Topic 3-The rise of the Nazis

Topic 3 — The Rise of the Nazis, 1919–33 Flashcards, SPEND banks and exam technique (6 / 8 / 16 markers)

1D. Depression and growing support, 1929–32

1E. The political deal, 1930–33

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PART 2 — SPEND BANKS

Learn these as numbers, names and dates. One SPEND fact per paragraph is the minimum; two is better.

2A. Early party, 1919–22

• Jan 1919 — Hitler spies on the DAP for the army; Sept 1919 — he joins.

• Feb 1920 — 25-Point Programme written with Drexler.

• 7 Aug 1920 — DAP renamed NSDAP.

• Dec 1920 — Hitler buys the Völkischer Beobachter.

• End of 1920 — membership 1,100.

• July 1921 — Hitler ousts Drexler, becomes Führer.

• 1921 — SA founded under Ernst Röhm.

• Hitler's streamlined aims: smash Versailles · anti-Semitism · anti-communism.

2B. Munich Putsch — Causes

• Anger at the Treaty of Versailles and the stab-in-the-back myth pushed nationalists towards the Nazis.

• Bavarian leaders such as Von Kahr disliked the Weimar Republic and shared Nazi views.

• Nov 1923 — hyperinflation at its peak; Hitler chose the moment of maximum instability.

• Inspired by Mussolini's March on Rome, 1922.

• Nazis had 20,000 supporters, the SA, and Ludendorff's backing — Hitler believed the army and people would follow.

2C. Munich Putsch — Events

• 8 Nov 1923 — Hitler and the SA storm the Munich Beer Hall; Kahr and Lossow forced to swear loyalty; Ludendorff to be made leader.

• 9 Nov 1923 — Lossow and Kahr withdraw support after Ebert orders the rising crushed.

• 2,000 Nazis march through Munich; police and army confront them; 14 Nazis killed.

• Hitler flees, is arrested days later.

2D. Munich Putsch — Consequences

Short term (bad): party banned · leaders imprisoned · putsch failed within 48 hours. Long term (good):

• Hitler used the trial as a stage to attack the Weimar Republic as traitors — national publicity.

• Right-wing judges were lenient: 5 years for treason; Ludendorff acquitted as a war hero.

• Served only 9 months; wrote Mein Kampf.

• Decided to seek power by legal, electoral means — the strategy that eventually worked.

2E. Reorganisation, 1924–28

• Feb 1925 — ban lifted; relaunch rally of 4,000 in the Beer Hall.

• National HQ in Munich; Germany divided into 34 Gaue.

• 1926 Bamberg Conference — Hitler confirmed leader, 25 Points re-adopted.

• 1926 — first Nazi rally at Weimar; Hitler Youth founded; SS created as personal bodyguard.

• Goebbels pushes anti-Jewish propaganda; trained speakers tour Germany; Nazi Women's League set up.

• Deliberate focus on farmers, who were suffering from falling prices and debt.

• Over 100,000 members by 1929 — yet only 12 seats in 1928, because of Stresemann's Golden Years and Hindenburg's popularity.

2F. Depression and electoral breakthrough

• Oct 1929 — Wall Street Crash.

• 107 seats, Sept 1930 election.

• Hitler ran for President, April 1932 — lost to Hindenburg but won 13 million votes.

• 230 seats, July 1932 — largest party in the Reichstag, but no majority.

• 196 seats, Nov 1932 — the Nazi vote falls back.

• 6 million unemployed by 1932; 4 in 10 without work.

• KPD won about 15% of the vote in July 1932.

• SA: 400,000 members in 1930.

• Nazis owned 8 newspapers, each aimed at a different audience.

• Hitler pledged to "smash the chains of Versailles" and make Germany strong.

• Krupp and Siemens funded the party; nationalisation was dropped to keep business support.

2G. The political deal, 1930–33

• 1930–32 — Brüning rules by Article 48; his finance bill cuts benefits and raises taxes; called the "Hunger Chancellor"; bans the SA and SS.

