Dictatorship: Nazi Germany and Liberalism Essay

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Writing Assignment I: Twentieth-Century
Rejections of Liberalism
Social 30-1

Source I portrays Adolf Hitler’s policies and summarizes its dogmas in three simple phrases through a propaganda poster. Hitler being the founder of the Nazi Party is to this day considered one of the most influential voices in the implementation and execution of fascist principles. Principles involving extreme right wing policies that demand absolute control of lives of the average citizens. The single factor that was most responsible for the rejection of liberalism in countries like Germany was the desperate situation the citizens were under. Germany was left in turmoil after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. They needed a solution to their problems, hence their doors opened to reactionary ideas that seemed logical at the surface. Portrayed by the dominant and almost god like display of Adolf Hitler in the source, this propaganda poster emphasizes Hitler as the supreme leader whose ideas every citizen should look up to. “One People, One Nation.” Hitler thought of collectivism in terms of every single citizen submitting to his polices and following them with a blind eye. At the time, he was the man of answers. He rose up and convinced the citizens of Germany that he had the solutions to help the country break out of their havoc. He eventually guided the Germans into rejecting principles of liberalism such as individual rights and freedoms. It was illegal to marry or have children with people who, according to the Nazi Party, were considered inferior to the “Aryan” race. Another rejection of liberalism was rule of law. After the Reichstag fire in 1933, under the banner of terrorism the New Chancellor German, Hitler, said, “We have to provide certain temporary measures,” the Reichstag was not in session because of the fire, he said, “We have to provide certain temporary measures to stem this tide of terrorism.” He managed to take control of the national law and change several aspects of it in order to enforce his ideas. One of them included eliminating these “terrorists, which were the communists and the Jews. He sought to reform the Civil Service and got rid of all Jews from the judiciary and from the legal establishment. This was all part of the plan to achieve, “One People, one Nation, one Leader.” Hitler’s sought to reform Germany into a country populated only by the superior or the “Aryan” race. Six million Jews were killed in order to achieve “One People.” Demonstrating a fine example of the rejection of liberalism, this holocaust rejects the principles of a free and equal nation where every individual has a right to life and equal opportunity to pursue their own individual interest. The phrase, “One Leader,” also demonstrates a similar case. It implies that the nation should be lead by an authoritarian dictator who seeks absolute control over all aspects of the citizen’s private and public lives in a totalitarian state. Liberalism and classical liberalism in specific defines the fundamental purpose of government to protect the rights of individuals by engaging in actions specifically delegated to the government by its constituents. As opposed to Hitler, where an extreme level of government intervention is imposed.

Source II shares the idea that it is inevitable for a democratic state to collapse. Democracy requires an equal participation of every citizen and necessitates every citizen to make informed choices about their leaders based only on their policies. The source stresses the importance of this very aspect of democracy and how it simply cannot work. The source says, “There is too much foolishness, too much lost motion,” explicitly stating the fact that the public is imprudent and impulsive. The source explains, “People do not know what they want: they do not know what is best for them.” Expressed opinions hence imply that an authoritarian leader is desperately needed for these lost
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