2.3 Growth in Nazi support, 1929-32 Flashcards
The Wall Street Crash in the USA
In October 1929, share prices began to fall on the Wall Street stock exchange in New York, USA.
This brought about a global economic depression.
Economic effects on Germany
In Europe, Germany was worst affected because American banks called in all of their foreign loans at very short notice. These loans, agreed under the Dawes Plan in 1924, had been the basis for Germany’s economic recovery from the disaster of hyperinflation. The loans funded German industry and helped to pay reparations.
Another effect was that German banks were major investors in shares on the US stock exchange and suffered huge losses. The collapse of German banking then caused a general economic collapse in German industry. As the banks began to demand the money they had lent to businesses in industry and agriculture. Deprived of this money, some businesses began to close down completely.
The Impact on unemployment
- The rise in unemployment significantly raised government expenditure on unemployment insurance and other benefits.
- Germans began to lose faith in democracy and looked to extreme parties on both the Left (the communists) and the Right (the Nazis) for quick and simple solutions.
Causes of unemployment
By January 1933, 6 million workers were unemployed.
- When the banks demanded their money back from German industries and farms, they had to scale back production or close. Either way, they made workers unemployed.
- German companies that sold their goods abroad found that their sales fell. They had to make even more workers unemployed.
The failure to deal with unemployment
In March 1930 the German Chancellor, Hermann Müller, resigned when his government could not agree on how to tackle the rise in government spending caused by the rise in unemployment. He was replaced by Heinrich Brüning. His policies were ineffective in dealing with the unemployment crisis and further undermined Germans’ faith in democracy:
In July 1930 Chancellor Brüning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay and proposed higher taxes - which was not liked by the right - wing or middle classes. It was also not supported by the left-wing parties as it reduced benefits. This added to the spiral of decline and unemployment continued to rise, as well as making those who had lost their jobs even poorer.
However, Brüning could not get the Reichstag to agree to his actions, so President Hindenburg used Article 48 of the Weimar constitution, which gave the President the power to pass laws by decree, to govern. This undermined democracy and weakened the power of the Reichstag – arguably opening the way for Hitler’s later dictatorship.
Growth in support for the communist party
15% of voters supported them in 1932, compared to the 10% in 1928. They became the largest communist party outside the soviet union.
Support for them increased due to:
- growing unemployment
- falling wages
Many working class people saw the communists as the only party who would defend their jobs and their wages.
However, support for the Nazi party grew faster than for the communists, as the middle and upper classes were scared of the idea of a communist government. They feared their land and companies would be confiscated.
So, fear of communism became another reason for the rise in support for the Nazi Party.
How did Hitler appeal to the Germans?
They saw a strong leader who promised:
- to restore law and order.
- to force other countries to scrap the Treaty of Versailles and treat Germany fairly.
They thought its government was weak, that it was bullied by other nations and that it had failed to solve its economic problems
How did the SA appeal to the Germans
intimidating the Nazis’ political opponents – especially the communists – by turning up at their meetings and attacking them
- providing opportunities for young, unemployed men to become involved in the party
- protecting Hitler and other key Nazis when they organised meetings and made speeches
- the uniformed SA made the Nazis seem organised, disciplined and reliable.
How did the Nazis appeal to Big business
Hitler persuaded them that the Nazi party was their best hope of protection from the rise of the communists. As a result, Nazi finances benefitted, funding their propaganda material.
How did the Nazis appeal to the working class
More workers preferred the communists, although many voted for the Nazis. The Nazis supported traditional German values and aimed to create a stronger Germany. The Nazis also promised ‘ Work and Bread’ on their posters.
How did the Nazis appeal to the middle-class?
They were generally quite traditional and were not convinced by the Weimar democracy. Hitler promised them a strong government and won their votes. They noticed a moral decline under the Weimar Republic - more drinking, etc. They were also afraid of the communists.
How did the Nazis appeal to farmers?
They hoped that Hitler would protect them from the communist part, which would have confiscated their land. This made them a strong section of support for the Nazis.
How did the Nazis appeal to women
Propaganda made special appeals to women. It claimed voting for the NSDAP was best for their country and best for their families. Increasingly, many women came to see this as attractive.
The effects of propaganda
The Führer cult. Hitler was always portrayed as Germany’s saviour – the man who would rescue the country from the grip of depression.
Volksgemeinschaft (people’s community). This was the idea that the Nazis would create one German community that would make a religion or social class less relevant to people.
Scapegoating the Jews (and others) for
Germany’s ills. Jews were often portrayed as sub-human, or as a threat to both the racial purity and economic future of the country.
