In spite of the appearance of rigorous order within the Third Reich of Hitler and the national socialists, the reality behind the facade was an increasing confusion of personal and job rivalries, the arbitrary commands of Hitler, and insecurity due to widespread surveillance and terror. The Germany of the late 1930s stood as an example of a defeated country which had arisen out of its own ashes; the cracks in this picture began appearing during the war, when the German economy began falling behind the increasing demands of the war. Although this economy was reoganized into a true wartime economy by late 1944, by that time the military situation of Germany had been irreversibly damaged by the overwhelming response of the Allies to German nationalistic aggression. As Hitler turned his entire attention to the conduct of the war, the power of various chancelleries and special commissars grew. As a result, struggles between various powerful individuals in the domestic arena grew and overall domestic policy fell into shambles; the last year of national socialist rule was marked by utter fantasy at the higher levels of government and complete chaos everywhere else. Under Hitler, the NSDAP saw itself as a movement, rather than as a simple political party. It was much better organized than a typical political party and was equipped to literally do violent battle with its opponents. In order to appeal to the masses as a movement, it developed a complete set of signs and symbols (such as the swastika) as expressions of mass solidarity. With the publication of Mein Kampf in 1925, the NSDAP gained an undisputed leader in Hitler and a "bible" of national socialist thought. While Mein Kampf generally followed volkish thought, no credit was given in the book to most of the volkish thinkers. After its publication, it was clear that national socialist thought had been completely taken over by Hitler; he modified it when his needs dictated modification and he expunged a |
