Hitler's Rise to Power, 1919-33

• How did Hitler began his political career?

  By joining the German Workers' Party in January 1919 whilst he was still in the army.
• How did Hitler move up in the German Workers' Party? What skills did he have that helped him with this?

  He became known for his talent as a passionate and skilled speaker, and crowds gathered to hear him talk. The GWP began to rely on him to get party members, and he was made chief of propaganda in 1920.
• In 1919, the GWP had 60 members, by 1920, how many did it have?

  Around 2000
• What was the GWP rebranded to in 1920?

  the National Socialist German Workers' Party (the Nazi Party)
• When did Hitler become the leader of the Nazi party?

  July 1921
• What were the beliefs of the Nazi Party?

  • nationalist
  • the interests of Germans should be at the centre of government policy
  • antisemitic
  • opposed to the Weimar Republic
  • wanted to restore Germany's greatness
• When did the Nazi Party introduce the 25 Point Programme?

  February 1920
• What were the beliefs of the 25 Point Programme?

  • Treaty of Versailles should be abolished
  • All German-speakers should be united
  • Only people with German blood can be citizens
  • Jewish people cannot be citizens
  • Improved pensions and land reform
  • Improved health and education
• What was the name of the party militia that Hitler founded in 1921?

  the SA, they were political thugs that carried out violent antisemitic attacks and intimidated rival political groups.
• The Nazis made Jewish people scapegoats for Germany's economic problems and encouraged Germans to blame them.
• The SA gave the party a military feel, which made it seem organised and disciplined. It also gave many ex-soldiers a job and a purpose.
• How was the Weimar Republic weak in 1923?

  • hyperinflation at its peak
  • food riots
  • germans angry at the French and Belgian invasion of the Ruhr
• What was the name of the revolt organised by Hitler in 1923?

  Munich Putsch
• What happened in the Munich Putsch?

  • Hitler's soldiers occupied a beer hall in Munich where local government leaders were meeting
  • He announced that the revolution had begun and won promises of support from 3 leaders after holding them at gunpoint
  • The next day Hitler marched into Munich followed by the SA
  • News of the revolt had spread and the leaders organised troops against the the march
  • The police fired on the revels and the revolt quickly collapsed
• How was Hitler punished for his role in the Munich Putsch?

  He was imprisoned
• What did Hitler do while imprisoned?

  Wrote Mein Kampf
• Why did the Nazi Party begin to go down in support by the mid 20s?

  • Stresemann was fixing the German economy
  • The Nazi Party was banned after the Munich Putsch
• When was Hitler released from prison? When was the Nazi Party ban lifted?

  Hitler: December 1924

  Ban: February 1925
• How did Hitler change the tactics of the Nazi Party?

  • Made it clear that the party would only follow his agenda, in order to stop divide in the party
  • Adopted a national framework and became more centralised
  • Appointed leaders to run regional branches, this brought every level of the party under Hitler's control
  • Propaganda increased and was centrally controlled
  • Re-established the SA in 1926
  • Created new organisations like the Hitler Youth in 1926 to attract younger voters and the National Socialist Teachers' League to make different sectors of society feel valued
• In October 1929, 1.6 million people were out of work, and by February 1932, there were over 6 million.
• When was Brüning appointed as new Chancellor of the WR?

  March 1930
• What unpopular economic policies did Brüning introduce?

  • increased the cost of imported food to help German agriculture, but this also raised food prices
  • government salaries and pensions were reduced and taxes increased
  • social services were cut back, and unemployment benefits were reduced
• What was Brüning nicknamed?

  The Hunger Chancellor
• Brüning's economic problems were so unpopular that he had difficulty passing them in the Reichstag. He began to rely on Article 48 and he asked President Hindenburg to suspend the constitution so that he could make decision without parlimentary approval. This led to the Weimar no longer feeling like a democracy and German people felt neglected.
• When did the Nazi Party pull ahead of the SPD and Communist party in terms of votes?

  July 1932
• Between July and November 1932, the Nazi Party lost votes. The SPD lost support in every federal election.
• What personality characteristics did Hitler have?

  • patriotic
  • energetic
  • conveyed his enthusiasm
  • brought hope to those who listened
• How many people were members of the Nazi Party by 1930?

  300,000
• Who was Chancellor Brüning replaced by in May 1932?

  Franz von Papen
• Hitler ran for president in April 1932 against Hindenburg, but Hindenburg received 53% of the votes, beating Hitler's 36.8%
• Hitler demanded to be Chancellor in July 1932, but Hindenburg did not trust him and refused his request. This could have been a dead end for Hitler, as Hindenburg was the only one who could legally appoint him Chancellor of Germany.
• How many seats did the Nazis lose in the November 1932 election?

  34
• When did Hindenburg replace von Papen? With who?

  • December 1932
  • Kurt von Schleicher
• How did Schleicher try to cause divisions in the Nazi party?

  By asking another Nazi to be Vice-Chancellor, but Hitler stopped him from accepting the offer.
• Papen resented Schleicher, as he thought that he had persuaded Hindenburg to dismiss him. He wanted to get back into the government, so he made a deal with Hitler. They agreed that if Papen persuaded Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor, Hitler would make Papen Vice-Chancellor.
• How did Papen persuade Hindenburg into replacing Schleicher with Hitler?

  He argued that they could control Hitler and use him as a puppet.
• When was Hitler offered the Chancellorship?

  January 1933
• How long did Hitler serve in prison?

  9 months