Nietzsche - “God is Dead…..” “Killed by lackadaisical modern Christians who no longer...

Nietzsche - “God is Dead…..”

“Killed by lackadaisical modern Christians who no longer believed in Him….”

“The West was disoriented and depressed”

• Logical Empiricism – rejected traditional philosophy – from the existence of God to the meaning of happiness

• Existentialism – however, searched for moral values in a world of terror and uncertainty

Fasces

PROPAGANDA BY MEANS OF ART The Nazis also employed art to re-awaken paganism. Ancient Greek forms, statues and symbols suddenly also became a

part of German culture. Portrayals of powerful men and women, intended to represent the Aryan race, were made to

resemble ancient Greek statues.

• Paramilitary Organizations• Nazism made use of paramilitary organizations to maintain control

within the party, and to squelch opposition to the party. Violence and terror fostered compliance. Among these organizations were the: S.A. (Sturmabteilung): Stormtroopers (also known as "brown-shirts") were the Nazi paramilitary arm under Ernst Rohm. It was active in the battle for the streets against other German political parties.

• S.D. (Sicherheitsdiest): the Security Service under Reinhard Heydrich.

• S.S. (Schutzstaffel): Defense Corps, was an elite guard unit formed out of the S.A. It was under the command of Heinrich Himmler.

• Gestapo (Geheime Staatpolizeil): the Secret State Police, which was formed in 1933.

• Nazism also placed an emphasis on sports and paramilitary activities for youth, the massive use of propaganda (controlled by Joseph Goebbels) to glorify the state, and the submission of all decisions to the supreme leader (FÅhrer) Adolf Hitler.

Key Facts WHO CONTROLS GOVERNMENT? Dictator

HOW IS GOVERNMENT PUT INTO POWER? Overthrow or revolution

WHAT ROLES DO THE PEOPLE HAVE? Not interfere with the state

WHO CONTROLS PRODUCTION OF GOODS? The stateWHO CONTROLS DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS? The state

MAJOR FIGURES Benito Mussolini & Adolf HitlerHISTORICAL EXAMPLE Italy, 1922–1943

• Anticonservatism

• Myth of National or Ethnic Renewal

• Idea of a Nation in Crisis

• Views on Race

• Attitudes Toward Religion

• Emphasis on Militarism

• Use of Political Rituals

Fascism vs. Communism