• Von Schleicher persuades Hindenburg to sack Brüning and install von Papen as head of an elite coalition — the "Cabinet of Barons".

• Von Papen calls an election, loses seats, resigns (Nov 1932).

• Von Schleicher becomes Chancellor, asks to suspend the constitution and run a military dictatorship; Hindenburg refuses, the plot leaks, he loses Reichstag support.

• Von Papen persuades Hindenburg to appoint Hitler with himself as vice-Chancellor, believing he can control him.

• 30 January 1933 — Hitler appointed Chancellor.

⚠ Two numbers to check with your teacher. Your SPEND sheet says the Nazis won 132 seats in July 1932, but your political-deal slide says 230 — 230 is the correct figure, so use that one. Also, Extract G on the early-party slide claims membership reached 3,000 by 1920, while your own table says 1,100 — that gap is actually useful in a 6-marker as something the author overstates.

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PART 3 — THE 6-MARKER: "What impression does the author give…?"

What it tests: how a source/extract portrays something — the impression, not whether it is true.

Structure (aim for 4–5 sentences, ~8 minutes):

1. State the overall impression in one line.

2. Quoted or paraphrased detail from the extract → "which suggests that…"

3. A second detail → "which suggests that…"

4. Comment on tone or language (optimistic / pessimistic / neutral / critical).

5. One line on what the author omits, and the misleading impression that creates.

Sentence starters from your slides:

• The author's impression about… is…

• For example, the author states that… which suggests that…

• Moreover, the author also states that… which suggests that…

• The author creates this impression by using an optimistic / pessimistic / neutral tone.

• This is supported by the use of language such as… which conveys the impression that…

• However, the author omits the fact that… This creates the misleading impression that…

Worked example — Extract G, the impact of the Munich Putsch [6]

The author's impression of the Munich Putsch is that it was a total and predictable failure for the NSDAP. For example, the author describes the police and army as far better organised than the putschists, which suggests that the Nazis were amateurish and never a serious threat. Moreover, the author points to over a dozen Nazi dead and Hitler's five-year sentence for treason, which suggests that the Putsch destroyed the party's leadership as well as its credibility. The author creates this impression through a pessimistic tone, describing the Putsch as "destined to fail", which conveys the impression that defeat was inevitable from the start. However, the author omits the fact that Hitler served only nine months, used his trial for national publicity and wrote Mein Kampf in Landsberg. This creates the misleading impression that the Putsch was purely a disaster, when in the long term it relaunched Hitler as a national figure.

Worked example — the Kershaw extract, Hitler's appointment [6]

The author's impression of Hitler's appointment as Chancellor is that it was a disaster that was never inevitable. For example, the author states that the Nazis had been a fringe irritant five years earlier, which suggests their rise depended on circumstances rather than strength. Moreover, the author lists the Young Plan, the Wall Street Crash and Brüning's 1930 election as the events that put the Nazis on the map, which suggests external crises mattered more than Nazi planning. The author uses a critical, judgemental tone, calling the handover of power the worst possible outcome, which conveys the impression that better alternatives existed. However, the author omits the role of von Papen and the conservative elites who deliberately handed Hitler power in January 1933. This creates the misleading impression that events, rather than individuals, were responsible.

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PART 4 — THE 8-MARKER: "Explain two effects of…"

Structure — two paragraphs, one per effect. Each paragraph = P · SPEND · A · L.

Letter	What to write	Wording
P — Point	Name the effect	"One effect of … was …"
SPEND	Two pieces of precise detail	"For example, … Moreover, …"
A — Analysis	Explain the consequence of each	"This led to… / This encouraged… / Consequently…"
L — Link	Return to the effect	"Therefore, one effect of … was …"

Causal vocabulary: this led to · this caused · this encouraged · this fuelled · consequently · enabled · as a result.

