Rise of Nazism and Enlightenment Thought - 2086 Words

HIST215 – Later Modern Europe,1789-1939 Assessment Task One Research Essay The rise and subsequent take-over of power in Germany by Hitler and the Nazi Party in the early 1930s was the culmination and continuation not of Enlightenment thought from the 18th and 19th century but the logical conclusion of unstable and cultural conditions that pre-existed in Germany. Hitler’s Nazi Party’s clear manipulation of the weak state of the Weimar Republic through its continued failure economically and socially, plus its undermining of popular support through the signing the Treaty of Versailles all lead to the creation of a Nazi dictatorship under the cult of personality of Hitler. This clear take-over of power and subsequent destruction of any†¦show more content†¦Hitler himself even declared on the 3rd of March, 1933 that: ‘The government will embark upon a systematic campaign to restore the nation’s moral and material health. The whole educational system, theatre, film, literature, the press, and broadcasting – all these wi ll be used as a means to this end. They will be harnessed to help preserve the eternal values which are part of the integral nature of our people’[9] This removal of the ability to criticize and question the Nazi regime led to one of the first acts when the Hitler was given power by Hindenburg in 1933, and that was to begin a campaign of terror against all opponents from the extreme left, namely the communist party. Which was the only party in Germany after the 1930 elections that really held any sort of power as the centre left had collapsed[10] what this lead to was the quick consolidation of power as Hitler and the Nazi party controlled the apparatuses of government that allowed them to unleash a reign of terror against their opponents, chief among them the communists. What this culminated in was the attempted burning down of the Reichstag by a communist sympathiser and the subsequent arrest of 4,000 Communists as Hitler declared to Goebbels, Goring and Rudolf Diels that: ‘There will be no more mercy now; anyone who stands in our way will be butchered’ not only that but thatShow MoreRelatedEssay on Fascism as a Single Doctrine1075 Words   |  5 Pagestwentieth century, which emerged out of a complex range of historical forces that were present in the period between the two world wars. Fascism was seen very much as a revolt against modernity, against the ideas and values of the Enlightenment and the political creeds that it spawned. It emerged most dramatically in Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy, yet fascist elements can also been detected in Portugal under the dictatorship of Salazar, in Spain under Franco and inRead MoreJohn Locke on Liberty and Equality933 Words   |  4 Pagesbased on the ideas of liberty and equality; it supports the ideas of civil rights, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and free trade. Liberalism traces its origins to the works of John Locke in the seventeenth century and the philosophy of enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Locke wrote that every man has a natural right to life, liberty and property (â€Å"All mankind being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions, John Locke, SecondRead MoreVisual Propaganda For Armed Conflict Comment2298 Words   |  10 Pagestool to win over the minds of millions of Germans who did not initially support Hitler and the Nazis? anti-Semitic agenda. Josef Goebbels was the man most responsible for the Nazi?s racist indoctrination of the Germans, as the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. He led t he national takeover of all forms of media and entertainment that targeted and eventually penetrated the educational, recreational and religious institutions of Germany. Goebbels? goal was to depict the Jewish communityRead MoreEssay on Nietszche and Self Creation753 Words   |  4 PagesIn the eighteenth and nineteenth centurys, the Enlightenment was a term designated to the increasing amount of scientificic discoverys debunking religious theology. With humanitys loss of their once certified objectivity, the individual and his society sunk into the chaotic realm of insecurity revealing the seeds of a postmodern world. The German philosopher Nietzsche, deeming God is dead, saw the collapse of these collective truths of objectivity, showing the meaningless of the universe. HenceRead MoreEssay on The Forms of Propaganda Used by the State in Nazi Germany973 Words   |  4 Pagesevery German and summon absolute loyalty to the Nazi party. Following the Nazi partys rise to power in 1933, Hitler established the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels - who was a master of propaganda that used all means at his disposal to perpetuate the Hitler myth and propagate Nazi values. The Ministrys aim was to eliminate all original thought and ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through the widest varietyRead MoreThe Symbolism of English Socialism in George Orwells 19842162 Words   |  9 Pagesagainst their parents, which happened to Winston Smiths neighbors in 1984. This extensive use of police informers, including children, was also common in the real totalitarian regimes of Hitler and Stalin. In 1984, no truth, facts or independent thought was ever allowed except that which the Party dictates from one moment to the next, and the more secure it feels in power the more ruthless and totalitarian its methods will become. Thanks to new technological developments like television, every citizenRead MoreIs Bullshit Is True? Essay2345 Words   |  10 PagesRush Limbaugh to Breitbart to Fox News. It’s a good way to get you riled up and angry at ‘the other’. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,† **some restrictions apply. Our country was founded by slaveholders who thought non-land-holding men shouldn’t vote, that women were property, and that the people who already lived here for thousands of years were only good for target practice, yet, the defense of them is, â€Å"but look at the time! For that time, they were progressiveRead MoreEvil in Roberto Benignis Life Is Beautiful4016 Words   |  17 Pagessought to repeat his father s approach to the subject (Simonelli 7). Benigni and Cerami s script therefore is presented as a fable; the premise of the film in which Benigni s trickster protagonist defeats the ogres of Italian fascism and German Nazism is offered in a basic fairytale format. The reconstruction of the camp as a stone building rather than a more realistic wooden frame complex adds to the fairytale setting. By contrasting the violence and evil of the Shoah with the innocence ofRead MoreAnti Semitism During The 19th Century2890 Words   |  12 Pagesprejudices in Europe, existing for some sixteen hundred years prior to the Anti-Semitic explosion of Nazism. The proliferation of Nazism in Germany, however, was not the commencement of what scholars deem â€Å"modern Anti-Semitism,† but rather its pinnacle. Modern Anti-Semitism, characterized by the declaration of â€Å"a program of action in regards to the Jews and not simply the harsh words or thoughts in their regard, † which was typical of â€Å"traditional† Anti-Semitism, developed gradually over the courseRead MoreHow Successful Was Nazi Propaganda in the Period 1933-39?4453 Words   |  18 Pagessuccessful. br brbHow Successful was Nazi Propaganda 1933-39?/b brThe relevance of how successful propaganda was at reaching people is that: it would be largely true to say Ââ€" if it had reached people, if it had influenced peoples thought in a way beneficial to the rise of the Nazi party, therefore it had achieved a primary aim. br brThe human front of Nazi propaganda was Dr. Joseph Goebbels. In many respects, the German population saw propaganda through him. The maintenance of a perfect, profound