They Thought They Were Free Analysis - Essay Example

He first thought of “Nazi” as just Hitler: an isolated black point in the history of Germany. However, it became apparent that “Nazi” was neither Hitler nor his minions of a dedicated soldier. Instead, it became “ten Germans sufficiently different from one another… and sufficiently link unto one another to have been Nazis” (Mayer). His account of the sociological influences and impacts of Nazism in pre-World War II Germany in They Thought They Were Free is divided into three parts: “Ten Men”, “The Germans”, and “Their Cause and Cure”. Although the author says numerous times that the issue is one of deep complexity, these three divisions seem to offer a way of understanding how to classify the disparate parts of the issue. Mayer’s work is largely focused on his “ten Nazi friends”, who give him a large set of insights into the rise and fall of the National Socialist party in Germany.
In the first twelve chapters, Mayer offers a benevolent account of Nazism’s rise. After all, it examines the reasons why the ten Nazi Germans allowed Hitler’s influence to spread throughout their small town of Kronenberg. However, the “benevolent account” is superficial in that it does not apologize for the Nazi sympathizers, but rather provides an objective look into why they accepted the authority of a dictator, rather than living in the post-World War I Germany that previous generations had suffered through. Seeking out the benefits of centralized power, the ten lower-class individuals showcased in Mayer’s narrative joined the Nazi Party to secure higher self-esteem, mainly through easier access to jobs and national pride that had long ago faded. For the most part, the individual citizens who took up the Nazi cause cared very little for the exact specifics of the program advocated by Hitler and others; however, it was the fringe benefits of the system that caught their attention. The anti-Semitic stance of the government was an acceptable compromise for many who had no personal or emotional connection to their Jewish neighbors, who were being run out of the country and financially ruined by governmental seizures. This anti-Semitic environment was something that had always been dealt with, and they believed it was necessary for disposing of the parliamentary system that held back social progress.
The Nazis that Mayer interviewed were not hypnotized or irrationally appealed to surrender their liberties to a totalitarian government. The Nazis appealed to the rational self-interests of the German citizens: making political promises to the country that addressed the kinds of deeply problematic social and economic problems that had afflicted the nation for decades. By contextualizing the rise of Nazism with the Great Depression, which afflicted Germany just as it afflicted the United States, one realizes the ease with which a party of promises could gain influence quickly among the working classes. Additionally, the popular perception of Hitler was that of a great enemy to communism: the same motivation that operated on many Americans during the Cold War. By examining the rationalization for Nazi power in the years leading up to World War II, one begins to see the interest that Mayer has in social movements following inspirational leaders. By taking the Nazis, who were socialists, as the enemy of communism, the German people sought self-interest, not community.