9B Rise of the Nazi Party (1919-1934) Flashcards
(10 cards)
How was the Nazi Part Born?
- The German Workers’ Party was led by Anton Drexler initially.
- Hitller joined in 1919 and was quickly put in charge of propaganda.
- In 1920 the party announced its 25 Point Programme, and renamed it the National Socialists German Workers’ Party (Nazis)
- Hitler became leader of the party after reomving Drexler as leader in 1921.
- He set up the SA (also known as Stormtroopers or Brownshirts) to protect meetings of the Nazis and to disrupt other parties.
What did Hitler do to try and appeal to people?
- He stirred up nationalist passions.
- He gave them scapegoats to blame for Germany’s problems e.g. Jewish people, TOV, Communists
- He used the TOV to cirtisice the Weimar Government and show a vision for the future
What was the Munich Putsch?
- On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 SA members burst into a meeting that Gustav von Kahr (the head of the Bavarian government) and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall.
- Hitler fired shots into the ceiling and declared that the national revolution had begun. Hitler used exaggerations and lies- he told the men in the building they were surrounded by 600 of Hitler’s men and that there was a machine gun. He also said that the state and national government had already fallen.
- The Bavarian leaders were taken into a small room by Hitler to try and gain support. At the same time, the crowd in the beer hall began to get rowdy. Hitler returned and took to the podium: he gave a passionate speech and changed the mood of the crowd to support him by playing on their nationalism.
- A leading Nazi figure left to collect General Ludendorff- Germany’s wartime leader- who gave Hitler his support. This led to the Bavarian leaders reluctantly agreeing to Hitler’s scheme.
- Hitler crucially left the beer hall- when he returned the Bavarian leaders had abandoned the cause.
- The next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and the SA went into Munich on what they thought would be a triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements. There was a short scuffle in which the police killed 16 members of the SA.
- Hitler crawled away at the first opportunity while Ludendorff was peacefully arrested. Hitler was tracked down two days later and arrested.
What were the short term and long term impacts of the Munich Putsch?
Short term (Failures):
- The Nazis had ben humiliated.
- The putsch had failed and the Nazi Party was banned - they went through the ‘lean years’ where they had less support.
- Hitler went to prison and there was no leader of the Nazi party therefore they were unorganised
Long term (Success):
- Hitler usde his trial to publisice his views - the trial lasted 24 days and it was a media sensation. His trial was published in newspapers helping gain national coverage for his views and opinions.
- Hitler was sentenced to five years (he only served 9 months) in Landsberg Prison on the charges of treason. He got off lightly as many of the judges were sympathetic to Hitler’s ideas.
- During his time in Prison, Hitler wrote a book called Men Kampf (my struggle) which became a bestseller: it described his life and his politcal views.
- The failure of the Putsch made Hitler rethink his party tactics. he needed to gain power democratically.
- Hitler took inspiration form communist youth orgnaisation and recruitment drives and decided he needed to do the same.
- Nazi candidates stood in the Reichstag eelctions for the first time in May 1924 and won 32 seats.
- Inspired by this set up a network of local Nazi parties which in turn set up the Hitler Youth and the Nazi Students’ League (inspired by communist youth organisations).
- As a result of the ‘lean years’ the Nazi Party was recognised and re-launched and Hitler re-established his authority as a leader at the Bamberg conference in 1926.
What did the Nazis stand for in the 1920s and who voted for them?
- Hitler wanted to abolish the Treaty of Versailles (seen as diktat). As an ex-soldier, he felt betrayed by the November Criminals and hated the Treaty. He promised that if he became leader of Germany he would reverse the treaty.
- Hitler wanted to reclaim the land that Germany had lost. He wanted to unite volksdeutsche (German speakers) and create a greater Germany. This involved wanting German minorities in other countries such as Czechoslovakia to rejoin Germany and completing Anschluss. He also wanted to create lebensraum (living space) for German people in Eastern Europe, by taking control of more land there.
