History Identity Essay - The Nazi Party

This is my blog so I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it, and with that said, I am using it to practice my essay writing. So however much I write, is how much I have memorised - this is literally me studying also. So who said blogging was a waste of time? No one that took a look at Perez Hilton's bank balance I'm sure. (hate him though, was going to link but I don't want to promote him on my blog.)



The Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party, the Nazi Party, was an identity dedicated to the supremacy of the Aryan race and the suppression of the foreign blood of Lebensunwertes Leben (lives not worthy of life). Although Hitler was not the first leader of the Party, he did have a profound impact upon it through his ruthlessness, anti-Semitism and oratory skill. The actions taken by the Nazi Party once Hitler became Chancellor, such as the persecution of the Jews and the suppression of all opposition, further influenced the identity of the group. The Nazi Party demonstrated the characteristics of national pride, militarism and a commitment to a racially pure Germany.

A long-term factor contributing to the identity of the Nazi Party was the long history of anti-Semitism in Europe, for example, the expulsion of the Jews from England in the C13th. This was evidence that the concept of anti-Semitism was not invented by the Nazi Party, but it was a fundamental aspect of the Nazi Fascist ideology. Hitler affected the formation of the Nazi Party through delivering powerful speeches that swept up Germany in Nazi ideas. Hitler realised this was a successful way to spread his messages to a broad range of people due to the large crowds that attended each of his speeches.

An extremely important factor in the development of the identity of the Nazi Party was Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle). This used the concept of Social Darwinism to argue "might makes right" which became an ideology base for Nazi's racist beliefs and premediated genocide. This became a fantastic way for Hitler to spread his ideas as the book went on to become a best seller due to the high public interest in Hitler himself.

The Nazi identity was also informed by the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic after the loss of WWI and therefore drew on the myth of "Dolschtoss", the stab in the backs by the Social Democrats, which helped them to increase their powerbase in the Reichstag. The Great Depression, caused by Germany's dependency on US loans and the 1929 Wall Street Crash, presented the Nazi Party with an opportunity to increase their popularity by offering solutions while the Weimar Republic was powerless. The Great Depression was a gift to the Nazis because while the Weimar Republic was impotent, Hitler was seen as a strong, decisive leader in the tradition of great Kaiserine Germany. Hitler did not believe in "laissez-faire" and instead decided that the only way to get out of the depression was for Germany to spend their way out.

The Nazi Party's actions contributed to the formation of their identity by taking advantage of the 1933 Reichstag Fire, consolidating their authority and tightening the screws on Communist opposition. An emergency decree, declared after the fire, remained in place for 12 years and became the legal base for the Nazi's reign of terror. (all I know so far.)