Watson, All aboout Total Control

After the many failures of the Lenin and the Weimar Government, Adolf took this time as an opportunity to rise to power, and when he accomplished this goal, Hitler used totalitarianism to maintain his regime. Hitler had the “mind set” that Germany needed a government that has total control over all aspects of its citizen’s life, (4) and he felt that he was the man for the job. Hitler used armed forces, and culture as ways of totalitarianism to maintain his regime.
Armed forces were not only one way, but the main way that Hitler used to take total control over Germany and maintain his regime. After he was legally given unlimited power, he used armed forces to put away those that were against him. An example is the secret police, also known as the Gestapo. (4) There job was to find those who were thought to be “harmful” to the town and/or Hitler, and then placing them into concentration camps or even execute them (2). This indeed shows how Hitler uses totalitarianism to maintain his regime because, getting rid of those against him is the number one way to insure that he will stay in power and maintain that control. However, one can interpret this as not being a way to show totalitarianism, but just a way to maintain control, not to have total control. This secret police can also be used as just a way to provide safety for those that are in support Hitler, getting rid of those who could possibly use force and placing Germany back in the chaos, such as fighting in the streets.
Another strategy that Hitler used to maintain power involved the culture. The people were progandised thru fine arts, radio and theatre to promulgate the cult of Hitler. The theatres played productions of German Classic. In music, the Jewish composers were banned. All radio stations were subsumed into one organization, (4) The Reich Radio Company. Jews and political opponents were dismissed. This easily shows how he used totalitarianism to maintain this power and regime because this was an easy way to get in the heads of the German citizens. Controlling the cultural aspects also tie in with the exclusion of Jews. He not only made sure that the culture was fully German, but he made sure that all the Jewish cultures were excluded. Not only were they excluded from the German life, but their culture was completely banned. They were excluded from government jobs and laws were made that prohibited Jews from certain professions (4). He wanted to control all aspects of life and by seeing nothing but the German culture teaches and brainwashes the citizens to believe that Germany comes first before everything, and that’s what he wanted. Using the Jews as scapegoats, and then acting on it, excluding them from the German life, also brainwashed most Germans making them believe that all this was the right thing to do, protecting the German citizens. The citizens were brainwashed and Hitler’s leadership was an awful case of peer pressure. With this being said, the citizens could have gone against him, but they knew of the consequences, involving the secret police. So, with that in mind, along with the combination of propaganda through the culture, the German citizens were basically pressured into siding with Adolf Hitler, showing that he had total control and it was through total control that helped him maintain his regime.
Adolf Hitler made his way up to power the legal way, being named the President, Chancellor and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (4). However, it was through totalitarianism that helped him maintain this power and regime. Therefore, Hitler used armed forces, and culture as ways of totalitarianism to maintain his regime.