- Hitler wanted to defeat Communism and the Bolsheviks. This would happen by creating a German Empire carved out of the Soviet Union. He used jews, LGBT members, immagrants and disabled people as scape goats for germany’s problems.
- He targeted farms since they saw Weimar culture as negative and favoured the simple lifestyle. They were also negelcted under Streseman’s policies since they didn’t beneif like industrial workers. 35% of the German population were based on agriculture. A Nazi election poster from 1928 had a farmer with the slogan ‘Work, Freedom and bread! Vote for the National Socialists.’
Who voted for Nazis
- Some peasant farmers, especially in northern Germany - Nazis promised to help agriculture and praised peasants as racially pure.
- Some lower middle-class shopkeepers and small businessmen - who were struggling to make ends meet under the Weimar Republic and had been badly hit by the hyperinflation.
- Some conservative middle-class people in towns - who liked the Nazi condemnation of Weimar culture as immoral.
- BUT not much support from workers - who either voted Communist or (especially) Socialist.
- In 1928 they only won 12 Reichstag seats. A fringe party with only 3% of the vote.
Who were key figures in the Nazi Party and how did they help it develop?
Ernst Rohm:
- Captain in the German army during WWI
- Took part in the failed Munich Putsch and then left Germany
- Returned when Hitler asked him to be head of the SA
- Rohm was the head of the SA
- He was responsible for organising the SA into a paramilitary force
- SA members marched, held parades, and attacked opponents.
- By 1928 membership of the party tose to 100,000
- By 1931, the SA numbered 1,000,000.
Joseph Goebbels:
- Joined the party after taking an interest in Hitler during his trail for the Munich Putsch
- Charismatic public speaker
- Elected to the Reichstag in 1928
- Goebbels was in charge of Nazi propaganda
- Propagated the Fuhrer myth
- He used posters, rallies, and the Nazi newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter (People’s Observer) to promote Nazi views.
Heinrich Himmler:
- Was an SA member during the Munich Putsch
- Persuaded Hitler to separate the SA from the SS in 1927
- Himmler was made head of the SS in 1929
- He expanded the SS and by 1933 it had over 50,000 members
- SS were used as personal bodyguards for Nazi leaders, meant to represent the Nazi Party elite
How did the Great depression impact Germany?
The Wall Street Crash:
October 1929, the Wall Street crash took place. After WWI, many Americans’ bought shares in companies. By October 1929, many Americas hadn’t made as much money as they hoped from their shares and decided to sell them very quickly. But the share prices dropped as more and more people tried to sell their shares. Millions of Americans couldn’t sell their shares for the amount they paid, and some couldn’t pay banks back either and were left ruined. Soon, many Americans couldn’t afford to buy any new goods at all and as a result, firms went out of business and millions lost their jobs.
Americans didn’t just buy goods that were made in the USA, they also bought items from other countries such as Germany. The Depression meant that Americans could no longer afford these goods, so foreign factories shut down as the demand for German goods fell (adopted a policy of isolationism). Goods made in German factories such as cars, electrical goods and clothing, were not selling as Americans had less money to spend, so factories had to close, and millions became jobless. To make matters worse, American banks demanded back all the money they had lent to Germany after WWI. German banks tried to get their money back from German businesses, which could not pay, and so went bankrupt.
How did this impact Germany?
- Germany could no longer export goods to America such as cars which led to factories shutting down and loss of jobs
- America demandaded the Loan back of 800 million gold marks under the dawes plan
This led to:
- By January 1932 unemployment had reached 6 million
- Business closed: around 50 000 German firms closed between 1929 and 1932
- Crime also increased as many young people were unable to find employmnet and stole to survive: berlin saw 24% increase in arrests for theft.
- In July 1930 Chancelllor Bruning cut government expenditure, wages, and unemployment pay by 60%. This meant unemployment continued to rise as well as making those who had lost their jobs even poorer
- Germans began to lose faith in the Weimar government and looked to extreme parties. The Nazi’s used the slogan ‘Work and Bread’. In 1930 the Nazis got 107 seats which rose to 230 in July 1932 making them the single biggest party, however, they didn’t yet have a majority.
