In what ways were Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party able to maintain power in Germany in the period 1933 to 1939?

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were able to maintain their formidable power in Germany from the period 1933 to 1939. Indeed, the magnitude of the task is seemingly unfathomable as the malevolent paradigm shift in Germany could have been potentially disastrous. However, Hitler and the Nazi Party averted this foreboding predicament through the ruthless implementation of various ways to consolidate power. Ultimately, to delve further into the aforesaid, one must consider the maintenance of power through: the terror and exclusion in 1933, the legal premise that obscured injustices in Gleichschaltung, Volkgemeinschaft & Herrenvolk, and the extensive indoctrination via propaganda and censorship.

Firstly, it is imperative to address how Hitler and the Nazis were able to maintain their formidable power through the initial wave of terror and exclusion in 1933. Indeed, the foreboding presence of failure within the 1930s was a certain possibility. Thus, in order to minimise this predicament, Hitler exploited any forms of trepidation amidst the general populous in order to achieve beneficiary outcomes. Unfortunately, it is a known fact that people are more likely to act irrationally in a state of fear and ultimately, this is what Hitler and the Nazi Party substantially relied on in order to make progress within the Reichstag. Ironically, it was the event most catastrophic to the Reichstag that enabled the Nazi Regime to prosper through the aforementioned. The Reichstag fire of February 1933 manifested an unprecedented level of anti-communism hysteria as the prime suspect of the crime was Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe. Furthermore, by substantiating Hitler’s views on communism, discrimination through the emergency decree fostered and unfortunately exacerbated Hitler’s and the Nazi Party’s sphere of influence. Thus, this legal facade enabled the annihilation of the Communist election campaign as destruction brought upon by Stormtroopers saw over 4000 Communists arrested. Undoubtedly, this display of brutality in public would coerce Germans to vote for the Nazis in the March elections. Ultimately, giving the Nazi Party satisfactory results with 288 seats and with the additional 52 seats from the Nationalist Party, Hitler gained absolute power. Therefore, through an atmosphere of terrorism and exclusion, Hitler and the Nazi Party consequently established themselves as a formidable force in Nazi Germany’s infancy and thus contributed to their maintenance of power.

The second way in which Hitler and the Nazi Party were able to maintain power in Germany in the six-year period was through a legal premise that obscured injustices. As known, Hitler made the transition from a legal chancellor to a legal dictator from 1933 – 34. By choosing to come to power and maintain power constitutionally, it essentially gave Hitler and his Nazi Party utmost credibility despite their acts being excessively unreasonable. Additionally, forms of opposition had hardly any effect on the Nazi Party as the law substantiated their existence and draconian actions. Furthermore, through cementing themselves as the formidable force from their inception under the chancellorship of Hitler, critical events of bringing society into line through Gleichschaltung, reconstructing society through Volkgemeinschaft and fulfilling racial policies through Herrenvolk were made possible. Consequently, strengthening their already powerful supremacy it seems as if nothing could possibly undermine them.

Firstly, the process of Gleichschaltung, or the ‘enforced coordination of all levels and interest groups in society’ or simply put, ‘bringing into line’ was solely due to solely due to the Enabling Act of 1933. Brought ‘into line’ were states, trade unions and political parties systematically with apparent ease as the relentlessly annihilation through terror and exclusion continued. Exemplifying his resilience and supremacy, Hitler’s pursuit of Gleichschaltung was unwavering as by 31 March 1933, the eighteen state parliaments had its system altered as it was completely reorganised with the majority of seats belonging to the Nazis. Moreover, Trade Unions also suffered the full extent of Gleichschaltung on 2 May as they were effectively merged in a ‘German Labour Front’ that was directed by a Nazi. Lastly, parties such as the Social Democrats and the Communists were consequently annihilated and by July only the Nazi Party existed. Ultimately, on the first anniversary of Hitler’s accession to power, all eighteen state parliaments were formally eradicated under the passing of the Law for the Reconstruction of the Reich. Evidently, the legal facade in the practice of Gleichschaltung greatly contributed to Hitler and the Nazi Party in maintaining their power.

