Germany — Nazi government (1933–1945)

Germany

Basis for the estimate: Totalitarian dictatorship, racial laws, rearmament and war of conquest, the Holocaust.

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Official system and how it worked in practice

Official system	One-party state under the Nazi Party; the Weimar Constitution was never formally repealed, but the 1933 Enabling Act let the cabinet make laws without parliament
In practice, 1933	Electoral autocracy multiparty elections, but without sufficient freedom, fairness or protection of basic freedoms
In practice, 1934–1944	Closed autocracy no multiparty elections for the chief executive

“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for Germany, 1933–1944, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.

Political placement

Map dimension	Score (0–100)	Reading
Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market	41	near the center
Social Progressive ↔ Traditional	91	strongly toward traditional
Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian	92	strongly toward authoritarian
National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist	100	strongly toward nationalist
Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention	100	strongly toward intervention

All nine underlying dimensions

Dimension	Score	Reading
Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership	55	near the center
Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions	85	toward state restrictions
National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist	100	strongly toward nationalist
Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist	100	strongly toward traditionalist
Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic	100	strongly toward autocratic
Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical	88	strongly toward hierarchical
Economic management Free market ↔ State planning	80	toward state planning
Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention	100	strongly toward intervention
Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority	69	toward religious authority

Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.

Key positions (estimated)

Statement	Position	Basis
Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples.	Strongly disagrees	from their record
The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
A naturalized citizen can belong to the nation as fully as someone born there.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
A single ruling party can govern more effectively than a competitive multiparty system.	Strongly agrees	estimated
Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
Class distinctions should gradually disappear.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners.	Strongly disagrees	estimated
A more equal distribution of social power is desirable.	Strongly disagrees	estimated

Closest ideologies

National Socialism96% similar position Italian Fascism94% similar position Fascism94% similar position Bonapartism91% similar position Caesarism90% similar position

Most similar governments

Italy — Fascist regime (1922–1943)94% similar Russia — Putin governments (2000–present)89% similar Turkey — Erdoğan government (2014–present)85% similar Iran — Islamic Republic (1979–present)85% similar North Korea — Kim Jong Un administration (2011–present)77% similar

Sources

Wikipedia: Nazi Germany (Wikipedia search)

Last reviewed October 11, 2026.