The Rise of the Nazis - The Impact of the Depression on Germany and the Nazis Flashcards
What was the German Workers’ Party?
The German Workers’ Party, or DAP, was a right-wing party that Hitler eventually took over and changed into the Nazi Party.
When was the German Workers’ Party set up?
The German Workers’ Party was set up in January 1919.
What did the German Workers’ Party believe in?
- Policies appealing to workers.
- Opposition to the Weimar government which it blamed for signing the Treaty of Versailles.
- Nationalistic ideas.
- Hatred of the Treaty of Versailles.
- Hatred of democracy which it thought created weak government.
- Anti-Semitism.
When did Hitler join the German Workers’ Party?
Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party after attending a meeting as a spy for the German Army on 19th September, 1919.
How did Hitler take over the German Workers’ Party?
Hitler took over the party slowly. By 1921 he had replaced Anton Drexler as the head of the German Workers’ Party.
How did Hitler change the German Workers’ Party?
- In February 1920, Drexler and Hitler wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme which stated the party’s policies.
- He increased the membership using his personal appeal and skill as a public speaker.
- In 1920, the name of the party was changed to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) and introduced the swastika and the Nazi salute.
- He officially took over from Drexler as the leader in July 1921, and gave jobs to his supporters such as Rudolf Hess, whom he made his deputy, and Ernst Röhm.
- He created the Sturmabteilung, or SA, in August 1921, who were nicknamed the ‘Brownshirts’. They were the NSDAP’s private army.
What did the Twenty-Five Point Programme of the German Workers’ Party include?
- They were against the Treaty of Versailles and called for its abolition.
- They had anti-Semitic beliefs, such as no Jew could be a German citizen and only citizens were entitled to a job and a decent standard of living.
- They believed that nationalism would unite all of the German-speaking people, land and colonies to feed the German population.
- The party was against the Weimar Republic because it was a democracy. The party wanted a strong central government with unrestricted authority and believed democracy weakened Germany.
- They wanted Austria and Germany to unite under Anschluss, which was forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
How many members did the German Workers’ Party have?
Twenty-three people attended a DAP meeting on 12th September, 1919. By the end of 1920, membership had increased to 3,000 people.
What was the SA?
The SA, or Sturmabteilung, which translates as ‘storm detachment’, was the Nazi Party’s first paramilitary wing.
When was the SA set up?
The SA was set up in 1921.
Who joined the SA?
- Ex-soldiers, especially members of the Freikorps, as they felt betrayed by the Weimar Republic signing the Treaty of Versailles.
- Unemployed men, angry with the government.
How did the SA help the Nazis?
The SA was often violent and disorderly. They regularly disrupted the meetings of other political parties, especially the Communist Party, and beat up the opposition. This helped the Nazis become stronger.
Who was the leader of the SA?
The SA was co-founded and led by Ernst Röhm, a German Army officer. He was a member of the German Workers’ Party, and he became a close friend of Hitler.
What was the SA’s nickname?
The SA was nicknamed ‘die Braunhemden’ - or ‘Brownshirts’ - because of the colour of their uniforms.
What was the Nazi Party?
The Nazi Party was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. It was a extreme right-wing political party and supported the ideology of Nazism, a form of fascism.
When did the Nazi Party gain power in the Reichstag?
The Nazis gained 32 seats in the Reichstag in the general election held in May 1924. They remained unpopular during the 1920s. In July 1932 the number of seats they held increased to 230. Hitler became chancellor in January 1933.
What were the main aims of the Nazi Party?
- The Nazis wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles and undo all of the changes it had imposed on Germany.
- They wanted to destroy Weimar’s democratic constitution because they saw this as weak. They wanted a strong, central government to make Germany stronger.
- They wanted to expand Germany. They wanted Lebensraum, or living space, particularly in the East.
What was nationalistic about the Nazi Party?
- The Nazis wanted to destroy the Treaty of Versailles to regain all of the territory they had lost.
- They believed in Lebensraum, or living space, to accommodate the nation’s population.
- The Nazis wanted to rebuild the strength of Germany’s military forces.
