nazi party voters

weakness of political opponents

• underestimated H + NP

• sought to use strength + appeal of H’s movement to entrench their own authority and power

• NP given power by conservative elites in 1933

• highly unlikely H would have gained office w/o support of conservatives

  • losing support in late 1932

  • wasn’t actually a threat from communists

  • army would support Hind > H

NP voters

• 1928 - 810 000 voters

• 1932 - 13.7M

• traditional view is that NP support came from middle-class conservatives, not working class

  • strongest in Protestant, N-Central Germany

  • small towns + villages

• actually drew support from wide range of social groups incl. working class (almost 40% in July ‘32)

• Nazi’s seen as G’s 1st Volkspartai —> cuts across class, occupational + regional differences

middle class

• those below aristocracy + above working class

• NP began campaigning to them in 1927

• attracted to:

  • aggression against left + communists

  • promise of return to order + trad G values

  • rejection of WR + ToV

  • appeal to Nationalism

• NP was made up of + lead by middle class

young people

• maj of party members were young white-collar middle class

  • 1930 - 60% of NP deputies in Reichstag were under 40

  • 1933 - 70% of party members under 40

• party offered outlook for idealism + hope

• volksgemeinschaft that was above classes was appealing

working class

• NP concentrated their efforts in the mid 1920s to gain support of industrial WC

• BUT didn’t have success as most were loyal to left SPD/KPD

• NP won significant support during GD, especially in urban areas

• were vulnerable to propaganda

  • promised them the “right to work”

  • criticised left wing for being unable to protect their interests

• 1932 - 1 in 4 voters for NP

• 1933 - 1 in 3 voters for NP

• BUT made little progress in Rhur / Rhineland as citizens were loyal to trade unions

rural germany situation

• had been experiencing depression since the mid 1920s

• due to the decrease in world commodity prices:

  • increase in agricultural debt

  • decrease in living standards

rural germany

• NP won great deal of support as early as 1928

• was the only party to offer hope to long-term suffering of farmers

• NP action included:

  • attacking high IR

  • promising to subsidise farming

  • preaching the importance of farming

• H believed farmers were most pure as isolated from corrupting influence of cities

importance of region + religion

• one of NP’s greatest strengths was ability to penetrate Gs provincial cities + villages + get middle-class support

  • eg Hannover or East Prussia

  • came @ expense of G Ppl’s Party + G Democratic party who only made up 1% and 1.9% of Reichstag in Nov 32

• never large support in industrial areas like Hamburg / Berlin

• 63% of supporters were northern Protestants