Worked example — Explain two effects of Hitler's role in the early Nazi Party [8]

One effect of Hitler's role in the early Nazi Party was the creation of a new direction for the party. For example, Hitler wrote the 25-Point Programme with Drexler in February 1920, which stated that Jews should not be part of the "German race" and that farmers should be given more land. This led to anti-Semitism, nationalism and socialism becoming clear, defined aims. Moreover, Hitler introduced the swastika and the raised-arm salute and bought the People's Observer in December 1920. This encouraged loyalty and allowed Hitler to spread Nazi messages, gaining more members. Therefore, one effect of Hitler's role was the creation of new aims and a new identity for the party.

Another effect of Hitler's role was the development of a strong paramilitary force. For example, he set up the SA in 1921 under Ernst Röhm, and many members were ex-soldiers given uniforms, food and hostels. This led to an increase in support amongst soldiers, because it gave them pride, comradeship and belonging. Moreover, the SA patrolled the streets, disrupted opposition meetings and used violence against communists. This encouraged support for the Nazis because it undermined their opponents and displayed a unified force behind Hitler. Therefore, another effect of Hitler's role was the creation of a strong military wing that boosted morale and pride within the party.

Worked example — Explain two effects of the Munich Putsch on the Nazi Party, 1923–28 [8]

One effect of the Munich Putsch was the short-term destruction of the Nazi Party. For example, the Putsch collapsed on 9 November 1923 when police confronted the marchers and 14 Nazis were killed. This led to the arrest of Hitler and the leadership by 11 November. Moreover, the party itself was banned and Hitler was sentenced to five years for treason. Consequently the NSDAP lost its leader, its organisation and its legal existence. Therefore, one effect of the Putsch was that the party was temporarily destroyed.

Another effect was a complete change of Nazi strategy. For example, Hitler used his trial as a platform to attack the Weimar politicians as traitors, which gained him national newspaper coverage. This encouraged sympathy from nationalists and made him a well-known figure beyond Bavaria. Moreover, right-wing judges were lenient and he served only nine months, during which he wrote Mein Kampf. This enabled him to set out his ideas and conclude that power had to be won legally through elections. Therefore, another effect of the Putsch was that the Nazis abandoned violent revolution in favour of the ballot box.

Practice list

• Explain two effects of the Great Depression on the NSDAP. [8]

• Explain two effects of the reorganisation of the Nazi Party after 1924. [8]

• Explain two effects of Goebbels' propaganda on Nazi support. [8]

• Explain two effects of the actions of von Papen in 1932–33. [8]

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PART 5 — THE 16-MARKER: "…was the main reason…. How far do you agree?"

Structure (~20–25 minutes):

1. Intro — take a clear line straight away ("The main reason was X, although Y also mattered.")

2. Para 1 — the named factor, argued at its strongest.

3. Para 2 — the second bullet point given in the question.

4. Para 3 — one factor of your own (this is what pushes you into the top band).

5. Conclusion — a real judgement: which factor was most important, and why — usually because it made the others possible, or because without it the others would not have worked.

Every paragraph: point → two SPEND details → explanation → mini-judgement ("this was important because… however, it only mattered because…").

Comparison phrases: more significant than · only mattered because · was a trigger rather than a cause · without this, … could not have happened · was a long-term condition, whereas … was the immediate cause.

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Q1. "Party reorganisation was the main reason why the Nazi Party survived in the years 1924–28."

