Final answer:
The type of government exemplified by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler's rule is known as totalitarianism. This system enforced strict control over every aspect of citizens' lives through propaganda, surveillance, censorship, and oppressive policies. It demanded ideological conformity and often used violence to maintain control.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government under Nazi Germany can be classified as a form of totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. In Nazi Germany, totalitarianism was marked by the complete control of the government under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. The state had the power to interfere drastically in the lives of its citizens, including the extensive use of propaganda, mass surveillance by secret police (e.g., the Gestapo), censorship, and by enforcing strict control over social and personal aspects such as marriage and family.
The Nazi regime imposed oppressive policies and spread its influence across all sectors of society. The Nuremberg Laws and other anti-Semitic legislation stripped German Jews of their civil rights, and the Nazis' racial policies dictated the personal relationships and reproductive rights of German citizens. Hitler's aim was to eradicate individual identities, replacing them with a collective identity that was entirely aligned with Nazi ideology.
This system differed from conventional dictatorships as it was not solely content with political compliance but demanded ideological conformity. The Nazi regime regularly employed violence and the threat of incarceration in concentration camps to suppress any opposition and maintain its totalitarian rule. The concept of working towards the Führer reflected the regime’s expectation that citizens act in accordance with what they believed were Hitler’s intentions, rather than following established laws.