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Adolf Hitler And The Nazi Party

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Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party saw their acquisition of power in 1933 as more than simply a change of government. To the Nazis it represented the start of a transformation of German society in accordance with their ideology of National Socialism. This focused on all Germans, regardless of class or income, working for the national good as part of the Volksgemeinschaft, the People’s Community. In the period from 1933 to 1939, the Nazis ultimately achieved consensus in creating the Volksgemeinschaft through both propaganda and coercion. Propaganda and coercion ultimately underpinned the creation and the subsequent maintenance of the Nazi state with propaganda serving to popularize the regime and coercion suppressing any opposition. Post-war Germany was characterised by the social, political and economic turmoil that defined the new Weimar nation and with German society still suffering from a deep sense of national humiliation, it was unsurprising that the Volk (people) were attracted to the creation of a Volksgemeinschaft and the potential rebirth of German strength. Dr Joseph Goebbels’ ruthless propaganda machine ensured a positive image of Nazi society across all of Germany while counterbalanced by an institution of terror. The constant fear of violence and threat of concentration camps served to inhibit the forces of the opposition. Through this dual implementation of propaganda and coercion, the German people willingly collaborated or were coerced into carrying out Nazi

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