THE ORIGINS OF NAZISM

National Socialism, more commonly known as Nazism, is the ideology and set of practices
associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party, Nazi Germany and other far-right groups.
Historians have long debated the origins of Nazism. One common interpretation is that Nazism
was a new development, a creature borne during the trouble period after World War I. It was
fuelled by post-war political instability and the economic suffering of the 1920s; the Weimar
period was hampered by conditions that allowed Nazism to take root and grow like a malignant
tumour. This idea is supported by the rise of totalitarianism in other places. The interwar period
is often called the age of dictators because there were several, including Stalin in Soviet Russia,
Mussolini in Italy and Franco in Spain. But arguing that Nazism was just an angry political
reaction to difficult conditions is also simplistic. The origins of Nazi ideas are complex and more
deeply rooted in German history. Core elements of Nazi ideology, such as militarism and pan-
German nationalism, can be traced back to the mid-1800s. At this stage of history there was no
German nation, only a cluster of 26 German-speaking kingdoms, duchies and city-states. There
was also a growing nationalist movement that demanded the unification of these regions into a
greater German nation. A unified Germany, they argued, could stand against France, Russia and
Britain and claim its rightful place as a European power. This German nationalism, voiced
mainly by writers and radical politicians, was strong, impatient and demanding. It also had a
darker side, since many of these nationalists were vehement anti-Semites; they often blamed a
Jewish conspiracy for sabotaging or holding back German unification.

Comprehensive victories in wars with Austria (1866) and France (1871) affirmed Prussia as
Europes foremost military power. The unification of Germany was formalised in the Palace of
Versailles in January 1871. This unification was the product of strong nationalism and decisive
military victories. The Prussian kings and Junker elites who ruled imperial Germany in the late
19th century were conservative, authoritarian and militaristic, but also progressive with many of
their policies. The security and prosperity of late 19th century Germany made many Germans
nostalgic for authoritarian government, something the Nazi movement was able to tap into in the
early 1930s. Another repository of traditional values and German ethnic nationalism was the
grass-roots volkisch movement. Many members of volkisch groups later joined the NSDAP,
Nazis.