Methods used to establish Nazi Germany

List persuasion and coercion

• Hitler as orator

• dual strategy of politics and intimidation

• coercion in power

• propaganda and fear

Describe Hitler as orator

• Hitler was a charismatic orator

• at Nazi rallies in the 1920s and 1930s, he attracted thousands with speeches

• promised to restore German pride and punish the “November criminals.”

Dual strategy of politics and intimidation

• The Nazis blended legal participation with street violence.

• By 1930, the SA (Sturmabteilung) had grown to 400,000 men,

  • disrupting rival meetings and intimidating voters,

  • projecting an image of militant strength.

Describe escalation of coercion

• After Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in January 1933, coercion intensified.

• The Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933) provided the pretext for arresting 4,000 Communists,

• while the Decree for the Protection of People and State suspended civil liberties,

  • crippling organised opposition.

Describe propaganda and fear

• Nazi messaging combined promises of unity and renewal with the visible presence of paramilitary intimidation,

• convincing many Germans that loyalty brought security while dissent meant danger.

Evaluate persuasion and coercion

Nazi success rested on a synergy of persuasion and coercion:

Hitler’s charisma and propaganda created enthusiasm, while violence and repression eliminated rivals.

This blend secured mass support while ensuring fear kept potential opponents silent, a formula that proved decisive for the consolidation of dictatorship.

List leaders

• Adolf Hitler

• Joseph Goebbels

• Hermann Göring

• Heinrich Himmler

• Reinhard Heydrich

• Franz von Papen and President Hindenburg

Describe Adolf Hitler’s role

• Hitler’s tactical flexibility and charisma were crucial

• his failure in the Beer Hall Putsch (November 1923) demonstrated recklessness, but during his trial he reframed himself as a patriot, gaining national attention

• After prison, he pivoted from coup to a legal strategy of mass politics, positioning himself as Germany’s saviour during crisis.

Describe Joseph Goebbels’ role

• Joseph Goebbels, appointed Reich Propaganda Chief in 1929

• modernised Nazi propaganda

  • used radio, film, and mass rallies to spread Hitler’s image.

• His campaigns ensured Nazi slogans, posters, and Hitler’s speeches saturated daily life.

Describe Hermann Göring’s role

• Hermann Göring, a decorated WWI pilot

• became President of the Reichstag in 1932

• played a crucial role in securing elite cooperation

• After Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, Göring controlled the Prussian police, turning them into an instrument for crushing opposition and shielding SA violence.

Describe Heinrich Himmler’s role

• Heinrich Himmler took command of the SS in 1929

• transformed it from a small guard unit into an elite organisation loyal to Hitler personally

• By 1933, the SS numbered 52,000 men and became central in enforcing loyalty within the party and later suppressing opposition.

Describe Reinhard Heydrich’s role

• Reinhard Heydrich was Himmler’s deputy

• built the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), an intelligence service monitoring enemies of the Nazi movement.

• His efficient organisation of information helped pre-empt threats and eliminate rivals.

Evaluate role of leaders

Together, these leaders expanded Nazi reach:

• Goebbels created the image of Hitler as Germany’s “Führer,”

• Göring delivered control of the state’s coercive apparatus,

• Himmler ensured internal discipline,

• Heydrich provided surveillance.

  => Their contributions magnified Hitler’s authority and made his dictatorship possible.

Leadership was central to Nazi consolidation: Hitler’s charisma and tactical shifts gave direction, but it was the organisation and loyalty of lieutenants like Goebbels, Göring, Himmler, and Heydrich that magnified his authority and secured dictatorship.

Elite miscalculations, epitomised by Papen and Hindenburg’s belief they could “box Hitler in,” sealed the regime’s rise — demonstrating how individual agency combined with opportunism to enable totalitarian rule.

List ideology

• appealed broadly

• 25 point programme

• Volksgemeinschaft

• Social Darwinism and militarism

Describe how the ideology appealed broadly

• Nazi ideology appealed broadly: nationalism (revise Versailles), racial theory (Aryan supremacy, anti-Semitism), anti-communism (protection against the KPD), and Lebensraum (territorial expansion east).

