Did the Germans Provide Resistance against the Nazi Party during World War II - Essay Example

Did the Germans provide resistance against the Nazi party during World War II Germany also known as the Third Reich is famous for its historical significance in Europe due to its expansionist policies (Wikipedia contributor, 2009). It is also among the Axis of war. Due to its defeat in World War I, it faced the worst economic and political crisis of the times. Germany was forced by the Allies to accept its defeat in war and it also had to sign the Treaty of Versailles, which was very harsh for the Germans as it would have to pay for reparations, lose all territories and almost become incapable for another war as it had to take full responsibility for the previous war, World War I (Trueman, 2000). The signing of the treaty by the Weimar Republic head led to a revolution by the Germans. Also, this new government, the Democratic or Weimar Republic was not accepted well among the Germans, partly due to its resistance to democratic rule after being ruled by kings for a long time and their lack of trust in it due to it's supposedly anti-German decisions. Post World War I, Germany's economy was in shambles due to the Treaty of Versailles. They had to pay their debts to their Allies, so they borrowed from other countries and were able to recover soon. Also, the Allies put forth a reparation plan which resulted in a free economy which resulted in the people opposing the government more vehemently. This opposition resulted in the fall of Weimar Republic and the rise of the communist parties and the Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler. By 1933, Germany's economy strengthened and the German army which was not loyal to the government, once again became very strong under Seeckt. There was also a strong nationalist thought rising among them. These nationalist parties gained loyalty from the army and the Nazi party which was striving on these ideals came to absolute power in 1933. Guisepi observes that Hitler's hatred of poverty, his devotion to his German heritage and his loathing of Jews all formed his political perspective or doctrine (2001). Hitler's past, his experiences in life and influences made him the way he was. He developed contempt for the political government because they led to all the unemployment, war defeats, political and economic crisis in the country that once was a major force to reckon. Hitler also believed in racial theories of the times which led him to execute anti-Semitist policies. Under this policy, the Germans belonging to the Aryan or Master race should persecute the Jews supposed to be the Non-Aryan or Slave race. This anti-Semitism was executed very faithfully immediately after Nazi party came into power in July 1933 (Gordeeva, 1998). It is observed that Hitler made very fast moves once he came into power and within six months he invaded Poland. Hitler is observed to be influenced by the political skills of the Mayor of Vienna, who used all possible instruments to gain power. This technique of absolute power has been used by Hitler to propagate his totalitarian, militaristic, anti-Semitic and dictatorial regime known as the Third Reich (Guisepi, 2001). Nazi party's breach of Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression in the whole world led to World War II. It is called a World War because most of the countries of the world were involved in the war after Nazi regime invaded Poland. It is supposed to be the most costly war, involving the most countries and killings. There was large scale genocide known as Holocaust (Wikipedia contributor, 2009). The Nazi regime in its initiation of war and the Holocaust successfully managed the extreme support from a majority of the Germans. But there have also been incidents of opposition to this regime and its extreme policies from various individuals and groups. Any kind of existing or perceived opposition was brutally suppressed by the army. Hitler used the Alignment Act to implement the policy according to which all institutions and organizations would come under Nazi control which meant that Non-Aryans and German controlled territories would be isolated and brutally attacked. There was opposition to Hitler's policies before and also during the war. It is observed that secret groups were formed to resist and oust Hitler and his regime. Even if there was any kind of opposition, it was mostly vocal and the Nazi regime enjoyed the overwhelming support from its German descendants. This can be attributed to the dictatorial, militaristic, socio, economic and anti-Semitist techniques of Hitler, which he formulated in his book"Mein Kempf". The NationMaster encyclopedia states that there is a name given to all the known resistance movements to Nazi Germany. This movement by groups and individuals though mostly vocal and the assassination attempts on Hitler, is called Widerstand (2003). The groups that opposed the Nazi Germany include White Rose, Red Orchestra, Kreisau Circle among others. The plots to kill Hitler and end the brutal Nazi regime included the popular July 20 plot and Operation Spark. There have been a host of individuals who operated either secretly or underground. Of them there was Colonel Freiher von Loringhoven, Georg Elser, General Hans Oster, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Father Alfred Delp, Hans von Dohnanyi, Hans and Sophie Scholl and others. There were also major resistance groups from Hitler's own military. One of them was called the Kreisau Circle led by a military leader was mostly made of anti-Nazi politicians who wanted to end Hitler's brutal regime to restore an ethical and more legal authority in Germany. They also wrote a new order that would be implemented after Hitler (Orbach, 1998). Another resistance movement which was a non-violent resistance was 'The White Rose' which is said to be a shining example of resistance to Hitler, but also of the ruthlessness which the Nazis authorities showed when faced with any opposition. Around January 31, 1943, a small group of students, mostly centered in the University of Munich, openly to agitated against the Nazi regime as they had seen the war was lost and also did not approve of mistreatment of the Jews. The leaders of this student revolt were Hans Scholl (25), a medical student and his sister Sophie (21), a biology student (Smith, 2002). Another group called the Red Orchestra operated by exposing the secrets of the Nazi regime to the other countries by distributing leaflets about Hitler's atrocities. They believed in maintaining friendly ties with international community to resist Hitler (NationMaster Encyclopedia, 2003). The July 20 movement was a plot to assassinate Hitler while he was discussing a military situation with his staff. But Hitler took shelter behind a table and escaped but this attempt resulted in the persecution of about 200 plotters and this is also said to be end of the resistance movement (NationMaster Encyclopedia, 2003). Hence, the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hitler in July 1944 (the July 20 