- Question
Was Nazi Germany built on consent or coercion of the population?
By 1934, Hitler considered the National Socialist revolution in Germany to be complete. Yet, although powerful in his own right, Hitler could not have executed such a successful ascent in Germany political life alone. Thus, was Hitler's successful rise and Nazi Germany's infamous future built on the consent or coercion of its citizens?
Consent
This position holds that Nazi Germany rested primarily on the consent of its population rather than on coercion. It argues that a regime of that scale and ambition could not have implemented its vision for German society without the active acceptance and complicity of ordinary citizens.
Coercion
No one would have willingly consented to the Nazis' implementation of power, rather, the Nazis relied on the coercion of its citizens through a variety of methods.
Both coercion and consent
This position holds that Nazi Germany was built on both coercion and consent. It argues that the regime's rise and rule were so profoundly felt precisely because the two worked together — initial popular consent giving way to coercion as the dictatorship tightened its grip.