Hitler's Rise to power-Key Factors

Key Factors that Aided hitlers rise too power

Ideology-25 point programme

created in 1920 by Hitler and the nazi’s, which contained ideas that were both nationalist and socialist:

\-The union of all Germans in a greater Germany

\-Revocation of the treaty of Versailles

\-The gaining of territories to accommodate germany’s surplus population

\-The restriction to state citizenship to those of German blood

\-Jews to be denied membership of the Volk (German Citizenship)

Ideology- Anti Semitism

Antisemitism was the forefront of hitler’s nazi ideology, he constantly spread through various means that he believed that blonde haired blue eyed “aryans“ were a superior race

Personal Qualities-Speeches

Hitler’s speeches appealed to a large audience for the content (often repetitive and with little detailed information about the solutions to complex problems) as well as their performance.

Hitler was also dedicated to the amount of confidence he had when giving speeches, he would often practice in the mirror.

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Personal Qualities/ Charismatic Leadership - adapting his party for gain

he was backed up by the centre party for the Enabling act, in his speech of 23rd March Hitler promised to respect the rights of the Catholic church and to upload personal and moral value(he ended up going back on this tho)

Propaganda-Munich Putsch (Event) (Causes)

1923-Nazi Party 55,000 members

Weimar republic in crisis due to hyperinflation and during 1920 it had reached its peak

Sep 1923- Weimar called off general strike in the Ruhr which infuriated German Nationalists

Propaganda/Use of Force- Munich Putsch (Event)

Hitler stormed a beer hall in bavaria with 600 SA members. General Ludendorff released the detained bavarian leaders who alerted people of the Putsch, hitler marched on to the town centre but was outgunned and met by police

How did the munich putsch help Hitler from a Propaganda Perspective?

\-Hitler’s trial was broadcast on the radio which helped him get national publicity for his views and he became a household name

\-Hitler used his time in prison to write mein kampf which became one of the inspirational foundations of the nazi party

\*\* however the NSDAP was banned and hitler got sentenced to 5 years at landsberg prison

Propaganda- The reichstag fire (Event)

27th February 1933- the Reichstag building was set on fire by a communist Van de Lubbe, and the nazi’s utilised this to target more anti communist Propaganda

\-Allowed hitler to pass the enabling act-a law that allowed the german cabinet (most namely the chancellor) the ability to make laws without the consultation of the Reichstag or the president-this was passed 441 to 94 in which he destroyed trade unions, removed Jews from public office, coerce churches into the nazi regime (ie swastikas on their altas)

\-Gave him an opportunity to imprison many communist leaders

\-Nazi’s mounted an aggressive campaign before the march 1933 elections asserting that only a strong Nazi government can save Germany from a communist revolution

Propaganda- “Hitler over Germany"

Hitler would fly across to various cities (maybe even 5 cities in one day) this presented him as a modern man who was prepared to be innovative

Propaganda- Unifying themes

the portrayal of the nazi’s as revolutionary and reactionary:

\-Hitler portrayed as a messiah type figure and a ‘family man‘, offering authoritarian type leadership a a vision for germany’s future

Propaganda- Canvassing (Posters and Leaflets)

\-peasants-offering special benefits to offset the collapse of agricultural prices

\-Unemployed- overcoming the depression and offering slogans about ‘work and bread‘ after the great depression

\-Mittlestand (Middle Class)- limiting the control of large department stores

Use of Force- The Night of the Long Knives (Power Struggle)

SA were concerned woth Nazi’s diluting the idea of ‘national socialism‘:

\-Led by Ernst Rohm, which wanted social and economic reforms and the creation of a ‘people’s army‘ merging the german army with the SA-attractive to the left wing socialists, radical nazi’s , less with conservatives

Use of force-The Night of the Long Knives (event)

30th June 1934-eliminated the SA, approximately 200 murdered:

\--Rohm and the main leaders of the SA were shot, Schleicher (former chancellor) and Strasser (leader of radical socialist wing of the Nazi Party) were both killed

\--Significance: German army had aligned itself with the Nazi regime, Bloomberg public vote of thanks to hitler on 1 july, German soldiers agreed to take personal oath of loyalty to hitler.

Weaknesses of the Government- Proportional Representation

over 20 political parties in the German government which would mean that no one party would have a majority

coalitions could be formed but this didn’t work effectively as parties will have conflicting ideas ad coalitions would often collapse, they would last an average of 6-9 months

Weaknesses of the Government (Economy)

Hyperinflation 1923-

\-A loaf of bread which cost 250 marks in January 1923 had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923

\-children playing with bricks of money on the street/ money used as kindling because it simply had no value

\--many blamed this on the reparations Germany had to pay with the treaty of Versailles.

Weaknesses of the Government (Treaty of Versailles)

Land- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France, All Germanies overseas colonies were removed,

Army-Germany’s Army restricted to 100,000 men

Money- Germany to pay 6.6 billion in reparations for the “loss and damage“ caused by the war

Blame-Article 231|(“war guilt clause”) illustrated that Germany and its allies were to take full blame/responsibility for the war

Weaknesses of Gov (Economy)- The great depression

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made people lose faith in the weimar government

Economy(Treaty of Versailles)

The fact that Germany alone was expected to pay 6.6 billion in reparations already put a huge strain on the weimar republic

Economy (Invasion of the Ruhr(1923))

French invasion of the Ruhr in January 1923 in which they sent 60000 soldiers into the ruhr to take control of key industries and natural resources

Economy (Hyperinflation 1923)

\-loaf of bread increased in price from 250 marks (Jan) to 200000 million marks (Nov)

\-people with savings lost the most

\-food shortages as Germans didn’t have enough to buy produce from farmers

\*\*increase prejudice because many went to find scapegoats, many blamed jews (financial greed and corruption apparently)

Economy (The Wall Street Crash (1929) and the Great Depression)

\-surge in germany’s unemployment rates, in January 1933 reaching 6.1 million(nazis appealed to the unemployed as promises of salvation)

\-Employers cut wages and increased taxes, Value of savings crashed

\-increase of homelessness, and 60% of new uni graduates couldn’t find a job

\*\*this all down to foreign influence something that the nazi’s were strongly against