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13<br />
pictures. This, again, promoted the idea of<br />
the Fuhrer and gave the average German<br />
during the depression hope that Nazism<br />
could recover Germany’s former<br />
glory.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Berlin Olympics in 1936 only further<br />
served to exaggerate the power of the Nazis<br />
on the<br />
world<br />
stage. With<br />
Germany<br />
topping the<br />
medals table<br />
in the<br />
state-of-theart<br />
arena,<br />
doubters of<br />
the regime<br />
both inside<br />
and outside<br />
of Germany<br />
were silenced.<br />
As<br />
well as<br />
boosting<br />
national<br />
pride, the<br />
Olympics<br />
further<br />
served as a<br />
reminder of<br />
Aryan superiority.<br />
Hitler knew the key to unlocking the full<br />
potential of Germany was the support of<br />
the German masses. His promises of employment<br />
and German glory won over<br />
some, but others<br />
needed a stick<br />
to complement<br />
this carrot. This<br />
came in the<br />
form of violent<br />
law enforcers.<br />
<strong>The</strong> SS were<br />
formed from the<br />
ashes of the SA and were trained meticulously<br />
by Heinrich Himmler. <strong>The</strong>ir sole<br />
aim was to destroy any opposition to Nazism<br />
and strengthen the stranglehold that<br />
the Nazis had on Germany. <strong>The</strong>y ruled<br />
with an iron fist; they ensured nobody<br />
stepped out line with the threat of concentration<br />
camps at their disposal. Unsurprisingly,<br />
the SS were all Aryans with zealous<br />
devotion to Hitler which enabled them to<br />
commit the most ruthless acts of torture<br />
and violence to eliminate opposition. At<br />
the same time, the SS became a<br />
form of promotion for Nazism as<br />
Himmler had created an idealistic, elitist<br />
order that was unparalleled since the ages<br />
of knights.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> aim of the SS was to destroy any<br />
opposition to Nazism and strengthen<br />
the stranglehold that the Nazis had on<br />
Germany”<br />
Nazism was reinforced<br />
by<br />
newly implemented<br />
social<br />
policies. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
were introduced<br />
gradually so as<br />
not to shock the civilians. Nazism’s<br />
shameless promotion of Aryan superiority<br />
led to the persecution of minorities, in<br />
particular, Jews. As well as holding them<br />
Hitler attending the<br />
1936 Berlin Olympics
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