Would Nazi Germany have fallen if Hitler had died?

First, sorry if this is out of place, secondly, I feel like that whole system was such a mess, that figuring out who'd get power would create a civil war. Too many big personalities. Especially in the War, that would have made the whole situation worse.

So, what are the chances that a dead Hitler = a dead Germany?
 
Pretty much so, I think. It was pretty much "Ein Volk, ein Führer". Hitler was Germany and Germany was Hitler. Without him, I doubt Germany would even want to survive and all the generals would do is to make the surrender as quickly and painlessly as possible... And then go home and cry for three years or until the booze runs out.
 
Nazi government was real mess. Surviving without Hitler surviving would be impossible. All nazi leaders were incapable to be leaders. And even Hitler knew that.
 
Even if Hitler was somehow immortal and never lost power, Germany would probably collapse into a North Korea-esque hell hole after a generation because of how badly the Nazis wrecked the German educational system. And that is ignoring that their economic policies somehow managed to combine the worse aspects of a free market with those of a command economy.
 
Pretty much so, I think. It was pretty much "Ein Volk, ein Führer". Hitler was Germany and Germany was Hitler. Without him, I doubt Germany would even want to survive and all the generals would do is to make the surrender as quickly and painlessly as possible... And then go home and cry for three years or until the booze runs out.
It depends on when he dies. They wouldn't surrender in 1940 for instance.
 

Yuelang

Banned
And if Hitler get a heart attack soon after Munich Agreement, Germans will still think very highly on him. Except the Jews...
 
yeah... its quite important for theorising, to know when the bugger dies ... him dying doing the reichstag fire (working late in his offices? of cause this demands you subscribing to the belief that it wasn't a nazi plot) or some time soon afterwards would make a world of a difference than him dying either by a successful assassination attempt from Bavaud, (any of) Henning of Tresckows attempt, 20. July or whenever.
 
him dying doing the reichstag fire (working late in his offices? of cause this demands you subscribing to the belief that it wasn't a nazi plot)

It would be very funny if someone forgot to tell him. I just can't help but imagine the following conversation, as flames engulf Reichstag.

- Hermann, why is the light in Fuehrer's office still on?

-I don't know Heinrich... Wasn't Joseph supposed to tell him?

- But he has fallen ill and I thought you did...

- Well I didn't, you can't expect me to do everything by myself. Oh, well it is probably too late now... Look, the flames have already reached the second floor. Well, I am off. To Sweden... C' ya.

But seriously, Hitler dying does not mean an automatic end to
Nazi Germany, at least in 1939, and perhaps 1940. However, as SS grows stronger, likelyhood of civil war grows too. By 1943 I'd expect to see disloyal Heer pitted against loyalist Heer and SS, while in 1944 it would probably be SS taking overall command of all loyalist forces.

Goering became Hitler designated successor in 1939 so if anything did happen, the Reich would not fall to pieces immediately. I'd expect a period of peace until the positions were reshuffled. Then, depending on force of arguments of each side, varying loyalties and probably luck to some extent, someone would emerge victorious.
 
Depends on when he dies. If he dies early in the war, it probably goes on, but given that Goring and Himmler both made Hitler seem like Napoleon the Nazis would probably lose sooner or later. If its late in the war I'd say that the Wehrmacht generals would have the will and the ability to stage a coup of the Nazi government and sue for peace; without Hitler it would be much easier to get the support of the people. The wild card is if he dies midway through.
 
Early on the German military probably steps in to "restore order" and the top Nazis are arrested and sidelined (if not outright killed). If Hitler dies later, the country falls apart, because IIRC Hitler, following the Führerprinzip, made absolutely everything subordinate to him personally, which severed a lot of natural cooperation between branches of state power.
 
Assuming he dies of heart failure?

Mid-war? Post D-Day? Dead Hitler = Dead Fuehrer Oath. Everyone goes their own way. The Eastern Front holds (based on desperation, more than anything else). Expect the Valkyrie Group to take advantage, if there's no warning for the SS. There would be a civil war between the SS against the army...and everyone else. In the short span of time during Valkyrie there was a considerable degree of stampeding towards the plotters. If Hitler IS dead, its just SS firepower and diehard Nazis versus...Europe? Were I a SS man, I'd be rushing off to the Swiss border or eating my gun!
 
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