THINKING BEYOND THE FÜHRER:
THE IDEOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION
 OF NATIONAL SOCIALISM, 1919-1934
A Thesis
Presented to the
Faculty of California State University,
San Bernardino
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
in
Social Sciences and Globalization
by
Athahn Steinback
December 2019
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2052&context=etd

ABSTRACT
Much of the discussion of German National Socialism has historically
focused on of Adolf Hitler as the architect of the Nazi state. While recognizing
Hitler’s central role in the development of National Socialism, this thesis contends
that he was not a lone actor. Much of the ideological and structural development
National Socialism was driven by senior individuals within the party who were
able to leverage their influence to institutionalize personal variants of National
Socialism within broader party ideology. To explore the role of other ideologues
in the development of Nazi ideology, this thesis examines how Hitler’s leadership
style perpetuated factionalism, how when and by whom central elements of Nazi
ideology were introduced, as well the ideological sources from which these
concepts were adapted. After the party’s ultimate rise to power Hitler, always
centrally positioned, eliminated internal competition and institutionalized his own
variant of National Socialism whilst co-opting the concepts and structures
developed by other ideologues that offered useful tools to pursue his goals.
Through this analysis, this thesis seeks to demonstrate how the foundational
elements of National Socialism took form, even before the party achieved power,
and how these elements were subsequently utilized to consolidate Nazi control
over the German state. Above all else, this thesis sheds much-needed light on
the pivotal role of individuals and the conflict between them that engineered the
cataclysm of the Third Reich.