Allen- Totally Not Total Totalitarianism

Adolf Hitler ruled a single-party, Nazi Germany for many years beginning after the First World War. During this time, he appeared to rule his people with an iron fist of fear. His use of totalitarianism was evident, but not the only factor controlling the country at the time. At surface level, Hitler appeared to use solely totalitarianism to maintain his regime; however, at a closer look, he did not have as much control over his people as was perceived.
Once gaining control of Germany, Hitler used many tactics, long-known to history, to keep control. At a surface level approach, he held control by use and fear of the concentration camps, the Gestapo, the SS, and sheer murders. However, the use of these in his mind was justified. Each of these tactics was merely to ensure that the dominant race, Germans, would prosper. He instilled in the German people’s minds that the Jews were bad and responsible for all the troubles Germany was facing through the media and propaganda. This was the extent of Hitler’s totalitarian rule. He constantly threw ideas at the German people, and they accepted them. The people took Hitler’s ideas and exaggerated them. Hitler said Jews were bad, the German people began turning in neighbors and family as being against Germany and the regime. Hitler did not need to rule with totalitarianism. Because Hitler was helping the people, they accepted without question what he said and did.
While some may argue that Hitler “brainwashed” the German people into following him, and taking complete control of Germany without the consent of the people to maintain his regime, I believe Hitler only had control because the people allowed him to. He threw ideas at the German people and they went along with it. Hitler did not have to fight to maintain his power, nor did he have to be a harsh, completely totalitarian ruler. The people allowed him to do everything he did, even kill their children, “for the good of Germany.” In a sense, the German people egged Hitler on. He had virtually no power. He was a celebrity the people had turned to in a time of need and he came through for him. They saw the situation as if killing their friends and family was what it took to save and restore Germany, then so be it. The people allowed Hitler to do what he did. They allowed him to take over. Hitler did not use totalitarianism; he made very few decisions for Germany. This is why he was the “face” of a new Germany, and not a totalitarian ruler. He was not organized enough to be a totalitarian ruler; he built a regime that would restore Germany’s greatness, not one that would be completely of totalitarian rule.
Even if someone was against Hitler’s ideology, they went along with it. Hitler never said it was his way or no way; he only told the people that something was good or bad for Germany. They took it a step further and offered up their family and friends to be taken off and murdered or tortured. Hitler used his concentration camps for experiments to better Germany, or for working to also make Germany greater. The SS and Gestapo were originally to keep order and to ensure no one would harm Hitler’s vision for Germany; they were not built to kill. The German people turned these two forces into killing machines by betraying and denouncing their family and neighbors.
In a sense, the true people to hold the totalitarian power were the German people. They gave Hitler his power; Hitler did not have to rule in a totalitarian manner. He allowed the people to make their own decisions on what they wanted to believe. Underneath it all, Hitler was not a totalitarian leader to maintain his regime. He never imposed his regime on the people, it was all done by their choice and allowing him to gain and maintain power. Hitler did not suppress the Jewish people; the German people did. He simply spoke out blaming the Jews for the troubles of Germany; the German people began turning them in as basically traitors of Germany. Hitler did not have as complete totalitarian control as it appeared; he relied on the German people to do most of his “dirty work.”


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