You may use: Party reorganisation · The impact of the Munich Putsch

Paragraph	SPEND to use	Judgement line
Reorganisation (agree)	Munich HQ; 34 Gaue; 1926 Bamberg Conference confirms Hitler as leader and re-adopts the 25 Points; Hitler Youth and SS founded 1926; Goebbels' propaganda; trained speakers; Nazi Women's League; focus on debt-ridden farmers; 100,000+ members by 1929	Turned a Bavarian protest movement into a disciplined national machine, ready to exploit any crisis.
Munich Putsch (second factor)	Trial used as a national stage; lenient right-wing judges — 5 years, served 9 months; Ludendorff acquitted; Mein Kampf written in Landsberg; ban lifted Feb 1925; switch to legal methods	The Putsch nearly killed the party, but its failure produced the leader, the ideology and the strategy that reorganisation then delivered.
Your own factor: Hitler's leadership	Relaunch rally of 4,000, Feb 1925; personal loyalty of Röhm, Göring, Hess; Mein Kampf as a bestseller; the SS as a personal bodyguard	Reorganisation was Hitler's plan, not an accident — the party survived because one man imposed unity on it.
Counter-weight to remember	Only 12 seats in 1928; Stresemann's Golden Years; Hindenburg's popularity	Survival ≠ success. The question asks about survival, so 1928's weak result actually supports the reorganisation argument: without it there would have been nothing left to survive.

Suggested judgement: Reorganisation was the main reason, because it converted the lesson of the Putsch into a permanent structure. The Putsch supplied the reason to change; reorganisation supplied the means.

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Q2. "The use of intimidation and violence, in the years 1928–33, was the main reason for Nazi success."

You may use: Intimidation and violence · Propaganda

Paragraph	SPEND to use	Judgement line
Intimidation and violence (agree)	SA had 400,000 members by 1930; disrupted opposition meetings; street violence against communists; voters intimidated in the 1930 and 1932 elections; swords and flags at rallies; posters claiming over 300 Nazis murdered by "Marxist sub-humanity"	Violence silenced opponents and projected strength and order — attractive in a country that felt chaotic.
Propaganda (second factor)	Goebbels head of propaganda from 1930; 8 newspapers targeting different audiences; slogans "Work and Bread" and "Our Last Hope: Hitler" (1932); Hitler flying between cities; parades, concerts, sports; nationalisation dropped to keep business donors	Propaganda gave the violence a meaning — turning thuggery into the image of a disciplined national movement.
Your own factor: the Great Depression	6 million unemployed by 1932; 4 in 10 jobless; farmers in debt from falling prices; Brüning the "Hunger Chancellor"; Nazi seats rise 12 → 107 (1930) → 230 (July 1932)	Neither violence nor propaganda worked in the prosperous 1920s. The Depression created the desperate audience.
Counter-weight	Nazi seats fell to 196 in Nov 1932 despite continued SA violence	Violence alone could not deliver power — which is why the final step was a backroom deal, not a putsch.

Suggested judgement: The Depression was the main reason; violence and propaganda were the methods by which the Nazis harvested the anger it created.

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Q3. "The role of Joseph Goebbels was the most significant reason for the growth of Nazi electoral support, 1924–32."

You may use: The role of Joseph Goebbels · The reorganisation of the Nazi Party after 1924

Paragraph	SPEND to use	Judgement line
Goebbels (agree)	Head of propaganda from 1930; pushed the anti-Jewish message after Bamberg; 8 newspapers for 8 audiences; posters "Work and Bread" / "Our Last Hope: Hitler"; rallies, parades, films, radio; Hitler's 1932 aeroplane campaign across dozens of cities	Goebbels made the Nazi message flexible — a different promise for farmers, workers, businessmen and the young.
Reorganisation (second factor)	34 Gaue; Munich HQ; Bamberg 1926; Hitler Youth; Nazi Women's League; trained speakers; targeting of farmers; 100,000 members by 1929	Propaganda needs a machine to deliver it. The Gau structure is what put Goebbels' message into every town.
Your own factor: Hitler's personal appeal	13 million votes in the April 1932 presidential election; powerful, energetic speaking; pledge to "smash the chains of Versailles"; presented as saviour above party politics	Goebbels' great product was Hitler; the personal appeal was real, not manufactured.
Counter-weight	Only 12 seats in 1928 — same party, same organisation, before the Crash	Propaganda succeeded only once the Depression gave it something to promise an answer to.

Suggested judgement: Goebbels was the most significant deliberate reason — but only from 1930, and only because the Depression and the party structure had already prepared the ground.

