3. Rise of Hitler (~Jan 1933)

German workers party (1920-22)

• 1919 Hitler working for the German army monitoring the extremist political activity in Munich

• German worker’s party established in 1919 by Anton Drexter

• Core beliefs: 

  • Anti democratic and pro authoritarian rule

  • Jews have made Germany weak

  • Communism caused the fall of Kaiser

  • WR are traitors

• Hitler joins in September 1919

  • In February 1920, he is in charge of propaganda

  • He and Drexler write the 25 point programme 

  • Renamed the party’s to National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP)

• 1921 Hitler becomes the new leader

  • Party aims are deliberately broad to appeal to multiple parties 

  • However key aims are still present: 

    • anti-treaty of Versailles

    • Anti semitism 

About Hitler

• He is a talented speaker 

• Critics of the Weimar Republic like him

• End of 1920: 1100 members (vs 6 in 1919)

• Buy a newspaper: ‘People’s observer’ 

• Development of the military wing (Initially) SA (brown shirts)

  • Ex-soldiers (Freikorps), many unemployed because of war

  • Leader: Ernst Rohm 

  • Appealing to Freikorps because they get paid, fed and given accommodation 

  • Aim: disrupt meetings of opposition, especially communists 

  • SA is appealing to many Germans because they give a sense of order and power, through their parades

  • Shock troop: bodyguards of Hitler

• Swastika, Hitler salute, makes powerful friends (eg. Ludendorff) 

Background knowledge of Munich Putsch

• Aim: overthrow the Weimar Republic, starting in Bavaria

  • Belief that the Bavarian army would support (central to the success of Munich Putsch)

  • Bavarian government was anti-Weimar Republic

    • Von Kahr and Lussow have been openly critical

    • They had ignored SA violence, so Hitler believes they would support him

• Support for Weimar Republic was low due to the French occupation of the Ruhr and hyperinflation, so Hitler thought this was a good time

• Hitler is inspired by Fascists (Mussolini) with a march on Rome 

  • Nazi Party support had increased 

    • 20,000 members by November 1923, so Hitler believes the people would support him and Ludendorff 

Munich Putsch events (1923)

• What Happened?

  • On 8–9 November 1923, Hitler and 600 SA stormtroopers attempted to overthrow the Weimar government in Munich.

  • Key figures involved: General Ludendorff (WWI hero), Gustav von Kahr (Bavarian leader).

• 8th November 

  • SA storm into a beer hall (where Bavarian government are speaking), and force Kahr and Lussow to support his Putsch

    • There is violence and intimidation, so Lussow and Kahr agree (after they agree, Lussow and Kahr are allowed to leave)

    • Lussow and Kahr leaves and informs Ebert 

    • Ebert alerts a national emergency, and orders Lussow to crush the rebellion 

    • Hitler panics so Ludendorff convinces him that the Bavarian army will join them 

• 9th November 

  • Hitler and 2000 Nazis march in the street of Munich, expecting people to join them 

  • However, they are confronted by the police and army 

    • 14 Nazis are killed 

    • Hitler is shot and flees in a yellow car

• 11th November

  • Hitler is arrested 

Outcome of Munich Putsch

• February 1924, HItler (and other Nazi leaders) are put on trial for treason (which would normally end in a death penalty)

• Positive for Nazis: 

  • Hitler uses the court as a stage

  • Judges are sympathetic and gains a lot of media coverage

  • He uses the trial to attack the Weimar Republic, leading to him gaining lots of support

    • he was seen as a nationalist defending Germany

  • Hitler gets a very lenient sentence (5 years, shortened to 9 months)

    • Goes to landsberg castle, which has very relaxed conditions

    • Hitler is allowed visitors and materials (Hitler brings books) 

    • Hitler uses his time in prison to plan and reflect 

• Negatives for Nazis: 

  • Nazi party is banned 

    • However, ban is not enforced 

Nazi Party 1925-28

• February 1925, ban against the Nazi party is lifted 

• 4000 supporters turn up to the first meeting to hear Hitler speak, showing there has not been a huge damage to his reputation

• 1925: Mein Kampf becomes a best selling book 

  • Ideas about Master race

  • Ideas about lebenstraum 

  • contains lots of anti-semitism 

  • talks about how war with Russia is needed 

  • talks about how democracy is weak 

• Party reorganization 

  • Headquarters are in Munich 

  • Divides Germany into 34 districts. Each with a gauleiter (a leading Nazi) in charge

  • Aim is to increase support, propaganda and meetings 

  • 1926: Bramburg conferences, readouts the 25 point programme as the aims 

  • 1926: 1st rally (Nuremberg rally)

  • Set up Hitler Youth and Nazi Women’s League (to broaden appeal) 

  • Set up the SS

  • Goebbels in charge of propaganda

  • Focused on winning votes from farmers

Impacts of Nazi reorganization

• 1929: 100,000 members 

• 1928: Only 12 seats in the Reichstag (they previously had 32 in 1924)

  • They are doing badly because of the support for Stresemann’s policies. 

