Totalitarianism is a type of political system in which the government is run by one political party and enjoys complete freedom of action. Totalitarian leaders no limits of their powers, they can have people executed because they do not think their eye's are pretty or they can make a peasant the CEO of a country because they were pleased. Adolf Hitler, at the head of the Nazi Party, set-up a totalitarian system in Germany during his reign. Hitler did not seize power in a coup however, he rose to power in completely legal terms. He was granted the chancellorship because his supports were so vocal. After the president died Adolf Hitler became the most powerful man in Germany. With this power he began to take a radically conservative control of Germany. He preached nationalism and the unity of Germany. This passion in the hard-pressed country was a necessity to the people. So after he gained power Hitler started a totalitarian regime because all the people of Germany wanted was change so they were willing to be ruled in that way. Hitler and the Nazi party used totalitarianism through propaganda to maintain the regime.
Adolf Hitler's regime once in power became even more liberal with their dispersion of propaganda to their subjects than they had been before they took power. There was even a Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, filled by Goebbels in 1933. (4) The fact that they saw a need for a minister of propaganda shows the absolute strength they held to the country with. The citizens under any other regime would have been affronted with the idea that everything they heard was just propaganda but because of the dire situation in Germany the people were willing for anything just so they could have better times and some peace. Every radio station was brought into one government controlled company meaning every word heard over the radio waves in Germany was government dictated. (4) Film, music, literature and art was controlled by the Reich Chamber of Culture. (4) To increase the influence of the regime over the individual Goebbels introduced the Nazi salute, songs and militaristic uniforms. (4) Mainly every citizen in Germany was connected to the government. This false feeling of connectivity- created by the propaganda of making every citizen listen to the government's ideas in every form of expressive life- gave Hitler and his regime control over every citizen. He gave them an intimate connection to him, an idol (himself) to look-up to, a strong leader to depend on, and the feeling of better times just through propaganda.
This psychological approach (propaganda to make every citizen feel connected intimately to Hitler) explains much of the willingness of the people to call their neighbors, family, and friends a traitor. Because they were connected to the country's power they felt the well-being of the country to be much more necessary than anything else during Hitler's reign. Since this was one of the fundamental parts of the Nazi platform it was expected to be achieved. (2) Because of propaganda, the controlling of film, art, literature, music, military, and radio, the Nazi party and thus Hitler gained an absolute control over the people. If you tell people they are all valued and special and important and make them believe that then they are much more willing to help you than they would have been otherwise.
It could be stated that Hitler's government was not a totalitarian institute. That argument would be because the people of Germany were in such a bad way they were willing to do anything to improve. So the horrors and control of the government was manifested by the people's openness to anything. But the people did not start killing each other and putting Jews and other people who were different into death camps before Hitler took over so it was not only them. Hitler used them to get his own way and because of that alone could be described as totalitarian.
With propaganda Hitler was able to use totalitarianism to maintain his regime. His subjects went along with his demands because they were controlled constantly. There was a radio in every home. (4) Every word coming out of the radio was regime maintaining propaganda. (4) The people put into concentration and death camps were prisoners of the regime but so was every other citizen of Germany or German occupied territory. They were imprisoned with the fanaticism of the Nazi party and Hitler's regime. Germany was under one party and that one party had complete control in every aspect of life because the people were unwilling or too weak to fight against it. And Hitler wielded propaganda against his subjects to promote his totalitarian regime.
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To add to the whole propaganda thing, a way of turning the German people against the Jews was by creating the stigma the "enemy group" to them. Not only were they portrayed as bad, but once they had that stigma the "enemy", the Germans really felt compelled to get rid of them, not just for pride, but almost for fear that they Jews would somehow destroy them.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I really liked what you said about making them feel connected by making them basically "in the know". I never would have thought to make the connection about them feeling connection.