RISE OF HITLER

Background of Nazi Party from 1919 - 1920 / Stresemann Years
  • Hitler started running German Workers’ Party not long after joining it in 1919
  • 1920: renamed Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
  • 25 points:
  • 1. We demand union of all Germans to form greater Germany
  • 2. We demand the abolition of the Peace Treaties of Versailles and Saint Germain
  • 3. We demand land and territory for the nourishment of our people
  • 4. None but those of German blood […] may be members of the German nation. No Jew, therefore, may be a member of the German nation
  • 11. We demand the abolition of incomes unearned by work
  • 14. We demand profit-sharing in big industries
  • 15. We demand a generous development of provision for old age
  • 16. We demand the creation and support of a healthy middle class.
  • 25. We demand the creation of a strong central government in Germany.
  • mockingly called Nazi Party
  • 1920: grew rapidly
  • had 3000 members by end of year
  • had its own private army of thugs who beat up anyone who disagreed with them
  • Sturm Abteilung (Stormtroopers, SA)
  • ex-soldiers in party who liked a fight, esp with Communists
  • would deal with members of opposing parties who came to Nazi meetings to heckle and boo
/
  • Gustav Stresemann achieved stability within Germany 1924-1929
  • 1923: formed new govt, solved many problems
  • new currency: Rentenmark  no more inflation
  • called off passive resistance campaign in Ruhr Valley, agreed to start paying reparations again
  • 1924: became Germany’s Foreign Minister
  • attended meeting about reparations with British, French and Americans
  • led to new plan for paying reparations on easier terms
  • received finanical assistance from USA
  • e.g. 1924: Dawes Plan (loaned 800 million marks)
  • established good relations with USA
  • earned the trust and respect of old enemies
  • 1925: Locarno Treaties  promised never to change the borders between Germany, France and Belgium
  • got Germany into League of Nations in 1926
  • new currency + paying reparations  foreign businessmen willing to lend money to help rebuild economy
  • over next five years: lent 25,000 million gold marks
  • Germans could build new factories, new machinery, new houses
  • building more jobs  prosperous Germany
  • calmer situation: many Germans supported the new govt
  • life became calmer and more prosperous
voted instead for more moderate parties instead of listening to extreme ideas of Nazis and Communists

Nazi Party’s Rise to Power

  • increased its support by more than 10 times from 1924 to 1932
  • unemployment increased from 1,368,000 in 1928  5,250,000 in 1932

Reason / Description / Effect
November 1923:
MUNICH PUTSCH /
  • November 1923: Hitler though Nazis were strong enough to overthrow German govt
  • at this point in time:
  • hyperinflation was at its worst
  • Gustav Stresemann had just given in to Grench by ending the passive resistance campaign in the Ruhr
  • Hitler planned to march to Berlin at the head of the SA
  • felt sure people would flock to join him in overthrowing the govt which caused them so much hardship
  • 8 November: broke into meeting being held by three leaders of the Bavarian govt in a large beer hall
  • outside: 600 Storm Troopers to back him up
  • held a gun at the head of one Bavarian leader
  • forced all three to tell audience that they would help him in his plan
  • General Ludendorf (great German war hero) entered hall and announced that he too supported Hitler
  • these promises of support convinced audience
  • while speaking, Storm Troopers led by Ernst Röhm was already taking control of govt offices and arresting officials
  • 9 November: plan went wrong
  • Bavarian leaders went back on their promise
  • ordered army to attack Ernst Röhm and the SA
  • Hitler and General Ludendorff set off with 2000 Nazis to rescue Röhm
  • marched towards centre of Munich
  • assumed that National Army would follow General Ludendorff
  • respected war hero
  • however, Reichswehr were the ones who put down the putsch
  • indicated that they were not a totally united group and supported different groups of people
  • in narrow street came up against armed police
  • shots rang out, Hitler immediately scampered to safety with dislocated shoulder
  • Ludendorff marched on alone and was unharmed
  • 16 Nazis died in hail of gunfire
  • Hitler and Ludendorff arrested later that day, taken to prison and charged with high treason
/ SHORT TERM:
  • increased publicity
  • trial lasted 24 days and was front-page news in every German newspaper
  • everything Hitler said in court was read by millions of people
  • biggest audience he ever had
  • would present himself as nation-loving German who only wanted the good of their people and fatherland
  • impressed judges, Ludendorff set free, other Nazis in dock got away with light sentences
  • Hitler also only sentenced to 5 years imprisonment with chance of parole after 6 months
  • allowed as many visitors as he liked
  • newspapers, books and had plenty of food
  • could write his memoir “Mein Kampf” describing his ideas about history, politics, race and Germany’s future
  • released in December 1924 (9 months of sentence served)
LONG TERM:
  • Hitler changed his political tact
  • decided to gain power through democratic, legal, electorial means
  • hence able to gain widespread suport for Nazis
  • however also lost support of Freikorps
  • Freikorps wanted fighting and to come to power by violent means and force
  • switch to constitutional means upset them
  • Nazis continued to grow and hate Weimar Republic throughout Stresemann years
  • expanded SA, set up second military group, Schutzstaffeln (Protection Squads)
  • set up party branches in all parts of country
  • set up special organisations (Hitler Youth, the German Girls’ League, the Nazi Students’ League, the Nazi Teachers’ League, etc.)
  • 1928: 108,717 Germans belonged to Nazi Party

