3.10 The Appeal Of Nazism And Communism Flashcards
Who gained the most electoral support during the depression years?
-Nazis and KPD but Nazis we’re far more successful
Who was the Nazi’s core support before 1929?
The lower-middle class the Mittelstand
Which fractions of German society supported the Nazi party after he depression years?
-white-collar workers
-small shopkeepers
-independent craftsmen
(Main gains amongst middle class and farmers)
How did the Nazi’s capitalise on the discontent on farmers?
Exploiting the widespread discontent amongst farmers, promised higher prices and protection against imports
What is the evidence of the increased farmers support?
68% of the vote in one district on north-west Germany
Why did the Nazis attract support from the middle class?
Worried about the perceived threat of a communist revolution and were disillusioned with middle-class parties such as the DVP and the DNVP
I’m general terms where we’re the Nazis less successful?
The in catholic south and west
What percentage of votes did the Nazis get in the 1928,1930 and July 1932 elections?
1928: 2.6%
1930: 6.40
July 1932: 37.3%
What percentage of votes did the KPD get in the 1928,1930 and July 1932 elections?
1928: 10.6%
1930: 13.1%
July 1932: 14.3%
Was Hindenburg reluctant to stand for president in 1932?
Yes
What percentage of the ballot did Hindenburg get in the first round of the 1932 presidential election?
Just under 50% causing a second ballot to occur
What was the balloting for the second round of the presidential election?
Hindenburg: 53%
Hitler:37%(Hitler more popular in some rural areas)
Where was the KPD support confined to?
Large cities, especially popular in poorer parts of these large cities
-KPD main great gains at the expense of the SPD
In the 1930 election what % of Nazi voters were manual labour workers?
27%
How was Nazi policy put forward to the German people?
In their twenty-five point programme of 1920(still aims in 1933 although hitler didn’t agree with all the points)
When did Hitler express all his views and aims?
When he wrote Meiji fampf whilst in prison 1923
What were the key themes the Nazis believed in and was in the centre of their propaganda to persuade people to vote for them?( 7 asp)
-the power of the will
-struggle and war
-a racial community
-national socialism
-the füthrerpinzip
-aggressive nationalism
-anti semitism
Nazi ideology: how did the power of the will appeal to German voters?
-claimed that movement was a force for change and the qualities of power, strength and determination to succeed were qualities personified by Hitler
With the SA they presented an image of discipline and unity which appealed to many Germans(especially who keenly supported the military)
Nazi ideology: how did the struggle and war appeal to German voters?
-struggle violence and war at the heart of Nazi thinking
-Hitler claimed scientific justification that a struggle between races was the natural order of things (reconstruct society and create a new Reich(
-Nazi propaganda glorified military virtues of courage, loyalty and self sacrifice- increased votes from people who supported these values
Nazi ideology: how did the racial community appeal to German voters?
Peoples community (Volksgemeinschaft) key element in Nazi ideology
-only aryans could be citizens for the state and all others were denied citizenship and its benefits
-no social classes amongst aryans and all would work together for the good of the nation
-nazism aimed to create a new man and new women aware of the importance of the race
-aryans supported this
What is the aryan race?
Used by Nazis for those they considered pure and superior
Nazi ideology: how did the national socialism appeal to German voters?
-Nazis adopted the name nationalist socialist German workers party to attempt to gain working class support and also differentiate themselves from the socialism of the communist party
The points they laid out in the 25 point programme were economically radical and were Similar to that of the communists (confiscation of war profits and nationalisation of large monopoly company)
Hitler never fully committed to these aims-he was keen to seek support of wealthy businessmen to assure them they would not threaten their interests
Nazi ideology: how did the Führerprinzip(principle of leadership) appeal to German voters?
Hitler set out to destroy the Weimar Republic because it was a parliamentary democracy which alienated Germanys traditions of a strong authoritarian gov
-believed parliamentary democracy encouraged the growth of communism +November criminals stab in the back
-many Germans wanted a return to this form of gov
What does lebensraum mean?
Living space concept by which Hitler justified his plans to take over a territory to the east of Germany
Nazi ideology: how did the aggressive nationalism appeal to German voters?
Appealed to German nationalists through hitlers 3 main aims:
-reverse treaty of Versailles (widely hated -restore to Germany the lands taken from it)
-establish a greater German riech where all Germans would live in the borders of the state
-secure Germany is lebensraum to settle ppl and provide the food and raw materials needed to sustain a great power
Nazi ideology: how did anti semitism appeal to German voters?
-responsible for all of Germanys ills (scape goat)
-represented as selfish by Nazi propaganda due to dominance in banking sector 18% and lawyers sector 11%
-propaganda of a world wide Jewish conspiracy to establish their dominance over other races(scared Germans)
-Jews held responsible for bad parts of capitalism and rise of communism
-people began to share this hated of Jews due to Nazi propaganda and consequently support the Nazis
Why was Hitler crucial to the success of the Nazi party?
-he had important political and leadership skills and was a great public speaker (speeches went on for hour with a lot of repetition which created a hypnotic effect)
-had charisma and knew how to play on the emotions and fears of the German people and convince them he had the answers
-he was an opportunist who could tailor his message to an audience. Therefore vital for the success of the Nazis in winning votes
What was the role of anti-Semitism in Nazi electoral success?
-portrayed as scapegoats for Germanys political problems in Nazi propaganda
-during the Great Depression many shop keepers came to believe that their problems were caused by ‘Jewish capitalism’
-people liked Nazi promises of work and bread and the disapproval of Nazi extremism faded causing them to gain more votes
What is propaganda?
Systematic spreading of ideas and information in order to influence the thinking and actions of people whom are targeted, often through the use of media such as posters, film radio and the press
What was the role of Nazi propaganda in their electoral success?
-they were skilled in propaganda techniques and it was a key part of them winning votes(through the work of Goebbels)-Reich propaganda chief from 1928
-Nazi used posters and their newspaper,staged rallies and leaflets to make a powerful statement about Nazi Strength which attracted voters
-they targeted different parts of the population and adapted their message accordingly (anti-semitism was used with some audiences and not others)
In the Reichstag hoe many votes did the KPD gain form 1928-1932?
2 million
What was the shift in the focus on the KPD in 1929 that made them more attractive?
Forced by economic stances to focus on UNEMPLOYMENT (instead of building a presence in factories and workshops were trade union membership was well established)
What action did the KPD take against unemployment?
-set up the ‘committees of the unemployment
-staged hunger marches
-campaigned against benefits cuts
-red-front engaged in street battles with the SA-some areas of cities such as the Wedding district in Berlin effectively fell under communist control
What did the KPD think of the Great Depression?
Time for the overthrow of the republic and would lead to a workers revolution
-priority to Roel’s e KPD as biggest party on the left and viewed the SPD as social-fascists
(Spent as much time fighting the SPD as they did to the Nazis)
Social fascists definition?
Theory that social democracy was a variant of fascism because in stood in the way of a complete and final transition to communism
What were the strengths of the KPD?
-propaganda helped increase membership through posters and Thälmann’s speeches
-explicit appeals to the unemployed
-propaganda attacked the SPD and support for the KPD grew from 1930-1932(threat of revolution caused many voters to vote nazi)
What were the weaknesses of the KPD?(5 asp)
-never came close to launching a successful revolution
-more than 50% of new members in 1932 left after a few months
-failed to attract support outside industrial areas and had little support with women
-short on money because a lot of members were unemployed
-concentration on social fascists blinded them to the threat posed by the Nazi party
