Growth in support of the Nazis

Why did extremist parties become moe popular in the 1930s?

The Great Depression caused the German government to face problems which they weren’t able to solve. In contrast, many extremist parties offered simple solutions that were very appealing to the German citizens (much more than the complicated solutions that the Weimar government were offering). Germans also started to reduce their faith in democracy due to the rise in government spending as there were more people receiving unemployment benefits. Therefore, they looked to left and right wing extremist parties, which were offering more appealing and easy solutions

Why did the Nazis win so many votes?

They appealed to so many people, as they had policies which were favourable to a widespread number of people

What were the core beliefs of the Nazi party?

Blaming Jews for the economic problems that the country was facing, treating the Treaty of Versailles as a crime to Germany, encouraging German patriotism, and the simple belief that Germany could recover and become a strong and powerful country once more

What were the solutions to the Great Depression that the Nazis offered?

Work and bread to the starving, jobless people - the country loved this idea

How did the failings of the Weimar Republic lead to more support for the Nazis?

People turned to other parties when it seemed like the democracy and politics of the Weimar Republic were failing. Politicians couldn’t agree on how to help the people, so the order and simplicity that the united Nazi party offered provided a contrast to the economic and political struggles of the parliament

What actions led to an exacerbation of the Weimar Republic failing?

When the Chancellor, Bruning, used Article 48 (an agreement made by Hindenburg) to seize land from the rich to give to the poor, the President Hindenberg withdrew his support, which forced Bruning to stop using Article 48

How did Article 48 lead to more support for the Nazis?

Article 48 went against democracy, as it allowed one person to control the fate of Germany, rather than actions based on an agreement made in Parliament. It seemed to the German people that Hitler’s actions of dictatorship weren’t so far from their own Chancellor’s decisions, and that it must not be such a switch to remove democracy

How rapidly did support for the Nazis increase?

In 1928, the Nazis received less than 3% of the total votes in Germany, but they were the most popular party in the 1932 election, only 4 years later!

What were the figures in the 4 elections that the Nazis took part in between 1928 and 1932?

May 1928: the Nazis won 12 seats, the SPD (socialists) won 153, and the KPD (communists) won 54

September 1930: the Nazis won 107, the SPD won 143, and the KPD won 77

July 1932: the Nazis won 230, the SPD won 133, and the KPD won 89

November 1932: the Nazis won 196, the SPD won 121, and the KPD won 100

What was the personal appeal of Hitler?

He had a charismatic personality and was a powerful and inspiring speaker who was able to fill his audience with hope, helping increase the popularity of the Nazis

How did the fear of communism contribute to the rise in support for the Nazis?

There had been many attempts by the Communists to take over Russia, alongside revolutions in Germany. This caused many upper and middle class people to be frightened of communists

Who in particular was afraid of communists?

Businessmen and landowners, as they were the people who would be impacted the worst by the equality in a communist society

Why were the upper and middle class afraid of communism?

They didn’t want to lose their high status, as communism is meant to be extreme equality throughout the nation

How did Hitler reassure his supporters?

He promised that he would fight against communism - this was made partly as Hitler agreed with this term, but also because 2/3 of his supporters were from the middle class

How did Hitler use fear and propaganda to increase support for the Nazis?

The SA were widely used to protect the meetings of the Nazis, and intimidate political opponents. Hitler used propaganda widely in radio broadcasts, cinema news reports and military leaflets (which were printed to influence German opinion)

How did Hitler target the younger generation?

He introduced the Hitler Youth - meant to indoctrinate children as it had the appeal of learning to fire guns, wrestle and read maps. Helped by this organisation, the Nazis looked disciplined and organised compared to the struggling Weimar Republic

How did Hitler appeal to a wide range of people?

He used a variety of points which targeted different parts of society: wealthy businessmen (through their fear of communism), the middle class, nationalists, and people who lived in rural areas

How did Hitler get the middle class to support him?

Aside from fears about communism, the middle class were alarmed by the failures of democracy and wanted a strong government

How did Hitler get nationalists to support him?

They blamed the Treaty of Versailles for the downfall of Germany and thought that the Weimar Government had caused Germany to face more problems, rather than solve them - since the Nazis agreed with these opinions, nationalists were quite likely to support the Nazi party

How did Hitler get those living in rural areas to support him?

He emphasised on farmer’s rights to attract those who worked the land

How did the SA sway public opinion about the Nazis?

The SA marched smartly through the streets, and contrasted the unprofessionalism of those using Article 48, particularly since the Weimar government was behaving in a dictatorship manner due to their apparent abandonment of democracy

How did Hitler manipulate the violence of the SA to win more support?

Although the SA were very brutal and aggressive, much of this was displayed towards the communist army, the Red Front Fighters - Hitler used their regular fights to display the power of the SA and highlight that the communists were a threat to Germany, while the SA would help to protect and defend it, especially when the SA won