Hitler's Rise To Power (1919-33) Flashcards
When did Hitler join the German Workers’ Party?
1919
When was the German Workers’ Party rebranded as the Nazi Party?
1920
When did Hitler become lead speaker and chief of propaganda for the German Workers’ party?
1920
When did Hitler become the leader of the Nazi Party?
1921
What was the 25 point programme?
A Nazi “doctrine” illustrating their beliefs
What were the main components of Hitler’s 25 point programme?
- Nationalism
- Racism
- Social Darwinism (The Aryan race)
- Lebensraum
- Autarky
- Führer
What is Autarky?
A state of self sufficiency
What is Lebensraum?
The need for “living space” in order for the German nation to expand
What were some Nationalist points in the 25 point programme?
- The Treaty of Versailles should be abolished
- There should be special laws for foreigners
- The unification of all German speakers
What were some points in the 25 point programme relating to social Darwinism?
- The idea that the Aryan race was superior and Jews
were ‘subhuman’
What were some socialist appeals of the Nazi Party?
- farmers should be given their land + land reform
- pensions should improve
- public industries such as electricity and water should
be owned by the state
What were some fascist aspects of Nazi beliefs?
- focused on creating a strong central government
- government control of the newspapers + media
When did Hitler create the SA? (Sturmabteilung)
1921
What did the SA stand for?
Storm Troopers
What was the initial purpose of the SA?
To carry out anti-Semitic attacks and intimidate political opponents, many Germans feared them but some admired them
What was Bavaria?
A small part of Germany
What was the capital of Bavaria?
Munich
What was the Dolchtoss (stab in the back) theory?
Germany hadn’t actually lost WW1, but Weimar politicians had betrayed Germany
When did Hitler conduct his Munich Putsch?
November 1923
Who was Gustav Von Kahr?
The head of the Bavarian government
By how much did the members of the Nazi party increase from 1920-1923?
From 1,100 to 55,000
Describe the events of the 1923 Munich Putsch
- During the hyperinflation crisis of 1923, Hitler plotted
with two nationalist politicians - Kahr and Lossow - to
take over Munich in a revolution. - Hitler collected the SA and told them to be ready to
rebel. - But then, on 4 October 1923, Kahr and Lossow called
off the rebellion. This was an impossible situation for
Hitler, who had 3,000 troops ready to fight. - On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 SA
members burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow
were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun at
them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel - and then
let them go home. Hitler also managed to persuade
General Ludendorff, a German war hero, to back his
revolution. The SA took over the army headquarters
and the offices of the local newspaper. - The next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and the SA
went into Munich on what they thought would be a
triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had
called in police and army reinforcements. There was a
short scuffle in which the police killed 16 members of
the SA. - Hitler fled, but was arrested two days later
What two politicians did Hitler conspire with to take over Munich?
Gustav Von Kahr and Von Lossow
What factors caused Hitler to launch the Munich Putsch?
- Hitler hoped to copy Mussolini - the Italian fascist
leader - who had come to power in Italy in 1922 by
marching on Rome - By 1923, the Nazi party had 55,000 members and
was stronger than ever before - The Weimar Republic was in crisis due to
hyperinflation - Hitler was supported by General Ludendorff, a war
hero who led Germany in WW1
What were some short term failures due to the Munich Putsch?
- The Nazi party was banned and Hitler was banned
from speaking in public until 1927 - Hitler was tried for high treason (betraying his
country) and initially sentenced to five years in prison.
What were some long term successes due to the Munich Putsch?
- He was sentenced in April and out in December,
during his comfortable time in Landsburg prison, he
wrote “Mein Kampf” - a propaganda book illustrating
his ideals. Millions of Germans read it and his ideas
became well known - The fact that the judge had been so lenient with the
sentence and that Hitler had served so little time
suggests that some people in authority had sympathy
with Hitler and what he had tried to do. - Hitler realised that he would never come to power by
revolution and that he would have use democratic
means, so he reorganised the party to enable it to
take part in elections.
What prison did Hitler serve his sentence in?
The Landsburg prison
How long was Hitler’s sentence?
April - December 1924 (9 months)
When was the Nazi party ban lifted?
February 1925
How many members of the Nazi party were there by 1929?
130,000
By how much did the number of seats held in the Reichstag by the Nazis decrease from May 1924 to May 1928
32 to 12
Give one positive and negative in the Nazi party in 1929
- They had 130,000 members by 1929
- They had been losing seats in the Reichstag
In what year did Hitler re-establish the SA and begin to use it for propaganda purposes?
1926
What was a Nazi “Gauleiter”?
A local Nazi official in charge of a certain area
What organisations did Hitler form to appeal to different social groups?
- The Hitler Youth
- The National Socialist Teachers’ League
- The League of German Maidens
When was the Hitler Youth formed?
1926
How did Hitler’s propaganda usage improve during this period?
Josef Goebbels – the Berlin Gauleiter at this time – was clever because he experimented with new techniques and methods to share the Nazis’ message. Posters started to show Hitler as a strong leader, speeches were arranged in public places and rallies were held to capture people’s enthusiasm.
