1929-1933

• Key Events of Hitler's early life

  1889- Born in Branau am Inn, Austria

  1903 - Father dies

  1907 - Mother dies and Hitler left "prostrate with grief"... application to Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna is rejected

  1908-13 - Lives rough in Vienna, selling hand painted postcards

  1914 - Fled to Munich and volunteered to join the Bavarian Army

  1918 - Awarded 1st class iron cross and then blinded by a gas attack: learns of German surrender whilst in hospital (Pasewalk)
• What are nationalism and socialism?

  Nationalism - Germany should be strong and more independent, and with only pure Germans living there

  Socialism - They believed that the country's land, industry and wealth should belong to the workers.
• What was the DAP?

  - The DAP was set up by Anton Drexler in 1919

  - One of many political parties set up in the aftermath of WW1: initially 50 members

  - Mainly right wing, but possessed both nationalist and socialist ideas

  - They hated the November Criminals, Dolchstoss and Jewish people

  - They also stressed the volkish idea - the notion of a pure German people
• Hitler and the DAP

  - Post WW1, Hitler was angry about German defeat and hated the Weimar Republic.

  - He remained in the army and became an informant with its intelligence party in Munich

  - Was sent to spy/report on socialist parties, including the DAP

  - At one meeting, Hitler was angered by the comments of a member and made a powerful speech in reply Drexler was so impressed, he asked him to join the party.
• How did Hitler become leader of the DAP by 1921?

  In Jan 1920, Hitler becomes Drexler's right-hand man, and head of propaganda

  Feb 1920: Drexler and Hitler announce the party's 25 Point Programme, (political manifesto which expressed their aims and beliefs)

  Hitler's personal appeal and skills as a public speaker (orator)

  Hitler reorganises the party, calling it the NSDAP, introduced the swastika, and sets up a private military force

  In July 1921, Hitler takes over as leader of the Nazi Party
• What was the 25 point programme?

  - The 25 point plan was the DAP's manifesto and a key reason for early growth of the Nazi Party. It had broad appeal and aimed to target many key groups in German society.
• What were some key nationalist policies in the 25 point programme?

  - Creation of a strong central government

  - Union of all Germans in a Greater Germany

  - GET RID OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

  - Build up Germany's armed forces

  - Only allow Germans to be members of the nation, no Jews or other non Germans were allowed

  - Expand Germany across new territory to feed the people and settle the surplus population (lebesraum)
• What were some key socialist policies in the 25 point programme?

  - Increase pensions for the elderly

  - Nationalise all industries (bring under government control)

  - All citizens should have equal rights and duties

  - Every hard working German should have the chance of higher education

  - State must protect mothers and infants, stop children working
• Why did the 25 point programme hold such appeal?

  - It offered strong leadership at a time of national crisis

  - Promised to reverse the Treaty of Versailles, including hated clauses regarding the size of the military

  - Protected key groups who had lost confidence in moderate government

  - The only people it did not really appeal to were minorities and very well educated people
• Hitler as a speaker

  - Hitler used a variety of ways to improve as an orator (public speaker)

  He planned his speeches to build up the tension along his key messages.

  - He practiced gestures/movement, using his voice to show he was a powerful speaker

  - He had publicity photos and paintings produced showing him as an orator... e.g. 'In the beginning there was the word'

  - Increased membership meant that the party were able to buy and publish its own newspaper - the Volkischer Beobachter in 1921
• What was the Fuhrerprinzip?

  - Hitler's became party leader in July 1921.

  - He had the title Führer (leader) but he gradually developed the word to have a much more powerful meaning. For him, it meant that he had to have absolute power and authority in the party and was answerable to no one.

  - This was the Führerprinzip (the leadership principle) and came to be a cornerstone of the party organisation.

  - He also adopted the swastika (Hakenkreuz: hook-cross) as the emblem of the party and the use of the raised arm salute.
• What was the role of the SA?

  - Political meetings in Munich at this time generated lots of violence and to protect Nazi speakers, protection squads were used.

  - These men were organised into the SA (Sturmabteilung) in 1921, led by Ernst Röhm.

  - The members of the SA were more commonly known as the 'Brownshirts' because of the colour of their uniform.

