What do you see as “the appeal of fascism and Nazism” in the years between 1919 -1939?

Question

... and why did it have particular appeal to the youth of Germany?

Answer 1

Germany was defeated and its economy lay in ruins.  It's view of itself and national identity as a powerful nation had taken a real kicking. Rampant inflation was killing it as well as high unemployment. Along comes comes world wide depression and you have the makings of a revolution. You have someone who is a gifted speaker who promises you everything you

need like more jobs, more money, stable government and

buoys you up with the idea that you are really the master

race of the world and of course you are going to buy this.

The Germans were a proud race and had been told all along that they were going to win WWI and rule the world. Now they were broke and embittered and not only the laughing stock of the world but after the Treaty of Versailles they were the whipping boy for everyone who died in WWI. Their national physche was destroyed. I don't think it had a particular

appeal to the youth of that time. I think the kids were dragooned into things like Hitler Youth because their parents were either afraid of what would happen if they didn't join or

were try to get advancement through the party. The White

Rose was the  resistance movement against Hitler in

Germany and it was started by middle class students. It spread throughout Germany. A lot of the students who joined were called "Swing Kids". They were teens who copied

English Fashions and played Swing records which were made by Jewish musicians like Benny Goodman. Because of this they were banned in Germany. Also the authorities took a very dim view of Swing Kids. The records were illegal in Germany and were smuggled into the country with  labels saying they were polks or classical music. If you were caught playing them or doing the jitterbug you would be sent to the same concentration camps the Jews went to. If you want to

see a good movie about this rent "Swing Kids".

Answer 2

Economic depression.  After being pretty much dumped on with the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ripe for someone charismatic and full of grandiose promises.  A gifted speaker who told the people what they wanted to hear...sound familiar?

Answer 3

I think Germany (especially after WWI) was feeling pretty low. I mean, think about it: They got blamed for ALL of WWI (when they didn't even start it), had to pay a major debts   (to several countries) and to add insult to injury, they couldn't even build their army up. It's like a slap in the face. But then...you have this charismatic leader who builds up national pride in you. Makes you proud to be German again. It's not YOUR fault, it's the jews, he says. Why you're poor? It's the Jews.

That's what I honestly think the appeal was: nationalism. WWI took away Germany's nationalism, left the country in ruins.   Then you have nazism (talking from that point of view) which builds up national pride and makes Germany quite strong again. Unfortunately, it's main core was racism and discrimination.

Answer 4

I think German people should not be blamed of this, it was those who killed the jews that should be blamed, the main charater behind this massacre. Actually the leader of facist and n**i had hide the truth of where the Jewish has gone.

The german citizens finally realise how the Jews had suffered at the end of WWII when the American troops opened the camp for public.

I think Nazism and Facism is unessesary and useful for a society. We can live under one roof and share everything we have, why we have to devide citizens into classes and tribes?