The Nazi Buy-In --> PRIDE. In One's Country
Representation of Pride #1: American Flag
Representation of Pride #2: German Propaganda
"What would YOU do...to restore Germany's former glory?
Imperial German Flag: marcatalar.com
Note: This particular German flag is the flag of Germany from 1871 to 1918, a period of time that Hitler wants to restore Germany to.
"What would YOU do...to restore Germany's former glory?
Imperial German Flag: marcatalar.com
Note: This particular German flag is the flag of Germany from 1871 to 1918, a period of time that Hitler wants to restore Germany to.
Abstracting is the process one goes through to take an idea, process, thing, etc. and simplify it to a more basic form or element.
The abstraction I chose for my topic of the Nazi buy-in was PRIDE. Students always ask “How could the Germans allow a man to rise to power who was so clearly evil?” After discussing the idea that there was no way to know right off the bat that he was up to good (to put it lightly), I try to convey, as I have through the “How Do I Love Thee” assignment the state of Germany when Adolf Hitler first began to rise to power. They were in bad shape (to put it lightly). Germany had intentionally been put in a position where the ability to recover post-WWI would be extremely difficult. They had suffered countless deaths in World War I, they had been forced to take responsibility for initiating WWI, and were therefore paying war reparations putting them even further into debt. In every possible way the Treaty of Versailles made sure Germany suffered and felt defeated and deflated. All they had left, was PRIDE and in my opinion they were bound and determined to hold on to that PRIDE. These conditions led to an increase in a desire for an authoritarian leader, someone like Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party. Breaking the idea of support for the Nazi party down to a matter of PRIDE can help students begin to understand how the Nazi party gained support within Germany.
This abstraction serves the understanding of my topic because it breaks the topic down to a basic element that students can relate to. Thinking of a time one was proud of their family, themselves, their school, their state, their nation, that’s an easy thing for most people to do. Finding examples people making compromises BECAUSE of that pride is just as easy. Someone doesn’t want to admit defeat in a game they are clearly losing because of their pride. Someone doesn’t want to ask for help because of their pride. Someone participates in a prank they know is a bad idea because of their pride. There are so many examples in daily life. If students can identify examples in their own life and find a way to empathize with the Germany people it will help to understand and answer “How German could allow a man to rise to power who was so clearly evil” (and yes I will once again explain that Hitler didn’t jump out of the gate explaining to the people his plan to murder the Jews of the world). People are willing to believe anything when there is an feeling of desperation, that desperation is linked to our pride, and everyone in their life at some time (or many times) has felt desperate.
The abstraction I chose for my topic of the Nazi buy-in was PRIDE. Students always ask “How could the Germans allow a man to rise to power who was so clearly evil?” After discussing the idea that there was no way to know right off the bat that he was up to good (to put it lightly), I try to convey, as I have through the “How Do I Love Thee” assignment the state of Germany when Adolf Hitler first began to rise to power. They were in bad shape (to put it lightly). Germany had intentionally been put in a position where the ability to recover post-WWI would be extremely difficult. They had suffered countless deaths in World War I, they had been forced to take responsibility for initiating WWI, and were therefore paying war reparations putting them even further into debt. In every possible way the Treaty of Versailles made sure Germany suffered and felt defeated and deflated. All they had left, was PRIDE and in my opinion they were bound and determined to hold on to that PRIDE. These conditions led to an increase in a desire for an authoritarian leader, someone like Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party. Breaking the idea of support for the Nazi party down to a matter of PRIDE can help students begin to understand how the Nazi party gained support within Germany.
This abstraction serves the understanding of my topic because it breaks the topic down to a basic element that students can relate to. Thinking of a time one was proud of their family, themselves, their school, their state, their nation, that’s an easy thing for most people to do. Finding examples people making compromises BECAUSE of that pride is just as easy. Someone doesn’t want to admit defeat in a game they are clearly losing because of their pride. Someone doesn’t want to ask for help because of their pride. Someone participates in a prank they know is a bad idea because of their pride. There are so many examples in daily life. If students can identify examples in their own life and find a way to empathize with the Germany people it will help to understand and answer “How German could allow a man to rise to power who was so clearly evil” (and yes I will once again explain that Hitler didn’t jump out of the gate explaining to the people his plan to murder the Jews of the world). People are willing to believe anything when there is an feeling of desperation, that desperation is linked to our pride, and everyone in their life at some time (or many times) has felt desperate.