  -The SA became the private army of the Nazi Party and pledged loyalty and obedience to it.

  - They were used to disrupt the meetings of the SPD and the KPD, but would also parade in the streets, to impress people with Nazi organisation and power
• How much had the Nazi Party achieved by 1923?

  - Hitler ensured that there was maximum publicity for his party and membership grew from about 50 members in 1919 to 1,100 in June 1920 to about 55,000 in November 1923.

  HOWEVER...

  - Limited electoral success and the Nazi party remained essentially a regional organisation with its main support in Bavaria.
• What was the Munich Putsch?

  Putsch = violent attempt to overthrow government

  On 8th/9th November, Hitler led a putsch against the Bavarian government. This is sometimes known as the Beerhall Putsch.

  
  

  People involved = Gustav von Kahr, the head of Bavarian government

  Otto von Lossow = army chief

  Hans Seisser = police chief
• What were the long term causes of the Munich Putsch?

  - Hitler hated the Weimar Republic

  - Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles
• What were the short term causes of the Munich Putsch?

  - Growth of the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party had increased support by 1923, especially in Bavaria

  - Weimar were humiliated following the French occupation of the Ruhr. Many German people were furious that the Weimar Republic eventually called off passive resistance to the French occupation.

  - Weimar was disgraced; Hitler believed people across Germany would support him instead

  - The SA would be used as army support

  - Hitler was inspired by Mussolini's successful March on Rome in 1922.
• What pushed Hitler to act in November 1923?

  - Hitler had won the support of General Ludendorff, the former army Commander-in-Chief, an extremely popular figure.

  - Hitler was confident that Kahr and the army in Bavaria would support him
• Key events of the Putsch: 8th November

  - 8th November 1923, Hitler and 600 Nazis seized the Burgerbraukeller, where Kahr, Seisser and Lossow were attending a political meeting.

  - Hitler placed the three leaders in a room and won promises of support for his planned takeover from them after they had been held at gunpoint.

  - Remarkably, Ludendorff allowed the three men to leave.
• Key events of the Putsch: 9th November

  - Kahr (and other leaders) changed their minds re support and organised troops and police to resist Hitler's planned armed march through Munich.

  - Hitler continued with the march through Munich anyway

  - However, the Nazis had only about 2,000 rifles and when they were challenged they were no match for the well-armed police force. As the two opposing forces met, shots were fired and 16 Nazis and four police officers were killed.

  -Hitler disappeared but was arrested two days later on the day that the Nazi Party was banned and scattered
• Consequences of the Putsch

  - HItler turned the trial into a propaganda opportunity, giving long speeches on his hatred of Weimar, Tov etc and became a national celebrity

  - Hitler went to prison for 9 months where he further developed his political ideas, writing Mein Kampf and realising that he needed

  a) Complete control of the Nazi Party

  b) Legal/democratic route to power

  - Meant that the direction of the Nazi Party changed after 1924.
• What is meant by the Nazi 'Lean Years?'

  - Period from 1924-28 where the Nazi Party had limited electoral success due to the Weimar Republic's relative stability and the fact that the party had to be rebuilt by Hitler following his release from prison in 1924...

  - During Hitler's time in prison, the party had survived secretly underground, but had split into rival groups due to poor leadership from temporary leader Alfred Rosenberg.
• What did the Nazis achieve in 1924-28? Reorganisation

  - Hitler had the ban on the Nazi Party lifted by the President of Bavaria following his release from prison

  - In late 1924 the party was relaunched and Hitler took control again.

  - Hitler made changes to the party's structure by creating 35 branches (Gaue), each led by a Gauleiter. These were Hitler's closest associates and pushed the idea of Fuhrerprinzip.
• What did the Nazis achieve from 1924-28? Strengthening of leadership

  - In 1926, Hitler held the Bamberg conference in order to address factions/divisions within the party and reassert his own status as leader.

  - Possible leadership rivals, Gregor Strasser and Josef Goebbels were won over by being given new positions. Strasser = propaganda and Goebbels = Berlin Gauleiter.

  - Hitler also reorganised the SA as he was concerned they had become too thuggish in their behaviour... he removed Ernst Rohm as leader and replaced him with von Solomon who he was sure would follow his orders.

