Nazi Domestic Policy Essay

Success of the Domestic Policies of the Nazi Party

On obtaining power in 1933 the Nazi Party set about trying to transform German society in preparation for what Hitler called the 1000 Year Reich. This transformation would set German industry on a war footing. It would ensure that the youth of Germany were brought up as loyal Nazi's. Finally and most significantly the Nazi party put into practice their racial theory that would set them on course for committing the worst acts of human genocide that the world has ever seen.

The most pressing issue on coming to power was the economy. The Nazi Party were elected after all on the promise of "Bread and Jobs". Unemployment needed to fall to ensure the

Youth Policy from this point of view can therefore be seen as very successful, in that most members of the HJ did go on to serve in the army.

The most sinister aspect of Hitler's domestic policy was the treatment of minorities. Of course, it was the Jews who came in for special treatment. From 1933 through to 1938 the first stage of what in essence would become the final solution was put into practice. Jews were progressively alienated from German society. The Nuremburg Laws witnessed an intensification of this racial policy. Marriages were forbidden between Jews and Germans, by 1939 Jews were no longer protected by the state, they were forced to wear a yellow star so that they could be identified. By this time the first Jewish concentration camps had been set up paving the way for the holocaust. These policies resulted in ¼ of a million Jews leaving Germany by 1939. The search for the master race also witnessed the murder of thousands of babies, used for experiments. Gypsies, blacks, mentally ill people in total another 200,000 people.

The effectiveness of the Nazi regime can also be judged by the lack