hitler's path to power - nazi germany

which social groups did Hitler’s ideologies appeal to

• appealed to all social classes broadly

• with flexible policies and propaganda

• with a sharp focus on the lower middle class

which age groups did Hitler’s ideologies appeal to

• younger age group

• they were not traumatised by Germany’s failure in WW1

• and were easier to indoctrinate

• through youth groups and education

Fuhrerprinzip definition

• belief in strong government

• under the leadership

• of Adolf Hitler

explain how Fuhrerprinzip aided Hitler in amassing support

• people, especially lower middle class were miserable

• due to the restrictions and poor living quality of the Great Depression

• categorised notable by the Weimar government being in power at the time

• Hitler offered people food, jobs and a fulfilment to their psychological needs for a strong beacon of political hope

• the idea of a strong leader resonated with the German public due to the instability of the Weimar government

“Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer!” definition

“one people, one nation, one leader”

explain how the Nazi motto: “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer!” aided Hitler in amassing support

• Hitler promotes himself as a symbol of the people

• demonstrating that he is both one of the people and also the nation

• by aligning himself directly with the motherland, going against the Nazis could be construed as being against the will of the people

explain how the destruction of Versailles aided Hitler in amassing support

• the majority of Germany and the Nazis viewed the Treaty of Versailles as something that trapped and oppressed Germany’s prosperity

• many Germans saw the signing of the Treaty of Versailles as the ruining of their national pride, significant due to the strong patriotism prevalent at the time

• Hitler viewed the Treaty of Versailles as making Germany weak, as portrayed in Nazi propaganda at the time

• this is an example of how the Nazis utilised negative cohesion to paint Germany against the Weimar government and the liberal left-central wing

when was the Treaty of Versailles signed

June 28th 1919

explain how Hitler’s ideologies of destroying Marxism aided in amassing support

• anti-Marxism appealed to the middle/upper classes as they were afraid of losing materialistic goods and finances if communism spread

• Germans were afraid of communism after seeing the detrimental effect of the Soviet Union in Russia

Arbeit und Brot definition

work and bread

explain how the Nazi ideology of ‘Arbeit und Brot’ aided Hitler in amassing support

• this concept allowed the Nazis to appeal to the lower-middle classes negatively affected by the Great Depression

• due to issues such as unemployment and food shortage

• Arbeit und Brot demonstrates to the German public that if they vote for the Nazis, they will receive employment, food and thus economic security

• this is significant as by 1932, 6-8 million people were unemployed due to the Great Depression

• this number is unknown exactly as many people were unable to register for unemployment benefits

explain how the Nazi ideologies of Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism aided Hitler in amassing support

• the hurt and weakened German public were desperate for a scapegoat to blame for Germany’s humiliating failure in WW1

• the concept of Aryan superiority gave the German public a way to promote their value, creating hierarchy even within social classes

• Nazi propaganda at the time portrayed anti-Semitism in a positive light, portraying the ‘spotting’ of Jewish people for children the same as the spotting of a poisonous mushroom

• through these racist ideologies, Hitler was able to unite Germany through the fight against a common enemy

explain how the Nazi ideologies of gender roles aided Hitler in amassing support

• Hitler portrayed the role of men in Germany incredibly stereotypically, with their role largely being portrayed as providers and the strong figurehead of the family

• this would appeal to many men who were left feeling emasculated due to their unemployment

• Hitler portrayed the role of women in Germany as a role of nurturing and domestication

• many women were already brought up with these values deeply instilled, so these ideologies resonated

describe the numerical changes in popularity of the Nazis 1928-1932

• 1928 - 810k electors (2.8% of Germany)

• 1932 - 13.5 million electors (37.3% of Germany)

explain the numerical changes in popularity of the Nazis 1928-1932

• considerable increase in number of eligible voters

  • 1928 - 41.2 million eligible voters

  • 1932 - 44.2 million eligible voters

• sharp increase in electoral participation

  • 1928 - 75.6% of Germany participated

  • 1932 - 84.1% of Germany participated

state which timeframe saw the Nazis amass the most voting supporters

• September 1930 - March 1933

• saw Nazi votes vastly increase to 6.4 million

• 1933 was when Hitler was appointed to Chancellor

explain why support for Nazis was so limited, 1924-1928

• economic and national instability

• meant people did not feel obliged to potentially worsen Germany’s stability

• through voting in a relatively new party

state the biggest political party in 1924

• social democrats

• seats in reichstag:

