Domestic Policy

Explain the main features of Nazi state in Germany under Hitler.

After becoming Fuhrer, Hitler captured all the powers. Germany became an authoritarian state. The major changes introduced by Hitler in Germany were the following:-

The Enabling law: - the legal basis of his power was the enabling law which was forced through the Reichstag on 23^rd march 1933. This stated that the government could introduce laws without the approval of the Reichstag for next four years, could ignore the constitution and sign agreements with foreign countries. All laws could be drafted by the chancellor and come into operation the day they were published. This meant that Hitler was to be the complete dictator for the next four years. Such a major constitutional change needed approval by a 2/3 majority, yet the Nazis did not have even a simple majority. However the Nazis managed it by adopting stern policy. The Kroll Opera house, where the Reichstag had been meeting since the fire was surrounded by Hitler’s private armies. The communists’ members were not allowed to get inside. In this way the Nazis got the law through the Reichstag.

Gleichshaltung: - Hitler followed a policy known as Gleichshaltung forable co-ordination which turned Germany into a totalitarian state. The government tried to control as many aspects of life as possible using a huge police force and the secret police- Gestapo. The main features of this policy were the following:-

i. Political Parties: - All political parties except the National Socialism were banned so that Germany became a one party state.

ii. Parliament Leaders: - The separate state parliament leader lost all powers. Nazi special commissioners appointed in each state took over their functions. The commissioner had complete power over all officials and affairs within the state. There were no more states, provincial or municipal election.

iii. Trade Union: - Trade unions were abolished their funds confiscated and their leaders were arrested. They were replaced by German labor front to which all workers had to belong. Strikes were not allowed.

iv. Education:-He set up such a system of education so as to produce strong supporters of Nazism .school text books were rewritten on the line of the Nazi ideas. Human biology was dominated by the Nazi were race theory. History was distorted to fit in with Hitler’s view that great things could only be achieved by force. Teachers were directed not to speak against the Nazi government in any way. The tender minds of the youth were infused with Nazi ideology to make them convince that they alone can solve national problems.

v. Media:-All communication and the media were controlled by the ministers of propaganda. Radio newspaper, magazine, books, theatre, films, music and art were all supervised.

vi. Economic Life:-Hitler introduced various reforms to meet the economic crisis in Germany. The economic life of the country was closely organized to achieve the twin objectives of removing unemployment and making Germany self-sufficient by bursting exports and reducing imports. Industrialists were asked to produce what the country needed at that time. Raw materials were strictly rationed. Factories were closed down if their products were not required or their products had no demand. Germany made a remarkable improvement in the evolution of systematic products. Wool, rubber and petrol were made by artificial process from material like wood and coal in order to reduce dependence on foreign countries. He introduced vast schemes of public works to provide employment to the people. By all these measures economy became stable.

vii. Religion:-Religion was brought under state control since the churches were a possible source of opposition. In 1933 Hitler signed an agreement known as the concordant with the Pope. According to this, he promised not to interfere with German Catholic in any way. In return they agreed to dissolve the Catholic centre part and take no further party in politics. But relation soon became strained when the government broke the concordant by dissolving the culture youth league because it recalled the Hitler youth when the Catholic protested, their schools were closed down. Pope Pins XI issued an Encyclical in which he condemned the Nazi government for being hostile to Christ and his church. Then thousands of priest and nuns were arrested and sent to Concentration Camps. Hitler tried to organize various protestant groups into a ‘Reich Church’ with a Nazi as the first Reich bishop. But many priests objected and a group of them led by Martin Niemoller protested to Hitler about government interference and about his treatment towards Jews. Hitler adopted a ruthless policy towards them and arrested hundreds of Protestants.

viii. Anti-Semitic:-The worst aspect of the Nazis system was Hitler anti-Semitic (anti-Jews) policy. The Nazis succeeded in creating a deep indignation among the Germans against the Jews by holding them responsible for the hardship of Germany. For all the miseries of the German people, the Jews were blamed. The Nazis extolled the purity of the German race ‘pure blood Aryans’ and they were superior to other races or whom they had right to rule. The campaign was given legal right by the Nuremberg laws passed in 1935. This law deprived Jews of their German citizenship, forbade them to marry non Jews and ruled that even a person with only one Jewish grand parent must be classified a Jew. Many lawyers’ doctors and teachers were removed from jobs as they were Jews. Jews were harassed, insulted, property looted and burned and sent to concentration camp. Hitler’s intension was to exterminate the entire-Jewish race. It is believed that by 1945, over 5 million had been murdered, most of them in the gas chambers of the Nazi extermination camps. Thus method was known as Holocaust and this was possibly the worst crime over committed against humanity.

Above all, Germany was a police state. The police tried to prevent all open opposition to the regime. Thus, Hitler changed the character of Germany and made it a powerful country in Europe.