Nazism

Identification 

Nazism is a term typically associated with the racist political beliefs of the Nazi Party of Germany and its leader, Adolf Hitler, and was most prominent during the 1920s through 1945 at the end of the second World War. Nazism suggests that there is a pure Aryan race which is superior to other races, and that all inferior races, such as Jews and people of colour, should be sterilized. This historical ‘ism’ is often closely linked to anti-semitism, the hatred of Jews and was the basis of the beliefs from which the holocaust stemmed.

Historical Significance

Nazism is arguably one of the most influential and significant ‘isms’ as many historical events resulted out of the anti-semitic beliefs of Nazism, such as the second World War. However the influences of Nazism did not end in 1945 as the war did, this ideology has followed society all the way up to present day as we can see through the Neo-Nazi groups that have been present in recent news. Nazism was strongly built on Hitler’s use of the Jews as scapegoats, this part of Nazism can be used to shine a light on Islamophobia in the contemporary world. Muslim populations all across the globe are facing scapegoating and bigotry because of their religious practices, and are recognized by some as the terrorist enemy of the Western world. Similarly the European Jewish population were seen as enemy to Nazi Germany and faced horrific consequences because of their religious identity and millions were slaughtered for this reason, which was one of the largest events in human history. While Islamophobia and anti-Semitism may not be completely identical, they do bare some striking similarities, which we can identify through a critical analysis of Nazism views and how Nazi Germany scrutinized people because of what region they chose to practice.

Key Historical Proponents 

The historical figure who is most famously associated with Nazism is Adolf Hitler. Hitler used the European Jews as a scapegoat for Germany’s failures and sought to create a pure Aryan race by disposing of all ‘impure’ races such as Jews, people of colour, disabled people and homosexuals. Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and began implementing the Nazi agenda which included forcing Jewish people to wear the Star of David on their clothing, forcing them out of their homes into Ghettos and invading Poland in 1939. From this Nazi agenda came the second world war in which six million Jewish people lost their lives in concentration camps and various other horrible ways. Even today when we think of the term Nazism, World War two and Adolf Hitler are the first things that pop into our brains, followed by ant-semitism and racism. Nazism is universally discredited in modern day, although the influence still rears its ugly head through Neo-Nazism in hate groups.

Carmyn Jack 

 

Bibliography 

Dobkowski, Michael. “Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism.” CrossCurrents, vol. 65, no. 3, Sept. 2015, pp. 321–333., doi:10.1111/cros.12142.

Kurlander, E. “Hitler’s Monsters: The Occult Roots of Nazism and the Emergence of the Nazi ‘Supernatural Imaginary’.” German History, vol. 30, no. 4, 2012, pp. 528–549., doi:10.1093/gerhis/ghs073.

Lepsius, M. Rainer. “Charismatic Leadership: Max Weberâs Model and Its Applicability to the Rule of Hitler.” Changing Conceptions of Leadership, 1986, pp. 53–66., doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-4876-7_4.

Whitfield, Stephen J. “The South in the Shadow of Nazism.” Southern Cultures, vol. 18, no. 3, 2012, pp. 57–75., doi:10.1353/scu.2012.0024.