Studied by 2 people
Economic factors
WW1 consequences - war debts, reparations, occupation of the Ruhr
1923 hyperinflation - value of mark fell to 4.2 quadrillion
Great Depression 1929 - unemployment, 10,000 businesses closed per year
economic difficulties from Depression made votes for NDSAP rise to 18.3%, never before had double figures
lower middle class most affected by Depression, voting sympathies went to Nazi party as promising to lower unemployment
Social divisions
hatred for November Criminals and Weimar government
united through ultra-nationalism, which Nazi party appealed to
communists vs nationalists and their frequent violent meetings on streets
hatred of Slavs, Jews exploited - Mein Kampf - common goal to work against
class division: Landbund (landlords) pledged support to Nazi party in 1931 after promising to protect from land-grabbing communists, lower middle class being enormously affected by the Great Depression
War
economic difficulties
alienated the people and the government
uprisings - Munich Putsch and Hitler’s subsequent arrest gave him platform
Political system
Weimar failed to solve economic problems for Germany
proportional representation - majority not possible so Reichstag reliant on Hindenburg to rule by decree
Article 48 allowed Reich President to make decisions without approval of the Reichstag
presidential elections every 7 years - April 1932 Hitler 13 milion votes: Hindenburg 19 million votes
rivalry between von Papen and von Schleicher for Chancellor, Schleicher managed to persuade Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor
Coercion/force
against political opponents: SA/brownshirts under Rohm, ex-soldiers/unemployed men, attacked Jews and communists, disrupted opponents meetings, violent marches and processions by torchlight
against civilians: SS taken over by Himmler in 1929, by 1933 had 35,000 members. Chosen for being fanatically loyal to Hitler, racial purity. Uniforms featured death head badge, all black uniforms, lightning-bolt badges - created fear.
against Weimar government: Munich Putsch backed up by the SA, armed procession through Munich, returned fire to the police
Propaganda
Mein Kampf defined Hitler’s ideas surrounding German nationalism and hatred of Jews - also shown in posters
message: ‘Bread and work’ aimed at working class and their fear of unemployment
Gobbels displayed Hitler as strong and capable leader
for Hitler, working people, mothers
Ideology
Hitler’s blaming of Jewish-Bolshevik plot for Germany’s crisis and appealed to nationalist’s sense of victimhood - idea stemmed from Hitler’s association with the White Emigrees
Aryan race
hatred of communists + Jews
Hitler took ideas that were already popular in Germany to appeal to more people in votes
Leaders
Ernst Rohm - leader of SA, brief imprisonment for role in Munich Putsch
Himmler - leader of SS which he expanded massively
Goring - minister in Reichstag, had the ear of Hindenburg
Hindenburg - appointed Hitler as Chancellor
Goebbels - propaganda minister
Note
Flashcard