- The rise in extremist parties in the Reichstag meant that the Chancellor, Brüning, found it hard to get approval for his actions (e.g., cutting unemployment benefit). As a result, President Hindenburg used Article 48 to govern.
The great depression led to economic turmoil in Germany since the gerneal population couldn’t afford basic necessities which was reminiescent of hyperinflation. People were left improversihed and disposses after the depression with a very low standard of living. The depression led to falling popularity of the Weimar government and a rise in extremeist sympathies due to the desperation of the German people. The Nazi’s 25 points were attractive to the most vulnerable as they offered scape goats for their problems.
Why did the Nazis gain popularity?
Nazi campaigning:
- Between 1929 and 1933, the Nazis used mass rallies, posters, banners and radio broadcasts to ensure their message was everywhere.
- The Nazis relied on general slogans (making it hard for their opponents to specifically criticise them) e.g. ‘uniting the people’ and going back to traditional values’
- Identifying scapegoats (Allies, Jews, Communists, Weimar politicians)
- Der Stürmer was a weekly Nazi tabloid which began in 1923. It was deeply anti-Semitic and could be found on sidewalks and street corners for anyone to read.
- Nazi propaganda was supported by practical action e.g. they organised soup kitchens and provided shelter in hostels for the unemployed.
- By 1932 the SA had over 1 million men
Hitler:
- Hitler was a charsimatic public speaker able who was able to sway crowds
- In 1932, Hitler used an aeroplane to take him to 20 cities in seven days to make election speeches.
Failings of the Weimar Government:
- The Weimar Government cut unemployment benefits using Article 48 during the Great Depression.
- Chancellor Bruning urged people to make sacrifices leading to German public feeling neglected.
- The SDP and Communists failed to work together - Ebert’s cruising of the Communists in 1919-1920 left too many bitter memories.
- They blamed the Weimar Governemnt for Germany’s problems, from the Great Depression to signing the Treaty of Versailles.
Negative Cohesion:
People who didn’t like the Nazis’ views still supported them because they shared some of their fears and dislikes - voting for negative rather than positive reasons.
Communist Threat:
- The Nazis were violently opposed to communism and the SA often attacked communist groups.
- Business leaders feared communism because of their plans to introduce state controls of business.
- Farmers looked to the USSR where the communist government had taken over all the land, killing and imprisoning millions in the process.
Decadence:
- The Nazis attacked Weimar Culture and talked about resoting old fashioned values.
How did Hitler become Chancellor?
1928 Election - Nazi party has 12 seats
July 1932 Election - Nazi party has 230 seats
November 1932 Election - Nazi party lost 2 million votes and 38 seats
The 1930 Reichstag election:
As usual, a coalition government was formed as no part had the majority (proportional representation). However, the elections saw the Nazi Party become the second largest party in the Reichstag winning 107 seats
1930-32:
Due to the make up of the Reichstag, Hindenberg used Article 48 during this time period to pass emergency laws without the approval of the Reichstag (underming Weimar democracy).
July 1932:
An election was called and the Nazis got 230 seats and became the single largest party (great depression) , however, this was still not a majority and so couldn’t pass laws.
Despite Hitler being the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag, Hindenberg avoided making him chancellor and instead appointed Von Papen. Because he didn’t want a right wing extremenist as head of the Reichstag
November 1932:
Even though the nazis came out as the biggest party, Hitler saw this election as a disaster. He had lost 2 million votes and attempted suicide.
As Von Papen did not have enough support in the Reichstag, he resigned in December 1932. He was replaced with Von Schleicher.
Just Like Von Papen, Von Schleicher was unable to govern with no support and the Nazis against him
Von Papen can see Von Schleicher stuggling and sees and opportunity to win back power.
he persuaded Hindenbyrg to appoint hitler as the Chancellor and himself (Von Papen) as vice chancellor. They though that in this way Hitler could be controlled.