  • This decreased support and appeal for extremist parties

• 1928: 18% farmers voted for the Nazis, but in cities (like Ruhr and Berlin) they have less than 1%

Great Depression (1929~1932)

Trigger: Wall Street crash in October 1929 (which caused global economic crisis)

Impact on Germany:

• heavy reliance on US loans (Dawes Pla, 1924) made Germany very vulnerable

• By 1932, German industrial production fell by 40%

• Unemployment reached 6 million (30% of the workforce)

Economic effects of Great Depression

• businesses closed and bank collapsed

• Farmers faced falling prices and widespread bankruptcies

• Poverty increased, even for middle class families who had recovered during Stresemann’s years

Social effects of the Great Depression

• Young

  • 50% of 16-30 year olds are unemployed in 1933

• Factory workers

  • 40% are unemployed 

  • suffer from high food prices and high taxes

  • at the same time, the suffer from the cut of unemployment benefits

• Farmers 

  • In debt 

  • Increased the support for the Nazis

• Business owners 

  • less spending, less trade means many businesses close, causing suffering

• Starvation and desperation pushed citizens towards extremist ideologies

Political effects of the Great Depression

• Great coalition collapses 

  • Political stability in the 20s is gone 

  • Bruning (centre) and Muller (SDP) fall out 

  • Bruning becomes chancellor

    • He does not have the majority support of the Reichstag so he rules by the Article 48 (Emergency decree)

    • From 1930, Germany isn’t run as a democracy

    • Known as the ‘Hunger Chancellor’ and is very unpopular 

    • Bruning increases taxes, reduces and eventually cuts unemployment benefits and increases suffering of the German people

    • Results are that more Germans support and vote for extremist parties, in hope of a solution to reduce their suffering 

  • In 1930, Nazis won 107 seats, communists won 77

Nazi responses

• promised jobs, economic stability and ending reparations

• Propaganda that depicted Hitler as Germany’s savior

• Nazi’s message appealed to the unemployed, middle class and business leaders fearing communism

Significance

• depression created an environment of desperation and hopelessness, allowing extremist parties to rise

• Nazis capitalized on the crisis, undermining democracy and gaining mass support

• Hitler’s promises became more appealing

Appeal of Hitler to German people

• Shown to be a superhuman, demigod, savior and a strong decisive leader

  • “Make Germany strong again” 

  • “Germany’s last hope” 

  • “Smash chains of Versailles”

• Appeals to powerful elements in German society like the industrialists as they fear communism 

  • They put pressure on Hindenburg

  • Give money to Nazis (used to fight the elections)

Role of SA in Hitler becoming chancellor

• 1930, SA has 400,000 members 

• Rallies give a show of their strength 

• Symbols, flags, lights and swords create an idea of a better future

• they undermine the communists, disrupting meetings 

  • Used violence to intimidate opposition and voters 

Role of Propaganda in making Hitler become chancellor

• Members trained in public speaking 

• unpopular messages are quickly changed 

• Use of new technology 

  • ‘Hitler over Germany’ - Airplane

  • In 6 days, Hitler spoke in 20 cities

• They own 8 papers, and posters targeted different groups 

Hitler becoming chancellor

• April 1932

  • Hitler runs for president against Hindenburg

  • He comes second and wins 13 million votes

    • Raises his profile and political reputation 

• July elections 1932

  • Hitler’s raised profile benefits the Nazi party

  • The Nazi party became the largest party in the Reichstag, with 230 seats (37.4% of the vote.) 

    • Increased political unrest. Bruning tries to ban the SA

    • Bruning is sacked and Hindenburg should’ve appointed Hitler chancellor then, but instead appoints Von Papen 

• Von Papen

  • He does not have the support of the Reichstag

  • Nazis refuse to cooperate until Hitler is made chancellor 

    • However, Hindenburg refuses (Hindenburg hates Hitler) 

  • So, Von Papen holds another election in November to gain more support 

• November 1932 elections

  • The Nazi party is still the largest party but now have lost some support

    • 230 seats -> 190 seats

• Role of the Elite

  • Elite: powerful businessmen and elites write to Hindenburg and ask him to make Hitler the chancellor

    • This was because there was an increase of street violence (between SA and communism) and a fear of communism 

    • Elites prefer Nazis over communists, and fear that if Nazis lose more support, communists will exploit the situation 

• Von Papen resigns after seeing he doesn’t have support. 

  • Hindenburg appoints Von Schleicher chancellor instead 

    • It leaks Von Schleicher wanted Hindenburg to make him a head of military dictatorship 

    • Von Schleicher has the same problem as Papen - he does not have the support of the Reichstag 

• Von Papen comes back and persuaded Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor and himself vice-chancellor

  • Says “we’ve hired him”

    • They aimed to use the Nazi support to control the Reichstag, and dispose of Hitler once they are done

    • Hindenburg reluctantly agrees: Hitler becomes chancellor on 30th January 1933