National Socialism

National Socialism

1. What is National Socialism

   • Commonly referred to as Nazism and is associated with the German Nazi Party
   • Mein Kampf was written by Hitler in prison and is quite full of hatred but is good insight into Hitler's mind and political attitude

2. What were Hitler's ideologies?

   • Maintaining racial purity was a fundamental role of the Nation
   • Aryan race was superior
   • Jews represented a greath threat to racial purity and the survival of the state
   • Other political notions were failures or a threat
   • Germany's destiny was to expand into Eastern Europe, subjugating inferior races and acquiring their living spaces

3. Hitler's rise to power

   • Hitler learned important lessons from the Munich Beer Hall Putsch: power could not be achieved by force
   • He was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933
   • He gained publicity from the Beer Hall Putsch and increased his following among right-wing nationalists

4. Beginning of National Socialism (Nazism)

   • The Great Depression brought hard times to Germany, unemployment rose to 30% of the German population. While this did not give the Nazi's power it catapulted them into a mass movement
   • The Great Depression affected most classes in German society and British Historian wrote "...One may begin to guess something of the incalculable human anxiety and embitterment burnt into the minds of missions of ordinary German working men and women"