EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE NAZI PARTY

• HITLER AND THE DAP

  • Anton Drexler founded the DAP in February 1919
  • In September 1919, the DAP had 23 members
  • It was a right-wing party that targeted the working classes
  • The government hired Hitler to spy on political parties in Munich
  • Hitler attended his first meeting of the DAP on 12th September 1919
  • The ideas discussed at the meeting aligned with Hitler’s personal beliefs
  • On 19th September 1919, Hitler signed up as a member
  • By 1920, the DAP had changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (the NSDAP or Nazi Party)
• TWENTY-FIVE POINT PROGRAMME

  • In January 1920, Hitler and Drexler wrote the Twenty-Five Point Programme, which formalised the aims of the DAP
  • 4 - The belief that the Jewish people were not German citizens
  • 7 - The government’s top priority was to provide jobs for German citizens
  • 9 - All citizens to have equal legal rights
  • 25 - The implementation of a strong, centralised government
  • Many of these policies were both nationalist and socialist meaning it has both left wing and right wing beliefs to improve the party's popularity, and deliver the best of both ideologies.
• HITLER'S APPEAL

  • The DAP experienced a rapid increase in membership in 1920
  • By June 1920, the DAP had 1,000 members
  • By the end of the year, this increased to 3,000
  • Hitler spent a considerable amount of time practising his speeches
  • In the first year of his DAP membership, he delivered 31 speeches
  • Hitler developed a unique pattern of oration, increasing his tempo of speaking until he reached a frantic and aggressive crescendo. This made his arguments very persuasive
• NAZI PARTY: ORGANISATION

  • Hitler suggested the name NSDAP to represent the nationalist and socialist elements - to appeal to multiple groups
  • The NSDAP adopted the swastika and straight-armed salute to be different from other nationalist parties
  • In Dec 1920, the NSDAP began producing a newspaper called the ‘People’s Observer’
  • Within a year, the NSDAP was distributing 17,000 copies of the newspaper
  • In July 1921, Hitler triggered a leadership contest 
  • Hitler’s popularity meant he defeated Drexler to gain control of the NSDAP
  • Hitler needed to consolidate his position as leader of the party
• SA

  • The SA was formed in August 1921, NSDAP's private army.
  • Hitler hired the unemployed, students and ex-soldiers into the SA, as they were infuriated with the WG
  • Hitler used the SA to:
  • Control crowds at meetings
  • Start fights on the streets
  • Disrupt the meetings of opposition groups like the KPD
  • Strengthen the image of the NSDAP
  • The SA became problematic
  • By 1922, there were 800 Brownshirts, and it was increasing
  • Röhm became leader in 1923 and was popular and Hitler didn't have direct control
  • To combat this, Hitler hired personal bodyguards from the SA.