Dictatorship of Favors: The Mechanisms of Plunder and Loyalty in the Third Reich

This article examines the concept of the "dictatorship of favors" (Gefälligkeitsdiktatur), introduced by historian Götz Aly, which sheds new light on the mechanisms of stability of the Third Reich. The text details how the Nazi regime used systemic property plunder, including processes of Aryanization and economic exploitation of occupied countries, to build the loyalty of its own population. Through mechanisms of redistribution of plundered goods, the Nazi state transformed itself into a kind of welfare state for "racially pure" citizens, mitigating the trauma of the Great War. The authors also examine the role of financial institutions, such as the Reichsbank, and technocratic elites in creating complex war financing instruments, such as the clearance system and the RKK-Scheine. This is an in-depth analysis of how violence and theft were transformed into political and war capital, ensuring the regime's social acceptance.