The Initial Reaction to the Nazi State

Abstract

An historian dealing with any aspect of German history from 1933 to 1939 must deal with National Socialism, its emergence as the “legitimate authority” in its coming to power in January, 1933, its subsequent seizure of absolute power — the Machtergreifung — through the “coordination” of Germany, and its final reorganization of Germany. For the Bund Neudeutschland, the emergence of National Socialism and its establishment as the basic fact of life in Germany meant that the Bund no longer remained the master of its own fate. Bound by its moral and ethical norms, Neudeutschland was challenged by another system — or rather, a movement — that recognized no such bounds. Consequently, the Bund from 1933 onward became passive, reacting to a more active opponent.