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How had Hitler become leader of the Nazi Party?
The Nazi’s started as the German Workers’ Party led by Anton Drexler. In 1919, Hitler joined when he learnt of their similar ideologies. Drexler realised that Hitler had great talent as a propagandist and within months put him in charge of propaganda and the political ideas of the party. In 1920, the party announced its Twenty-Five-Point Programme and renamed itself the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazis. In 1921, Hitler removed Drexler as leader. Hitler’s energy, commitment and power as a speaker were soon attracting attention.
What were some of the points from the 25 Point Program?
- The abolition of the Treaty of Versailles
- The union of all Germans in a Greater Germany - involved expanding Germany’s borders to include Germans in Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia
- Only true Germans to be allowed to live in Germany. Jews in particular were excluded.
- Large industries and businesses to be nationalised.
- Improved welfare provision for the elderly
- A strong central government to be formed.
Who were the SA?
Set up by Hitler in August 1921, the SA (also known as Stormtroopers or Brownshirts) were thugs hired to protect the people attending Hitler’s meetings but also disrupted the meetings of other political parties. Many of the SA (about 55%) were unemployed, while others were ex-servicemen from the war. Led by Ernst Rohm.
Who were the SS?
Set up in 1925 by Hitler, the SS were similar to the SA but were more loyal to Hitler and were often more respected by the public than the SA. Led by Heinrich Himmler.
What were the causes of the Munich Putsch?
- Stresemann and Ebert had called off passive resistance in the Ruhr and paid reparations. This was seen as an admittance of guilt to starting WW1 by the nationalists, which they wouldn’t tolerate.
- Hitler wanted to exploit the discontent of the German people following the end of the Ruhr crisis and hyperinflation before the unrest died down
- By 1923, the Nazis had 55,000 members and were stronger than ever before
- The SA were also strong but Hitler knew he’d lose control of them if he did not give them something to do
- The army had put down a left-wing revolt in Saxony, Hitler felt a right-wing crackdown was also coming
- General Ludendorff had leant Hitler his support, and Hitler thought his influence would influence the army to support the putsch. He also thought he had the support of important nationalist politicians in Bavaria.
What were the events of the Munich Putsch?
On the 8th of November, Hitler, with the support of Ludendorff, and 600 Storm Troopers forced their way into a government meeting led by the Bavarian PM Gustav Kahr. He holds them at gunpoint and forces them to support his revolution. Meanwhile the members of the SA began to take over official buildings in Munich. The next day, Kahr went back on his promise and when Hitler staged a march through Munich, armed police immediately got involved and opened fire on them, which brought the march to an end. 16 Nazis were killed and Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested.
Why did the Munich Putsch fail?
- The Putsch was poorly organised. Had Ludendorff not released the Bavarian leaders right after forcing them to make their statement and instead persuaded them to support their cause then things likely would have be different.
- The Bavarian politicians were ultimately loyal to the Weimar Republic
- Hitler had overestimated the support and power of the Nazis.
What were the consequences of the Munich Putsch?
- Hitler was arrested and NSDAP was banned
- The putsch failed and was obviously a setback in Hitler’s takeover attempt
- Gave Nazi party publicity and gained 32 seats in the Reichstag in the May 1924 election
- Led to the Nazis to use democratic means to come into power and destroy democracy from within (which was more successful)
- While Hitler was in prison, he wrote Mein Kampf, which refined political ideas and allowed more publicity for his beliefs and the party.
What were the ideas and beliefs in the Mein Kampf?
- Germans/Aryans were the master race and the Jewish were plotting to undermine them and “dilute their blood”
- Germans had to reverse ToV and achieve lebensraum by invading Russia
- Industry and land should benefit the working class, not the wealthy landowners and industrialists
- Democracy was weak and Germany needed one strong leader
- Traditional family values including a rejection of the “decadant” art, music and theatre
How did the Nazi party reorganise?
Munich was established as the central hub. The rest of Germany was divided into 35 regions and the Nazis had a local leader in each - lots of powerful figures rose to power this way, including Goebbels of the Rhineland.
How was the Nazi Party funded?
Hitler persuaded owners of companies that shared his political views. Big corporations such as Thyssen, Krupp and Bosch funded the Nazi Party. This is because they believed the Nazis would limit the power of trade unions, which could made unreasonable demands for pay and benefits and had strong ties with Communism.
How else did the Nazis change their tactics?
- Goebbels took charge of propaganda. He organised rallies, delivered speeches and set up photo opportunities. He also produced posters, leaflets, films and radio broadcasts
- Expanded the SA to 400,000 members and established the SS.
- Hitler Youth and Nazi Students League were also set up
Why did the Nazis have such little success between 1924 and 1929?
- Stresemann’s policies helped stabilise the Germany economy and his foreign policy successes improved Germany’s standings, which meant the people stopped blaming the government
- The economic boon meant that people were happy and wealthy and were not voting for extremist parties. Nazis also focused on winning over the working class, which was a mistake because they were mainly socialist and Communist
- Hindenburg becomes president in 1925, which increases Weimar support and weakened extremist parties that wanted to get rid of it
How did the Wall Street Crash helped the Nazis?
- Businesses closed, incomes fell and businessmen had to pay more tax to support the poor
- Half of all Germans between 16-30 were unemployed and 60% of new graduates could not get a job. 6 million people were unemployed by the end of 1932
- Since the 1920s, prices had been falling, which led to farmers’s debts increasing
- 40% of all factory workers were unemployed, benefits were cut and many were in extreme poverty
This all created resentment for the Weimar Republic and lead to people looking to support extremist parties that criticised the government.
