Hitler joined the National Socialists soon after the end of the First World War. His rise to prominence was rapid and his extremely anti-semitic ideas appealed to many within the party.

In a letter written in September 1919, Hitler says the following about the Jews:

"anti-Semitism as a political movement neither can nor should be based on fleeting emotions, but on the acceptance of fact. And the fact is that Judaism is a matter of race and not religion ... reasonable anti-Semitism ... must lead to a systematic and lawful campaign for the removal of those privileges which the Jew enjoys, unlike other foreigners in our midst who are subject to the law applying to aliens. The final aim of such anti-Semitism must be unquestionably the removal of the Jews."

In his book 'Mein Kampf' ('My Struggle') published in1923, Hitler set out quite clearly his political ideas. They can be summarised as follows:

• The inequality of races is inevitable, and the Aryan race is the chief creative element of mankind.
• Mankind's natural unit is the Volk, or people, of which the German Volk is the greatest.
• The state only exists to serve the Volk, and both morality and truth are to be subservient to this principle.
• The Volk must be headed by a Fuhrer, or leader, who must have absolute authority.

 

Look at both the extract from the letter of Hitler's from 1919 and also the summary from 'Mein Kampf'. Show how the ideas from the book can be related to the ideas within the letter. How does it give us an insight into what was to happen in the Holocaust?

Hitler's opinion was that the Jews were not equal to the Germans, being an ugly, subversive people whose main aim was to take over the world. Hitler cited the Jews as being the single, most-powerful threat to a superior, pure or 'Aryan' German race.

Hitler's appeal was sufficiently strong to secure millions of votes for the Nazi Party in the elections leading up to 1933. It is important to realise that Hitler came to power through democratic means. Once he was made Chancellor of Germany he was soon able, through scare tactics, to become the Führer that he had described back in 1923 in 'Mein Kampf'.

Once the Nazis had secured a place in government, they proceeded to do away with democracy, and implement a One Party state. The persecution of the Jews was about to begin.