Agricultural Germany and its contribution to the Racial State
The creation of the Volksgemeinschaft enables the Nazi Party to stay in power within Germany, and by creating this People’s Community, the Nazi Party was able to twist and unite the idea of the German people towards the idea of the Nazi Party, thus gaining support. In urban Germany, the German Labour Front was created for this purpose and was able to change the beliefs of the German worker into supporting the Nazi Party. Where as in rural Germany, the idea of Blood and Soil was introduced to do the same towards German Farmers.
The head of the Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture Richard Darré introduced the idea of Blood and Soil (Blut und Boden) in which he firmly believe that German farmers are the foundation of German racial strength, thus important in the creation of the Volksgemeinschaft. He was less focused on developing the economical aspect of agricultural Germany; rather he valued “peasant farmer as the source of German racial strength” (Evans). Darré argued that the German farmers are pure Germans because they are not influenced by the city, thus means they are free from degeneration and that they had a connection to the soil. Hitler shared this idea and believed that the peasant class are the most important class that will contributed to this Nazi revolution, and the creation of the racial state (Kieman). The importance of the German peasant is emphasized as Hitler quoted, ”the ruin of the German peasant will be the ruin of the German people”. Therefore, he argued the development of industrial Germany is weakening the German farmers, that is, true Germans, which is why he placed German famers before German workers. However, there were officials who were against the idea of Blood and Soil within the Nazi Party who believed that Germany needed to focus on the development of its urban areas rather than focusing on the idea of Blood and Soil. For example, Otto Strasser who eventually left the Nazi Party and Gregor who was murdered at the Night of the Long Knives. With the opponents cleared out, Hitler was able to focus on “Shift to a soil policy of the future”. The idea of Blood and Soil also brought the racial crisis towards Jews.
In the book “The Peasantry as the Life Source of the Nordic Race” by Darré, he declared that the Jews are not part of Blood and Soil. This declaration is an essential component that built up to the racial crisis, and to the Holocaust. Since the idea of Blood and Soil insisted that true Germans are those who are from the land, and Jews were rejected as they are viewed as nomads and wanderers (Boden). Jews were also blamed for buying up lands, and driving German farmers away from their land into the city. This is rejection from the idea of Blood and Soil is an important factor that contributed to the rejection of the Jewish race.
In urban Germany, the creation of the German Labour Front is used to control German workers, where as in rural Germany, Reich Food Estate is created on September 1933 to control the German Farmers. The Reich Food Estate allowed Darré to gain control over agricultural production and retails, as well as putting a fix on food prices and wages. He also closed down large retail stores to support the income of the small peasant farmers. The farmers were now controlled by the state, and are working for the state according to the state.
- Lawrence Lin
The creation of the Volksgemeinschaft enables the Nazi Party to stay in power within Germany, and by creating this People’s Community, the Nazi Party was able to twist and unite the idea of the German people towards the idea of the Nazi Party, thus gaining support. In urban Germany, the German Labour Front was created for this purpose and was able to change the beliefs of the German worker into supporting the Nazi Party. Where as in rural Germany, the idea of Blood and Soil was introduced to do the same towards German Farmers.
The head of the Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture Richard Darré introduced the idea of Blood and Soil (Blut und Boden) in which he firmly believe that German farmers are the foundation of German racial strength, thus important in the creation of the Volksgemeinschaft. He was less focused on developing the economical aspect of agricultural Germany; rather he valued “peasant farmer as the source of German racial strength” (Evans). Darré argued that the German farmers are pure Germans because they are not influenced by the city, thus means they are free from degeneration and that they had a connection to the soil. Hitler shared this idea and believed that the peasant class are the most important class that will contributed to this Nazi revolution, and the creation of the racial state (Kieman). The importance of the German peasant is emphasized as Hitler quoted, ”the ruin of the German peasant will be the ruin of the German people”. Therefore, he argued the development of industrial Germany is weakening the German farmers, that is, true Germans, which is why he placed German famers before German workers. However, there were officials who were against the idea of Blood and Soil within the Nazi Party who believed that Germany needed to focus on the development of its urban areas rather than focusing on the idea of Blood and Soil. For example, Otto Strasser who eventually left the Nazi Party and Gregor who was murdered at the Night of the Long Knives. With the opponents cleared out, Hitler was able to focus on “Shift to a soil policy of the future”. The idea of Blood and Soil also brought the racial crisis towards Jews.
In the book “The Peasantry as the Life Source of the Nordic Race” by Darré, he declared that the Jews are not part of Blood and Soil. This declaration is an essential component that built up to the racial crisis, and to the Holocaust. Since the idea of Blood and Soil insisted that true Germans are those who are from the land, and Jews were rejected as they are viewed as nomads and wanderers (Boden). Jews were also blamed for buying up lands, and driving German farmers away from their land into the city. This is rejection from the idea of Blood and Soil is an important factor that contributed to the rejection of the Jewish race.
In urban Germany, the creation of the German Labour Front is used to control German workers, where as in rural Germany, Reich Food Estate is created on September 1933 to control the German Farmers. The Reich Food Estate allowed Darré to gain control over agricultural production and retails, as well as putting a fix on food prices and wages. He also closed down large retail stores to support the income of the small peasant farmers. The farmers were now controlled by the state, and are working for the state according to the state.
- Lawrence Lin