Essay Sample on Nazi Ideology

The ideology of Nazism, first introduced in the 1920’s and widely supported by most Germans in the 1930’s, was a powerful doctrine that influenced modern beliefs, politics, and social life. Due to the aftermath of the first World War, the Great Depression as well as women’s newfound voting rights, the way of politics was in dire need of change, which Adolf Hitler used as an opportunity to gain power. The image Nazism conveyed was incredibly promising, which greatly appealed to the German public. Nazism offered security, hope, employment, and ultimately, a better quality of life. This image was deliberately persuaded nation-wide to the German public, led by the charismatic charm of its leader; Adolf Hitler.

To begin, it is important to understand the method in which Adolf Hitler influenced the entire German nation. Hitler was a very intelligent man. He understood crowd psychology and how to feed from people’s doubts and fear, which was evident in the way he dictated his ideology. More, Hitler was a natural public speaker; his speeches were confident, repetitive, and promising, which allowed people to believe he was a trustful leader. Further than that, Hitler used many forms of propaganda to influence his ideas on the German public. Specifically, the media, radio, newspapers, and political banners were the main methods of propaganda (Wiesner, 2004, p. 188). Propaganda was perhaps the most important method used to convince, since there was no escape to it. Essentially, every aspect of life was influenced by Nazist propaganda. Hitler also adopted the swastika as trademark of the Nazi party, which represented a symbol of loyalty from those that chose to flaunt it, as well as “logo” of the Nazi movement. In addition to that, Hitler used the S.A “Brownshirts” as another powerful emblem for his organization. The S.A conveyed the image of power to the German public. Not only intimidating, the S.A often used violence to show their power as well as to exploit fear.

Furthermore, Nazism and its ideology conveyed a powerful image to the German population. After the first World War, many Germans were fearful and uncertain of what the future held. Many were also fearful of Communism. By exploiting these fears and offering a new ideology, Adolf Hitler created an image of originality and security for all Germans. Moreover, Nazism conveyed an image of hope. Suffering from poverty and unemployment, Germans were extremely vulnerable (Wiesner, 2004, p. 188). Fortunately for them, Hitler made significant promises which included jobs and better pensions. Nazism also promised to abolish the unfair treatment of the Treaty of Versailles, which appealed to a large majority of the German population who were opposed to the Treaty. Similarly, many Germans were very upset with Marxist ruling, which destroyed Germany through the November Parties, unemployment, and the economy for an entirety of fourteen years. Hitler, however, promised to repair the demolition done by Marxism in only four years. The Horst Wessel song unofficially became the anthem of this hopefulness, and ultimately of Nazism in Germany. The lyrics declare: 

We all stand ready for the struggle!

Soon Hitler’s banner will fly over every street

And Germany’s bondage will soon end

(Wiesner, 2004, p. 204).

This song was a source of influence and relief for many Germans, who believed that Hitler would save them, as long as they followed. Additionally, Nazist ideologies conveyed a sense of Nationalism. Adolf Hitler blamed Jews for the German loss of WWI, which made them an easy target. Thus, Nazism influenced the idea of hierarchy to Germans, persuading to them that Germans were superior, whereas Jews were of an inferior, impure sub-population. Nazism engraved the concept of anti-seminitism to Germans in every aspect of life, including the media and for young Germans, the school setting.

Finally, the Nazi Party appealed to many Germans, most of whom were desperate, suffering the unfortunate aftermath of the postwar outcomes. Ultimately, this led many Germans to seek guidance from any party that promised relief, which eventually encouraged the rise of Nazism. Nazism appealed to Germany by displaying a strong, solid organization. The S.A Storm Troopers enforced this idea by promoting power, strength, unity, and discipline. According to the S.A Order 111 of 1926, “calm composure and natural behaviour underline the impression of strength–the strength of marching columns and the strength of the cause for which they are marching” (Wiesner, 2004, p. 197). The intimidation presented by the S.A no doubt had a crucial impact on the perspective of Nazism in Germany. In addition, Hitler also exploited the fear and susceptibility of Germans, appealing to their emotions through carefully crafted speeches. The promise of employment was a great appeal to the average German, who was in desperate need of an income in order to provide for their families. Similarly, the concept of nationalism was also appealing to the German public. Nazism allowed Germans to believe that they were superior to Jews (Wiesner, 2004, p. 191). By allowing Germany to release their anger towards the loss of the war on the Jewish population, Hitler diverted Germans’ negative emotions from German government and Hitler himself to a scapegoat. Lastly, while Hitler conveyed many ideas that appealed to Germans in his time as dictator, Adolf Hitler served as an appeal himself. Hitler was confident, intelligent, hopeful, and presented himself as charismatic. More than that, his orating skills were amazing, which ultimately led the Germans to believe and follow his extremist ideas. Many Germans were also interested in Hitler as he was relatively young, with new ideas and wild promises that he presented as realistic. 

In conclusion, Nazism was a powerful movement of fascism and national control through totalitarian dictatorship. With careful manipulation, propaganda, as well as the glorification of Nazism in contrast with the degradation of Jews and other impure populations, Adolf Hitler was able to successfully gain support and votes from the German population. Although it is now understood the extreme and devastating harm created by Nazism, the regime was a significant movement of intense nationalism, politics and beliefs that appealed to many desperate Germans suffering the consequences of the postwar world and the Great Depression.