  - Hitler also created his own elite personal bodyguard, the SS, who were utterly loyal to Hitler.
• What did the Nazis achieve in 1924-28? Broad appeal to voters

  - Now Hitler was undisputed leader, der Fuhrer, he used endless propaganda to win over voters.

  - The Twenty Five Point Programme became cornerstone Nazi policy, but Point 17 which stated that all land needed for communal purposes was to be seized was changed so that land was only seized if it was owned by a Jew.

  - Hitler changed his focus from urban voters -> rural voters who were beginning to experience economic problems.
• What did the Nazis achieve from 1924-28? Elections

  - Hitler's leadership and reorganization of the party achieved results. The party only had 27,000 members in 1925 but exceeded 100,000 by the end of 1928.

  - It was a national party which had begun to attract all classes.

  - Yet, despite the changes, the Nazis only won 12 seats in parliament in the 1928 elections, having held 32 in 1924.

  - They were the 7th biggest party in the Reichstag, polling 2.6% of the overall vote.
• Overall: Progress?

  - Better organised and ready to take power: Hitler's leadership is secure, Gaue ensure control on a national scale, factions have been addressed and voting appeal broadened again

  - If judging party progress on electoral victory alone, the Nazis poll very poorly at this time...

  - However, they were ready and waiting for an event on which they could capitalise... they found this in the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
• Wall Street Crash: Events in America

  - In Oct 1929 share prices began to fall on Wall St: the result of the unsustainable boom of the 1920s

  - Falling prices meant that people's investments fell in value and so people rushed to sell them before they losteven moremoney

  - Many people selling created panic situation.

  - Wall Street Crash: 24th-29th Oct

  - 29th: 13 million shares were sold and investors had lost $4billion in one week
• Wall Street Crash: Events in Germany

  - The Wall Street Crash caused a banking crisis in Germany because Germany were such major investors in shares on the US stock exchange

  - Dawes Plan loans were immediately recalled and people queued up outside banks to get their money out, this in turn causing banks to run out of cash.

  - Collapse in banking then caused a crisis in industry (symptoms being mass unemployment, falling wages and falling industrial production) which Weimar appeared helpless to deal with.
• What was the impact of the WSC on Germany? Statistics.

  - Businesses had no loans to help them operate: Industrial production down 40% by 1932

  - Businesses had no money to pay staff: Unemployment rose dramatically: September 1929 it was 1.3 million, but by January 1933 it was 6.1 million (almost six times the previous level). Wages had also fallen around 70% over the same time period.

  - Those with savings had them wiped out for the second time in ten years as banks collapsed and investments went bust.

  Many Germans were unable to pay their rent and found themselves living in shanty towns and tents - crime began to rise.
• Weimar Government weakness

  - Chancellor was Heinrich Bruning (The hunger chancellor)

  - First chancellor to not have the support of a majority in the Reichstag.

  - Bruning's policies: cut Government spending and propose tax increases, cutting unemployment benefits.

  - Right Wing: hate higher taxes// Left Wing: hate cuts to benefits. This led to continual infighting and no decisions could be made by the Reichstag.

  - Bruning therefore relied increasingly on Article 48 to pass laws: 44 times in 1931 and 66 times in 1932.

  - This undermined ordinary Germans' faith in democratic government.
• Rise of extremist parties

  - Both KPD and Nazi Support rocketed due to the depression

  - The communists were seen as the one party who could save worker jobs. Their vote share jumped to 15% and they held 89 members in the Reichstag after the July 1932 elections.

  - Nazi support grew at an even quicker rate than the KPD: middle classes were terrified of communist government as they feared they would lose land, business and profits. Hitler was their best defence against communism.

  - Nazi vote share: 12 seats in 1928 and 230 by 1932.
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33

  - Impact of the Depression

  - Propaganda (Both modern tech and targeting of specific groups)

  - Role of Hitler

  - Financial backing from industrialists

  - Role of the SA.
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33? Propaganda

  - Hitler and Goebbels realised that using propaganda was crucial.

