NSDAP Rhetoric Essay

Second, Hitler's rhetoric created an idyllic vision of volksgemeinschaft, a community of the people. NSDAP policy reached past traditional class divides and appealed to voters first and foremost as citizens of Germany. Hitler welcomed (almost) all Germans, arguing, “We do not recognize classes, but only the German people, its millions of farmers, citizens and workers who together will either overcome this time of distress or succumb to it.” The NSDAP’s deceptively inclusive agenda centered on economic restoration, a common concern for German citizens. As Hitler quipped in his address, “It is an appalling inheritance which we are taking over.” The instability of the Weimar economy contributed to the rise of the NSDAP and, once in power, the

party commenced an agenda of economic renewal. To Hitler, a healthy, functioning economy was a necessary precursor to military conquest and German prestige. Only by stabilizing the economy could Germany move towards, “integration into the community of nations of a state having equal status and therefore equal rights with the rest.” The NSDAP specifically promoted agricultural policies to aid farmers and revive the national food supply, and programs to mitigate unemployment. As such, the core economic tenets of Nazi ideology were, “the promotion of work, and the preservation of agriculture, as well as in the use of individual initiative.” The NSDAP opposed the free-market, emphasizing a state-controlled system allowing the government to put, “the administration and the finances of the Reich, the states, and the communes on a sound basis.” Thus, Hitler’s “Appeal to the German People” used nationalism and militarism to simultaneously evoke opposition to the KPD and create a stable, unifying vision of volksgemeinschaft.
Hitler’s speech does not encompass the full breadth of Nazi ideology.

First, Hitler’s address leaves out the ethnopolitical overtures of the NSDAP’s policies. To maximize electoral support, NSDAP rhetoric on the national level downplayed its virulent anti-Semitism. However, this document contains veiled racial attacks. Hitler identified the Communist Party as the main threat to the German renewal. However, as perceived by the Nazi Party, Communist ideology was propagated by a Jewish world-wide conspiracy. Thus, the Communist Party was harmful not only because of its political beliefs, but also because proponents of Communist ideology posed a threat to the racial and ethnic homogeneity of Germany. To Hitler, German national renewal was contingent on the coupling social and economic stability with a return to, “racial and political unity and the obligations arising therefrom.” Although NSDAP policy brimmed with anti-Semitism, Hitler’s address minimizes ethnopolitical messages. Hitler’s speech additionally downplays the importance of Lebensraum in Nazi ideology. Hitler argues that restoring peace to Germany was a movement towards “the integration into the community of nations of a state having equal status and therefore equal rights with the rest.” Hitler’s speech masked his true intentions. He noted that German policy strove to maintain the “consolidation of peace which the world needs today more than ever before.” However, part of Nazi ideology was a belief in the superiority of German citizens. As such, the country required Lebensraum to expand and grow. Soon after his appointment as Reich Chancellor, Hitler would begin his campaign to unite ethnic Germans across Europe. Hitler’s address downplays this ideology because, as the new Reich Chancellor, Hitler needed to create an air of cooperation and stability. A promise to expand into Eastern Europe would precipitate international outrage. As such, Hitler’s words do not reflect the true Nazi feelings towards

Lebensraum. Finally, Hitler’s address conceals the authoritarian nature of NSDAP policy. Because democracy and socialism were unpredictable and inflammatory, Nazi ideology concentrated power in the hands of a strong, resolute leader. However, Hitler’s address frames the NSDAP’s actions as actions within the Weimar government, “With resolution and fidelity to our oath, seeing the powerlessness of the present Reichstag to shoulder the task we advocate, we wish to commit it to the whole German people.” Hitler’s true aim was complete control, and, after Reich President Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler became führer. As such, Hitler’s “Appeal to the German People” as the Reich Chancellor did not fully encapsulate the NSDAP’s political, social, and international objectives.
“Hamburg Schoolteacher Louise Solmitz on Hitler’s Seizure of Power (January-February 1933)” reveals the typical response of a Protestant, middle-class German voter to Hitler’s ascent to power. Solmitz, dissatisfied with the Weimar government, believed that Hitler's presence would bring a breath of fresh air to the staleness of current German politics. Although Solmitz recognized Hitler’s radical positions, she believed that his extreme would be tempered in an alliance with other conservative ministers. She rejoices, “And what a Cabinet!!! One we didn’t dare dream of in July. Hitler, Hugenberg, Seldte, Papen!!!” German voters were so excited for promises of national unity that they discounted the NSDAP’s radical policies, prompting the saying, “Nothing is eaten as hot as it’s cooked.” For example, Louise Solmitz notes that, while she watched a political procession, “Death to the Jews’ was also sometimes called out and they sang of the blood of the Jews which would squirt from their knives. (subsequent addition: Who took that seriously then?).” Although she noted the anti-Semitic views of the Nazi party, she believed that they would never manifest in real political action. This demographic identified with the nationalistic and stabilizing rhetoric of the Nazi party, but ignored or discounted the dangerous elements of Nazi ideology, especially anti-Semitism. The incompetence of the Weimar government and the difficulties of post-war life were an indelible thorn in the side of German voters. Especially among middle-class Germans, the political, economic, and social state of the nation was a source of shame and regret. The strong, nationalistic rhetoric of the NSDAP restored German’s faith in their country. In fact, Solmitz wanted her children to watch an NSDAP political procession for as long as possible because, “So far the impressions they had had of politics had been so deplorable that they should now have a really strong impression of nationhood, as we had once, and store it in their memories.” To the constituents of the NSDAP, unity was finally achievable. Louise exults, “Unity at last, at long last, but for how long? We are after all Germans.” Thus, the diary of Louise Solmitz provides a typical middle-class reaction to Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Reich Chancellor.
The NSDAP’s ascent to power was the culmination of political, economic, and social factors. Once installed as Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler’s “Appeal to the German People” employed nationalistic and militaristic rhetoric to galvanize opposition to the Communist party. The NSDAP’s vision of a volksgemeinschaft capitalized on the instability of the German economy and the widespread push for national unity. However, Hitler’s address minimized essential components of the Nazi platform, including the prevalence of racial attitudes, expansionistic attitudes, and the authoritarian nature of Nazi politics. The diary of Louise Solmitz captures a common reaction among Protestant, middle-class Germans to Hitler’s appointment as Reich Chancellor. Although Germans like Louise Solmitz recognized the radical elements of NSDAP rhetoric, the push for German unity and the power of nationalistic appeals overpowered the reservations of many voters.