Adolf Hitler’s Goals
When one thinks of Adolf Hitler, the first thought that comes to mind is the atrocities that he and his Nazi party committed during the Holocaust. However, to truly understand Adolf Hitler and the success that his party enjoyed in the 1920s and 1930s, one must look at what his long-term goals were. Adolf Hitler had a number of goals that he was striving for and many of his actions during his reign were taken with those goals in mind.
Adolf Hitler’s primary goal was the establishment of a racially pure ‘Aryan’ nation. He believed that the German people were uniquely superior to all other races and that only an ‘Aryan’ nation could truly achieve greatness. To this end, he sought to eliminate all those who he deemed racially inferior, such as Jews and Gypsies. He also sought to expand German territory in order to create a ‘Greater Germany’ that would encompass all of Europe. Finally, he wanted to restore what he saw as a lost sense of national pride and unity among the German people.
Adolf Hitler’s goals were informed by his own hateful and often paranoid world view. He was an ardent believer in Darwinian racial theory and subscribed to the increasingly popular notion of Social Darwinism. As such, he believed that the German race was naturally superior and that it was the duty of the German people to ‘purify’ their bloodlines by eliminating those who he deemed racially inferior. Furthermore, he believed that only a ‘Greater Germany’ could truly achieve greatness, and this was his justification for his demands for the annexation of foreign countries. Allied with his desire for national unity, he saw the restoration of German pride and dignity as a means to this end.
The Nazi party was able to gain widespread support amongst the German people largely due to their ability to tap into this feeling of lost national pride and to offer a solution through the establishment of a ‘Greater Germany’. Furthermore, the Nazi’s hostile rhetoric towards other races and nationalities resonated deeply with many people who felt that they had been wronged by their neighbours. This combined with Hitler’s hypnotic oratory and propagandistic use of the newly available mass media meant that the Nazi party was able to establish an iron grip over Germany and in many ways its neighbours.
Though Adolf Hitler’s goals were ultimately defeated, his legacy still looms large over the world. His views on race were debunked and proved to be wrong. But, his methods of achieving his goals are still seen in countless cases of dictators around the world, from Vladimir Putin in Russia to Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Adolf Hitler’s legacy proves that oppressive governments are always fighting an uphill battle and that the desire for freedom and democracy will eventually triumph.
Hitler’s Propaganda Campaign
Adolf Hitler was notorious for his use of propaganda and one of his goals was to use it to manipulate the German people. Through his use of propaganda, Hitler was able to sway public opinion in favour of the Nazi party, create a sense of blind obedience among the people, and paint himself as a leader who could successfully restore the shattered pride of the German people in the aftermath of World War I.
Hitler’s use of propaganda was integral to the success of the Nazi party as it allowed them to shape the narrative and control the discourse. They used highly emotive language to evoke feelings of pride, unity, and racial superiority in their supporters and this in turn led to a strong sense of loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi party. Hitler also used propaganda to demonise and dehumanise Jews, Gypsies, and other minorities which resulted in horrific acts of violence against them.
Hitler’s use of propaganda was so effective that it is still studied in universities today as an example of what a successful propaganda campaign should look like. His use of manipulative language, visual imagery, and emotive appeals are still used in campaigns today. Though it is now illegal to use racist language in political campaigns, the very same tactics are employed by political campaigns all over the world in order to rally support for their candidates and causes.
Hitler was one of the first politicians to successfully wield the power of mass media for political gain and he used it to devastating effect. In less than a decade, he had transformed Germany from a fractured and humiliated nation into a unified superpower. Though ultimately his methods and goals were proven to be erroneous and harmful, there is no denying that he was able to use mass media to do what he thought was right for Germany.
Hitler’s Influence on Modern Politics
Adolf Hitler’s influence on modern politics, whether positive or negative, is vast. Though his extreme methods of subjugating his people and expanding German territory have been repudiated, his ideas on nationalism and leadership are still seen in politics all over the world. Leaders such as Donald Trump in the United States and Vladimir Putin in Russia have been compared to Hitler because of their ardent nationalism. While the comparison may be extreme, there is some truth to it as both have shown a willingness to use extreme methods in order to achieve their goals.
Furthermore, Hitler’s use of propaganda to control public opinion and his charisma and ruthlessness as a leader are all qualities that are still seen in many world leaders today. His ideas on loyalty and obedience to the party are also seen in many authoritarian governments all over the world. For example, the Chinese Communist Party is a powerful example of an authoritarian government that uses its control of the media and the education system to keep the population loyal to the party and promote its views.
Finally, the stigma that has been attached to the Nazi regime and its views on race still linger, and it serves as a reminder to all world leaders of the danger of extreme nationalism. To this end, it is important to remember that Adolf Hitler’s goals were evil and wrong and that his legacy must not be allowed to linger in modern politics and society.
The Role of WWI on Hitler’s Goals
World War I was an important event in Adolf Hitler’s life. His own sense of national pride and identity had been shattered by his homeland of Austria-Hungary’s defeat in the war and this had a profound impact on him. This sense of humiliation and embarrassment was shared by many Germans who saw their country’s defeat as an affront and it was this sense of lost pride that the Nazi party was able to tap into.
The German people’s humiliation after World War I was an important factor in Hitler’s rise to power as it was his party’s ability to offer a solution to this humiliation that won him the support of the people. By promising to restore Germany to its former glory, Hitler was able to rabble rouse the German people and convince them to follow him in his quest for a ‘Greater Germany’.
Furthermore, Hitler’s ambitions for German expansion were in part fuelled by his desire for revenge for the humiliation his homeland had suffered at the end of World War I. He used these ambitions as justification for his demands for the annexation of foreign countries and his ruthless waging of war. World War I gave him the opportunity to make Germany great once again and to restore the sense of national pride and unity amongst his people.
Conclusion
Adolf Hitler’s goals were both heinous and dangerous. His ambitions for a racially pure nation as well as a ‘Greater Germany’ ultimately led to devastation. His use of propaganda to manipulate the public and demonise minorities has had a lasting effect on politics and his legacy is still being felt in many dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. Though the harm he caused will never be forgotten, the lesson that should be learned from his reign is that oppressive governments are always doomed to fail and the desire for freedom and democracy will always prevail.