Describe the 25 Point Programme

The 25-Point Programme (1920)

• demanded exclusion of Jews from citizenship, nationalisation of trusts, and rearmament

• policies attracted both the disaffected middle class and industrial backers.

Describe Volksgemeinschaft

• The Nazis framed themselves as a “people’s community” (Volksgemeinschaft)

• promised to transcend class divisions through national unity

• resonated during crisis (The Great Depression)

Describe social Darwinism and militarism

• Nazi ideology glorified struggle, discipline, and hierarchy, drawing on Social Darwinist ideas of racial competition.

• This emphasis on perpetual conflict normalised violence and prepared Germans for both dictatorship and war.

Evaluate ideology

Nazi ideology’s strength lay in its simplicity and adaptability, offering unity, scapegoats, and promises of renewal.

It was less about doctrinal consistency than about mobilising diverse groups under a broad, emotive framework that justified both dictatorship and expansionist war.

List use of force

• Munich Putsch

• The SA

• street violence in elections 

• Paramilitary culture

Describe the Munich Putsch

Munich Putsch (1923)

• Though a failure, the attempted coup revealed the Nazis’ willingness to use force

• its suppression demonstrated limits of violence alone, pushing Hitler to pursue legal strategies while retaining paramilitary muscle.

Describe the SA

The SA intimidation (1920s–early 1930s):

• The SA (Brownshirts), numbering around 400,000 by 1932

• disrupted rival meetings, intimidated voters, and fought street battles with the KPD (Communists), projecting the Nazis as a disciplined and powerful force.

Street violence in elections: Political clashes created an image of chaos and instability;

the Nazis framed themselves as the only movement capable of restoring law and order, enhancing their electoral appeal.

Describe street violence in elections 

• Political clashes during campaigns created an atmosphere of instability,

• which the Nazis exploited by presenting themselves as the only movement capable of restoring order,

• enhancing their electoral appeal.

Describe paramilitary culture

Paramilitary culture:

The militarised uniforms, marches, and symbolism of the SA normalised violence in politics and appealed to ex-soldiers and nationalist groups

reinforcing the image of the Nazis as defenders of Germany against “internal enemies.”

Evaluate use of force 

Force was essential in creating the image of strength and order that underpinned Nazi legitimacy before 1933.

Yet its greatest value lay not in seizing power directly but in destabilising rivals and magnifying fear of chaos, which Hitler then exploited through legal and political channels to achieve dictatorship.

List propaganda

• Organised messaging

• Innovative campaigning

• “Hitler über Deutschland” (1932)

• Cultivation of the Führer image

• Exploiting fear of communism

• Symbols of unity

Describe organised messaging

• Under Joseph Goebbels, the Nazis deployed modern propaganda techniques

• — mass rallies at Nuremberg, poster campaigns, and slogans

• like “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” and “Arbeit und Brot”

• — embedding simple, powerful messages in everyday life.

Describe innovative campaigning

• In the late Weimar years, the Nazis pioneered new methods of visibility.

• Mass rallies, torchlight parades, posters, radio, and film

• gave them unmatched prominence compared to rival parties.

Describe Hitler over Germany

“Hitler über Deutschland” (1932)

• Hitler toured by plane

• appeared in 20+ cities in a week

• revolutionary use of aviation in politics

• projected him as a dynamic, modern leader “above” petty politics, reaching millions.

Describe cultivation of Führer image

• Hitler was carefully staged as the “saviour of Germany,”

• able to restore pride after Versailles and the Depression.

• Photos, speeches, and choreography reinforced the Hitler Myth before he gained power.

Describe the threat of communism

• Propaganda amplified the threat of Marxism,

• portraying the Nazis as Germany’s bulwark.

• The SA’s street presence and newspapers like Der Angriff tied this narrative to physical strength and vigilance.

Describe symbols of unity

• The swastika, uniforms, and salutes projected order, discipline, and historical resonance,

• binding followers into a visible movement of power and unity.

Evaluate propaganda

Nazi propaganda fused modern technology with traditional symbolism, amplifying Hitler’s image as Germany’s saviour while exploiting fear and resentment.

Its effectiveness lay less in persuasion alone than in its omnipresence and emotional appeal, which normalised Nazi dominance and blurred the line between politics, spectacle, and daily life.