Secondly, the concept of Volkgemeinschaft under the constitutional foundation also aided Hitler and the Nazis in maintaining power. Volkgemeinschaft was the social revolution that morphed the German society. The ultimate social paradigm transition that preached the concept of the People’s Community was successfully implemented in the 1930s. Indeed changing the mentality of the Germany society, by entrenching the ideas of ‘a new society, a harmonious national community, free from class divisions and social conflict’ to the masses. Undoubtedly, after years of despair prior and post-Stresemann era, this national revival would appeal to millions. British historian Alan Bullock epitomises Hitler as a man who resonated with the vast majority of Germans in the following statement, ‘his appeal cut across class and religious boundaries, affecting both young and old, men and women’. Therefore, with such appealing attributes it’s suffices to state that Hitler was capable of achieving Volkgemeinschaft in a short period of time. Furthermore, the extent of this overhaul is only heightened by the fact that women and youth did not show signs of hesitation in the seemingly beneficial alteration. Women for instance had experienced a plethora of rights and high positions in society post-WWI yet were not reluctant in becoming subordinate to men in the 1930s. Excluded from political life and the workforce and confined to the kitchen, rather literally as the motto states ‘Children, Church and Kitchen’, women took on the former traditional role as wives and mothers. Moreover, from 1933 – 35, over 800, 000 women left the workforce and by from 1933 – 39 birth rates increased dramatically from 14.7 births per thousand to 20.4 births per thousand. Of course, this was also encouraged under another legal premise as laws were enacted along with financial incentives to encourage the rise in birth rates. Additionally, youth also experienced the supposed benefits of Volkgemeinschaft as the education and the Hitler Youth left an indelible imprint on young minds. By establishing Hitler Youth, Hitler aimed to use indoctrination as they were fundamentally the foundation of Hitler’s absolute power in the long-term. Thus, as the next generation would continue the national socialist revolution there was an immense focus on the implementation of Nazi Party’s ideology in children of Germany rather than adults as the Hitler Youth was open to manipulation. Therefore, Volkgemeinschaft was effective in the facets of women and youth’s lives as their roles were crucial to Hitler and the Nazi Party consolidating their power.

Thirdly, the practice of Herrenvolk through the legal facade of racial policies also substantially assisted Hitler and the Nazi Party’s maintaining of power in the late 1930s. The enactment of racial policies exemplifies the extreme lengths Hitler and the Nazis will go to in order to fulfil their aim in making the Aryan race free from abnormalities and illnesses whilst segregating and later exterminating ‘inferior’ races. Hence, these elements are otherwise known as eugenics and racial segregation. Additionally, by instilling racial policies and thus racism and discrimination into average Germans, their power would undeniably be strengthened to another degree as that hatred of a certain race or quality can no doubt unite people despite differing views on other aspects of life. The focus on anti-Semitism was indeed immense, as from 1933-37, there were more than 13 laws in place that discriminated against the Jews. Indeed the number sounds minute yet these laws were quite effective as from 1933-39, over 50,000 Jews left Germany. The most notable law that impacted Jews was the Nuremburg Law, ‘The Law for the Protection of German blood and German honour’. This law consisted of; forbidden marriages between Jews and Germans, extramarital intercourse between aforementioned forbidden, Germans under 45 could not be employed as domestic servants by Jews and Jews were forbidden to fly Reich or National flag. Hence, through the united detestation of Germany, Hitler and the Nazi Party became an increasingly formidable power.

Another way in which Hitler and the Nazis were able to maintain their unparalleled power was through the extensive use of propaganda and censorship. Propaganda had several purposes; to portray Hitler as the Fuhrer, spread Nazi beliefs of the Aryan supremacy, to exemplify the Jewish menace and communist danger and to show the positivity surrounding military and territorial expansion. Furthermore, propaganda was also pivotal to the consolidation of Hitler and the Nazi

Party’s power as the practice of indoctrination had to become prevalent in Germany to obscure the myriad of injustices in society. Thus, to deal with such an immense task, the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was established in March 1933. Led by Joseph Goebbels, it is plausible to state that without propaganda, Hitler and the Nazi Party would not have existed until 1939. Propaganda works by spreading or encouraging a particular idea or ideas that are based on a collection of lies, although the most effective forms of propaganda relies on a seed of truth that is exaggerated or distorted. Hitler in Mein Kampf declared, 'the bigger the lie, the more inclined people will be to believe it' and indeed there is truth to that statement. Moreover, Goebbels mastered the art of propaganda as the general public had whole-heartedly believed propaganda in forms of newspapers, posters, radios and films. Viewed by the general public with monotonous regularity it is no wonder that their mentality would slowly but surely changed. Furthermore, this shift was amplified through the formation of the Fuhrer Prinzip. Otherwise known as the Leadership Principle, it was derived from coalescing roles of the Reich Chancellor and President after the death of Hindenburg in August 1924. By using the manufactured facade of Hitler embodying qualities that appealed to the German public, Hitler was seen as a man that personified the nation, stood aloof from selfishness, understood the people, was responsible from Germany’s economic recovery, represented popular justice, defended Germany from its domestic enemies, and was solely responsible for all major successes of government. Ultimately, Hitler and the Nazi Party successfully used propaganda to indoctrinate Germany and hence consolidate their power.

In conclusion, it is blatant that Hitler and the Nazi Party effectively maintained power from the period from 1933 to 1939 due to certain approaches that enhanced their formidable authority. Ultimately, done through the terror and exclusion in 1933, the legal premise that obscured injustices in Gleichschaltung, Volkgemeinschaft & Herrenvolk, and the extensive indoctrination via propaganda and censorship.