January 1933:
Hitler is appoitned Chancellor o 30th January 1933/
Why did Hindenberg do this?
- Keep your friends close but enemies closer because he though he would be able to control Hitler
- Hitler had control of the alrget portion of the Reichstag so by controlling Hitler he would control the Reichstag.
What was the Reichstag fire and how did Hitler use it to usurp power?
- In February 1933, the Reichstag building burned down. Hitler blamed Marius Van Der Lubbe for starting the fire, who was a communist. The Reichstag fire gave Hitler an excuse to attack communists and the same night of the fire 4000 communist leaders were arrested.
- The Reichstag fire led to Hitler passing the Emegency Decree. This gave the police power to to search houses, confiscate property, and detain people without trial. This was important as it helped Hitler persecute his opposition.
- Because Hitler was able to remove so much opposition using the emergency decree, in the March 1933 election, the Nazi Party won 288 seats. This revealed how powerful the Nazi Party was! However, this was still not a majority so Hitler would still struggle to pass laws.
- To deal with this problem, Hitler wanted more power for himself! He banned the Communist Party from the Reichstag and used the SA to intimidate other parties to vote for the Enabling Act by lining them on the walls of the Kroll Opera House. In the end, Hitler was able to pass the Act with 444 votes. The Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to make laws without the approval of the Reichstag. By passing the Enabling Act, the Reichstag no longer had power and effectively voted itself out of existence.
How did Hitler Use the enabling act?
- 7th April - fired Jews from civil service, court and education
- 1 May - Wrokers granted May Day holding
- 2 May Trade unions banned: all workers to belong to new German Labour Front (DAF)
- 9 June - Employment Law: major programme of public workers (e.g. road buildiing) to create jobs
- 14 July - Law against the formation of new parties. Germany became a One-Party State
- 20 July - Concordat (agreement) with the Roman Catholic church: government protected reigious freedom; Church banned from political activity.
- January 1934 - All state governments had been taken over.
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
Causes:
- The SA was a badly disciplined force (in comparison to the German army); they were seen as violent thugs and had a poor reputation. They had caused so much chaos that Hindenburg even threatened to enforce martial law.
- Rohm talked of making the SA into a second German army to begin a ‘second revolution’. The SA had nearly 4 million men.
As Rhom controlled Nazi physical power he had the abiltiy to overthrow Hitler
The SA under Rhom also has a bad repuration with the army and Hitler wants alligence with the army as they have the publics respects and support as a legitimate body.
Events:
- On 29th-30th June the SS broke into the homes of Rohm and other SA members and arrested them. Hitler accused Rohm of plotting to overthrow and murder him.
- The SS murdered around 400 members of the SA, including Röhm, along with several of Hitler’s other opponents like the previous Chancellor, Von Schleicher.
In the short term, this elmites SA and Rhom as a threat as SA lacks leadership and feels intimidated. In the long term it avoids rebelloions of any internal or external oppostion as it shows Hitler isn’t afraid to attack Nazis.
Consequences:
- On July 13th 1934, Hitler told the Reichstag that the SS carried out his orders.
This established that murder and violence would be commonplace and regularu used under the Nazi regime.
- Hindenburg thanked Hitler for his ‘determined action which has nipped treason in the bud’.
- The army said that it was satisfied with the events of the weekend.
- The power of the SA was reduced: its membership dropped to 1.6 million by October 1935.
Hindenburg died on 2nd August 1934 (age 86), Hitler used the Enabling Act to pass a law which abolished the position of President and combined its powers with the chancellor. His new title was Fuhrer. On the same day, the army swore an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler. In return, Hitler spent vast sums on rearmament, broguht back conscription and made plans to make Germany a great military power again.
Hitler has become the msot pwoerful person in germany with no checks or balances. Hitler can now use the legitimate body of the army to spread his terror.
