"We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are determined to destroy this system under all conditions."
Reading one of Hitler‘s Quote today has made me realise how determined and racist he was. He hated Communism and sought to unify Germany and rid of Europe of all Jew which he had done so in his Holocaust. Today, we’ll be exploring how Hitler exploited the fears of Communism in Germany to garner support to enable him to rise to power.
People in Germany were afraid of communism because they feared that Germany would have a Russian-style revolution and private businesses would be taken over by the government. For example, farmer was afraid that their lands will be taken by government as communist believed that the state should own all lands and assert.
The German Communist Party (KPD) was seen as a major rival by the Nazi Party during the years of Weimar Germany in terms of who might acquire national power. The German Communist Party grew out of the Spartacist Movement led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknicht. Street battles between members of the Communist Party and the SA were common especially during the depression that followed the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. For the Nazis the Communists represented a real threat as the KPD appealed to the working class in Weimar.
The KPD leadership hoped that the unemployed working class would blame business leaders and those who supported a capitalist society. Numerically there were far more people who could be categorised as working class as opposed to middle/upper class. Therefore a political party that had won over the working class would find itself in a very healthy position when compared to other parties that had not done so. Hitler was ideologically opposed to communism but realised that the KPD did represent a real threat to the Nazis prior to January 1933. The KPD was the largest communist movement outside of the USSR and during the mid to late 1920’s had sort to develop closer ties to the USSR. Probably the most famous leader the KPD had was Ernst Thälmann who was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and shot in 1944, after 11 years in solitary confinement, on the direct orders of Hitler
The KPD leadership hoped that the unemployed working class would blame business leaders and those who supported a capitalist society. Numerically there were far more people who could be categorised as working class as opposed to middle/upper class. Therefore a political party that had won over the working class would find itself in a very healthy position when compared to other parties that had not done so. Hitler was ideologically opposed to communism but realised that the KPD did represent a real threat to the Nazis prior to January 1933. The KPD was the largest communist movement outside of the USSR and during the mid to late 1920’s had sort to develop closer ties to the USSR. Probably the most famous leader the KPD had was Ernst Thälmann who was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and shot in 1944, after 11 years in solitary confinement, on the direct orders of Hitler
Source A: A Hitler quote on Communism
“The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are seeking to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might, and the Republic is in danger. Yes – danger from within and without. We need law and order! Without it our nation cannot survive.”
What can you infer from Source A? Use your Contextual Knowledge.
I can infer from Source A that the situation in Germany in chaotic and disorder. This is evident as Source A states ‘The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting.’ This shows that Germany is filled with terror within as it is chaotic. I can also infer that Germany was facing an external threat. This is evident as Source A states ‘Russia is threatening us with her might, and the Republic is in danger. Yes – danger from within and without.’ This shows that Germany was vulnerable.
Source B: An Anti-Communism Propaganda Poster
What can you infer from Source B? Use your Contextual Knowledge.
I can infer from Source B that Communism was an unethical belief which tried to dominate the whole world. This is evident as Source B shows an Octopus with an evil face trying to grab whole of the whole globe. This shows that Communism is unscrupulous.
Source C: Benefits of Communism
In a communist regime, people are treated equal regardless of education, financial stability, and so on, in the eyes of the government. Economic boundaries don’t separate or categorize people, a situation that eliminates crime and violence.
What can you infer from Source C? Explain your answer.
I can infer from Source C that the Communism system is fair to everyone. This is evident as Source C states that ‘In a communist regime, people are treated equal regardless of education, financial stability, and so on, in the eyes of the government. Economic boundaries don’t separate or categorize people, a situation that eliminates crime and violence.’ This shows that everyone is given fair and equal treatment.
Let’s watch a video to see how credible it is on the fears of Communism
Source D: Video on the Fears of Communism
Are you surprised by Source D? Explain Your Answer.
