Z

Section A: Early Development of the Nazi Party, 1920-22

Hitler’s early career 

  1. At the end of the war, the army sent Hitler to keep an eye on the emerging political parties in the Munich area. One of these parties was the German Worker’s Party (DAP) 

  1. The DAP was founded by Anton Drexler in February 1919 but was tiny; when Hitler joined after attending their meetings on 19 September 1919, he was only the 55th member. 

  1. In January 1920 Hitler had become head of party propaganda.  

  1. Within 2 years he had become leader  

 

The Twenty-Five Point Programme 

  1. In February 1920, Drexler and Hitler wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme, a document explaining the policies of the DAP.  

  1. It demanded the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany.  

  1. It demanded that no Jewish people be members of the German nation.  

  1. It demanded the creation of a strong central state power.  

  1. It demanded that land could be taken off large landowners for the good of the people.   

  1. This was a deliberate mix of right-wing Nationalist policies and left-wing Socialist policies.  

 

Early growth of the Nazi party: Hitler’s personal appeal 

  1. Hitler’s personal skills as an orator were vital in beginning to widen the Party’s support. 

  1. He rehearsed his speeches carefully, starting his speeches slowly then working up to a passionate, almost frenzied, rant that swept his audience along.  

  1. He also used to fix his eyes on the audience and use vigorous hand gestures to show his passion for what he was saying, to give the impression that he was a different type of politician who believed in what he said. 

  1. He quickly became the DAP’s most inspiring speaker, appearing 31 times as the key speaker at 46 Party gatherings between November 1919 and November 1920. 

  1. It was clear Hitler’s popularity was a key reason for the Party’s growth from a few dozen at the end of 1919 to 3000 by the end of 1920. 

 

Early growth of the Nazi party: organisation 

  1. In January 1920 Hitler established a new permanent office for the Party in Munich, run by Rudolf Schussler. Meetings were now better organised and advertised and party funds collected more efficiently. 

  1. Hitler also suggested a new name for the Party to make it appeal to as many different groups as possible, so the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) was born. 

  1. Hitler came up with the swastika logo and the straight-armed party salute. 

  1. By December 1920, increased membership allowed enough funds to buy their own newspaper, the Volkischer Beobachter (People’s Observer). Its circulation increased within a year from 11000 copies to 17000. 

 

Early growth of the Nazi party: leadership 

  1. In July 1921, Hitler took over leadership of the Party from Drexler. 

  1. Rudolf Hess became Hitler’s deputy and was chosen as a wealthy academic who could appeal to wealthy businessmen. 

  1. Hermann Goering was a young and famous World War 1 fighter pilot who could appeal to the many embittered war veterans. 

  1. Julius Streicher, a vicious antisemite had links in the publishing industry and established a new Party newspaper aimed at the working class, Der Sturmer (The Stormer). 

  1. Ernst Rohm was a fierce looking ex-army officer who was popular with ex-soldiers and became leader of Hitler’s new bodyguard organisation, the SA. 

  1. Hitler also made other links with key figures with links to the military, such as General Erich Ludendorff, who had been leader of the German army alongside Hindenburg in WW1. 

 

The role of the SA (Sturmabteilung) 

  1. This group was formed by Hitler in August 1921, as a brown-shirted private military force recruited from unemployed ex-soldiers and students. 

  1. Their military style organisation and uniform was meant to impress people with a sense of power and organisation and they numbered 800 by August 1922. 

  1. Their original goal was to control crowds at Party meetings and also disrupt opposition party gatherings. 

  1. Although Rohm was in charge, Hitler expected personal loyalty to him and an elite group known as the ‘shock troop’ (‘Stosstrupp’)  became his personal bodyguard. These would eventually become the SS.