The rise of Hitler and the Nazis

The rise of Hitler and the Nazis

1. The German Worker's Party

   • 25-Point programme of 1920
     • Scrapping TOV
     • Lebensraum - expanding borders
     • Depriving Jews of German citizenship
     • Using force to achieve this
   • Hitler's role
     • Suggest to change from DAP to NSDAP (Nazis) in 1920
     • Adopted Swastika s emblem
     • Membership increased to 3000 during 1920
     • Bought newspaper - spread ideas
     • 1921 - Hitler became party leader
       • Rohm
       • Goering
       • Hess
     • Powerful "friends"
       • General Ludendorff
     • 1921 - created SA (private army)
     • SA difficult to control, created SS 1923

2. Munich Putsch 1923

   • Causes
     • Discontent - hyperinflation, Ruhr occupation
     • Membership of NSDAP 55,000
     • Sensed Stresemann would fix things, act before that
     • govt. cracking down on extremist groups
     • Hitler wanted to makehimself president of Germanh
   • Events
     • 8 Nov - 3000 officials met in beerhall
     • Hitler & 600 SS broke in & announced uprising
     • 3 Leaders accepted to support Hitler under threat
     • Next morning, the three changed their mind
     • 3000 supporters with SA marched in to Munich inc. Hitler & Ludendorrf
     • State police opened fire
       • Hitler fled, but was arrested
   • Results
     • Hitler put on trial
       • Sentenced to 5 years
     • NSDAP banned
       • Weakly enforced, lifted in 1925
       • Got publicity
         • Got 32 seats in 1924
     • Hitler released after 9 months
     • Wrote Mein Kampf
     • Hitler changed approach - get to power using politics

3. Reorganisation of party 1924-28

   • New organisation
     • Two administrators run head quarters
     • Divided party into regions
   • New funding
     • Befriended Germany's businessmen
       • Anit-communist
   • SA and SS
     • SA 1930: 400,000
     • SS set up, led by Himmler
       • Trusted more, swore oath to Hitler
   • Propaganda
     • Goebbels
     • Scapegoats
       • Jews
       • November Criminals
       • Communists
     • Nazi newspapers published Hitler's speeches
       • Showed Hitler's passion, spectacle of Nazi rallies, power of SA&SS
     • Up-to-date technology
       • Radio, films, records, aeroplanes
   • 1928 election
     • 12 seats, 2.6% of votes
       • Stresemann's govt, Hindenburg presidency

4. Wall street crash

   • Economic effects
     • Banks suffereed losses
     • People rushed to get money out of their bank account
       • Banks lost cash
     • German companies dependent on US loans
       • Industrial output fell
       • Unemployment rose
         • Sep 1929: 1.3mil, Jan 1933: 6mil
       • Fall in industrial production
         • 1929-30: 10%
         • 1929-32: 40%
   • Social and political
     • MIddle class lost savings, companies, homes
     • Workers unemployed
     • Lost faith in Weimar govt.
     • Coalition collapsed
     • People out of control

5. Growing support

   • Hitler's appeal
     • Powerful, strong leader
     • Restore order
     • Scrap TOV
     • Persuade other nations to treat Germany fairly
     • Universal
   • SA
     • Made rallies seem organised, disciplined, strong, reliable
     • Used against opposition during elections
   • Different supporters
     • Working-class
       • Traditional German values
       • Nazis promised 'work and bread'
       • Worker's party
     • Middle-class
       • Great depression struck them
       • Hitler strong leader who could help country recover
       • Afraid of Communists (abolishment of private ownership)
       • Moral decline during depression :(
     • Farmers
       • Protected from Communists
     • Big businesses
     • Youth & women
       • Passionate speeches
       • Family appeal

6. Nazis win power

   • Presidential election 1932
     • People voted for extremists
     • No one won more than 50%, had to redo
     • Hindenburg 19million
     • Hitler 13 million
   • Fall of chancellor Bruning
     • 1932, wanted to ban SA and SS
     • Right parties protested this
     • Schleicher organised coalition of rightwingers
     • Convinced Hindenburg they had majority, Bruning sacked
   • Von Papen as chancellor
     • May 1932
     • Von Schleicher controlled govt. from behind scenes
     • Von Schleicher invited Hitler into coaltion
       • Thought he could easily control him
     • Weak coalition
     • Election July 1932
       • Nazis won 230 seats - majority
       • Hitler demanded to be chancellor, Hindenburg refused
     • Von Papen called new election Nov 1932
       • Hoped Nazi support would fall
       • Nazis: 196 seats, still majority
       • Wihout Hitler's support, Von Papen resigned
   • Von Schleicher becomes chancellor
     • HIndenburg appointed him
     • Von Schleicher could not get majority
     • Told Hindenburg of conspiracy against him from Von Papen and Hitler
       • Told Hindenburg to make him military dictator
         • Plan leaked, lost support
   • Hitler becomes chancellor
     • Von Papen plotted against Hindneburg
       • Support Hitler, he could be vice-chancellor and control Hitler
     • Hindenburg had no alternative
       • 30 January 1933 Hitler becomes chancellor