Yes, I am surprised by Source D regarding the fears of Communism. This is evident as Source D shows a video on how the Americans and other countries fear Communism
Yes, I am surprised by Source D regarding the effects of Communism. This is evident as Source D shows a video on how the Americans and other countries fear Communism. This shows that most Western Countries fear Communism. This shows that many fear Communism due to the effects they have. By Cross-reference, this is in direct contrast to Source C. This is evident as Source C states ‘’ In a communist regime, people are treated equal regardless of education, financial stability, and so on, in the eyes of the government. Economic boundaries don’t separate or categorize people, a situation that eliminates crime and violence.’’ This shows that Communism ensures a fair distribution of things. Source C’s statement contradicts with Source S, and therefore, Source D is not reliable.
However, I am not surprised by Source D regarding the fears of Communism. This is evident as Source D shows a video on how the Americans and other countries fear Communism. This shows that most Western Countries fear Communism. By Cross-reference, this is confirmed by Source A which states ‘’ Communists are seeking to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might, and the Republic is in danger. Yes – danger from within and without.’’ This shows that Communism is wanting to rule all other countries and bring its influences to bear. Therefore, I am not surprised by Source D.
The Effect of Communism on the Middle Class
By 1930, it was clear to the German populace that the government was beginning to collapse. This was seen most evidently in the government’s inability to assume effective leadership and administer the economic situation in an assertive manner. The population could no longer rely upon or believe in their current government that had disappointed and failed them yet again. At this point in the convoluted situation, unemployment was rapidly increasing, paralleled by greater divergences into extremism, principally toward the Nazi and Communist parties. In the 1930 Reichstag elections, the Nazi Party attained a total of 107 seats, equivalent to 18.3 per cent of the electoral vote.
At this election, as prominent German historian Richard J. Evans concludes in The Coming of the Third Reich, although there was a limited degree of middle class Nazism, many were “still repelled by the Nazi’s violence and extremism” and that the majority of Nazi supporters were the unemployed, farmers, various kinds of other workers, servants and first-time voters.
However, by the time of the Reichstag elections of July, 1932, when the Nazi Party became the largest party in Germany with 37 percent of the total electoral vote, the Nazi movement became more than an outlet for the frustration of the unemployed and the various groups of blue collar workers. Rather, it became, as it is precisely described, a middle-class phenomenon by several prominent historians. The cause of this revolutionary change in the direction of the German people can be plausibly extrapolated through the economic self-interest theory and the growing communist movement
The idea of a communist uprising was antithetic to the economic security that the middle-class had attained and thus was primarily fearful of a communist revolution because of their economic self-interest. As a result, the middle class was terrified of the Communist movement which was “promising the destruction of capitalism and the creation of a Soviet Germany”. The German middle class was only too aware of the repercussions onto their counterparts in Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
Reorganization of Nazi Party
When Hitler was released from jail he knew he needed to seize power soon. But he also realized that his party's structure suffered as a result of his incarceration. Hitler began a rapid and strong reorganization of the Nazi Party. Hitler spent less than one year in prison even though he was sentenced to five years. During that time he enjoyed frequent visits by devout party followers and had a pleasantly accommodating cell. When Hitler was released in December of 1924, he began a swift reorganization of the Nazi Party.
Hitler constructed a network of local party organizations such as the SturmAbteiling or SA, the Schutzstaffel or SS, the Waffen SS, and the Hitlerjugend or HJ. The members of the SA were the Storm Troopers, and would eventually become a branch of the German army. The SS and the Waffen SS were created to protect, supervise and control the party, and to perform police tasks. The HJ or Hitler Youth was created to introduce the German youth to the Nazi ideology and prepare these young men for war. To make this rapid and effective reorganization of the Nazi Party, Hitler surrounded himself by extremely astute and loyal officials. People like Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Joseph Goebbels, Ernst Röehm, Max Amann, and Heinrich Himmler helped Hitler control and carry out the promise of the Nazi Party.
Hitler was now ready to seize absolute political power in Germany because his party was restructured and reorganized. What was to come next would be a full representation of Hitler's political genius.
Citation
Starting Quote from http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Adolf.Hitler.Quote.1CA3
Picture of Karl Marx from http://chabadsociologist.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/this-weeks-spotlight-jewish-sociologist-karl-marx/
Anti-communist octopus picture from weburbanist.com
Information on Reorganization of Nazi Party from http://jjhavlik7.tripod.com/hitlermain/id4.html
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