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German Resistance to the Nazis

The Nazis did not come to power in Germany without opposition, and they did not develop their war machine in an atmosphere completely without resistance. There was resistance to the Nazis within German society from a number of people and groups in society, and this resistance was dealt with harshly as the Nazis tried to consolidate their own power and bring everyone into conformity with their program of belligerence toward Germany's neighbors.

During the early days of the rise of the National Socialists to power, there were three characteristics of the regime: 1) a commitment to national tradition to make Germans identify with the state and its power; 2) the joining of tradition with the promise of a new order, of an historic breakthrough, and of a national revival and renewal; and 3) terror directed at enemies and at the populace at large in order to convince the people that compliance was the only way to avoid further trouble. Hitler established his absolute dictatorship within the first few weeks: "He did so by that diabolical simultaneity of reassuring the old elites and silencing or terrorizing most would-be opponents" (Stern, 1987: p. 167). In 1933, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to sign emergency decrees that in essence ended all civic rights that had been granted by the Weimar Constitution, and this would become the "legal" basis for the terror that was now unleashed. At first, this was directed at opponents of the regime, notably the Communists. The entire nation was being brought into conformity under the official designation Gleichschaltung, literally translated as "putting into the same gear." The work of terror could now be carried out more easily because the SA (Storm Troopers) and the SS were now considered "auxiliary police." Goebbels was made minister of propaganda and imposed more stringent censorship (Stern: pp. 167-168).

The opposition inside Germany discounted for a long time. Throughout the war and a...

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German Resistance to the Nazis. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:59, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691946.html