Life in Nazi Germany

Hitler's Germany:

Nazi Germany or the Third Reich refers to Hitler's reign between 1933 and 1945. As leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party or the Nazi Party, Hitler established a dictatorship in Germany. The Third Reich, the state under the influence of Nazism at the time, referred to the state that succeeded the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire (1871–1918).

Hitler's Germany was flanked by the North Sea and Denmark in the north, Lithuania, Danzig, Poland and Czechoslovakia in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Saarland in the west. However, German occupation of Rhineland, Saarland, Austria, Memelland, Sudetenland, Bohemia and Moravia changed the world map. Hitler's aggressive militarism and antisemitism resulted in German invasion of Poland, the UK and France during the six long years of World War II.

Fascism in Germany:

When Hitler assumed dictatorship of Germany, he propagated the dictates of fascism under the new name - Nazism. Fascism in Germany extolled the state as all powerful, even more powerful than the individual. He played along the emotions of the 'beaten' Germans, who lost much of their dignity, territory and livelihood after World War I, through the clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler adopted the Fascist policies of Benito Mussolini and preached:

• Total power of the state and its welfare in the hands of the Fuhrer.
• Complete adherence to military law and a dedicated approach to renewing Germany's lost glory, even at the price of pledging forced loyalty.
• Intolerance towards self-expression via the media or through any other form, against the Nazi Party.
• Refusal to abide by the dictates of the Treaty of Versailles.
• Intolerance towards the Jews, gypsies and foreigners, since they were held responsible for the economic downfall of the German economy and were declared as traitors.

Fascism in Germany spelled the end of individual rights. People were put into prison, shot or deported if they voiced against the Nazi Party. The Gestapo, Hitler's private spies, were all over the place, consistently trapping and identifying 'traitors' and meting out punitive action. The press was supposed to write things only in praise of Hitler and the antisemitic stance of the Fuhrer was further fueled by his oratorical displays throughout the land and captured territory.

Germany's Invasion of Poland:

The Nazi regime in Germany was responsible for the persecution and murder of millions of Jews. The holocaust unfolded within concentration or death camps. Much of the slaughter was blamed upon the national shame, anger and embarrassment that sprung from the Treaty of Versailles. German disarmament, forfeiture of territories, demilitarization of German territory, heavy reparations and severe military restrictions resulted in resentment and the wake of dictatorship in Germany.

In the wake of United Kingdom's guarantee to defend the territorial integrity of Poland from German invasion, Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. This move was in line with Hitler's break-away from the non-aggression pact signed with Russia and the need for military expansion to prove German supremacy. The Nazi attack on Poland brought in the allies, the United Kingdom and France, in support of Poland. They declared war on Germany, but Poland fell quickly, at the hands of not only the Nazi's, but also the Soviets.

War Times in Germany:

Between 1939 and 1945, Germany attacked Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Yugoslavia, France and even Britain. Hitler did not pay any heed to public opinion when planning attacks and made most of Europe a battle front. The Nazis also fortified Africa and the Balkans against Russian and British attack. There was little attention paid to the condition back home. All forces, fiscal and industrial, were concentrated to war effort. This neglect resulted in the people realizing that the personal ambitions of the Fuhrer suddenly meant more than their welfare.

With all their dreams doused in the damp war-showers, the common man was as tired of Nazi dictatorship, just like the rest of the world. Unrestricted submarine warfare and persecution of minorities created anti-Nazi propaganda within no time. Genocide within the concentration camps unveiled the Nazi program of exploitation. This, doubled with increased Western Allied bombings, destruction of civic life, supply shortages and greatly damaged infrastructure, made Nazi defeat the prayer of the German commoners.

Life in Nazi Germany:

The Third Reich capitalized on nationalism and Pan-Germanism, with the promises of a new political spectrum in the form of an authoritarian government. The promises to maintain civil peace, generate employment to make Germany self-sufficient, bring about radical changes via economic policies, restore national pride and above all racial cleansing were backed by very stringent and severe measures. The party labeled the Jews as conniving and devious. They referred to them as traitorous criminals and blamed the Jews for German defeat during the First World War. The totalitarian dictatorship headed by Adolf Hitler had an enormous effect on thousands of communists, anarchists and socialists, who were deprived of civil liberties such as habeas corpus.

The Nazi Party, under the leadership of Hitler, adopted the symbols of the Weimar Republic, the tilted swastika flag, 'Deutschland über Alles' national anthem and the Hitler salute.The police were ordered to use powerful and coercive means to control the commoners. They paid spies and informants for details on dissenters. While the ordinary citizens welcomed the improving economy and standard of living, the political opponents who voiced an opinion were put in specially designed prison camps, tortured and killed. It is believed that between 1933 and 1945 more than 3.5 million opponents to Nazi rule were deported to concentration camps.

Concentration Camps in Germany:

Concentration Camps referred to large enclosures where Jews, foreigners and gypsies and political prisoners were detained or confined. They were subjected to harsh living conditions in these places that reeked with a total disregard for legal norms acceptable within a constitutional democracy. The camps were referred to as Konzentrationslager and were synonymous with Nazi regime. The first concentration camps were manned by the Sturmabteilungen or the Storm Troopers, the Schutzstaffel or elite guards, police personnel and civilian authorities. Concentration camps were set up all over Germany, the main ones being at:

• Oranienburg and Columbia Haus, Berlin.
• Esterwegen, Hamburg.
• Dachau, Munich.
• Lichtenburg, Saxony.