A Criticism of Systemic-centric Theorism: Part 3 – Expansion, Case Study, and Conclusion

Now that we've reached the end of theory, it is necessary that the theory be put into practice. Before doing so, there are two terms I would like to introduce as a side note to be able to be more specific later on.

The initial cause of an event is the level in which it first begins to manifest itself.

The direct cause of an event is the level(s) in which it actually occurs.

With this terminology defined, the case study can now be approached, in which Adolf Hitler, the rise of Nazi Germany, and World War II will be examined in relation to the theory outlined in the past two posts.

A question commonly proposed is, “Did Hitler initiate World War II?” A systemic theorist would disagree. They would instead typically conclude that World War II was ultimately caused by the international pressure present in the systemic level during that time period.

According to my theory, Hitler did initiate World War II. The systemic theorist considers neither the domestic level nor the individual level – his scope is narrow and his details are limited to the bigger picture. Adolf Hitler began at the individual level of analysis, where he formed his political ideology – Nazism. Nazism was based on Benito Mussolini’s fascism. Already, there is evidence for my theory – Hitler is an individual that spawns from a systemic layer of analysis, and is subject to its influence. In this case, Mussolini was already part of this systemic level and so, his fascism was a large component of its influence on Hitler.

Adolf Hitler proceeded to project his power into the domestic level, initiating the rise of Nazi Germany. In this locus, he expanded his ideology of Nazism and spread it amongst the German people. Nazism, however, included interaction with other nations, so Hitler used the domestic level to project his power and ideology into the systemic level. This caused a significant amount of international pressure and ultimately contributed to the initiation of World War II.

Thus, unlike the systemic theorist, who would say that World War II was an S issue, I would claim it to be an I → D → S issue.

In terms of the causes defined earlier,

The initial cause of both the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II occurred by Hitler at I.

The direct cause of the rise of Nazi Germany occurred by Hitler at D.

The direct cause of World War II occurred by Hitler at S.

Ultimately, as a general statement and proof,

If it can be said, as an example, that Adolf Hitler → The Rise of Nazi Germany → World War II, then it can also be said that I → D → S.