No one was really threatened with violence to join the Nazi party.
It never was a decision between joining and dying, or joining and going to prison.
The choice for most was joining or losing an opportunity to advance their career.
Even the guards at the concentration camps did the job voluntarily. Being offered the position was a chance to live like a medieval lord, with a mansion, servants, and actual direct power over people’s lives. The alternative was to continue living a mediocre life in Germany. That was enough incentive for enough people to staff the camps.
No one was really threatened with violence to join the Nazi party.
It never was a decision between joining and dying, or joining and going to prison.
The choice for most was joining or losing an opportunity to advance their career.
Even the guards at the concentration camps did the job voluntarily. Being offered the position was a chance to live like a medieval lord, with a mansion, servants, and actual direct power over people’s lives. The alternative was to continue living a mediocre life in Germany. That was enough incentive for enough people to staff the camps.