Definition, Ideology of Nazism - Assignment Example

German Assignment Part One This explored a lot of different aspects of Nazi Germany and how people lived within the Third Reich. The changed my views somewhat because Nazi Germany is always portrayed negatively, despite the fact that there were some positive aspects to the regime. It is sometimes difficult to see the good aspects of Hitler’s ideas through the negativity of the ethnic cleansing programs. However, it was surprising to discover how much Hitler and the Nazi party achieved for the economy of Germany, which was in tatters before he came to power. Germany began transforming into a prosperous nation under the rule of Hitler, which is one of the reasons why he remained so popular despite his Fascist dictatorship. It was also interesting to see the effect of propaganda on Germany and the Germans. Hitler was portrayed as being all-powerful and could never be faulted, which is obviously untrue. Joseph Goebbels was the man in charge of this propaganda, and both he and Hitler were great speakers, again leading to the popularity and increasing power of the Nazi Party within Germany at the time. It would be interesting to further investigate the effect of propaganda on the Germans and Germany, and to see how the modern view of Hitler and the Nazi party differ now that this propaganda is no longer being distributed. It is also interesting to note some of the less known policies of the Nazi Party in the Third Reich. The most famous of Hitler’s policies was the ethnic cleansing, most infamously against the Jewish people in Germany and the surrounding countries. However, Hitler also implemented one of the most forceful and effective anti-smoking policies in the 20th century, ostensibly to improve the health of the Germans, perhaps to prepare them for military service. The Nazi Party also had quite forward-thinking nature and animal rights policies, protecting wildlife and promoting zoos. The position of women in the Third Reich was also surprising, as feminism was staunchly opposed, and this is also something that would be interesting to cover further. Part Two One of the most important things that I have learnt from taking this class is that there are positive and negative aspects to every regime. Despite the horrors of the Holocaust and eugenic policy, there are some interesting and potentially quite liberal aspects of the Third Reich. Interestingly, many of the Nazi party were self-confessed animal lovers which seems strange considering their views on what to do with humans that they did not agree with. It is also important not to judge a book by its cover, and try to do some research on the topic to help form a historical judgement. Another aspect of the course that was important is that there were some horrific crimes committed by the Nazi party. Whilst this is common knowledge, the course really helped me to identify with these people and understand the horrors of the Holocaust more than before. Whilst some of the videos were difficult to watch, it is perhaps important that they are viewed and people are educated on these horrors to help prevent history repeating itself. It is important to understand exactly how many people were killed by the Nazi regime and the awful policies behind it. It was a very moving aspect of the course but something that should perhaps be viewed by everyone so it is understandable just how far racism can go if it is not properly combatted. Finally, I learnt how propaganda can be used and how effective it is. Many people within Nazi Germany knew or had heard rumours of the horrors of the Holocaust, but propaganda helped to mask the effects of the horrors and keep Hitler in favour across the nation. It is important to know how powerful propaganda can be so again history will not be repeated and these powerful messages promoting terrible regimes can be stopped. Part Three The Americans had attempted to be neutral for as long as possible during the First World War, mostly due to the efforts of Woodrow Wilson with support from many of those living in the United States. The support for neutrality started to dwindle after news of the events of the War, with Germany’s actions in Belgium being one of the most important. Wilson was desperate to maintain neutrality for as long as possible and kept economic and military status at the peace-time level for as long as possible, meaning that in many ways the United States was unprepared for entry into the War. The Zimmerman telegram was perhaps most influential in starting the American participation in the war. Whilst support for neutrality was already draining, the combined effect of German military attacks on British submarines and the offering of an alliance with Mexico meant that the United States had no option but to enter into the events of the First World War. Benjamin Freedman had some very interesting opinions about the war. He felt that the Jewish people living in the United States controlled the media and felt that entering the war was the one way to guarantee that they would gain possession of Palestine. Freedman suggested that the only reason that the Allied forces won the war was because of the entry of the United States with this Jewish backing, who had previously been pro-Germany. Freedman felt this way because of his staunchly anti-Zionist opinion, and for him there was no reason for the United States to enter the war. Part Four It is difficult to speculate about what could have happened when the stakes are as high as they are in discussing the American entry into World War I. It is often felt that the Allied forces would not have won if there was no American backing, despite the late entry of the U.S. into the war. The geography of the world would probably look very different, and many empires may still be in existence today, such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If the Germans had won the First World War, it is possible that the Second World War would not have occurred. Theoretically, the Great Depression in Germany may not have occurred if Germany had won, and therefore there would not have been an opening for Hitler to gain power. This could have prevented the Holocaust, although it is not impossible that some other powerful leader would have possessed similar anti-Semitic ideas and implemented them. The United Kingdom would also have suffered greatly from the loss, perhaps losing large areas of land and entering into its own financial crisis. It is likely that there would be no Israel-Palestine conflict, because Israel may not have been formed. This again seems like a positive aspect of the war, preventing future conflict. However, it is likely that the German, Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires would have expanded and there may have been an increase in Fascism worldwide. Read More