The Impact of the Nazi Party on German Society Up to and Including 1933

“Asses the impact of the Nazi Party on German society up to and including 1933”

“The Nazis tried to exploit the divisions, to be all things to all men…to create a Nazi organisation for doctors, lawyers, teachers, war pensioners, civil servants and farmers.”[1] This observation by Norling, serves an important purpose to anyone studying the impact the Nazi Party had on German society; it identifies that the Nazi Party created enticing visions of a “new” Germany to numerous social groups in Germany, particularly in the years between 1923 and 1933. The Nazi propaganda machine produced enormous quantities of information based on German national pride and future aspirations, which, with help of the implementation of terror and the S.A, eventually gained the Nazi Party 90 percent support of the German people. The above, are of fundamental importance in assessing Nazi impact up to the year, and including, 1933. The extent in which different social groups were influenced by the Nazi regime is highlighted by the examination of specific social groups. These include the working class (urban and agricultural), the German youth and women. Alternatively, there were other social clans in Germany that did not benefit or prosper from the Nazi campaign. The Jew and the communist were two examples of people that the Nazi party ardently sought to “…drive out of Germany, with more and more unprecedented ruthlessness.”[2] As the Nazi Party gained more support and momentum, and in turn, gained more seats in the Reichstag, their anti-Semitic beliefs became increasingly evident. This was a core ideological principle, which stayed with the Nazi regime right until its collapse in 1945.

Propaganda is a powerful and necessary tool used by any political party that wishes to gain power. However, the Nazi party, through the genius of certain individuals such as Joseph Goebbels, transformed propaganda from a tool, to a tremendously effective weapon. This was done by ensuring...