• May 1924 - 100 seats

• December 1924 - 131 seats

state the Nazis number of reichstag seats in 1924

• May 1924 - 32 seats

• December 1924 - 14 seats

state the biggest political party in 1928

• social democrats

• seats in reichstag:

• 1928 - 153 seats

state the Nazis number of reichstag seats in 1928

May 1928 - 12 seats

state the biggest political party in 1930

• social democrats

• seats in reichstag:

• September 1928 - 143 seats

state the Nazis number of reichstag seats in 1930

September 1930 - 107 seats

state the biggest political party in 1932

• Nazis

• seats in reichstag:

• July 1932 - 230 seats

• November 1932 - 196 seats

explain what the Northeim case study was

• held in 1960 by historian WS Allen

• Allen aimed to demonstrate that between 1929-1937, local Nazis in Northeim exploited social divisions, economic crisis and political stalemate

• to establish Nazi control over Northeim

• arguing that the Nazi’s seizure of power “occurred largely from below” instead of the Nazi’s national politics

• Northeim was a small town (population c.10,000)

• railways and local government offices employed c.2,500 of its inhabitants

Northeim case study - Allen’s interview with a business man - QUOTES

• “business was bad”

• “Nazis asked my father for contribution and he refused”

• “he lost his business”

• “So he joined the Nazi party”

• “He probably would not have joined of his own choice”

Northeim case study - Allen’s interview with a business man - UTILITY

• the prolocutor refers to his father “joining” the Nazis instead of supporting them, demonstrating how the Nazi’s seizure of power relied heavily on conformity and forced compliance

• the statement: “He probably would not have joined of his own choice” demonstrates how the Nazis utilised intimidation techniques on the community to force compliance

• the prolocutor is the son of a man who joined the Nazis and may be portraying his father’s actions as forced instead of willing

• due to the interview occurring in 1960

• as the son is aware of the stigma surrounding previous Nazi support and the detrimental affect the Nazis had on millions of people

Northeim case study - Allen’s interview with the principal of Northeim Girls’ School - QUOTES

• "I saw the Communist danger”

• “Nazis were the only party that broke terror through anti-terror”

• “I saw the complete failure of the bourgeois parties to deal with the economic crisis”

• “Only National Socialism offered any hope”

Northeim case study - Allen’s interview with the principal of Northeim Girls’ School - UTILITY

• the statement: "I saw the Communist danger” is an example of the Nazis utilisation of negative cohesion against the centre-left

• the principal may have feared communism due to the rapid increase in the number of seats the social democrats held in the reichstag between 1930-1932

• the statement: “complete failure of the bourgeois parties to deal with the economic crisis” demonstrates how the Nazis promoted themselves as largely pandering to the desires of the lower/middle classes

• the “bourgeois parties” failed to notice the German people gravitating towards the political extremes due to both the Nazis and the Social Democrats offering the public what they needed

• evidenced with the German Democratic Party’s (GDP) seats in the reichstag falling from 20 to 4 from 1930-1932

what did the Nazis offer from 1929

• hope jobs and food

• through concepts such as ‘Arbeit und Brot’ and ‘Fuhrerprinzip’

• the Nazis offered a sense of security for a country with no sense of hope

• the Nazis promised they would destroy Germany’s national enemies as a united front

• Hitler is described to have “seemed to be the Bringer of Salvation”, portraying Hitler as a saint-adjacent figure who had the power and authority to bring about a new day for Germany

why didn’t Hitler become Chancellor in July 1932

• chancellor Paul Von Hindenburg said that Hitler could not bring himself to share power and that the Nazis were violent and intolerant

• Von Hindenburg saw Hitler as common and vulgar, believing it should be someone from the upper echelons of society that should lead Germany instead

who became chancellor after July 1932

Franz Von Papen

why did Hjalmar Schacht support Hitler’s case for the Chancellorship

• as a businessman, Schacht the Nazis offered security against communism

• Schacht believed supporting Hitler was for the greater good and it was a short term solution for the long term fight against communism

why did the Nazi vote fall in November 1932

• reichstag seats fell from 230 (July 1932) to 196 (November 1932)

• as the Nazis were going bankrupt

• due to the cost of fighting in elections

• this instability worsened by the fact that a key figure in the party had just resigned

• demonstrating to the Germans that the Nazis weren’t united

why was Hitler appointed Chancellor in January 1933

• Von Papen agreed that Hitler could become Chancellor

• on the stipulations that

• Hitler made Von Papen Vice Chancellor

• and only two other Nazis were allowed in the Cabinet