounds of the constitution. Even though the basic liberties of the German people were suspended such as freedom of expression, press, assembly and association, it was all done without breaching the rules of the constitution as the Reichstag fire led to Hitler passing the Decree for the Protection of the Nation and state. This meant that he could pass emergency laws such as the suspension of the aforementioned civil liberties. This is significant to the Nazi consolidation of power because it restricted the amount of opposition and criticism against the Nazis as well as preventing supporters of democracy from having an uprising because their civil rights have been removed due to the fact that their rights were removed in a democratic way as it was within the confines of the constitution. In addition, on 14th July 1933, the Law against the Formation of New Parties was passed which meant that the banned KPD and SPD parties could not form a new party under a new name. This is significant because it can be seen as the Nazis permanently removing the communist threat from the Reichstag which means that the Nazi party could dominate the Reichstag and consolidate its power. However, all of these actions can be classified as a form of propaganda where the German people are being forced to portray the communists in bad light so propaganda can be argued to be the root of Nazi consolidation of power in 1933.
The Essay on How Did Hitler Use Propaganda To Gain Support?
“Propaganda attempts to force a doctrine on the whole people… Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea.”–Adolf Hitler. These words showed Hitler’s awareness of the importance of propaganda–a means that helped him to gain support from the people. The fact that Hitler became chancellor ...
The Nazi method of adapting to different interest groups can also be argued to be a significant part of Nazi consolidation of power. The Nazis were associated with all class groups such as the upper and middle class jurists and teachers. Lower classes such as agricultural workers and farmers were also targeted by Nazis to gain support. An example of Nazis attempting to gain widespread support is their public work schemes such as the building of autobahns which helped reduce unemployment. This helped the Nazis consolidate their power as their methods were designed to appeal to a wide range of people which will gather more support for the Nazi regime. However, once again, propaganda is at the root of this factor. The use of nationalistic posters and slogans overshadowed the class differences which meant the Nazis were not actually targeting every individual group in society, but a more collectivised and generalised population. Individual interests were not pacified; rather a common interest in nationalism grouped a wider population under one umbrella so a wider range of Germans could be captivated into supporting the Nazis and essentially consolidating their power.
Gleichshaltung (coordination) was also quite important in Nazi consolidation of power in 1933. This was when trade unions were disbanded and workers were absorbed into the German Labour Front (DAF) which was significant as the Nazis now controlled over 22 million workers which meant that the Nazis also gained their support. The instilling of Nazi rule in localities and destruction of organisational bases for political opposition ensured that Germany became a one party state which meant that the Nazis were the sole party in charge of Germany. However, all this would not have been possible without propaganda which reassured people that the Nazis are what is best for the people and the country. Propaganda ensured that little doubt remained against the Nazis and there was little resistance to the Gleichshaltung as that was portrayed as what was best for Germany.
The Essay on The Nature And Impact Of Nazi Propaganda
In explaining the nature and impact of Nazi propaganda, terror and repression on the Jewish community one must acknowledge the underlying anti-Semitic sentiments prevalent in the nationalistic German society. Anti-Semitism was the central, consistent theme of Nazism, and from the time Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933 to the end of the Second World War in 1945 he exploited these sentiments ...
The consolidation of power in 1933 by the Nazis could not have been possible without the propaganda and censorship that the Nazis orchestrated so successfully. Although terror played some part in helping the Nazis consolidate their power, the use of propaganda exaggerated some of these terrors and spread the terror across Germany through the use of newspapers and radio, which meant that the terror was truly successful in instilling fear in German people only because propaganda made sure everyone was aware of what was going on. Other factors such as legality and the method of adapting to different interest groups were important but propaganda was at the root of them as it shepherd the German people into following and accepting Nazi policies and ideas. The same with Gleichshaltung, the use of propaganda made the policy seem acceptable as it was portrayed as what was best for Germany. So overall, propaganda was the main factor that ensured Nazi consolidation of power as it was at the root of all the other factors and made them more successful in helping the Nazis in consolidating their power in 1933.
