Hitler
takes control
• took control of Nazi party - 1922 undisputed leader
• need for his charisma and skill at speeches
• one strong and powerful leader
Nazi Leaders
1. Herman Georing - in charge of SA
2. Josef Goebbels - in charge of propaganda
3. Rudolf Hess - deputy Fuhrer, Hitler’s private secretary, organizer
4. Heinrich Himmler - in charge of SS
5. Ernest Rohm - set up SA and leads SA in 1921
SA (The Stormtroopers)
• ex soldiers
• private army for Nazis
• inNmidates opponents
• fight communists
• protect Hitler
• send an image of the Nazis being able to keep law and order
Munich Putsch - public acclaim for Nazis
Hitler aPempted to overthrow the Weimar government in November 1923. During
the golden age (1923-28), the Nazi party struggled to gain support because the
economy was stable due to many foreign policies, therefore people were not
looking for extreme parNes to take over.
Causes:
• resentment for weimar Germany
• stab in the back myth
• Stresemann called off the policy of passive resistance to solve occupaNon of
the Ruhr situaNon
• RW extremists felt betrayed and were angry
• thought he had the support from the army and believed he could persuade
army leaders e.g. Ludendorff
• wanted to gain power for the Nazi party
What happened:
• sept 1923 - chancellor Stresemann called off the policy of passive resistance
• right wing extremists were angry - felt betrayed
• 8 nov - beer putsch
• broke into beer hall meeNng with 600 SAs
• declared a naNonal government
• persuaded Kahr and Ludendorff to support Hitler
• 9 nov - Munich putsch
• 3000 Nazis marched into Munich
• confronted by 100 armed policemen
• 16 Nazis killed
• Hitler arrested and imprisoned for 9 months - lenient sentence as the judges
were RW naNonalists
• Putsch failed to overthrow Weimar
Successes Failures
Gained reputaNons, naNonwide publicity Putsch was a failure due to lack of support
and fame for Nazi party and poor planning
His speech on Nazism ideas during trial Easily crushed
was reported in German newspaper -
spread of Nazi message
Made Hitler famous 16 Nazis killed
Wrote Mein Kampf - his main ideas Showed that they didn't have much power
outlined or support
Prison forced Hitler to re think his tacNcs Nazi party banned but conNnued to
for gebng power - stop using violence and operate in secret
force and instead enter Nazis into
elecNons
Mein Kampf/ Hitler’s views
• naFonal socialism - stood for loyalty to Germany, racial purity, equality and
state control of economy
• racism - Aryans were the superior race, anN semanNc
• armed force - war and struggle were essenNal part of development of healthy
Aryan race
• lebensraum - expansion of german territory, more living space
• Fuhrer - debate and democraNc discussion produced weakness, so all power
to one strong leader
How did the Nazis change their tacFcs between 1924 - 1929?
• seize power democraNcally
• became an electorally viable party
Nazis tried to appeal to everyone
• flexible and vague with what he promises
• need to gain trust and more support first
Working Class Appeal
• increased anN semanNc propaganda
• offered jobs and security
• BUT - extreme radical workers tended to vote KPD
Middle Class Appeal
• protecNon for small businesses
• protecNon for farmers
• law and order
• return back to tradiNonal authority
Popular Leadership
• Hitler was popular and effecNve public speaker
• used speeches to tell Germans his promises
• used simple language so it was easy to remember
• seemed to be someone who cared about German people
• posters and rallies made him to be like a superhero - adapted his body shape
Use of propaganda
• Goebbels was in charge of propaganda and raising support for Nazis
• used radio - first party to use technology to broadcast Hitlers speeches
• rallies - Hitler gave many effecNve, powerful speeches
• newspapers - spread Nazi message
• elecNon posters - targeted specific groups of people
• training for public speakers
• Nazi messages kept simple and frequently repeated
• highly efficient at spreading Nazi message all over Germany
Strengthen the SA
• 1925, enlarged SA
• 55% of SA came from unemployed
• set up the SS - Hitler’s personal bodyguards
• membership of the Nazi party rose to more than 100,000 by 1928
In 1928, Nazis were sFll unsuccessful….
• support of less than 3 percent of populaNon
• smallest party with fewer seats than communists
• prosperity of Stresemann years made Germans uninterested one extreme
poliNcs
Why did the Nazis have liWle success before 1930?
• Disastrous Munich putsch
• putsch was crushed by 100 policemen and failed
• nazis had been humiliated
• people did not rise up to support him
• Failed to get working class support
• economy was prospering
• most industrial workers supported LW parNes
• Successes in the Weimar government
• economic recovery
• successful foreign policies
• golden age
• Nazi aims were irrelevant to most Germans
• Lack of support from police and army
What successes did the Nazis have before 1930?
• Munich Putsch
• gained reputaNon, enormous publicity and fame
• Hitler’s trail aier Munich Putsch
• gave a speech about the Nazis and their ideas
• reported in the newspaper - publicity
• Changing his tacNcs and policies
• target different groups and promised them different things to win support
• won the support of middle class and farmers
• Hitler being imprisoned aier Munich putsch made him rethink his tacNcs
for power - changed from using force to trying to gain seats during elecNon
• Goebbels and the use of propaganda
• raising profile and efficient way to spread message
• Hitler’s speaking ability
• unified party under leadership of Hitler
How did Hitler rise to power?
1) The Depression 1929
• American stock market crashed and sent USA into disastrous economic
depression
• Germany was badly affected - economic collapse
Impacts of Depression
• businesses went bankrupt
• low income
• unemployment increased rapidly
• farmers were further in debt
• 40% of workers were unemployed by 1932
• govn. cut unemployment benefit to save money
• sNll needed to pay reparaNons
Depression weakened Weimar Republic
•