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PART 6 — THE ONE-MINUTE SPINE

If you can say this out loud from memory, you can answer almost anything on Topic 3.

1919–22 — Built it. Hitler joins the DAP, writes the 25 Points, renames it the NSDAP, takes over as Führer in 1921, creates symbols, a newspaper and the SA. 1923 — Broke it. The Munich Putsch fails in two days, but the trial, the lenient sentence and Mein Kampf turn a defeat into a relaunch. 1924–28 — Rebuilt it. Ban lifted, Bamberg, 34 Gaue, Hitler Youth, SS, Goebbels, farmers. Membership soars, votes don't — the Golden Years are in the way. 1929–32 — Rode the crisis. Wall Street Crash, 6 million unemployed, propaganda and SA violence, 12 → 107 → 230 seats, then a dip to 196. 1932–33 — Was handed it. Brüning, von Papen, von Schleicher, Article 48 and elite scheming. Hindenburg appoints Hitler on 30 January 1933.

SPEND =

Statistics · People · Events · Names · Dates.

DAP

German Workers' Party.

Founded by Anton Drexler. Hitler was sent to spy on it in

Jan 1919 and joined it in Sept 1919.

The four DAP beliefs

-Democracy doesn't work (autocracy is better)

-Anti-Semitism

-Hatred of communists/socialists

-The Weimar politicians betrayed Germany by signing the Treaty of Versailles.

NSDAP

National Socialist German Workers' Party — the DAP renamed on 7 August 1920.

25-Point Programme

The party's list of aims, written by Hitler and Drexler, Feb 1920.

Deliberately mixed:

"All things to all people"

The idea that the 25 Points were designed to attract very different groups at once:

nationalist, socialist, racist, fascist.

Nationalist policy (example)

All German-speakers united in one nation

The Treaty of Versailles abolishedspecial laws for foreigners.

Ludendorff

WWI army commander
A powerful friend who gave the Nazis respectability and a link to the army

Socialist policy (example)

-Land for farmers

-Better pensions

-State ownership of public industries (electricity, water)

Racist policy (example)

Jews should not be citizens, immigration stopped.

Fascist policy (example)

Strong central government, state control of newspapers.

Führer

"Leader".

Hitler became Chairman and Führer of the NSDAP in July 1921 by threatening to resign, pushing aside Drexler.

Swastika / raised-arm salute

Party symbols adopted from 1920

The salute inspired by Mussolini's Italian fascists.

Purpose: identity and belonging.

Völkischer Beobachter

"The People's Observer"

The newspaper Hitler bought in Dec 1920 with new membership money, used to spread Nazi idea

SA

Sturmabteilung, set up 1921, led by Ernst Röhm.

"Brownshirts". Paramilitary force of unemployed men and ex-soldiers.

What the SA did

Given uniforms, meals and hostels.

Disrupted opponents' meetings, controlled crowds at Nazi meetings, used violence against communists.

Demanded total obedience to Hitler

Hitler's inner circle by 1920

Röhm, Göring, Hess — loyal men who strengthened his leadership.

Change of strategy after 1923

Hitler abandoned violent revolution and decided to take power legally, through elections.

Putsh

A sudden, violent attempt to seize power from a government.

Pustch dates

8–9 November 1923.

Hitler and other leaders arrested by 11 November.

Beer Hall

The Munich beer hall where Hitler and the SA burst into a Bavarian government meeting on 8 Nov

Kahr

Head of the Bavarian state government, forced at gunpoint to back the march

Then withdrew support on 9 Nov

Lossow

Leader of the army in Bavaria.

Forced to swear loyalty, then ordered to crush the rising

March on Rome

Mussolini's 1922 seizure of power in Italy — Hitler's model

Landsberg

The prison where Hitler was held.

Sentenced to 5 years for treason, served only 9 months.

