Hitler's Role in the Development
of the Nazi Regime
Nazi Germany
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What we will learn today
In this presentation you will learn:
1.
How Hitler’s image was created.
2.
The reality which lay behind this image.
3.
The effect of Hitler on the Nazi government, including:
a) the Führer Principle (Führerprinzip)
b) the Hitler Myth
c) how Hitler controlled ministers and departments
d) whether there was an‘authoritarian anarchy’
e) whether this chaos was intentional or not.
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What do you think about Hitler?
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1. Hitler’s Image:
The Führer Principle
and the Hitler Myth
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A strong Germany?
From its formation in 1871, Germany had been dominated
by strong leaders striving for national unity and global
importance.
The democratic Weimar Republic, with its lack of strong
leadership and constant power struggles between
political parties, was seen as having failed to deal
effectively with Germany’s post-war problems.
By 1932, the Weimar political system had been discredited.
Many Germans felt that the only way to turn this situation
around was to have one strong leader, prepared to take
‘personal responsibility’ for running the country.
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The Führer Principle
The Führer Principle (Führerprinzip) was the belief that
Germany needed a strong, charismatic leader who could
unify and lead the people.
Hitler’s power came to be regarded as
something above and beyond that of a
normal head of state.
No matter who you were in the Nazi
party or whatever your job in the state,
you were answerable to Hitler.
Hans Franck, Hitler’s lawyer, wrote that:
Photograph courtesy of the
Imperial War Museum, London.
“Our constitution is the will of the führer…it was Hitler’s
regime, Hitler’s policy, Hitler’s victory and Hitler’s defeat –
nothing else.”
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Führer power
On the next slides you will see five statements on the
role of the führer from Ernst Huber, a constitutional
theorist of the Third Reich.
Which quote do you think best summarizes
what the führerprinzip meant to the Nazis?
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The führerprinzip
The office of führer has developed
out of the National Socialist
movement. In its origins, it is not a
state office.
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The führerprinzip
The position of the führer combines
in itself all sovereign power of the
Reich.
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The führerprinzip
All public power in the state, as in
the movement, is derived from
führer power.
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The führerprinzip
This is comprehensive and total
and embraces all spheres of
national life.
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The führerprinzip
Führer power is not restricted by
safeguards and controls…but
rather it is free and independent,
exclusive and unlimited.
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The Hitler Myth
The Hitler Myth presented Hitler as an almost godlike
figure to a German population eager for strong leadership.
He was depicted as being
solely responsible for the
‘economic miracle’ of the
1930s and for crushing
threats from both the
Communists (following the
Reichstag Fire) and
extreme Nazism (in the
Night of the Long Knives).
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Analysis
Ian Kershaw, a respected historian of Nazi Germany, has
investigated the way in which the Hitler Myth was built up
to consolidate the Führer Principle.
In his view, the Nazis took power in 1933 because of
Hitler, not because of their ideology.
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Kershaw’s view
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2. The Reality:
How did the Führer
Principle and the Hitler
Myth affect government?
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Control of departments and ministers
Hitler’s direct circle consisted of about 70 key figures.
These people were rewarded primarily for their loyalty.
Their talent was a secondary consideration.
Many of their jobs overlapped, leading to confusion and
competition.
For example, Goering’s responsibilities for military
planning overlapped with the work of the Ministry of
Economics and the Reich Labour Service.
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Was the chaos deliberate?
Some historians argue that Hitler created confusion on
purpose, believing that competition would bring the most
committed administrators to the fore – Social Darwinism.
Others think
that he
simply made
a pig’s ear of
organizing
the state.
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Hitler’s staff
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Was the chaos intentional?
The question of whether Hitler deliberately engineered
authoritarian anarchy for his own ends, is key to the
much bigger and more serious issue of how to account for
the terrible events of the Third Reich.
Were they chiefly down to:
a) the personality, ideology and the will of Hitler
(so Hitler was 'Master of the Third Reich')
OR
b) the political culture of the German people
(so Hitler was a 'Weak dictator')?
Why do you think that this is such an important
question for historians to answer?
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Intentionalists and Structuralists
Historians who think that Hitler intentionally created a
chaotic system of government are called intentionalists.
Historians who think that the chaos came about by an
unintentional series of events are called structuralists.
BOTH accept that there was a certain degree of chaos in
the Nazi state;
BOTH agree that Hitler was a central figure within it;
BUT beyond that there are essential differences of
interpretation.
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Intentionalists and Structuralists
Intentionalists
Structuralists
Key argument:
Hitler deliberately created
political chaos, partly to
‘divide and rule’ and partly
believing that Social
Darwinism would lead to the
best people triumphing.
Key argument:
Political chaos was an
unwelcome legacy of the
past which shaped Hitler’s
policies. He was also
indecisive and lazy in
some ways.
Key quote:
Key quote:
‘unwilling to take decisions,
frequently uncertain … in
some respects a weak
dictator’ (Hans Mommsen)
‘Hitler was master in the
Third Reich’ (Norman Rich)
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What do you know now?
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Discussion point
1. What is the essential difference between the
Intentionalists and the Structuralists?
2. How do you think each group got its name?
3. Which argument do you find most convincing and
why?
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