rotect themselves and their families. The Socialists had had great support in the Reichstag as well as the large and well organised Trade Unions, and their level of popularity remained throughout Weimar. However Trade Unions were crippled due to reduction in unemployment(and Trade Unions were then banned by the Nazis). The Socialists recognised open defiance as hopeless, as many leaders had been exiled. The Socialists had few links with the Communists, a party which had more popularity in 1933 than them, while people were turning to extreme parties. The Communists had no problem with using ‘underhand’ methods and violence, and their party was well organised and popular before all parties were banned in 1933. The Communists underestimated the Nazis as all the other parties did, and the nazis mass popularity meant that the Communists had little support. Similarly the Conservatives had very different aims to both the Communists and the Socialists, they also had their main leaders purged. They had strong contacts in the Army. Again these parties were isolated opposition, no organised national resistance, their weaknesses were the Nazis gain." Its opponents are organisationally weak because it is of the essence of a fascist system that it does not allow its opponents to organise collectively" (From the SOPADE report 1934- social democrat party in exile, therefore can be seen as biased against the Nazis) In hindsight it could be asked why the masses did not resist such a fascist controlling ruler, but the truth is, the majority of the German people had a better lifestyle than in Weimar Germany. Up until 1943 there was little resistance because Hitler reduced unemployment and his economic and foreign policies were very successful. " We have already seen that many Germans greatly gained from Hitler’s domestic policies, and so had good reason not to oppose the regime. Hitler’s undoubted foreign policy success rein...
