Ideology
IIdeological control is key to totalitarian success, and Nazi leaders were particularly adept at incorporating and spreading National Socialist ideals throughout the nation. Nazi ideology focuses on two primary concepts:
Lebensunwertes Leben. Literally translated, this phrase means “life unworthy of life,” and is the foundational principle that led to the extermination of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and others deemed unworthy in the Holocaust.
Lebensraum and a “Greater Germany.” The concept of a “Greater Germany,” or Lebensraum, was believed to be attainable through the expansion of German territory and acquisition of other nation’s lands. This idea was one of the main causes of World War II.
Alfred Rosenberg
Das Parteiprogramm. München: Zentralverlag der NSDAP, 1939.
Dedicated to Adolf Hitler, this volume contains the 25 central principles of the Nazi Party as well as complimentary explanations to their value and purpose in German society. Alfred Rosenberg, the author, is generally considered the driving force behind key ideology of the NSDAP.
Robert Ley
Wir alle helfen dem Führer. München: Zentralverlag der NSDAP, 1937.
Focused on how the German individual can help Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP achieve its goals, Wir alle helfen dem Führer instructs citizens on Nazi ideology and the contributions each person can make to further their beloved nation.
Martin Staemmler
Deutsche Rassenpflege. Berlin: [s.n.] 1941.
Intended for internal use only, Deutsche Rassenpflege is written as a directive on maintaining racial purity among the Germans. It contains information on principles of race, heredity, fertility, and natural selection.
Heinrich Karl Gräfe and Hans Winkler
Von deutscher Gemeinschaft. Leipzig: J. Klinkhardt, 1941.
Emphasizing unity and strength, Von deutscher Gemeinschaft lays down the historical ideology used by the NSDAP in promoting solidarity. The title translates as “Of German Community,” reinforcing Nazi political philosophy.