appeal of the nazi party

propaganda and charisma

• developed a cult of the Führer, creating the impression of Hitler’s appeal

• Hitler’s oratorical skills made him more relatable to the German people

• propaganda helped spread their agenda to the masses and tailored propaganda regarding economic hardships and unemployment hit well with farmers and peasants who suffered the brunt of economic repercussions (eg. “Unsere letzte Hoffnung: Hitler” poster — published in 1932 during Presidential elections and depicted the German population suffering from the effects of the GD)

  • certain propaganda also turned Germans against other groups like the communists

time: Post Great Depression — experiencing severe economic hardship and high unemployment left the German public feeling helpless and desperate for a solution they felt democracy was unable to bring

anger at the TOV

many of the Nazi Party’s key ideologies involved repairing the damages caused to Germany, socially and economically

• Ideology of strong Germany

  • appealed to a prideful German people who were humiliated after the the TOV, which involved the war guilt and reparations clause, AND the invasion of Ruhr

  • exclusion of LON served as further humiliation

• Lebensraum

  • reclaim territory lost to Poland and Czechoslovakia after the signing of the TOV (territory changes)

fear of communism

By the 1930s Reichstag Elections, the Nazi Party had established themselves as a strong anti-communist party which appealed to the German public, as Europe feared communist popularity and its potential to take over as the main form of government

IMPACT: earned support from the middle class, industrialists (who also provided funding for the Nazis) and conservatives and therefore expanded the party’s popularity and reach to more demographics within the German public

• middle class knew communists were hostile to them

• industrialists feared state control of their businesses

• landowning farmers feared losing their land and being killed, just as the communists had done in USSR

scapegoating

The Nazis gave the German public a scapegoat for all the problems they were faced with by feeding into Anti-semitism, thus providing a common enemy for them to work against and presenting the Nazi party as the best fit to handle said problem (considering it is created and faked by them)

weakness of the Weimar Republic

• After the GD, the Grand Coalition collapsed due to infighting and led to great political instability, President relied on emergency powers to continue to govern the country

  • 3 chancellors in 3 years

• Frequent changes in gov. and increased violence under said governance led to distrust and loss of faith in democracy

• Nazis promised swift, decisive leadership