Autonomy and Responsibility in Nazi Germany Essay -- Essays Papers

Autonomy and Responsibility in Nazi Germany Throughout history, the struggle of people finding their rights in society has played a major role, especially in the Nazi ideology. During this struggle, societies tried to determine who had rights, what a person owed to society and the duties of an individual. Nazis believed in the Volk, which meant people in the sense of a race, not individuals. Nazis saw the Volk as the major component in society, and therefore based the rest of their beliefs on a person's place in the society on the idea of preserving the pure Volk. The rights a person obtained were based on achieving this goal of preserving the Volk as well. The Nazi view of autonomy and responsibility of the individuals in Germany at this time can be seen by looking at how an individual in Germany was defined, how they reacted to those not considered Germans, and how they treated their own citizens once they were officially recognized. After World War I, there was a spiritual void left within the people of Germany. The outcome of the war had ripped the German society along the class lines causing great stress and tension among the people. The people of Germany had believed all along that they were winning the war, and therefore the news of surrender came as a great shock to them. To make things worse, the peace treaty established placed the entire fault of the war on Germany and left them responsible for paying for the costs of the war for all who were involved. This sparked a conflict between the middle and working classes in society. Then, the depression followed, creating even more unhappiness among the people. With all of this unhappiness because of the class divisions and the depression, the Nazi... ...It was not a society based upon rights for the good of the individual. End Notes 1 "The Nazi Program." Perry M. Rogers. Aspects of a Western Civilization Volume II: Problems and Sources in History. (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1997), 311 2 "The Jewish Peril." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 396 3 "The Jewish Peril." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 396 4 "The Jewish Peril," "Not a Single Jew," and "Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 396-399 5 "Gas." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 416 6 "The Nazi Program." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 311-312 7 "Speech on the Treaty of Versailles." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 313 8 "The Nazi Program." Rogers, Aspects of a Western Civilization, 312