How Powerful Was Hitler as a Dictator?

548 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of Hitler's rise to power

Commentators on the Third Reich tend to be divided into two groups: the Intentionalists and the Structuralists. The former emphasize that all essential political decisions were taken by Hitler, being the prime coordinator in domestic and foreign policy, essentially equating Nazism with Hitlerism. The latter emphasize the limitations on Hitler's freedom of action as a result of forces operating within the State. They argue that, under Hitler, Nazi Germany suffered from a leadership crisis. Preferring not to side so rigidly with either perspective, I rather, agree certain aspects from each commentary. I do believe however, that the Third Reich imploded due to Hitler's unreasonable amount of power, and the fear that circulated opposing the "Fuhrer."

Hitler served as an idolised speech-making figure as the embodiment of power - a mystical icon whom the masses followed, the figurehead and personification of Nazism - cajoling the dire will of the people. He was constitutionally established absolute power via the Nazi Association of Lawyers (as a result of the 1933 Enabling Act): the "...

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Fdr And Stalin

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party, Chancellor of Germany, and leader of Nazi Germany. Hitler was one of the most powerful and notorious dictators of the 20th century. Him invading Poland was one of the main causes of World War two. Eventually Germany was finally defeated in WWII, leaving them financially devastated, and politically unstable.

    Read More

  • Hitler's Powerful Leadership

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    The setting was perfect as the people of Germany were primed and ready for any leader that would tickle their ears with what they were wanting to hear. World War I was over (#4) and the people of Germany were in an economic depression that crippled the country. The German mark had lost so much value that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. A good portion of the youth in Germany were raised in fatherless homes. In an article written by Dr. Alice Hamilton, she says this about Hitler's youth: "They were children during the years of the war when the food blockade kept them half starved, when fathers were away at the front and mothers distracted with the effort to keep their families fed. They came to manhood in a country which seemed to have no use for them. Even compulsory military training was no more and there was nothing to take its place" (Perry et. al 358). Hitler, being the sleazy opportunist that he was, capitalized on this state of affairs. In ways that were not politically correct, he was able to influence this segment of the population and hold them in allegiance to his agenda. "Hitler made each insignificant, poverty stricken, jobless youth of the slums feel himself as of the great of the earth, since the youth was a German, a Nordic, far superior to the successful Jew who was driven out of office and counting house to make place for the youth and his like" (Perry et. al 359). The following is an example of how Hitler coerced and manipulated people and how we as managers and leaders can learn from his mistakes. This essay will also address how we can effectively influence people and earn their loyalty. In order to effectively influence peopl...

    Read More

  • Life and Death in the Third Reich, by Peter Fritzsche

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Holocaust, around six million Jews were murdered due to Hitler’s plan to rid Germany of “heterogeneous people” in Germany, as stated in the novel, Life and Death in the Third Reich by Peter Fritzsche. Shortly following a period of suffering, Hitler began leading Germany in 1930 to start the period of his rule, the Third Reich. Over time, his power and support from the country increased until he had full control over his people. Starting from saying “Heil Hitler!” the people of the German empire were cleverly forced into following Hitler through terror and threat. He had a group of leaders, the SS, who were Nazis that willingly took any task given, including the mass murder of millions of Jews due to his belief that they were enemies to Germany. German citizens were talked into participating or believing in the most extreme of things, like violent pogroms, deportations, attacks, and executions. Through the novel’s perspicacity of the Third Reich, readers can see how Hitler’s reign was a controversial time period summed up by courage, extremity, and most important of all, loyalty.

    Read More

  • The Leadership Roles of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hitler was furious with Germany’s surrender in World War I, so when he got back to his home in Munich, he was determined to enter politics and become the greatest leader in German history (Smith). He spent all of his time and effort trying to become the chancellor of Germany. Once he was voted into being chancellor, he needed a way to become the leader of all of Germany. Hitler gathered power through many acts of t...

