Hitler rise to power

• Hitler


  Adolf Hitler, born in 1889 in Austria, moved to Munich in Germany when he was 24 years old
• Hitler fought for Germany during the First World War
• Hitler was shocked by the nation's defeat


  Wanted to do something about it
• Hitler enters politics


  Joined the German Worker's Party (DAP) in September 1919
• Hitler was angered by the Treaty of Versailles


  And being 'stabbed in the back' by the November criminals
• In response, Hitler joined the German Worker's Party (DAP) in September 1919
• Nazi Party


  The political party led by Adolf Hitler that came to power in Germany in the 1930s
• Formation of the Nazi Party

  1. Hitler entered the party's leadership

  2. Refashioned the German Worker's Party into the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP)

  3. Hitler became the leader of the Nazi Party by July 1921
• Purpose of the new name


  To appeal to as many people as possible
• 25-point programme


  A programme written by Hitler and the founder of the Nazi party, Anton Drexler, in 1920 with three main aims: to overturn the Treaty of Versailles, to stop democracy as a political system, and to rid Germany of the Jews who harmed the economy
• Nationalist elements of the programme

  • Some parts of the programme were nationalist (for political independence)
  • Nullifying the Treaty of Versailles
  • Lebensraum (to expand German territory to house the population)
  • Building up the strength of the German military
  • Only allowing Aryans (the Germanic race) to be German citizens
• Socialist elements of the programme

  • Nationalising industries
  • Giving every man employment
  • Giving all citizens equal rights
  • Giving support for mothers and children
• Other parts were more socialist


  • For everyone in society sharing the profits from industry
• SA


  A group of ex-soldiers who asserted Nazi power
• The Sturmabteilung (Storm Detachment), known as the SA


  • Largely made up of former German soldiers who hated the Weimar Republic
  • Asserted Nazi power through fighting and intimidating political opponents, mostly the Communists
• The SA was a group of ex-soldiers who asserted Nazi power
• SA


  Paramilitary group of the Nazi Party
• The Nazi Party got stronger


  Through the violence of the SA
• Ernst Röhm


  Leader of the SA
• SA


  • Nicknamed the 'Brownshirts' because of their brown uniforms
  • Grew from 400,000 to 3 million between 1930 and 1934
• Munich Putsch


  In 1923, the Nazis had built up some support and tried to seize control of Germany. In November, Hitler tried to take control of the local branch of the Weimar Republic, the Bavarian Government.
• Long-term causes of the Munich Putsch


  • Resentment against the Treaty of Versailles and its clauses
  • Hatred of being 'stabbed in the back'
  • Thought the Weimar Republic was fundamentally weak
• Medium-term causes of the Munich Putsch

  • Hitler wanted to copy the example of Mussolini in Italy
  • In 1922, Mussolini led the right-wing Fascist Party in overthrowing democracy and setting up a dictatorship
• Immediate causes for the Munich Putsch

  1. Nazis were angered by the French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923

  2. Putsch was triggered by Stresemann calling off passive (non-violent) resistance

  3. Rohm had introduced Hitler and Ludendorff and this helped to trigger the Putsch
• Weimar Republic in 1923


  • Fragility (could be easily damaged)
• Because of the fragility of the Weimar Republic in 1923


  Hitler assumed the German people would support his Putsch
• Events of the Putsch

  8th November 1923
• Events of the Putsch

  1. Hitler and 600 SA troops entered a meeting of the Bavarian government in Munich

  2. Threatening the government leaders, Hitler forced the government to support him

  3. The head of the SA, Röhm, took control of the local police and army headquarters

  4. Ludendorff (the general who told the Kaiser to abdicate in World War One) secretly let the government leaders go
• Events of the Putsch

  1. 11th November 1923
• Events of the Putsch on 9th November 1923

  1. Hitler marched on Munich with 1,000 SA troops and 2,000 volunteers

  2. Hitler wanted to make himself the President of Germany

  3. State police met the Nazis

  4. Shots were fired

  5. 3 policemen and 16 Nazis were killed

  6. Ludendorff and Röhm were arrested

  7. Hitler fled and hid at a friend's house
• Hitler was discovered and arrested for high treason (crime of betraying one's country)

  11th November 1923
• Munich Putsch


  An attempted coup by the Nazi Party in 1923
• In the short term

  It looked like the Nazis had failed
• In the long term


  Hitler successfully used events to his advantage
• Short-term consequences


  1. In the short term, it looked like the Nazis had failed

  2. Hitler was sentenced to prison for five years (he only served about 9 months) in Landsberg prison

  3. The Nazi Party was banned and Hitler was not allowed to speak in public until 1927
• Long-term consequences


  • Hitler successfully used events to his advantage
  • Hitler used his trial to give the Nazis publicity
  • As the newspaper reporters would quote his defence speech, Hitler gave exposure to Nazi ideas
• Hitler's writings


  • Mein Kampf
• Mein Kampf


  Hitler's bestseller which outlined his political objectives
• Hitler's political objectives in Mein Kampf

  • The need to destroy democracy
  • The need for Lebensraum (to expand German territory to house the population)
  • His beliefs about the 'inferiority' of the Jews
• Hitler's reorganisation of the Nazi party


  To gain success