What strengths of the Nazi party led to its success in the 1930s?
- The Nazis used general slogans instead of specific policies when promoting the party. If a policy was not received well, such as the opposition from industrialists to the nationalisation of industry, the party would drop it.
- They used lots of propaganda, such as mass rallies, books, torchlight processions, radio etc
- The use of force from the SS and SA, they would beat up opponents, which intimidated the public (SA) and gave the impression of action, organisation and discipline, in contrast to the chaos of the Weimar (the SS)
- The Nazis organised soup kitchens and hostels to give shelter to the unemployed, who were now grateful for the Nazis
- Hitler was an outstanding public speaker and rallies were often very lively whenever he spoke
What other factors led to Nazi support?
- People began to realise that the Weimar’s democracy was not helping them. The government was unable to tackle the problems of the Depression. Chancellor Brunig cut government spending and welfare benefits when the Depression hit. It was said he did this to make the situation worse in order to get the international community to cancel reparations payments but it still increased resentment towards the government
- Many unemployed began to support Communism, however many still feared the ideology. Businessmen didn’t want their businesses to be state-controlled and farmers didn’t want their land to be taken over. Turned both these groups towards Nazi ideology.
- The Nazis promised to restore the old-fashioned values and get rid of the decadence of the Weimar Republic
How did Hitler become Chancellor by 1933?
Despite having earned 230 seats (majority) in the Reichstag after the July 1932, Hindenberg refused to allow Hitler to become Chancellor. Instead, Franz von Papen was appointed following Bruning’s resignation (May 1932) and kept his role after the July elections. However, he wasn’t able to get support due to the lack of Nazi cooperation. Elections were held again in November 1932. The Nazis lose 34 seats in the next election, however they were still the largest party. In December 1932, Von Schleicher is chosen as Chancellor however he wasn’t able to get Reichstag support either. Von Papen makes a secret agreement with Hitler, he’ll help Hitler become Chancellor in exchange for a seat. Von Papen then convinces Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, believing that Hitler can be controlled. On the 30th of January, Hitler is appointed as Chancellor.
What happened in the Reichstag Fire of the 27th February?
Hitler called for elections March 1933, hoping to get an overall majority in the Reichstag, however it seems like the Communists are about to get more seats. However, on the 27th of February, the Reichstag building burns down and a Dutch Communist, van der Lubbe, was arrested and executed for the crime. Hitler immediately used this as an opportunity to get the Communists out oof the elections. He claimed that the fire was a Communist plot and persuaded Hindenburg to issue an emergency decree that suspended personal freedoms and increased police powers. He also used this to arrest Communist, break up meetings and frighten voters
How did the March 1933 elections go?
The Nazis were able to secure 288 seats, and along with allying with the Nationalists, they now had a 52% votes. They were also able to ban the Communists from the Reichstag. This meant that Hitler could now alter the constitution.
How did the Enabling Act get passed on the 23rd March 1933?
The Enabling Act was a law that would allow Hitler to act without consulting the Reichstag. Hitler would need a 2/3 majority to get this passed. He convinced the Catholic Centre Party to pass this by making a deal with them to keep control of their schools in exchange for their votes in favor of the act. He additionally has SA and SS present and surrounding the Knoll Opera House throughout the vote to intimidate the members. This causes the vote to pass by 444 to 94 (opposed by Social Democrats), which made Hitler a dictator.
What did Hitler do with his new power?
- In May 1933, trade unions, with their potential communist leanings were abolished. Strikes were made illegal
- All political parties (except the Nazi party) were banned
- The Civil Service was purged of all Jews and “enemies of the state” to be loyal and reliable
- Regional parliaments were abolished and in April 1933, Nazi state governors were appointed with powers to make state laws,
What were the reasons for the Night of Long Knives?
- Hitler needed t send a clear signal to the army that they were to remain a special, highly-trained professional body, central to his plans. Otherwise they could launch a coup against him as they were suspicious of his motives and were led by Hindenburg
- The army and leaders of the SS saw Rohm as a threat and wanted to remove Rohm. They told Hitler they heard Rohm was plotting a coup and urged him to remove him from power.
- Rohm was becoming a threat. He had begun to express disappointment with Nazi achievements and argued in favour of a “second revolution”. This would have involved policies such as nationalisation which would have upset business leaders, as he felt like Hitler had abandoned the party’s working class supporters. The SA were also becoming more loyal to Rohm after feeling undervalued by Hitler.
- Hitler needed to reassure the army and show the SA leadership who was in control
What were the events of the Night of Long Knives?
On 30th June 1934, Hitler ordered the SS to break into Rohm’s and other SA leader’s homes and arrested and executed them. Over the weekend, as many as 400 other members were killed. These included von Schleicher, a critic of Hitler and others who had little connection to Rohm. Hindenburg thanked Hitler for his determined action against treason.
What were the effects of The Night of Long Knives?
- Destroyed all opposition to the Nazis
- Gave more power to the SS
- Discouraged potential opponents, they knew they’d be dealt with ruthlessly
- It had now been proven that the army was preferred to the SA, which gained their trust and led to them swearing an oath to Hitler following the death of Hindenburg
- SA was now also under Hitler’s control and reduced in size
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