    Read More

  • Who Should Be Blamed for the Holocaust?

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    which resulted in the death of many innocent people and numerous Jews. Hitler became leader of the Nazi party and chancellor of Germany. For example,’ ‘Hitler was never elected, he came second, until President Hindenburg was forced to appoint Hitler as chancellor in 1933.’’ (www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/adolf-hitler). This supports one way of how he rose to power and did everything he did.

    Read More

  • Totalitarianism In Nazi Germany

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the key criteria of a totalitarian government is that there is complete control over the economy. However, within Nazi Germany there was never all-encompassing state ownership over the economy. In fact, Hitler never placed importance on the ‘socialist’ aspect of NSDAP ideology. He did not believe in state ownership or redistribution of wealth, and he allowed capitalism and big business thrive in the Third Reich, as they were necessary for the revitalisation of Germany’s economy. Moreover, the Nazi State was not the extremely rigid political structure it appeared to be. While, Hitler himself was very secure in his position as Fuhrer, below him the political structure was quite chaotic. In terms of government agencies, there was not much direction from the top, as they were instructed to interpret the will of the Fuhrer and then enact it. Moreover, there was a large amount of overlap and inefficiency, while solidifying Hitler’s position, generally weakened the ability to rule over people. Finally, below Hitler, there was a lot of infighting in attempt to gain greater power and favor from Hitler. Similar to the inefficiencies created by overlap, this created inefficiency and weakened the ability to have totalitarian

    Read More

  • To What Extent Was Hitler a Weak Dictator?

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    The debate as to whether Hitler was a ‘weak dictator’ or ‘Master of the Third Reich’ is one that has been contested by historians of Nazi Germany for many years and lies at the centre of the Intentionalist – Structuralist debate. On the one hand, historians such as Bullock, Bracher, Jackel and Hildebrand regard Hitler’s personality, ideology and will as the central locomotive in the Third Reich. Others, such as Broszat, Mason and Mommsen argue that the regime evolved out from pressures and circumstances rather than from Hitler’s intentions. They emphasise the institutional anarchy of the regime as being the result of Hitler’s ‘weak’ leadership. The most convincing standpoint is the synthesis of the two schools, which acknowledges both Hitler’s centrality in explaining the essence of Nazi rule but also external forces that influenced Hitler’s decision making. In this sense, Hitler was not a weak dictator as he possessed supreme authority but as Kershaw maintains, neither was he ‘Master of the Third Reich’ because he did not exercise unrestricted power.

    Read More

  • Structuralist and Intentionalist approaches to Nazi Germany

    2268 Words  | 5 Pages

    Historians are often divided into categories in regard to dealing with Nazi Germany foreign policy and its relation to Hitler: 'intentionalist', and 'structuralist'. The intentionalist interpretation focuses on Hitler's own steerage of Nazi foreign policy in accordance with a clear, concise 'programme' planned long in advance. The 'structuralist' approach puts forth the idea that Hitler seized opportunities as they came, radicalizing the foreign policies of the Nazi regime in response. Structuralists reject the idea of a specific Hitlerian ideological 'programme', and instead argue for an emphasis on expansion no clear aims or objectives, and radicalized with the dynamism of the Nazi movement. With Nazi ideology and circumstances in Germany after World War I influencing Nazi foreign policy, the general goals this foreign policy prescribed to included revision of Versailles, the attainment of Lebensraum, or 'living space', and German racial domination. These foreign policy goals are seen through an examination of the actions the Nazi government took in response to events as they happened while in power, and also through Hitler's own ideology expressed in his writings such as Mein Kempf. This synthesis of ideology and social structure in Germany as the determinants of foreign policy therefore can be most appropriately approached by attributing Nazi foreign policy to a combination as both 'intentionalist' and 'structuralist' aims. Nazi foreign policy radicalized with their successes and was affected by Hitler pragmatically seizing opportunities to increase Nazi power, but also was based on early a consistent ideological programme espoused by Hitler from early on.

