Nazi and KKK Beliefs, Research Paper Example

Nazi Party, also known as National Socialist German Worker’s Party ruled Germany from 1933 until 1945 by totalitarian methods. Nazism or National Socialism shared many elements with Italian fascism but was even more extreme in its ideas and practices. Hitler’s commands were the final words and the primary goal of the Nazi party was the total annihilation of all enemies of the Aryan race. Hitler’s ideas were influenced both by his youth experiences as well as certain Austrian movements and other political sentiments that called for Germanic expansionism and anti-Semitism. Hitler blamed Jews for his failures as a young artist in Vienna and when communism started rising in Russia, Hitler exploited fears of communism in Germany and declared Jews as representatives of Bolshevism and the root cause of all the evil (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Jews were deemed worthy of discrimination not because of their religion but their race and their educational and economic achievements were used against them to spread fear among the German masses (Encyclopedia Britannica). In short, Nazi Party believed in Germans as the superior race and made it its mission to rid the society of ‘impure’ races such as Jews. For their purpose, Nazi Party engaged in extensive propaganda with distorted ideas such as Social Darwinism according to which the Aryan race was superior and the Jews were ‘subhuman’. Nazis also rallied against immigration and advocated separate laws for Germans and foreigners. Nazi ideas appealed to nationalists, racists, low income groups, as well as wealthy elements that feared communism (BBC).

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a white supremacist group that was first founded after the civil war and lasted until the 1870s. KKK again began in 1915 and continues to exist to this day. The original purpose of KKK was the opposition to the rights of freed black slaves and the restoration of white supremacy through intimidation and violence. The revival of KKK in 1915 was partly a result of patriotism and partly a nostalgia for the old South but more importantly, KKK felt threatened by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the large scale immigration in the previous few decades. KKK was afraid of the new ethnic composition of the American Society and wanted to preserve the white-race dominance. The new KKK added Roman Catholics, Jews, foreigners, and organized labor to their target list in addition to the blacks. KKK’s influence dropped sharply during the Great Depression of the 1930’s but the organization continued to involve in small-scale violent activities, most notably during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Today, KKK exists as several separate and competing groups (Encyclopedia Britannica). KKK believes that United States was not only founded as a White Nation but also as a Christian Nation. Thus, their opposition to homosexuality and abortion is inspired by the teachings of the Bible. KKK believes that white people are being discriminated in America today (SocialPC).

Neo-Nazi groups aim for white supremacy. They have strong beliefs in the superiority of the Aryan race and in some areas of the U.S, Klan groups are in decline while Hitler-inspired groups are on the rise such as the National Alliance and the Church of the Creator (Aryan Nations) (Florida Department of Corrections). Neo-Nazi groups retain the hate for Jews and immigrants. Neo-Nazism is strongest in Germany but also has presence in other countries including the U.S. The Neo-Nazis have embraced some of the Nazi symbols such as the Swastika, Nazi greeting, and pictures of Hitler. Like Nazism, the factors that promote Neo-Nazism are economic problems, growing immigration, social differences, and the democratic system (The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies).

Nazi party differed from other hate groups in the sense that it also had imperialist ambitions. Moreover, it aimed for annihilation of non-Aryan races instead of simply driving them out of Germany. KKK was focused on preserving white majority in America and simply driving out blacks and other non-white ethnicities. Both there are lot of traits that these hate groups share and the presence of quite similar factors promoted the emergence of these hate groups in the first place. All of these hate groups have xenophobic beliefs, see immigrants as harmful for the national economy, consider them responsible for their own economic struggles, and strongly believe in the superiority of their own race.

Jews have been historically more successful in various fields such as academia, politics, industry, and science on the average than most other races despite being smaller in number. The success and prominence of Jewish people gave them high exposure as well as the scapegoat for the problems in the society. Jewish achieved successes despite being minorities in their respective societies which aroused jealousy from the majority groups and also made them feel threatened. Jews continue to be successful and make major contributions to the societies in which they reside which may be why Nazis hated and Neo-Nazis continue to hate Jews. Similar reasons can also be given for Neo-Nazis attitude towards immigrants who are often blamed for the loss of jobs by the Americans. It is easier for less-educated people to be influenced by baseless accusations and it is no wonder that Nazi, Neo-Nazi and other hate groups mostly draw their support from low income, less educated, and often struggling citizens of the society.

References

BBC. Nazi beliefs. 24 July 2011 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/nazibeliefsrev1.shtml>.

Encyclopedia Britannica. Ku Klux Klan. 24 July 2011 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/324086/Ku-Klux-Klan>.

National Socialism. 24 July 2011 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/405414/National-Socialism>.

Florida Department of Corrections. Racial Supremacy and Neo-Nazi Groups. 24 July 2011 <http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/racial.html>.

SocialPC. The Modern KKK. 24 July 2011 <http://www.socialpc.com/SocialIssues/The-Modern-KKK.html>.

The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Neo-Nazism. 24 July 2011 <http://www.holocaust-education.dk/eftertid/nynazisme.asp>.