Mein Kampf

"My Struggle" — written in prison, published 1925, became a bestseller

Lebensraum

"Living space" — more land for Germans, to be taken by invading the east/Russia

Aryan race

The Nazi idea of a German "master race" destined to rule, supposedly weakened by Jews

Mein Kampf — key ideas

Anti-Semitism

Lebensraum

Aryan supremacy

Destroy the Treaty of Versailles

Invade Russia to destroy communism

Wealth for workers not the rich

Democracy is weak — Germany needs one leader.

Why so little electoral success 1924–28

Stresemann's "Golden Years" brought stability; Hindenburg was a popular President; the Nazis won farmers but not the cities and industrial areas.

Definition Bamberg Conference

1926 party conference. Hitler confirmed as undisputed leader; the 25 Points re-adopted. Ended internal splits.

Definition Gau / Gauleiter

Germany was divided into 34 districts (Gaue), each run by a leading Nazi — local organisation and local support.

Definition National HQ

Set up in Munich — turned the party into a professional, well-run national organisation

Definition SS

Schutzstaffel — Hitler's new private bodyguard, totally loyal to him personally (separate from the larger SA).

Definition Hitler Youth

Nazi youth organisation, set up 1926, to win the next generation

Definition Nazi Women's League

One of several specialist organisations set up to target particular groups.

Bamberg-era propaganda

Goebbels pushed the popular anti-Jewish message; trained public speakers held meetings across German

First Nazi rally

Weimar, 1926 — a display of discipline, strength and unit

Party ban lifted

February 1925 — the NSDAP was relaunched with a rally of 4,000 supporters in the Beer Hall.

Membership by 1929

Over 100,000 members — but still very few Reichstag seat

Wall Street Crash

The American stock market collapse of October 1929

US loans to Germany were recalled.

Great Depression

The worldwide economic slump that followed:

mass unemployment, business failures, falling farm prices.

Unemployment

6 million Germans out of work by 1932 — roughly 4 in 10 could not get a job

Why the Depression helped the Nazis

Desperate voters wanted simple, strong solutions and someone to blame:
Weimar's coalitions looked helpless.

"Work and Bread"

Nazi 1932 election slogan — a simple economic promise

"Our Last Hope: Hitler"

1932 poster slogan — presents Hitler as the only remaining solution.

Hitler's personal appeal

Brilliant, energetic speaker; flew between cities; presented as a strong, decisive saviour above party politics.

Fear of communism (KPD)

The KPD blamed capitalism for the Depression and grew fast

businessmen feared losing their wealth, so backed the Nazis.

Industrial elites

Businessmen such as Krupp and Siemens funded the Nazis.

The Nazis quietly dropped nationalisation to keep them on side.

Goebbels

Head of Nazi propaganda from 1930.

Ran posters, rallies, parades, films, radio, newspapers.

Role of the SA (1930s)

400,000 members by 1930: used violence to intimidate opponents and voters at the 1930 and 1932 elections; swords and flags as symbols of power at rallies.

Front	Back
Reichstag	The German parliament.
Brüning	Chancellor 1930–32. Ruled by decree; his finance bill cut unemployment benefits and raised taxes. Nicknamed the "Hunger Chancellor". Banned the SA and SS.
Von Schleicher	Army general and schemer. Got Brüning sacked, installed von Papen, later became Chancellor himself and failed.
Von Papen	Chancellor 1932; his elite government was nicknamed the "Cabinet of Barons". Later persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler, with himself as vice-Chancellor.
"Cabinet of Barons"	Nickname for von Papen's coalition of aristocrats, businessmen, army officers and landowners — no Reichstag support.
The puppet plan	Von Papen believed Hitler's popularity would stabilise government while the elites controlled him — "push Hitler so far into the corner that he'll squeak".
30 January 1933	Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor.
Key flaw of the elites	They underestimated Hitler and put their own power games above defending democracy.

Article 48

Let the President rule by emergency decree without the Reichstag. Used constantly from 1930 — proof democracy was failing.