Historical story

Third Reich without Hitler? He wasn't the only one who wanted to destroy democracy in Germany ...

Hitler completely dominated the Third Reich, which he had promised to survive for a thousand years, and which would end in catastrophic circumstances in twelve years and four months. Would it even have arisen without it? Some historians believe that nationalists would take power in Germany anyway ...

Some historians argue that Germany has for centuries followed a "special path" (Sonderweg) of abnormal development, rejecting democracy and modernity in favor of a militaristic and aristocratic dream of a European empire.

In line with this thesis, the formation of German militarism and its alliance with Hitler seem inevitable. Currently, however, the view that Germany's politics and economy developed differently than in other large European countries is considered too deterministic and wrong.

Contempt for democracy

The same applies to authors who portray the Third Reich as a totalitarian dictatorship. One of the leading examples of such an approach was the book by Hannah Arendt Korzenie totalitarzmu (1951), which suggested that Hitler's regime closely resembled the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

In practice, however, the Nazi regime was much less totalitarian than that of the USSR. The German public could complain and criticize reality to a much greater extent than previously suggested. So it seems that the original concept of totalitarianism also represents a highly misinterpretation of Hitler's rule.

Even if Hitler had never come to power, Germany would probably have come under the rule of some coalition of right-wing nationalists during this period. The conservative gray eminences of German politics never came to terms with the defeat of the Reich in the Great War and harbored undisguised contempt for democracy.

The formation of German militarism and its alliance with Hitler seem inevitable.

It is almost certain that such an army-backed right-wing nationalist regime would attempt to revise the Treaty of Versailles, which was considered grossly unfair by the vast majority of Germans. And it is very possible that such an endeavor would be successful, with the blessing of the governments of Great Britain and France.

However, it is very unlikely that such a conservative-nationalist regime without Hitler at its helm will perpetrate a genocide based on the ideas of racism and anti-Semitism.

Read also:The Grab of Europe. How did the occupied countries finance Hitler's war?

German humiliation

Hitler, with his radical National Socialism, played a decisive role in the events that unfolded in Germany in 1933–1945. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that the history of Germany - and the history of the world as a whole - would have developed the same if Adolf Hitler had never existed.

On the other hand, it was not Hitler who created the very specific circumstances that convinced him to take up politics and made him the leader of the state . Without the Great War and the strong sense of humiliation it caused in Germany, the Nazi Party would not exist.

The defeat of Germany in 1918 led to the establishment of the Weimar Republic, which existed until 1933. From the very beginning it was plagued by economic and political difficulties. In the years 1919–1923, it managed to survive only thanks to the help of the army. Germany nearly went bankrupt during the hyperinflation of 1923.

The Weimar Republic regained some degree of economic stability in 1924–1929 thanks to loans from the United States, but the United States quickly withdrew their money from Germany after the Wall Street crash of 1929. The result was a "bank storm" in the Reich and a sharp increase in the number of unemployed - From 1.6 million in October 1929 to 6.12 million in February 1932.

The government could not afford to pay unemployment benefits, which further exacerbated the poverty of the population. On the other hand, those who managed to keep their jobs had to come to terms with wage cuts. As agricultural prices plummeted, famine ensued in the countryside.

Conservative union

The collapse of the German economy led to a further decline in confidence in democracy. Many Germans then began to look for a strong leader to help revive the country. And that's when Adolf Hitler came on the scene.

The popularity of his Nazi party skyrocketed during this massive economic meltdown, which allowed him to shift from the radical fringes of German politics to its mainstream. In 1928, the Nazis obtained just 2.8 percent (about 810,000) of the vote in the Reichstag elections. In 1930, however, their electorate rose sharply to 18 percent (6.4 million) and in July 1932 it had reached 37.2 percent (13.7 million).

The text is an excerpt from Frank McDonough's book “Hitler's Time. Triumf 1933-1939 ”, which has just been released by the Rebis publishing house.

As it turned out, it was the pinnacle of this party's achievement before Hitler came to power. In the November 1932 elections, the number of votes obtained by the Nazis fell by 4 percent. In 1928–1932, the German Communist Party (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, KPD) also saw an increase in support in the elections - from 10 to 17 percent.

The combined results of the Nazis and Communists meant that in July 1932, 54.2 percent of German voters supported two parties that did not conceal their intention to destroy democracy. (…)

Initially, the Nazi party won voters among the lower-middle class living in rural Protestant regions. By 1932, Hitler had also managed to win the votes of representatives of the metropolitan middle class.

White collar workers, doctors, civil servants, independent traders and small businessmen contributed to the enormous increase in support for his party during this period. Hitler managed to unite conservative voters. No other party in a large, modern democratic country has emerged from the political fringes so quickly.

Army and business

Hitler promised his followers that he would restore law and order in the chaos-engulfed Reich, creating a stable, united and classless "national community". It was supposed to alleviate the pains of the Great Depression by launching a public works program and plans to create new jobs.

The economy of Germany was to be reorganized in such a way as to serve the interests of the nation. He also promised to weaken the alleged control of Jewish capitalists over the country's finances. Hitler's ideas were popular and appealed most to the German middle classes (…).

Hitler then claimed that on January 30, 1933, he "took power", but was in fact appointed chancellor in a perfectly legal and constitutional manner . (...) In Germany in 1933 - unlike Russia in 1917 or France in 1789 - there was therefore no violent revolution.

Hitler then claimed that on January 30, 1933, he "took power" but was in fact appointed chancellor in a perfectly legal and constitutional manner.

After coming to power, Hitler faced a huge dilemma that he could never fully resolve. In the beginning, he led a coalition government, which, in addition to the Nazis, also included representatives of the traditional conservative elite, the army, bureaucracy and big business. In the end, he never became a puppet of the conservative forces, but constantly had to seek their approval in order to push through his policy.

(...) The re-militarization of Germany enjoyed widespread public support, the more so because it was associated with promises to reduce unemployment and support heavy industry. Hitler, in turn, believed that the powerful armed forces would strengthen his bargaining position in diplomatic negotiations.

His main goal was to avenge the humiliations that fell on Germany after the great war. That is why his key allies were the army and big business, two circles not dominated by the Nazis (...).

Great improvisation

Hitler's hidden long-term goal, in turn, was to wage a race war in order to obtain "living space" (Lebensraum) for the German people. However, he could not reveal this as long as Germany was militarily weak. He therefore publicly advocated only modest and seemingly reasonable changes to the Treaty of Versailles. In private conversations, however, he proclaimed the slogans of expansion through brutal conquest and racial superiority of the Germans (...).

Hitler also made promises to improve German society by removing "enemies" of national unity. They included communists, trade unionists, liberals and Jews, as well as "anti-social" outsiders such as vagrants, unrepentant criminals, the permanently unemployed and prostitutes.

In addition, he wanted to get rid of "racially mismatched", that is mainly physically and mentally disabled. All these groups were gradually marginalized and excluded from the "national community".

Hitler understood that the Nazification of German society was a long-term project that would probably take decades to complete. In the short term, however, he had to gain support for his ideas, which explains why propaganda played such an important role in the Nazi regime. Loyal to Hitler, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels took control of the press, radio and all aspects of German culture to promote the Führer and his goals.

(...) Hitler often acted with full premeditation, but sometimes he had to react to events over which he had no control. In 1933–1939 he was a master of flexibility and improvisation rather than planning.

Source:

The text is an excerpt from Frank McDonough's book “Hitler's Time. Triumf 1933-1939 ”, which has just been released by the Rebis publishing house.