Having smashed the Weimar Republic, Hitler now
turned to his larger objective, the creation of an Aryan
racial state that would dominate Europe and possibly the
world for generations to come. The Nazis pursued the vision
of this totalitarian state in a variety of ways. Most
dramatic were the mass demonstrations and spectacles
employed to integrate the German nation into a collective
fellowship and to mobilize it as an instrument for
Hitler’s policies. In the economic sphere, the Nazis pursued
the use of public works projects and “pump-priming”
grants to private construction firms to foster employment
and end the depression. But there is little doubt
that rearmament contributed far more to solving the unemployment
problem. Unemployment, which had stood
at 6 million in 1932, dropped to 2.6 million in 1934 and
less than 500,000 in 1937. The regime claimed full credit
for solving Germany’s economic woes, although much of
the success must be ascribed to decisions made at the initiative
of local officials. Hitler himself had little interest
in either economics or administration, and his prestige
undoubtedly benefited enormously from spontaneous efforts
undertaken throughout the country by his followers.
For its enemies, the Nazi totalitarian state had its instruments
of terror and repression. Especially important
was the SS (Schutzstaffel, or “protection echelon”). Originally
created as Hitler’s personal bodyguard, the SS, under
the direction of Heinrich Himmler (1900 –1945),
came to control all of the regular and secret police forces.
Himmler and the SS functioned on the basis of two principles,
ideology and terror, and would eventually play a
major role in the execution squads and death camps for
the extermination of the Jews.
Other institutions, including the Catholic and Protestant
churches, primary and secondary schools, and
universities, were also brought under the control of the
state. Nazi professional organizations and leagues were
formed for civil servants, teachers, women, farmers, doctors,
and lawyers, and youth organizations—the Hitler
Jugend (Hitler Youth) and its female counterpart, the
Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Maidens)—
were given special attention.
The Nazi attitude toward women was largely determined
by ideological considerations. Women played a
crucial role in the Aryan racial state as bearers of the children
who would ensure the triumph of the Aryan race. To
the Nazis, the differences between men and women were
quite natural. Men were warriors and political leaders,
while women were destined to be wives and mothers.
Certain professions, including university teaching, medicine,
and law, were considered inappropriate for women,
especially married women. Instead, the Nazis encouraged
women to pursue professional occupations that had direct
practical application, such as social work and nursing. In
addition to restrictive legislation against females, the
Nazi regime pushed its campaign against working women
with such poster slogans as “Get hold of pots and pans
and broom and you’ll sooner find a groom!”
From the beginning, the Nazi Party reflected the
strong anti-Semitic beliefs of Adolf Hitler. Many of the
early attacks on Jews, however, were essentially spontaneous
in character. The regime quickly took note, and
in September 1935, the Nazis announced new racial laws
at the annual party rally in Nuremberg. These Nuremberg
laws excluded German Jews from German citizenship and
forbade marriages and extramarital relations between
Jews and German citizens. But a more violent phase of
anti-Jewish activity was initiated on November 9–10,
1938, the infamous Kristallnacht, or night of shattered
glass. The assassination of a German diplomat in Paris
became the excuse for a Nazi-led destructive rampage
against the Jews, in which synagogues were burned, seven
thousand Jewish businesses were destroyed, and at least
one hundred Jews were killed. Moreover, twenty thousand
Jewish males were rounded up and sent to concentration
camps. Jews were now barred from all public
buildings and prohibited from owning, managing, or
working in any retail store. Finally, under the direction
of the SS, Jews were encouraged to “emigrate from Germany.”
After the outbreak of World War II, the policy of
emigration was replaced by a more gruesome one.
World History
