NAZISM:

Despite the obvious militaristic nature of the fascist governments many celebrate Hitler’s success. The economy grows by about 9 percent between 1933-1939 that is similar to the level that the Chinese economy is growing today. Unemployment was lower in Germany than in the United States during the 1930s, although workers were paid less on average than U.S. workers. Many U.S. business executives at Ford and General Motors praise the Germans success like William S. Knudsen, who called Nazi Germany "the miracle of the twentieth century" and later as head of GM was the first civilian to be made into a general and played a key role in directing the economic side of the U.S. war effort in the 1940s. Hitler in turn praises industrialists like Henry Ford both for their success in business and anti-semitism. The Nazi Volkswagen project was meant to imitate the success of the Ford Model T, while Ford published articles like The International Jew. In 1936 Germany hosts the Olympics and in 1938 Hitler is named Time man of the year. Groups like the America First Committee (largely funded by business executives) were committed to non-intervention in the war and peace with Germany right up until the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941.

This was a period of a huge economic growth for Germany. Just like how the Nazi party rose to power riding on a wave of propaganda, so did the policies implemented by it. The money that came from creating jobs was used to finance the production of war fare machinery. Hitler was a power hungry person who wanted to rule more than just Germany, and he knew that could be achieved only by the use of force.

I choose this passage because it underlies the progress Germany made under the Nazi regime. What must be noted here is that the motive of such was to ultimately conquer major parts of the world.

Another thing is that America took it’s time to enter the Second World War. It waited for Russia to drain all it’s resources and until Pearl Harbor happened it did not enter the war. Another argument could be put forth that America saw the fall of Germany and its allies were coming. And it waited for Russia to finish the work. Had Pearl Harbor not happened, who knows what the outcome of the war would have been, or its aftermath.

1. What were some of the major reasons that led to the rise of Nazi Germany?

The rise of the Nazi party in Germany was a gradual process and many factors led to this development. Following the loss of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles (which put the blame of the First World War squarely on Germany) many people were anger and this created a bitterness to which Hitler’s expansionism appealed. The Nazi party gave the German people hope and a chance to regain their lost pride. Secondly, the government was crippled by the weak constitution and there were loopholes in it, to which Hitler capitalized on. The Great Depression of 1929 sent shockwaves across the World and Germany was adversely affected due to its strong ties with the American economy. Widespread unemployment resulted from the crash in the stock market and the unemployed number of people rose to four million by 1930. The Nazi party capitalized on the severe economic disaster and by 1930 had become the second largest party in the Reichstag and it now became impossible to form a government without their support.

2. How did Nazis resolve conflicts between workers and owners and why was this an attractive model for business executives?

The Nazi party portrayed itself as the alternative to non-communist to the working class. They strategy was to substitute racial struggle for class struggle. They controlled class struggle by controlling the prices and wages of products and workers. Independent unions were destroyed in favor of a Nazi controlled union. It was attractive for the executives, as they were left in control of their business organizations, unlike the communist model. Moreover, the government became their biggest customer, as demands grew to supply the production of materials to support war.

3. What is the significance of the phrase “Arbeit macht Frei”?

This sign was infamously put up on many Nazi concentration camps during their regime. This phrase literally means “work makes one free”. However, on the contrary it had the opposite meaning. This was a place used to murder the Jews that were brought there to work. This sign became a defining symbol of the holocaust as it served as a reminder of the atrocities that the Jews underwent during the rule of the Nazi party in Germany.

4. What is State Capitalism and how does it relate to Nazi Germany?

State capitalism is a form of capitalism where the state performs the role of capitalist employer, exploiting the workers in the interest of the State. This can also be stated as the form of governance where there is the presence of a significant number of state owned business enterprises. During the regime of the Nazi party, most companies were directly or indirectly linked with the government. For example, Hitler believed the auto industry was vital in reviving the economy, and so his regime set up many companies that were run by his subordinates.

5. How would you evaluate the psychological causes of anti-semitism in the context of German society?

Anti-semitism was rampant during the reign of the Nazi party in Germany. People of the Jewish faith were denied basic civil rights, their property destroyed or confiscated. Jewish people holding positions in business and academics were removed from their jobs. The holocaust was set to mass murder Jews and by historical accounts about six million Jews perished during the holocaust. The German society was affected and more particularly the Jewish people were adversely affected by the actions of the Nazi party. Anti-semitism created a resentment among the German people against the Jewish people and that burden had to be carried on to the next generation.

