Nazification refers to the process by which Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime sought to impose the ideology and practices of Nazism upon German society and later in other countries under its control during the 1930s and 1940s. The term encompasses the systemic and deliberate imposition of Nazi political, racial, and social policies as a means to reshape and control every aspect of society according to the Nazi worldview.
Nazification involved the establishment of a repressive totalitarian state under the Nazi Party, which aimed to indoctrinate the population through propaganda, censorship, and the control of education and media. It entailed promoting Hitler's cult of personality, glorifying Aryan superiority, and demonizing marginalized groups, particularly Jews, as scapegoats for Germany's economic and social issues.
In addition to the ideological component, the process of nazification included the implementation of discriminatory laws and policies, such as the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped Jews of their rights and citizenship. This was accompanied by the systematic persecution, isolation, and eventual extermination of millions of individuals deemed undesirable by the regime, including Jews, Romani people, disabled individuals, and political dissidents.
Nazification also encompassed the reorganization of society, with the Nazi regime establishing control over labor unions, youth organizations, and other social institutions. Alongside this, the state implemented policies aimed at militarizing and modernizing the economy, aligning it with the regime's expansionist goals.
Overall, nazification represents a comprehensive and systematic process of imposing Nazi ideology and totalitarian control, leading to the suppression of individual freedom, the persecution of certain groups, and ultimately contributing to World War II and the Holocaust.
