ipl-logo

Nazi Germany As A Totalitarian Government

1340 Words6 Pages
The Third Reich, referring to Hitler’s reign and Germany being under Nazi rule between the years 1933-1945, is often referred to as a totalitarian state. A totalitarian state is a system of government in which all power is centralized and does not allow any rival authorities, and the state controls every corner of individual lives with absolute power. Nazi Germany has been referred to as an excellent example of this type of government. This essay will analyse five aspects of Nazi Germany to determine whether it truly exhibited the totalitarian style of government.
A clear aspect of what makes a state totalitarian is having one strong ideology and Nazi Germany perfectly covers this criterion. The government of Nazi Germany was a fascist state. The Nazi ideology uses biological racism and antisemitism, Nazi fascism’s ideology included a racial theory which praised the Aryan race and denigrated those who did not fit this race. Extreme nationalism was encouraged which called for the unification of all German-speaking peoples, the use of private paramilitary organizations to stop and terrorize the opposition, and the centralization of decision-making by, and loyalty to, a single leader. All of these aspects of Nazi ideology contribute to the idea that Nazi Germany was a totalitarian state.
Furthermore, Hitler’s government declared the Nazi Party to be the single political party in Germany on July 14, 1933. As a result of Hindenburg’s death in 1934, Hitler took on the title of
Open Document