    Read More

  • Collapse of the Weimar Republic

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    “On 2 August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Within an hour of his death Hitler announced that the offices of chancellor and president were to be combined and that he was the new head of state. Hitler’s adolescent dream of becoming Fuhrer of the German people had been realized” President Hindenburg’s death marked the official end of the Weimar Republic, a democratic ‘experiment’ that had lasted since 1918. The causes of the dissolution of the Republic are wide ranging and numerous, as was explained in the articles of both Richard Bessel, and John McKenzie. The two author’s agree on the sequence of events which led to the dissolution of the Republic, however, they disagree on what exactly caused the transition from Weimar to the Third Reich. The author’s disagreement stem from a differing view of the fundamental cause, political structure versus political leadership.

    Read More

  • Nazi Olympics

    2693 Words  | 6 Pages

    On 30 January 1933, the German president, Paul von Hindenburg, selected Adolf Hitler to be the head of the government. This was very unexpected. Hitler was the leader of an extreme right-wing political party, the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party. Hitler sought to expand Germany with new territories and boundaries. Hitler also focused on rebuilding Germany’s military strength. In many speeches Hitler made, he spoke often about the value of “racial purity” and the dominance of the Aryan master race. The Nazi’s spread their racist beliefs in schools through textbooks, radios, new...

    Read More

  • Hitler and His Power

    411 Words  | 1 Pages

    Support for the Nazi party was due to the growing belief that it was a

    Read More

  • Essay On Nazi Germany A Totalitarian State

    2864 Words  | 6 Pages

    MODERN HISTORY – RESEARCH ESSAY “To what extent was Nazi Germany a Totalitarian state in the period from 1934 to 1939?” The extent to which Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state can be classed as a substantial amount. With Hitler as Fuhrer and his ministers in control of most aspects of German social, political, legal, economical, and cultural life during the years 1934 to 1939, they mastered complete control and dictation upon Germany. In modern history, there have been some governments, which have successfully, and others unsuccessfully carried out a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is one in which a single ideology is existent and addresses all aspects of life and outlines means to attain the final goal, government is run by a single mass party through which the people are mobilized to muster energy and support.

    Read More

  • Adolf Hitler's Oppression of the German people

    1704 Words  | 4 Pages

    Centuries later and the name Adolf Hitler still rings volumes till this present day: discussed in history books, talked about amongst intellects and commoners alike, and despised by many for years to come. Upon hearing his name many may think of all the negative things Hitler has done, but few fail to analyze just how one man created such controversy amongst a nation without being stopped. The question then lies how does a man reign over country and devastate it for years to come? Adolf Hitler, a man who excelled in persuasion and charisma was able to reign over Germany for years. Born in Austria April 20th 1889, Hitler grew up with many hardships in his life.

    Read More

  • Nazim as Totalitarianism

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ies through laws, policies, and campaigns enabled Adolf Hitler to charismatically lead the German nation as a totalitarian dictator, and control German life under the state. All aspects of Hitler’s governance provided an element of a totalitarian state from political principles to personal lives. During the years of The Third Reich, Hitler essentially remained the unchallenged Fuhrer of Nazi Germany and established a totalitarian state.

    Read More

  • Adolf Hitler And Ben Ross's The Wave

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hitler built a totalitarian movement from which he was the leader. First, it is important to know that German population elected Hitler and consequently he became the Head of Germany legally. An experiment was developed at a high school in the novel, the wave, in order to show his students how Hitler rose to power without people questioning him (Hitler, Adolf, (20 Apr 1889 – 30 Apr 1945)). Before Hitler came to power, Germany was in bad shape and Hitler promised a better world and people believed him. Hitler gathered new members for his party who obeyed him totally until he controlled everybody all around him.

    Read More

More about How Powerful Was Hitler as a Dictator?

Open Document