Hitler and the Law

1) How did Hitler impose his Führerprinzip on Germany?

The concept of Fühererprinzip was core within the Nazi ideology where according to it, everything
and everyone had to be subordinate to the Führer. Hitler used all of the possible means to
propagate this part of the Nazi ideology, not caring about the means in which this was achieved.
Nazis used violence, propaganda, centralization of power, and a number of laws/decrees and
policies in order to do so. Violence and terror were used throughout all of the methods and were
key for Hitler to consolidate his power, like the Night of Long Knives, used to centralize his power
by removing any kind of possible opposition or dissent. Moreover, entities such as the Gestapo and
the secret police were established to further allow the arrest or murder of opposition. Laws were
crucial too and were all designed to reinforce the authoritarian supremacy of the Nazi regime and
its ideology. For instance, the Nuremberg Laws would enable the deprivation of rights from the
Jews, and sentence their fate to torture and murder in concentration camps where any kind of
opponent would be eliminated. The extensive use of indoctrination and propaganda played a huge
role in imposing the Führerprinzip within the population, by propagating Nazi ideology in every
possible way, where the population would only listen, hear, and perform activities designed by the
Nazis (for example Hitler’s Youth campaigns and formation camps for teachers)

2) How would Hitler justify his circumventing the law?

Surely the major justifications for circumventing the law all regarded the Nazi ideology, and were
needed to propagate and impose it within the german population. Prominent ones included:

1. The achievement of a pure Aryan race: Many of the anti-semitic “laws” (which most of
the time were only decrees) were all justified with the need of preserving the purity
of the superior race: the Aryans
2. His actions were all legal as he was the head of state and had the power (especially
with the Article 48 at the beginning of his settlement) and authority to take decisions
without the need of legislative approval.
3. The need of circumventing the law as the democratic processes were not efficient
enough to solve the conditions Germany was facing (this was fueled by his deep
anti-democratic feeling), thus in order to protect the nation by threats and to assure
the success of his policies he had to overcome the law.

3) Explain the importance of the Night of the Long Knives and the Night of Broken Glass in the
consolidation of power and imposition of Hitler's will.
Hitler's aim was to consolidate his power in every possible way, transform Germany into a
one-party state, where everyone was devoted to the Führer and he would accomplish his desire of
a “pure race”, and everything was under his control, thus implying the complete removal of
opposition and of non-Aryans. These main goals were especially accomplished by the Night of the
Long Knives, where Hitler gave the order to arrest and murder members of the SA who were seen
as an out-of-control, potential threat to the consolidation of Hitler’s power. Instead, during the
Night of Broken Glass, on November 1938, Hitler revealed his true brutal intention with the Jews,
by killing and boycotting them and their businesses, demonstrating his fireplace persecution to
eliminate any group which would be an obstacle to his creation of a pure aryan race. These two
events both marked important turning points for Hitler, as the population now really started to
perceive how intent he was on achieving this “superior goal” for a greater cause. Both were clear
representations of his ruthless determination into consolidating his power and becoming the only
authoritarian figure in the nation who was able of imposing his own will.

4) To what extent does this article argue Hitler was a strong (or weak) dictator? Think back to
the "Hitler Myth" and other aspects we studied.
The article debates whether Hitler used the law to consolidate his power by modifying it in a way
that benefited him. Certainly, a dictator who can do this is in some ways undeniably strong; being
able to impose his will on the people through the judicial system, a structural and fundamental
part of a country, which dictates the order of a nation so that society functions in a "just" and
orderly manner. Being able to impose his power over such a system leads to total control of the
country, where every law dictated will undoubtedly have an effect on the people, in fact, it has
been the most efficient and fastest way to achieve his goals. Hitler succeeded in creating a great
image of himself, a figure who was to be venerated, of a man of enormous power who resembled
values such as strength, struggle, and sacrifice, and to which all should aspire. The so-known
"Hitler's Myth" represented Hitler as an "impersonation of force, institution, "law and order,"
popular justice, and above all, the voice of the people" (Hitler's Myth, Matilde Montoneri) to which
no one could be indifferent. He was really powerful to create such an imposing figure of himself,
who managed to resemble the principle of force, and as expressed in this article, with such a figure
he managed to have an exponential influence at the legal level that went so far as to be referred to
as, "Hitler is the law" thus implicitly expressing the greatness and strength built around his figure.

NOTES OF THE 7TH OF MARCH

Different or similar to that of the Hitler Myth

- More of a view (from Rice) that Hitler was a stronger dictator → contrary to that of the
Hitler Myth
- Emphasis on how he achieved what he wanted through laws and policies