  - Goebbels ensured the Nazi message was simple, everywhere, and repeated often: "propaganda must confine itself to very few points and repeat them endlessly"

  - By 1930, the Nazis owned 130 newspapers across Germany

  - He used modern technology; radio, newspapers, posters, rallies to spread the Nazi message locally and nationally

  This was used to maximum effect by Goebbels as Germany descended into political chaos in 1930-32
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33? Propaganda - specific groups

  - Propaganda could be used to either target the masses, or very specific groups: e.g. farmers, women and young people through propaganda.

  - Middle class support was crucial as they were a large demographic who rarely vote for extremist parties. Furthermore, their support gave the NSDAP respectability/legitimacy.

  - Working class usually supported the KPD

  -Young people were crucial as Hitler talked of a '1000 year Reich'. He set up Hitler Youth in 1926 and 43% of new members at this time were aged between 14-19.
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33? Big business support

  - The Nazis sought the votes and financial support of industrialists and big businesses who had suffered in the Great Depression and were terrified of communist government and feared the growth of trade unions.

  - Hitler would solve the economic problems, destroy communism and reduce the influence of trade unions.

  - The Nazis were supported and well funded during the Great Depression from leading industrialists Benz, Krupp and Bosch.

  - In 1932, 600,000 copies of the Nazi economic programme were produced and distributed for the July election.

  - Could be seen as backbone of Nazi success: allowing propaganda methods to flourish or Hitler's appearances at rallies to be funded etc.
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33? Role/personal appeal of Hitler

  - Hitler had developed art of public speaking in early days of the NSDAP and was central in forming the 25 point programme.

  - Knew he needed to present himself as law abiding and democratic... offer something to everybody

  - Hitler could be all things to all people: war hero, saviour, ordinary man in the street.

  - Image was that he'd given over his whole existence to Germany: nothing to stop him achieving his goal.

  - He was also very present: appeared at Nazi rallies and flew all over Germany for the 1932 elections (20 cities in seven days).

  - Had charisma when other politicians fell short
• Main reasons for increased Nazi support 1929-33? Role of the SA

  - Hitler claimed only he and the NSDAP could provide the strong government Germany needed.

  - The Nazis used SA to provide protection for their meetings, but also to disrupt the meetings of their opponents, especially the KPD.

  - Hitler reappointed Ernst Rohm as leader of the SA in January 1931, and within a year its membership had increased by 100,000 to 170,000.

  - The communists had their own private militia, the Red Front Fighters (RFB), and there were countless fights between them and the SA. On many occasions there were fatalities.

  - Hitler sought to show the German people that he could stamp out Bolshevik violence and their threat of revolution.
• Evidence of NSDAP success

  1928 election: 12 seats, but Jul 1932: 230 seats

  Membership 1931: 129,000, but 849,000 by 1933

  March 1932 Presidential Election: Hitler comes second to Hindenburg, gaining 30% of the vote
• How did Hitler become Chancellor? 1932

  1930: Bruning (The Hunger Chancellor from the Central Party) becomes Chancellor - rules by decree and alienates both left and right support

  1932: March: Presidential Election: Hitler comes 2nd (30% vote share)

  May: Bruning loses support of Hindenburg over his failure to improve the economy: triggers an election

  May-July: Violent campaign with 00s of fatalities

  July: NSDAP poll 37% of the vote and win 230 seats, becoming the largest party in the Reichstag

  August: Hitler demands the Chancellorship, but is refused. It is given to von Papen of the Central Party who only won 70 seats (President chooses)

  September: Becomes clear that von Papen cannot maintain a majority: dissolves Reichstag and calls new elections for November, hoping the Nazis will lose votes

  Nov: Elections - Nazis gain 196 seats, losing seats due to economy picking up, but remain biggest party. Papen remains Chancellor, but cannot rule and so suggests dissolving the constitution.

  Nov: Papen loses Hindenburg's confidence over this and appoints von Schleicher (Minister of Defence) who wants to rule by 'querfront' (bringing together strands of left and right
• How did Hitler become Chancellor? 1933

  Jan: von Papen wants revenge and so organises secret meeting with Hitler where they agree to a Nazi-Nationalist coalition with Hitler as Chancellor and von Papen as vice. They propose this to Hindenburg.

  30th Jan: Hindenburg, having run out of options, reluctantly appoints Hitler Chancellor. He has done this entirely legally and democratically. He will now dismantle the entire democratic system from within.