Activity 3: The Individual in Fascist Society

You have begun to consider how power operates within your life. You will have probably noticed that this is not an easy question to answer. In a fascist society such as Nazi Germany the government held total power over the lives of all its citizens and those it decided were not citizens.

We will now explore the features of fascist systems and relate them to the Nazi society established in Germany from 1933.

A fascist system is based on total power being held and controlled from the top by one leader ruling a one-party state.

This picture postcard shows a crowd of saluting Germans superimposed on an enlarged image of Hitler and a Nazi stormtrooper. [USHMM Photograph 14951]

• In what ways does this propaganda postcard reinforce the idea of one leader ruling a one-party state?
• What does this image suggest about the role of the individual within such a system?