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A Comparison of Populism in the USA Today and in the Weimar Republic

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FACULTY OF ARTS AND EDUCATION MASTER’S THESIS Programme of study: MHIMAS-1 19H Spring semester, 2020 History and History didactics Open Author: Tor K Kristiansen (Author’s signature) Supervisor: Tyson Ashley Retz Thesis title: Populism in in the Weimar Republic and in the USA today with a focus on Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump Keywords: Populism, Democracy, Weimar No. of pages: 97 Republic, USA, Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump Stavanger, 1 July 2020 Sammendrag Den primære målsetningen med denne masteroppgaven er å undersøke om Adolf Hitler gjorde bruk av populistiske metoder i sin agitasjon for nazismen i Weimar-republikken. En moderne forståelse av populisme er benyttet i denne undersøkelsen. Oppgaven omfatter en gjennomgang av hovedsakelig de siste års akademisk litteratur om populisme, som blir brukt som en referanse i undersøkelsen av Hitler og hans agitasjon for nazismen. Utgangspunktet for undersøkelsen er Hitlers bok Mein Kampf og utdrag fra noen av hans taler. Utdrag fra artikler i det venstreorienterte ukemagasinet Die Weltbühne, som ble utgitt i Weimar- perioden, er benyttet for å belyse hvorledes Hitler og Nazistene ble omtalt i samtiden. Noe historisk bakgrunnsinformasjon om utviklingen i Weimar-perioden er inkludert. Konklusjonen på denne delen av oppgaven er at Hitler gjorde seg bruk av populistiske metoder for å komme til makten i 1933. Den sekundære målsetningen med oppgaven er å beskrive hvorledes populisme er kommet til uttrykk i USA i de tre første årene av Donald Trumps periode som president, primært ved å studere utdrag av noen av hans taler. Den akademiske litteraturen om populisme er benyttet for å forklare noe av bakgrunnen for Trumps populistiske oppførsel. Meninger som er kommet til uttrykk i den liberale pressen, hovedsakelig The New York Times og The Washington Post, men også i nylig publiserte bøker om Trumps utøvelse av presidentembetet er benyttet for å illustrere situasjonen. Populisme trives i den spenningen som eksisterer i et demokrati mellom folkesuverenitet og liberalt demokrati, med sitt fokus på menneskerettigheter, individuelle friheter, et politisk ordskifte basert på ekspertise og fakta og rettssikkerhet. En tredje målsetning med oppgaven er å gi noen kommentarer til hvorledes populistisk lederskap har utfordret det liberale demokratiet, eksemplifisert ved Donald Trumps presidentskap og Adolf Hitlers maktovertakelse i Weimar-republikken. 1 Summary The main objective of this thesis is to investigate if Adolf Hitler used a populist style in his campaign for power during in the Weimar Republic. A contemporary understanding of populism has been used in this investigation. The thesis provides a review of recent scholarly literature on populism which is used as a reference in the investigation of Hitler and his agitation for the Nazi party. The basis for the investigation of Hitler is his book Mein Kampf and excerpts from some of his speeches. Excerpts from the leftist weekly magazine Die Weltbühne that was issued during the Weimar period has been used to provide some insight into how Hitler and the Nazis were viewed at the time. Some historical background for the events during the Weimar Republic is provided. The conclusion of this main objective of the thesis is that Hitler used a populist style to gain power in 1933. The secondary objective of the thesis is to provide a description of how populism has been expressed in the USA during the first three years of Donald Trump’s presidency. The scholarly literature on populism is used to explain some background for Trump’s populist behaviour. Opinions from the liberal press, mainly The New York Times and The Washington Post and also from recent books on Trump’s presidency are used to illustrate the situation. Populism thrives in the tension which exists in a democracy between popular sovereignty and liberal democracy with its emphasis on human rights, individual liberties, a political discourse based upon expertise and facts and the rule of law. A third objective of the thesis is to provide some comments on how populist leadership has challenged liberal democracy, as exemplified by the presidency of Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler’s assumption of power as Reichskanzler in the Weimar Republic. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 6 2 Defining Populism .............................................................................................................. 9 2.1 History .......................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Populism as a Thin Ideology ..................................................................................... 14 2.3 Populism as a Political Style ..................................................................................... 15 2.4 ‘The People’ .............................................................................................................. 20 2.5 ‘The Elite’ .................................................................................................................. 21 2.6 The General Will ....................................................................................................... 22 2.7 The Leader and the Media ......................................................................................... 23 2.8 Crises and Fear .......................................................................................................... 24 2.9 Populism and Democracy .......................................................................................... 26 2.10 Populism and Fascism ............................................................................................... 31 3 The Weimar Republic .................................................................................................... 35 3.1 Establishment of the new Republic and Hitler’s Mein Kampf .................................... 35 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 35 The Establishment of the Nazi Party ................................................................................ 36 Mein Kampf and Hitler’s Views on the Jews .................................................................... 38 Mein Kampf and Hitler’s Views on Democracy ............................................................... 40 Mein Kampf and Propaganda ............................................................................................ 41 Mein Kampf and Nazism as a Fascist Belief System ........................................................ 44 3.2 1923; French Occupation of the Ruhr and Hitler’s Speech 4 May ............................. 45 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 45 Hitler’s Speech 4 May 1923 ............................................................................................. 45 3.3 1924 – 1929; The Golden Years .................................................................................. 47 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 47 Hitler’s Speech 18 January 1927 ...................................................................................... 49 3.4 1930- 1931; The Years of Recession ........................................................................... 51 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 51 Hitler’s Speech in Munich 16 September 1930 ................................................................ 52 3.5 1932; An Election Year ............................................................................................... 54 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 54 3 Hitler’s Speech 27 January 1932 ...................................................................................... 55 The Political Situation in the Spring of 1932 .................................................................... 57 Hitler’s Speech Prior to the Reichstag Election 31 July 1932 .......................................... 58 The Political Situation in the Autumn of 1932 ................................................................. 59 Hitler Speech on New Year’s Day 1933 ........................................................................... 60 3.6 1933; The Final Year of the Weimar Republic ........................................................... 61 Political Background ......................................................................................................... 61 Hitler’s Proclamation on 30 January 1933 ........................................................................ 62 The Political Situation in the Spring of 1933 .................................................................... 62 3.7 Hitler’s Populist Hallmarks in the Weimar Period ...................................................... 64 Political Style .................................................................................................................... 64 The People Versus the Elite .............................................................................................. 64 Bad Manners ....................................................................................................................
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