Were the Nazis and German soldiers of WW2 patriotic?

Question

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

All soldiers are in my opinion regardless of what side from, it's just that we fight for different countries, ideals, and fanatical leaders.

Answer 2

Patriotic, yes. Brainwashed, not so much.

To begin with, there was a world of difference between the Nazis and the German Wermacht (Army), Luftwaffe (Airforce), and Kriegsmarine (Navy). The Nazis were mainly the political force, cept for units such as the Waffen SS and such. The Nazis were very patriotic, and also racist. This was inherent. Their whole platform was that of German and Aryian suppremacy.

As for the German soldier, of course he was patriotic, throughout the war. The individual soldier saw the conquering of Chezkoslovakia, Poland, the Ukraine, Holland, Belguim, Lexumberg, France, Greece and countless other countries. Of course they'd be patriotic about those kinds of successes.

Same with the Japanese. It wasn't a matter of being brainwashed, it was simply that they had experienced victories, and were extatic about that.

Answer 3

Probably. Most people are patriotic, even when they disagree with their country's direction. I am patriotic even as I am dismayed by our current US administration. German Jewish war veterans from WW1 still loved their Germany even as the Nazis took power - until they were killed. They believed that their service to their country, their patriotism, would save them from the Nazi agenda.

Politics and patriotism are very different things. Patriotism can be defined simply as love of ones country. Not all German soldiers were Nazis. The Nazis were more fanatical, and more of a political beast. The average German soldier was fighting for his country, not necessarily the Nazis and their plan. Military service was required, there was no way to really get out of army service whatever you believed, so many just did their duty and fought for their home/country. Some who resisted their military service were killed, as were clergy who opposed the war. Many were forced into Nazi youth groups and then sent to the army afterwards, at a very young age.

It's a muddled business. You should read some biographies of German soldiers of the time to get an accurate idea of their mind set. We can only suppose after all.

Answer 4

Well what is Patriotism?
Patriotism is the love, devotion, and loyalty to one's country.

Soldiers would join up in time of war, but were also drafted, propogated with films, posters, pamplets, information, the hitler youth programs and even each other as a bandwagon effect. While the individual servicemen of Germany may have held their own views, as the collective group they were, they can be generalized as patriotic.

Judging by the way the question was asked, patriotism, by some people, is connected somehow to "good" rather than "evil". Patriotism is just an idea expressed. Whether it is good or bad is ethically up to the person percieving to decide.

Answer 5

SPC Burn is leading you on the right track here. The Germans were definetly Nationalistic, not simply Patriotic. Unfortunetly, the Americans got a little nationalistic too, during that time. A really good movie to explain/portray this better is All Quiet on the Western Front. It does a really good job of showing the effects of extreme nationalism and propaganda.

Answer 6

They grew up in a country wrought with 50% unemployment levels and wide-spread poverty. They were looking for solutions and the Nazi party gave them solutions. They had leaders that, ut oh I'm going to say it, improved their lives and gave them jobs and hope. Yes, they were patriotic and believed in and sacrificed for their country. However, they were the enemy. I think that soldiers in all conflicts are patriotic, that doesn't mean they are right or better. It means they are the enemy. Many German Soldiers became US citizens after the war. They are good people. It means that they care enough about their families, homes, and people to sacrifice their lives for their well-being. Soldiers are the best part of any society.

Answer 7

He had dope rhymes.... certainly, he became very customary because of placement dealing with Germany on the time. the excellent melancholy became wreaking havoc upon the excellent international equipment, yet particularly greater stable in Germany because of Treaty of Versailles on the top of WWI. The treaty honestly made the Germans take each and every of the war guilt for the war, and demanded they pay lower back the allies. It additionally stripped them of their effectual distant places possessions. This made Germany truly undesirable and inflation skyrocketed. Hitler got here alongside on the perfect time and promised nutrition artwork and German brotherhood. the folk threw themselves at Adolf. He introduced delight lower back to the Germans, he preyed on the common public's common concern of Jews, he introduced lower back the militia - whether it became unlawful. He made Germany great lower back. EDIT: ok the dissimilar posts hence far are patently meant to be humorous/offensive yet then the single approximately hitler having a known father, what history e book are you examining? each and every little thing you write is unfaithful...

Answer 8

Well, first lets separate Nazis and Deutche Soldiers !!

And respectfully, to the individual who said German soldiers where "mercenary"... blow it out your wazoo !! Look up the definition of "mercenary" and rethink your answer.

The Nazi's were political / business creatures.

Soldiers are soldiers... and the Wehrmacht was certainly patriotic.

My high school German teacher was drafted at 14 in 1945 and was lucky enough to serve on the WESTERN front and be wounded and captured quickly... HE was later a US citizen and a US soldier in Korea and Vietnam

Answer 9

For the Germans, the Nazis and their soldiers were patriots but for their enemies, they were considered as criminals and responsible for the mass killings in gas chambers.

Answer 10

They were Nationalists. It's an extreme form of Patriotism. There is no debate, it's not a secret and it's not something new. They claimed it and were proud of it.


----------------------------------
na·tion·al·ism
1.national spirit or aspirations.
2.devotion and loyalty to one's own nation; patriotism.
3.excessive patriotism; chauvinism.
4.the desire for national advancement or independence.
5.the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one's own nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations.
6.an idiom or trait peculiar to a nation.
7.a movement, as in the arts, based upon the folk idioms, history, aspirations, etc., of a nation.

na·tion·al·ism
1. Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation.
2. The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals.
3. Aspirations for national independence in a country under foreign domination.


http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Nationalism
----------------------------

Nationalism, in its broadest sense, is a devotion to one's own nation and its interests over those of all other nations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism

Answer 11

Yes - - - to their idea of what Germany ought to be. Adolf Hitler had a messianic complex though born an Austrian and most likely possessing Slavic blood/DNA he was determined to be the Greatest German of all time. His followers bought into Hitler's messianic dream and imagined him to be the one who would lead Germany to greatness. You ought to read the diaries of Josef Goebbels - - - they read like homo-erotic love poems to 'Der Fuhrer.'

It should be noted that Germany was a lot like America, a collection of states several of which had been independent
kingdoms with variations in language & customs, yet the one thing that held Germany together was their feeling that they were 'One Folk, One People, Germany.'

Peace