Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany was the period of German history between 1933, year of arrival to power of the National Socialist German Workers Party of Adolf Hitler and 1945, the year of the country's defeat in World War II that result the end of the National regime. Using National's own terminology, the names are also used Third Reich, Greater German Reich, Nazi Empire or III German Empire to refer to this stage.

The term was introduced by Nazi propaganda, which counted the Holy Roman Empire as the first Reich, or empire, the German Empire in 1871 as the second and their own regime as the third. This was done to suggest a glorious return of the former Germany after the Weimar Republic instituted in 1919, however, was never officially dissolved by the new regime. Since 1939, the Nazis avoided using the term "Third Reich" and preferred to call "Greater German Reich" (Grossdeutsches Reich), in order to allude to the considerable expansion of its borders that occurred in 1939 and 1940. The Nazi Party attempted to combine traditional symbols of Germany with Nazi Party symbols, with a single symbol, the swastika, the most representative of the regime, in an effort to strengthen the idea of ​​unity between his ideals and Germany.

The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP), better known as the Nazi Party was the political party led by Adolf Hitler to power in 1933. The term "Nazi" is a shortened form of the German word Nationalsozialismus (National), who was the party's ideology. This party was the only legal political force in Nazi Germany since the fall of the Weimar Republic (1933) until the end of World War II in 1945, when it was declared illegal and a criminal organization and its leaders arrested and guilty of war crimes against humanity and against peace in the Nuremberg Trials between November 1945 and October 1946.

The head of state, Paul von Hindenburg, was pressured to compromise with Hitler, who was appointed German chancellor on January 30, 1933. Once in office, Hitler decreed new elections amid intense Nazi propaganda. Shortly after the election, the Reichstag building was burned. Then Hitler blamed the communists, suggesting that the fire was the beginning of a revolution and created panic in order to obtain a greater electoral volume. Finally, the elections gave him control of parliament, which passed a law shortly after establishing a dictatorship through democratic means. Hitler imposed since a government based on the principle of the leader or Führerprinzip. According to this political principle, the Fuhrer was identified with the people ("was" the people), and he knew and represented the national interest.

I think that this representation of the people by the leader was essential because it was in no process of consultation and delegation of power. The Führerprinzip was replacing an irresponsible government and powerless (the parliament), and where the responsibility lay with a single figure. Thus the will of the Führer was transformed into the law. The application of this principle resulted in totalitarian systems and repression, and that any opposition to the will of the Führer was, by definition, unpatriotic.

By: Giovanna Trisoglio

References:

·         CHANTAL MILLON-DELSOL, 1998, Las ideas políticas del siglo XX. Paris, Francia. Editorial Docencia.

·         PATRICK O’ BRIEN, 2010, The Atlas of World History. Oxford University, Great Britain. Oxford University Press.

·         SALVAT  EDITORES, 2005, Historia Universal, Tomo XIX. Lima, Perú. Orbis Ventures S.A.C.