The Growth of the Nazi Party Flashcards
What 5 factors caused the growth of the Nazi Party?
- The Depression
- Germans were unhappy with the Weimar Government
- The appeal of Adolf Hitler
- Fear of the rise of other extremist parties like the Communists
- Nazi Party structure, methods and tactics
The Nazis repeated what 3 core beliefs?
-The Treaty of Versailles was a crime to Germany
-The Jews should be blamed for economic problems
-Germany should be reborn as a great and powerful country
Why did the Depression make people vote for Hitler?
Desperate Germans now wanted to believe the Nazi’s core beliefs and vote for them.
What was the relationship between unemployment and votes for Nazis?
As unemployment increased, votes for the Nazi Party increased.
What could the Weimar Politicians not seem to do regarding the Depression?
They couldn’t seem to agree on how to help the unemployed and get Germany out of the depression.
Which 2 chancellors couldn’t make an impact?
Muller and Bruning.
What was Bruning doing at one point to be able to pass laws?
Using the President’s emergency decrees and making them legal until Article 48.
What happened when Bruning tried to pass laws to seize rich people’s land and give it to poor peasants?
The new president, Hindenburg, quickly withdrew his support (Hindenburg himself owned lots of land). Without this support, Bruning resigned.
What did many ordinary Germans think about the democratic system of Weimar Germany?
That it was just not working.
Give an example of how support for the Nazi Party increased:
They had 12 seats in May 1928, and 196 in November 1932.
Give an example of how support for the Communist Party increased:
They had 54 seats in May 1928 and 100 in November 1932.
How did the appeal of Hitler increase the support for the Nazis?
He had a charismatic personality, and could make people believe that he could be trusted to make Germany a great nation. As a powerful and inspiring speaker, he was able to fill his audiences with hope.
Who were the most frightened of German Communists and why?
Middle and upper-class Germans, particularly business men and landowners, because they didn’t want to lose the wealth and position in society that they had worked so hard to build.
Why did Hitler gain support from the German middle and upper-classes?
Because he promised to deal with the communist threat. He also sent his own private army, the Stormtroopers (SA), to fight with communist gangs.
After prison, Hitler and the Nazis wanted to spread their ideas how?
Systematically, and to build up support through an effective combination of persuasion and intimidation.
