germany unit 2

• Hitler


  Born in Austria in 1889, went to Vienna at 16 to become an artist but was unsuccessful, joined the army in 1914 and was awarded the Iron Cross for bravery during WWI, his antisemitism grew during this time
• At the end of World War I, Hitler could not accept the Armistice or the Treaty of Versailles
• German Workers Party (DAP)


  Party led by Anton Drexler that Hitler joined in 1919
• National Socialist German Workers Party (NASDP or Nazi Party)


  The DAP became this in 1920
• Early growth of the Nazi party

  1. February 1920 - Hitler placed in charge of recruitment and propaganda, 25-point programme drawn up

  2. 1921 - Hitler challenged Drexler and took over leadership of the party

  3. 1921 - SA formed to protect Nazi speakers and disrupt opponents' meetings

  4. 1922 - Nazi party had 6000 members rising to 50,000 by 1924
• Key ideas of the 25-point programme

  • Need a strong, united Germany
  • Government to take control of businesses so wealth can be shared amongst all Germans
  • Ignore the Treaty of Versailles
  • Aryan Germans are superior, Jews are inferior and a threat
  • Germany should be ruled by a single leader, not a democracy
  • Germany should expand and gain Lebensraum
• Ernst Rohm


  Former army officer who founded the SA
• Julius Streicher


  Editor of the Nazi newspaper
• Hermann Goering


  Close friend of Hitler who became one of the most powerful members of the party
• In 1923, Hitler, supported by General Ludendorff, made an attempt to seize power in the Munich Putsch
• Reasons for the Putsch

  • Weimar Republic was unpopular due to the occupation of the Ruhr and Hyperinflation
  • Nazi party's support was growing in Bavaria
  • Mussolini had done a similar thing in Italy
  • Hitler had gained the support of Ludendorff
• Events of the Putsch

  1. 8th November 1923 - Hitler and the SA disrupted a meeting in a beer hall attended by Kahr, Seisser and Lossow

  2. Kahr, Seisser, and Lossow were held at gunpoint until they promised to support Hitler

  3. 9th November - Hitler, Ludendorff and 3,000 Nazi supporters marched into Munich but were quickly stopped

  4. 11th November - Police found and arrested Hitler
• The Nazi party was immediately banned after the Putsch
• Consequences of the Putsch

  1. February 1924 - Hitler put on trial for high treason

  2. Hitler turned the trial into a propaganda success

  3. Hitler given 5 year sentence but only served 9 months, wrote Mein Kampf in prison

  4. Hitler realised he could only win power by getting elected
• Between 1924 and 1928, Weimar enjoyed the 'Golden Years' and most Germans were prepared to give democracy a chance
• In 1928 the Nazis won just 2.8% of the vote and got only 12 seats in the Reichstag
• Progress and changes made to the party

  1. Hitler's trial made him famous across Germany

  2. Mein Kampf became a well-known book

  3. 1926 Bamburg Conference - Hitler confirmed as party leader, party committed to getting voted into power, local Nazi leaders (gauleiters) appointed
• In 1929 the 'Golden Years' in Germany came to an end due to the Wall Street Crash in America
• Impact of the Wall Street Crash on Germany

  USA demanded Germany repay loans, German businesses had to pay back loans and faced higher taxes, Weimar government had to increase taxes and reduce unemployment benefits, millions of Germans lost jobs
• Reasons for the growth in support for the Nazis

  • Hitler and the SA
  • Divided opposition
  • Weakness of Weimar
  • Fear of Communism
• Paul Von Hindenburg


  President of the Weimar Republic
• Heinrich Bruning


  Chancellor of the Weimar Republic at the beginning of 1932
• General Franz Von Papen