What was the “Hitler Myth”?
A theory made by Goebbels making Hitler seem like a God and the saviour of Germany.
(This was the cult of the Fuhrer)
What was the purpose of the Bamberg conference?
To reduce tensions between the North and South sections of the party
When was the Bamberg conference?
14th February 1926
What were the outcomes of the Bamberg conference?
- Hitler insisted that policies which could be painted as
communist, such as taking land from rich noblemen,
would not be pursued. - However, the conference did reaffirm the 25-Point
Programme, with its socialist ideas, as the party’s
policy platform. - In addition, Hitler established the Fuhrerprinzip, or
‘Leader Principle’, the idea that the party’s leader was
in absolute control and all members must follow his
directions. No dissent from this was expected or
tolerated.
What was the “Fuhrerprinzip”?
The leader principle
The party’s leader was in absolute control and no disagreement would be tolerated
What was Hitler’s idea that the party’s leader was in absolute control and no disagreement would be tolerated
Fuhrerprinzip
What were the northern and southern sections disagreeing with leading up to the Bamberg conference?
- The southern section were more interested in the
nationalist and racist policies in order to attract
support from the middle classes and farmers - The northern side, led by Greggor Strasser, were
keen to implement socialist aspects of the 25 point
programme to win over workers
Describe how the Wall Street Crash caused the Great Depression in Germany
- In October 1929 the American stock market crashed,
meaning that they had to suspend future payments to
Germany and ask for old loans back - Germany’s economy collapsed without American aid
How many German people were unemployed in February 1932 as a result of the Great Depression?
Over 6 million
How did the Great Depression affect Germany?
- Industrial production declined, factories closed and
banks went out of business - There was mass unemployment, from October 1929
to February 1932 the number of unemployed had
increased from 1.6mil to over 6mil
How many Nazis died during the Munich Putsch?
16
Explain what contradictory events happened during the Nazi “lean years”
(leading up to 1929)
- Their party increased in size (130,000 members in
1929) - They were losing seats in the Reichstag (32-12 seats
from May 1924 to 1928)
Who replaced Stresemann as chancellor?
Hermann Muller
Who replaced Herman Muller as chancellor?
Henrich Bruning
When was Henrich Bruning appointed chancellor?
March 1930
How did Bruning’s policies/political failure reduce support for Weimar?
- Increased the cost of imported foods to assist
German agriculture but this made food prices more
expensive - Government salaries and pensions were reduced and
taxes increased - Social services were cut back, and unemployment
benefits were reduced - 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
How did the impact of unemployment reduce support for Weimar?
- Over the winter of 1929-30 the number of
unemployed rose from 1.6 million to over 2 million - 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 the both the Left (the
communists) and the Right (the Nazis) for quick and
simple solutions.
How many seats in the Reichstag did parties committed to the destruction of Weimar have in 1932?
319 out of a total 608
Describe the rise of extremism leading up to 1932
During the economic depression between 1930 and 1933, many people were affected and poverty hit Germany hard. Extreme political parties offering simple solutions to their problems appeared at both ends of the political spectrum. Between 1930 and 1933, support for the extreme right-wing Nazis and the extreme left-wing communists soared.
How did the Nazis use propaganda effectively leading up to 1932?
- In 1932 the Nazis began to develop close links with
the National party. The newspaper editor (Alfred
Hugenberg) permitted the Nazis to publish articles
attacking Chancellor Bruning - By 1932 the Nazis were producing 120 daily or
weekly newspapers - The Nazis established a specific department called
“The Department for Enlightenment and Propaganda”
in 1933 lead by Goebbels who would decide what
messages to use in propaganda to attract support
What percentage of university graduates couldn’t find a job by 1932?
60%
What percentage of factory workers were unemployed by 1932?
40%
How did Hitler appeal to wealthy businessmen?
Businessmen were afraid that communists would take their money, so to avoid this they began to give money to Hitler and the Nazis - who had strict anti-communist policies, so they would gain more seats in the Reichstag
How did Hitler appeal to the middle class?
They were quite traditional and unimpressed with the Weimar democracy. Hitler promised them a strong government to win their votes
How did Hitler appeal to nationalists?
They blamed the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles and reparations for causing the depression and so lent their support to the Nazis who had promised to make Germany strong again
What were the 3 main themes of Nazi propaganda under Goebbels?
- The Führer cult
- Volksgemeinschaft (people’s community)
- Scapegoating Jews (and other groups)
What was Volksgemeinschaft?
The idea that Nazis would make one German community that would make religion and social status less relevant
How did the number of unemployed people in Germany change over the winter of 1929-30
It rose from 1.6 million to over 2 million
When was the 25 point programme published?
February 1920
What did the SA stand for?
Sturmabteilung
What was the “Gleichaltung” principle?
The principle of complete Nazi control
seizure of control
What was the rank of Reichsfuhrer-SS?
- The leader of the SS (notably Henrich Himmler)