Max Weber: Politics as a Vocation

The connections between Weber and nihilism deal with the central conflict of trying to find meaning and purpose in a nihilistic world. For Weber the solution is politics, which he regards as a vocation. Vocation itself refers to a “calling” in the German Lutheran tradition, a specific calling to serve God. Weber draws upon this meaning while redefining it in a secular way, to refer to devotion to one’s work and through that finding a sense of fulfillment and purpose in life. “Vocational training” also refers to the teaching of “procedural knowledge” and is used to refer to the teaching of trades like carpentry or plumbing that require specific technical knowledge. He develops this concept for professional politicians to what he refers to as status honor a sense of achievement deriving from the ability to perform the work processes that are necessary to carry out political decisions. At the same time he says everyone who lives ‘for’ politics (vocation), also lives ‘off’ politics (avocation) in that they are financially dependent upon politics for a livelihood. However, the typical way in which politics, status honor, and vocational meaning intersect and mediate each other is through nationalism. The nation then becomes the substitute for the loss of meaning in traditional authorities caused by the rise of nihilistic thought in the late 19th century. The nation becomes a substitute for God. The concept of civic religion is related to this idea and is closely related to the development of republican states in the ancient world.


Max Weber was a German sociologist whose influence on the discipline of sociology had far reaching effects. In the above passage Weber tries to find reason in a person choosing politics as a career option. He tries to tie the concept with dedication to God by means of devotion to one's work and service to society. There are two ways to make politics your vocation: you can live for it or off it. It you live for it, you make it your life in an internal sense, either because you enjoy power or because you serve some cause. If you live off it, you strive to make it your permanent source of income. All party struggles are struggles for the patronage of office, as well as struggles for objective goals. Setbacks in participating in offices are felt more severely by parties than is action against their objective goals.

This passage typically explains how some people begin to make politics their career option. However the general good of the people is lost as power and money become their motto. This is true in the United States and in many countries across the world. Power corrupts and Weber was critical of this concept and was quick to point out the vocation aspect to bring some understanding in the minds of people to choose politics as a career move. Religion was a dominant force in the lives of people and Weber tried connect politics as service to people which invariable meant service to God.

The Weimar Republic:              

Article 43:
The term of office of the Reich President lasts seven years. Reelection is permitted. The Reich President can be deposed by plebiscite, which has to be suggested by the Reichstag. This Reichstag decision requires a majority of two thirds of the voted. Such a decision bars the Reich President from continued exercise of his office. A rejection of the deposition is regarded as a reelection and results in the dissolution of the Reichstag. The Reich President can not be persecuted in a penal matter without the approval of Reichstag.

This articles lays out the term of the President and the process of his impeachment. In the United States the Senate and House must vote for two thirds majority to impeach the president. So in this aspect the German and American system is similar. However, I feel that the term of seven years is too long. Most governments across the world have a term of five years. The article also mentions that the president has the power to reject the deposition of the Reichstag regarding his removal. This move invariable dissolves the house and mid term elections have to be held. I think such powers make the president misuse his power. 

Article 109:
All Germans are equal in front of the law. In principle, men and women have the same rights and obligations. Legal privileges or disadvantages based on birth or social standing are to be abolished. Noble titles form part of the name only; noble titles may not be granted any more. Titles may only be granted if they indicate an office or occupation; academic degrees are not affected by this regulation. The state may no more bestow orders and medals. No German may accept titles or orders from a foreign government.
The article explains the basic equality right of every German. However, what baffles me is that in reality this ideal situation seemed far fetched. Inequality was rampant and many Germans did not enjoy the rights specified by the constitution. This situation can be compared to the United States today; we still have racism, although the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial segregation. We as a nation have been successful in curbing this curse, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of proportional representation.
Some of the advantages of proportional representation are that it allows more parties to have seats in the parliament. The people can also be assured that their representative’s vote will have an equal value as all other representatives.
Some of the disadvantages are that it may not always provide a party with a clear majority. In this case coalitions are likely to be formed between different parties. Also this can make the functioning of the government difficult  because smaller parties with vested interests within the government can take the government hostage over certain issues. This can also be seen as one of the ways Hitler's party became a voice in the government despite garnering only a few seats.

2. What were the leading causes of the decline of the Weimar Republic.
There were number of events leading to the decline of the Weimar Republic. Notably among them was the inflation after the war, followed by the shocks of the Great Depression of the United States. Germany's economy was closely tied to the United States' economy and so it was natural for its economy to be affected by the fall in the American economy. This is similar to the crash of the American economy in 2004 following the housing and mortgage crisis. This fall had repercussions across Europe, because the European Union’s economic health is closely tied with America.

3. What is hyperinflation?
Hyperinflation is a condition when we have a surplus of paper money in the market. This can occur when a nation experiences very high and uncontrolled inflation where the Federal Government prints money to meet the needs of the country, rather than collecting raising money by raising taxes. Too much money circulating in the market leads to a devaluation of the currency resulting in rising prices and a battered economy.

4. How would you judge the Weimar constitution as compared to the American constitution?
The Weimar constitution and the American constitution had a lot of similarities. However, under the Weimar constitution the President enjoys extensive powers unlike the American president. Too much power lay in the hands of one person and therefore it defeated the purpose of a democracy where people's voice spoke and government was accountable to the people.