1929:
Death of Stresemann
+
Economic Depression /
  • 1929: Stresemann’s death  no capable successors
  • 25,000 million gold marks had been loaned to Germany from foreign bankers
  • much of this was American money
  • over half of it was lent on short-term basis
  • Germans would have to pay loans back or renew within a short period (usually 90 days)
  • if short-term credits called in  would cause large section of economy to collapse
  • October 1929: Wall Street Crash
  • USA went into economic depression
  • Bankers and businessmen who had money tied up in stocks and shares were ruined
  • demanded repayment on loans they had made instead of approving renewal
  • could not lend any more money
  • led to economic crisis in Germany
  • companies all over Germany went bankrupt
  • workers sacked
  • unemployment soared
  • 1928: 650,000
  • 1933: 6,100,000
/
  • people blamed government for misfortunes
  • millions of Germans joined the party and voted for them in elections
  • turned to politicians who promised an end to their hardship
  • 1930 General Election: Nazi Party won 107 seats
  • over 6 million Germans voted for Nazi Party in 1930
  • number doubled over next 2 years

Nazi Beliefs and Propaganda /
  • 25 Points Programme offered something to most people
  • young and old, working class and middle class, people with jobs and people without jobs
  • Nazi Party pointed to “November Criminals” (those who signed TOV) and to Jews as culprits so people knew who to blame for Germany’s problems
  • Joseph Goebbels (in charge of publicity)
  • made records and films of Hitler’s speeches
  • put up millions of posters and flags all over country
  • held mass rallies (usually in sports arenas) where Hitler could make speeches
  • party meetings accompanied by floodlights, military music and marches by Nazi supporters
  • hundred thousand squeezed into field
  • another hundred thousand packed a nearby racetrack where loudspeakers had been set up to carry Hitler’s words
  • millions not at rally listened over radio
  • used plane to take Hitler from one mass rally to the next
  • allowed Hitler to make speeches in all parts of country and to be heard by millions
  • “Hitler Over Germany” campaign
/
  • 1932: 3 elections
  • Presidency Election
  • Hitler – 13,418,000 votes

SA /
  • beat up Communists
  • smashed their meetings
/
  • made it impossible for them to campaign freely in elections
  • ruled streets by violence
  • July Reichstag election campaign
  • 99 people killed
  • 1125 wounded in street fights all over Germany
  • Nazi Party won majority (230 seats)

Charisma + Oratical Skills /
  • brilliant, interesting and powerful speaker  getting big audiences at meetings
  • the frequency of his normal speaking voice = 228 vibrations per second
  • average man speaking in anger = 200 per second
  • “onslaught of eardrums of the audience was tremendous”
  • could get message across without microphones

Power Struggles in the Reichstag /
  • Major political parties unable to settle differences and unite against Hitler
  • President of Germany, Hidenburg refused to give Hitler role of Chancellor
  • could not risk transferring the power of government to new party such as intolerant, noisy and undisciplined National Socialists
  • instead gave to Franz von Papen
  • would use his power as President to make Papen’s decisions into law
  • however newly elected Reichstag’s first action was to vote on whether it had confidence in Papen’s govt  no
  • still Hindenburg refused to give post to Chanellor to Hitler
  • did not trust Hitler to rule in democratic way
  • preferred to let Papen stay in job and make emergency laws  however Kurt von Schleicher (one of Hidenburg’s closest advisorys) told Hindenburg that army would not agree to having Papen stay in office (if he continued to rule with emergency laws)
  • govt cannot rule without support of army, so Hidenburg appointed Schleicher Chancellor instead
  • but Reichstag would not agree to his decisions, Schleicher asked Hindenburg to make emergency laws for him instead  Hindenburg refused, asked Schleicher to reisgn
  • 1933: Hindenburg had no choice but to appoint Hitler as Chancellor