  Politician and friend of Hindenburg
• Kurt Von Schleicher


  Army General
• Political Developments in 1932

  1. April 1932 - Hindenburg re-elected as President

  2. May 1932 - Hindenburg forced Bruning to step down, appointed Von Papen as Chancellor

  3. July 1932 - Von Papen called election, Nazis became largest party

  4. November 1932 - Von Papen sacked, Von Schleicher appointed Chancellor

  5. January 1933 - Von Papen convinced Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor
• Setting up the dictatorship

  1. Reichstag Fire, February 1933 - Hindenburg gave Hitler emergency powers to deal with communists

  2. Enabling Act, March 1933 - Nazis won 44% of vote, Reichstag passed act giving Hitler dictatorial powers
• When Hitler was made Chancellor in January 1933, he was in a weak position. The Nazis did not have a majority in the Reichstag and President Hindenburg could sack him as Chancellor at any point. Hindenburg hated Hitler, so this was a very real possibility.
• Setting up the dictatorship

  From January 1933 to August 1934, Hitler secured full control of Germany and managed to create a dictatorship
• Reichstag Fire, February 1933


  The Reichstag building was burnt down. A Dutch communist (Marinus Van der Lubbe) was blamed and put on trial. Hitler took the opportunity to blame communists for the fire in the Nazi-run newspapers.
• Hindenburg allowed Hitler emergency powers to deal with the threat of the Communists


  The decree for the protection of the people and state was passed. All Communist Party (KPD) members of the Reichstag were expelled, and 4,000 leading communists were arrested.
• Election in March 1933


  Communists were banned from campaigning. Fearful of the Communists, big companies like Krupp provided a huge amount of money to the Nazis for their campaign.
• The Enabling Act, March 1933

  The Nazis won 44% of the vote and got 288 seats. The Communists got 12% of the vote and 81 seats. Hitler again used the emergency powers to ban the Communists from the Reichstag. The Nazis got the DNVP to vote with them and this gave them a majority in the Reichstag. Hitler then passed the Enabling Act which gave him the power to pass any new law without having to use the Reichstag.
• Night of the Long Knives, June 1934


  The SA were led by Ernst Rohm and were a threat to Hitler. Hitler called together the 100 top SA leaders. Hitler then used the SS to arrest them. Rohm and others were murdered. This was clearly illegal – so Hitler passed a law in July which legalised his actions by claiming that Rohm had been plotting to overthrow the government.
• Results of the Night of The Long Knives

  • Hitler got rid of a major opponent within the Nazi party by killing Ernst Rohm. It sent a powerful message that Hitler could not be challenged by anyone within the Nazis – he had complete control of the party from this point. People outside of the Nazi party were afraid to challenge Hitler. The SA now had a minor role.
• The death of Hindenburg, August 1934


  Hitler declared himself Fuhrer and combined the role of both President and Chancellor. The army swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler.
• The SS


  Led by Himmler, the SS was responsible for the removal of all opposition. They wore black shirts and were fiercely loyal to Hitler. They would arrest people in the streets and ran the concentration camps. In 1934 the SS had 50,000 members and by 1939 250,000.
• The Gestapo (secret Police)

  Looked for any potential criticism of Hitler and the Nazis. There were only about 30,000 Gestapo officers but they got a huge amount of information by working with the public who would report their neighbours and colleagues. These informants were crucial to the work of the Gestapo and led to 160,000 arrests for political crimes. It could arrest and imprison suspected opponents to the state without trial. Only it had the power to send political opponents to concentration camps.
• The SD


  Set up in 1931, it was the intelligence agency of the Nazi Party, under the command of Himmler and organised by Heydrich. Its main aim was to find enemies of the Nazi Party and remove them.
• Concentration Camps


  Set up from 1933 to detain political prisoners. Run by SS. The first people sent to concentration camps were trade union leaders and communists. By 1939, there were more than 160,000 people under arrest for political offences.
• Nazi control of the Legal system

  All judges had to join the Nazi Socialist League for the Maintenance of Law. Judges were expected to make rulings that favoured the Nazi party. The People's Court was set up to deal with political crimes in 1934. There was no jury so the judges made all of the decisions.