Plot) led to the complete end to all resistance movements. There was also "unorganized resistance" by individual Germans or small groups of people who defied the Nazi government and its policies, of which Pastor Dietric Bonhoeffer, Colonel Freiher Von Loringhoven and others put up significant resistance and defied the cultural policies of the Nazis in various ways. According to Wikipedia source, 3 million Germans were in concentration camps or prison for political reasons between 1933 and 1945 and approximately 77,000 Germans were killed for various forms of resistance, many of whom served in government, the military, or in civil positions, which enabled them to engage in subversion and conspiracy while involved (2009). Although the European resistance was proof that some people refused to accept Hitler and the Nazis, their efforts did not bring an end to the war (Kreis, 2000). On the other hand, the flamboyant spirit of the growing Nazi party now began to attract the varied restless men who were to become its core (Guisepi, 2001). Hitler appealed to all sections of the Germans. The name of the Nazi party is observed to be all inclusive - the National Socialist German Workers' Party (The History Place, 1996). He was also considered a charismatic leader who was concerned for the complete well being of the Germans all over the world. Also, he promised almost all of the sections prosperity and peace. Hornberger offers an excellent and simple explanation as to the reasons that might have been in favour of the Nazi party that helped them garner their unquestioning support during World War II. In his column, 'Why Germans Supported Hitler' he explains that they actually did not support Hitler without resistance and doubt, till the start of the 1930s (2007). He observes that the 1932 presidential election in which Hitler received only 30.1 percent of the national vote is proof of the resistance. He further observes that in the subsequent run-off election, he received only 36.8 percent of the vote and it was when he was appointed as chancellor in 1933 that Hitler began consolidating power and made very fast moves and implemented his policies. Also, it is observed that the German's were looking towards a great leader who would lead their country successfully through the rough times that they were facing due to the political and economic chaos. And Hitler came across as the able administrator to lead the path to victory and prosperity. Apart from this, Hitler's tactics for total control over Germany and later the extended world he dreamt of, attracted many German's to support his policies and his attempts as it appealed to their own thinking. Also, since the earlier democratic governments were thought to have acted otherwise by losing the World War I which swept the country into economic crisis and signing the Treaty of Versailles which made them give up their borders and pay huge debts, there had been a favourable wave to the Nazi party. Further since the Germans were more adapted to being ruled by kings, they might have found it easy to support their leader who was supposed to be fighting to protect the country's interests from foreign invasions through free economic policy which was forced upon them. Hitler leading his nation to a war with foreign enemies, who stabbed them after their defeat in World War I, came across as a messiah. Hornberger observes that 'for the first time since the Treaty of Versailles, the treaty that had ended World War I with humiliating terms for Germany, the German people were regaining a sense of pride in themselves and in their nation, and they were giving the credit to Hitler's strong leadership in time of deep national crisis. He is of the opinion that the ever-present danger of Soviet communism which led many Germans to gravitate to the support of their government (2007). Although the Russian or the communist threat was perceived much earlier and made the Germans support their own government to evade it, it became a reality at the end of World War II. Also, Hitler had established his regime through terror means and used the Alignment Act to counter any resistance ultimately leading to no resistance at least in the open. He also was successful in garnering enough support from the industrialists of Germany and across the world who saw their businesses being benefited by the war. The German's supporting the Nazi Party in World War II doesn't come as a surprise if looked from an internal perspective, as they would have no choice but to support a powerful and forceful regime which has also been successful in influencing his people with tact, aggression and willful hatred towards seemingly, the nations enemies! It is observed by Poon, "Nazism offered new hopes to the Germans. The Nazis regarded themselves as the elite who were sure to dominate the world" (1979). And the Germans had no choice but to support the Nazi party during World War II. References 1. "Nazi Germany." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 6 Jan 2009, 13:54 UTC. 7 Jan 2009 . 2. Trueman, Chris. "The Treaty of Versailles". 2000. 08 Jan 2009 < http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm>. 3. Guisepi, Robert .A. "World War Two, Adolf Hitler". 2001. World History Project, USA. 7 Jan 2009 < http://history-world.org/hitler.htm>. 4. Gordeeva, Tatyana. "Total Mobilization, Resistance, and the Holocaust in Germany". 1998. Alex-Designs. 8 Jan 2009 http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/history/bl-holocaust.htm 5. "World War II." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 Jan 2009, 05:44 UTC. 7 Jan 2009, 12:42 . 6. "German resistance movement". NationMaster, Encyclopedia. 2003. NationMaster. 08 Jan 2009 < http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/German-resistance-movement>. 7. Orbach, Danny. "The Fight for Freedom- The story of the German resistance to Hitler". 15 April 1998. 8 Jan 2009 < http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/1148/july.html>. 8. Smith, Charles .A. "The White Roses Summary". 15th Feb 2002. 7 Jan 2009 < http://www.k-state.edu/wwparent/programs/hero/hero-pro-rose.htm>. 9. "Red Orchestra". NationMaster, Encyclopedia. 2003. NationMaster. 08 Jan 2009 < http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Red-Orchestra>. 10. "July 20 Plot". NationMaster, Encyclopedia. 2003. NationMaster. 08 Jan 2009 . 11. "Nazi Party." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 6 Jan 2009, 22:42 UTC. 7 Jan 2009 . Kreis, Steven. "Hitler and World War Two". 13 May 2004. The History Guide. 7 Jan 2009 < http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture11.html>. "Germans Elect Nazis". The History Place - Rise of Adolf Hitler. 1996. The History Place. 8 Jan 2009 < http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/elect.htm>. Hornberger, Jacob. "Why Germans Supported Hitler, Part 1". 16 July 2007. Freedom Daily. 7 Jan 2009 < http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0703a.asp>. 12. Poon, HW. "Nazi Germany". 1979. TheCorner. 8 Jan 2009 < http://www.thecorner.org/hist/total/n-german.htm#nazi-development>. Read More