I have been reading into the ideal that was so strongly promoted by National Socialist Germany. Volksgemeinschaft, a unified German people fighting under a banner of nationalism and class struggle, the attempt to unify the raw German people into a finished product of National Socialism. A people fighting to ensure they would never face shame like that of November 1918 again. Volksgemeinschaft was held in importance by the average German soldier, it was something that they had been indoctrinated with since The Nazi Party took power in 1932. Even in the most desperate of times these ideals remained a crucial motivation to the German soldier, many of them dying for "The New Germany". My question is, was the political and ideological motivation part of what made the German Military so effective? It takes more the just training to create an effective soldier. Was the idea of Volksgemeinschaft what made the average German solider so committed and disciplined? Would like to hear your comments.
It has to be remembered that Volksgemeinschaft was the basic core of the Nazi propaganda. As such, it was used as the basis for all Nazi output to indoctrinate the German people, through formal miltary classes to newspapers, movies, music, art etc. The effectiveness if this indoctrination can be seen in the younger generations of soldiers, especially those who went through the Hitler Youth. A parallel form of political indoctrination was carried out by the Communists in Russia, and the Japanese military (Bushido). Like Germany, Japan wasn't naturally an aggressive society as some Allies believed but their socity had been transformed by overt and covert forms of propaganda. Did it make for a particular form of military machine? Most certainly. Those who'd fallen under its spell, whether Germans, Russians or Japanese were willing to die for their beliefs. Did it make for them being more successful. Not necessarily. That form of indoctrination could also make for rigid military thinking. It affected the Japanese particularly because most of the high command believed in the same philosophy as the common soldier, and that limited their options and abilities to think "outside the box".
Its a refinement of the instinct of Tribalism. This is my own theory, so don't expect references; I use the term "Tribalism" as a broad description of all groupings. People seem to identify with whatever group of people they are a part of, and they feel threatened by or feel hatred of outsiders. Racism and Religious factions have been blamed for a lot of the world's problems, but these are just examples of Tribalism which is much broader. In can be a sports team or sports supporters club. It can be ethnic, such as in the former Yugoslavia where it wasn't exactly racism as the tribes were the same race, but not the same culture. It occurs in office politics, where a team will very easily start to think of another team as "that useless lot". All of this can be constructive; a good manager or a good political leader can promote healthy rivalry between sales teams or sports clubs, and it can be positive as when patriotism is necessary when a society or country is under a genuine threat, and the individuals have to give up some of their individuality for the good of the whole. Or it can be very destructive, as in Volksgemeinschaft, or the gang warfare we see in the streets of most major cities in the world.
Kyt brought up some good points about the negative aspects of the extreme ideological devotion. Even when Germany was literally crumbling, German command told young boys they were soldiers and threw them at The Red Army. Clearly shows how clouded ones sense's can become through this type of indoctrination.
