National Socialism, Nazism

Historical Context Essay

George C. Browder (SUNY, Fredonia)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Domains

Political Parties

Dates

Date of occurrence 1919-05-1945

Places

Germany (Location)

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National Socialism was the ideology (or

weltanschauung

) and the movement (

Bewegung

) upon which Adolf Hitler built his regime, the so-called Third Reich, between 1933 and 1945. Its primary characteristics were anti-Bolshevism, intense antisemitism, and virulent nationalist-chauvinism, plus an unoriginal fusion of other ideas and beliefs prevalent in nineteenth and twentieth century Western civilization in general, and Germany in particular. One can seriously question whether such an eclectic conglomerate, lacking in coherence, can be appropriately labelled an ideology. Nevertheless, it was precisely its amorphous nature that enabled so many to embrace those aspects which seemed to promise solutions to the problems that preoccupied them, as well as fulfilment of their dreams. Some have…

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2935 words

Citation: Browder, George C.. "National Socialism, Nazism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 February 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1417, accessed 22 November 2024.]

National Socialism, Nazism

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