- They believed that Aryans were a superior race and only they should be German citizens.
What was socialist about the Nazi Party ideas?
- The Nazi Party claimed it wanted to nationalise industries. In reality, it carried out the ‘Aryanisation’ of the German economy by seizing business from the control of non-Aryans.
- The Nazis wanted to provide employment for every Aryan man.
- They wanted to give equal rights to all Aryan citizens.
- They wanted to give support to Aryan mothers and children.
How did the Nazi Party become popular?
- In the early years of the Nazi Party, they kept their policies deliberately vague so they would appeal to as many people as possible.
- Following the economic crash on Wall Street in 1929, the Nazis’ popularity rose as they offered to cure the huge unemployment issue in Germany through ‘work and bread’.
- The Weimar Republic once again looked weakened and the Nazis seemed to be the solution, offering a strong dictatorship in its place.
- Hitler appealed to many as he was known to be charismatic and a skillful public speaker. The organisation of the Nazis in their rallies also drew people to vote for them.
How did Hitler help the Nazi Party gain popularity?
- He was a strong leader and mesmerising public speaker.
- He travelled the country giving rousing speeches.
- Hitler’s hatred of Jews struck a chord with many people, as they were seen as a convenient scapegoat for Germany’s problems.
- He was seen as their last hope.
- He understood the importance of effective propaganda and created easily recognisable symbols such as the swastika, which he designed.
What was the Nazi Party message?
Hitler adapted his message depending on his audience. If he was speaking to businessmen, he would talk about how the Nazis would solve the Great Depression. To workers, he said the Nazis would provide employment and food.
What did the Nazi Party do when they came to power?
Once the Nazis had gained control of the Reichstag, they began to consolidate their power, remove all opposition and create a totalitarian dictatorship in Germany.
How did the Nazi Party control the legal system?
Once in power, the Nazis abolished trials by jury. All decisions were left to the judges. All judges had to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law and take the Hitler oath. Judges were required to rule in the Nazis’ favour.
How did the Nazi Party use censorship?
- Any books written by Jews, or which disagreed with the Nazi Party’s beliefs, were burned.
- All scripts for plays, films or radio shows had to conform to Nazi beliefs. Writers were told what to say.
- Only newspapers that supported the Nazi Party and spread their propaganda were allowed to operate.
- Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, ensured anything which was published conformed to party ideals.
What was the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
The Munich Beer Hall Putsch, was an armed uprising led by Hitler. He planned to establish a dictatorship in the Bavarian city of Munich, with the ultimate aim of overthrowing the Weimar Republic. It was the last in a series of uprisings that threatened the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923.
When was the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
The Munich Beer Hall Putsch happened on the night of 8th November, 1923 and the morning of 9th November, 1923.
What caused the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
- Many people resented the Weimar Republic because they blamed the republic for Germany’s defeat in the First World War and the government were known as the ‘November Criminals’ for signing the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.
- Hitler was inspired by the actions of Benito Mussolini, who had overthrown democracy and set up a dictatorship in Italy in 1922.
- The Nazi Party had grown to around 55,000 members in Bavaria by 1923.
- The hyperinflation of 1923 had weakened the Weimar Republic, so it seemed that it was the perfect time for Hitler to organise a Putsch.
- The former commander-in-chief of the army during the First World War, General Ludendorff, gave Hitler his support. General Ludendorff was very popular in Germany and had a great deal of influence in the German Army.
What were the main events of the Munich Beer Hall Putsch?
- Hilter took over a political meeting at a beer hall being held by Gustav von Kahr, the leader of Bavaria’s state government, von Seisser, the head of the Bavarian police, and von Lossow, the head of the German Army in Bavaria.
- The three men were forced to agree to Hitler’s plan of a Putsch at gunpoint. They were then released on 9th November, 1923.
- Under Röhm, the SA took over the local police and army headquarters.
- On 9th November, Hitler and his supporters marched on the town centre of Munich.
- The police stopped them. Sixteen members of the Nazi Party were killed and Hitler fled, although he was arrested on 11th November, 1923.
