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Adele Phillips
Mr. Hawkins
Modern World History, Period 2
21 March 2016
Inquiry Question #1: Hitler and Nationalism
Nazi Germany was perhaps one of the worlds most powerful regimes. Its leader, Adolf
Hitler, was able to control every aspect of life at the time. He was ruthless, brutal, and caused
unnecessary harm to a plethora of innocent people. Furthermore, he was able to gain control of
an entire country and create a vast empire out of the rubble of a broken nation. The question,
however, is how did Hitler manage to gain the popularity and support he desperately desired in
order to become supreme leader of Germany and eventually, in his plans, the world. How was it
possible for one man to appeal to so many, and create a vast empire that for a period of time
seemed indestructible?
After the ending of World War One, Germany was in ruin. Moreover, the country was in
political and economical disarray, and the majority of the population was incredibly unhappy
with the terms set in the Treaty of Versailles. Henceforth, out of this anger was born many radical
political groups that were determined to restore Germany to its former glory, including the
German Workers Party, which Hitler would eventually join. In fact, this specific party was
created because of the dismay at the defeat in the First World War and [the] horror at the
severity of the terms imposed upon Germany by the allies (Website 2). Hitler joined the
German Workers party and was immediately praised for his eloquent speaking skills. He would
later use these speaking skills to gain the support of the German population. Eventually, Hitler
would take control of the part and create the National Socialist German Workers party, or the

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Nazi Party. The Nazi party was based on aggressive nationalism and the creation of a supreme
Aryan race. This ideology stemmed from Germany and the German people (Website 1).
Although the party was originally small and unpopular, it grew after the Wall Street Crash in
1929 as Germany again fell into economic suffering. Due to this, the country saw a rise in
unemployment and a renewed fear of a communist uprising [which] gave Hitlers messages
a new importance (Website 2). As people began to lose faith in the government, they started to
support extremist groups such as the Nazi Party. In addition, the Nazis continued to gain
popularity as they made promises that would benefit all sectors of the population (Website
2). Furthermore, the Nazi Party proposed feasible plans to restore Germany, and their aggressive
hatred of communism was in line with the beliefs of the German people. Altogether, the Nazis
philosophy and goals appealed to the German people, so they turned to them as a last resort
while the government continued to grow weak.
One of the most prominent aspects of Nazi culture was their belief that the German race
was superior to all other races. Additionally, they were extremely vocal about their hatred of
Jews. As a matter of fact, Germany already had a long history of anti-Semitism, and the end of
the war saw the Jew become an easy target for the radical-right seeking an explanation for
why Germany lost the war (Website 2). As anti-Semitism was already a deep-rooted social
construct, this part of Nazi ideology was used to gain large support. In fact, many Germans
claimed that the Jews had done much to spread defeatism and thus destroy the German
army (Website 1). Due to this prominent anti-Semitism, the Nazi party was appealing for
many. People continued to support the party as they began the persecution of Jews, which would
come to be known as the Holocaust. Correspondingly, the Nazis began to purge anything
relating to Jewish culture, and the exclusion of Jews from German cultural life highly

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visible (Website 1). However, this just helped the party gain more support. Hitler preached
about the evils of Jewish people and used his persuasive nature to convince others that they were
terrible and unnecessary. The hatred of Jews was already prominent in Germany, so when the
Nazis made this a main point of their ideology, the majority of the German population was in
agreement.
When World War One came to a close, Germany had severe restrictions placed upon it by
the Treaty of Versailles. In fact, for many Germans, the loss of the war was humiliating and
degrading. Therefore, Germany wished to regain its position as a European power, but was left in
a weakened state after the war. In the aftermath of the war, the German population needed a
leader who understood Germanys value in nationalism, and Hitler was the perfect person to fit
that role. Hitler was an aggressive nationalist, and preached Our future is Germany. Our
today is Germany. And our past is Germany. Let us take a vow this evening, at every hour,
in each day, to think of Germany, of the nation, of our German people. You cannot be
unfaithful to something that has given sense and meaning to your whole existence
(Website 3). Moreover, Hitler believed that the duty of the Germans was to restore Germany to
its former power and support the nation. In general, this ideology was consistent with the views
of many Germans after the war, and Hitler used that consistency to his advantage. Therefore,
when Germany fell into economic and political despair, Hitler rose through the ranks and gained
popularity as he gained a large following of like-minded people. Additionally, the German people
were angry with the Allies for imposing such damaging regulation on them, so the idea of
creating a powerful German Empire at the cost of other countries appealed to most. Furthermore,
Hitler promised that the Germans would become endowed with great strength by virtue of
devotion to and faith in Germany (Website 3). Essentially, Hitler was able to gain power by

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saying exactly what the people wanted to hear. As Hitler continued to discredit the Allies for the
damage they did to Germany, the population grew to be incredibly nationalistic and loyal to
Germany. Although nationalism was already highly valued in Germany, Hitler took the devotion
to an whole new level. By claiming that everything he was doing was for the good of Germany
and to prevent our Germany from suffering (Website 3), he was able to make his atrocities
seem necessary. In other words, Hitler was able to use Germanys highly valued nationalism to
his advantage by promoting the superiority of the German race.
Hitler was, in essence, and powerful manipulator. He led the entire country into believing
that they were superior to all other races. Through the use of nationalism, he was able to make
the Nazi Party appeal to nearly everyone in Germany. The people of Germany were vulnerable
after the war, and Hitler was able to use their anger and weakness to convince them of a
promising future where Germany would dominate. Furthermore, he used the already prominent
anti-Semitism to create a basis for his master plan to rule over all other races. Altogether, Hitlers
power stemmed from the German people and their desire to regain what was taken from them
after the war.