The Volk and Other Ideological Influences on National Socialism

Introduction

While Nazi ideology drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to) political theory, economics, philosophy, geopolitics, eugenics, religion, literature, and history, the Volkish movement is particularly worth examining. A combination of folklore, occultism, romanticism, and ethnic nationalism, Volkish thought could be considered the corner stone at the ideological foundation of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volk />. Here I will look more closely at the Volkish movement and how its main components manifested themselves in Nazi goals and practices.