Justification was a moral theology that Germans used to validate their actions, or lack thereof. After Hitler’s appointment to chancellor, an internal purge of political opposition destroyed any possible objection to Nazi policies. The Nazis began implementing the “Fuhrer-myth,” to spark the idolization of Adolf Hitler by citizens. This myth served as a justification for the Germans and their actions against racial minorities any verbal or physical assault was done in the honor of Hitler and the national community. Civilians supported the National Socialist’s idea of social and economic betterment. Furthermore, Hitler’s ability to restore Germany to her former, pre-Weimar status gained him widespread notoriety. On the eve of World War II,
…show more content…
Unlike the Weimar Republic, Hitler successful reclaimed the territories that had been lost as a result of the post-World War I’s Treaty of Versailles. It was obliterated by Hitler and the Nazis. The Fuhrer’s ability to follow through with his political and economic promises increased his power as a great leader. Germans were thrilled and became willing to implement Hitler’s policies, regardless of their moral conscience. However, Hitler would exploit their support and convert it into destruction. During the Second World War, Germans would become perpetrators, accomplices or bystanders. With propaganda portraying Hitler as a godlike figure, citizens began worshipping him for his political prowess. In order for the Nazis continued success, citizens were required to execute Nazi policies. Everyone was working towards the goal of a national community and sacrifices were necessary. Koonz articulates, “The emerging solidarity did not so much render victims’ suffering invisible as make them marginal to the larger purpose of an ethnic renaissance,” (Koonz, 3). Paired with seven to eight years of indoctrination and propaganda, Germany evolved into a murderous state, populated by collaborators and willing …show more content…
After years of indoctrination, supporters became willing participants in Hitler’s war against the Jews. By the Second World War, the Nazi aims evolved, much like their supports, from mere segregation to actual extermination. The process of racial extermination expanded beyond bureaucratic legislation and societal discrimination evolved into mass murder under the war circumstance. Despite the claim that every German was a Nazi and that they were “exceptional pathological killers,” a more frightening conclusion becomes evident (Szejnmann, 38). Tens of thousands of ordinary German citizens advocated for the Nazi ideology and fought for it throughout the war. Furthermore, this unwavering support allowed the genocide of millions of Jews and other minorities to occur. Persecution of the German Jews, a small demographic in the state, began the in 1933 and gradually escalated because ethnic Germans were so conditioned into the Nazi ideology. Because of intense propaganda and desensitization, German citizens could not object without facing certain death. While some individuals were forced to take up arms on the battlefields, others were willing perpetrators in administrative positions or concentration camp jobs. In the eyes of the national state, every ethnic German had to make sacrifices in the name of their Fuhrer and the
Unlike the Weimar Republic, Hitler successful reclaimed the territories that had been lost as a result of the post-World War I’s Treaty of Versailles. It was obliterated by Hitler and the Nazis. The Fuhrer’s ability to follow through with his political and economic promises increased his power as a great leader. Germans were thrilled and became willing to implement Hitler’s policies, regardless of their moral conscience. However, Hitler would exploit their support and convert it into destruction. During the Second World War, Germans would become perpetrators, accomplices or bystanders. With propaganda portraying Hitler as a godlike figure, citizens began worshipping him for his political prowess. In order for the Nazis continued success, citizens were required to execute Nazi policies. Everyone was working towards the goal of a national community and sacrifices were necessary. Koonz articulates, “The emerging solidarity did not so much render victims’ suffering invisible as make them marginal to the larger purpose of an ethnic renaissance,” (Koonz, 3). Paired with seven to eight years of indoctrination and propaganda, Germany evolved into a murderous state, populated by collaborators and willing …show more content…
After years of indoctrination, supporters became willing participants in Hitler’s war against the Jews. By the Second World War, the Nazi aims evolved, much like their supports, from mere segregation to actual extermination. The process of racial extermination expanded beyond bureaucratic legislation and societal discrimination evolved into mass murder under the war circumstance. Despite the claim that every German was a Nazi and that they were “exceptional pathological killers,” a more frightening conclusion becomes evident (Szejnmann, 38). Tens of thousands of ordinary German citizens advocated for the Nazi ideology and fought for it throughout the war. Furthermore, this unwavering support allowed the genocide of millions of Jews and other minorities to occur. Persecution of the German Jews, a small demographic in the state, began the in 1933 and gradually escalated because ethnic Germans were so conditioned into the Nazi ideology. Because of intense propaganda and desensitization, German citizens could not object without facing certain death. While some individuals were forced to take up arms on the battlefields, others were willing perpetrators in administrative positions or concentration camp jobs. In the eyes of the national state, every ethnic German had to make sacrifices in the name of their Fuhrer and the