Origins of Nazism
Nazism, a political philosophy based on theories of racial superiority and military dominance, grew out of the economic depression and despair that gripped Germany in the wake of World War I. Nazism was a new and brutal type of totalitarian socialism with roots in 19th and early 20th century movements.
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Volkism
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Germany embraced Romanticism, a 19th century movement that valued emotion over reason and art rather than science. Volkism, a German version of Romanticism that celebrated the individual and rural life, rejected urban society. The movement stressed that the German people were a superior embodiment of its ideal, and Slavic and Jewish races threats to its values.
Nationalism
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Like other European nations, Germany experienced a strong wave of national pride and cultural identity prior to World War I. However, Germany's patriotism was built on a sense of moral and intellectual superiority and a belief in country's economic strength and military supremacy.
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Pan-Germanism
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The Pan-German movement succeeded in uniting German-speaking peoples in 1871 with the creation of the German Empire, but that regime was dismantled after World War I. Nazism resurrected the Pan-German movement, with its campaign to convince all people of German origin to return to the Reich.
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References
- Photo Credit plastik in gedenkstätte buchenwald image by Andrea Seemann from Fotolia.com
