Key Issue 3 - The Nazi Rise to Power Flashcards
When was the Wall Street Crash?
October 1929
What were the consequences of the Wall Street Crash in Germany in 1932?
There were 6 million unemployed and the Weimar Government has to invoke Article 48. The Nazi Party has become the largest political party in Germany
Why did the Wall Street Crash affect Germany?
The US loans to Germany given in the Dawes Plan were called in
Who did Hitler work with to become Chancellor in January 1933?
Brüning
von Papen
von Schleicher
Hindenburg
Which party did Hitler join in 1919?
The right wing German Workers Party (DAP) led by Anton Drexler
How many member did the DAP have by the end of 1919?
About 50
What themes did Hitler talk about in his speeches?
- the stab in the back theory
- disgust at the Treaty of Versailles
- hatred of Weimar and the November Criminals
- the communist Jewish conspiracy bent on destroying Germany
Who wrote the 25 Point Programme in February 1920?
Hitler and Drexler
Which two words were added to the name of the German Worker’s Party?
National Socialist - it became the NSDAP
Why did the NSDAP grow rapidly in 1920?
Hitler’s pubic speaking attracted hundreds to their meetings and they bought and published their own newpaper - the ‘People’s Observer’
How did Hitler influence the party in 1921?
He become the Führer, which he believed meant he should have absolute power and authority in the party and was answerable to no one
Name three features of the 25 Point Programme.
1) the union of all Germans to form a Greater Germany
2) the scrapping of the Treaty of Versailles
4) citizenship of the state to be granted to only people of German blood, therefore no Jew was to be a citizen of the nation
6) the right to vote in elections to be allowed only to German citizens
7) foreign nationals to be deported in the event of food shortages
8) all non-Germans who had entered the country after 1914 had to leave
14) the government to profit-share in major industries
23) all newspaper editors and contributors to be German
24) religious freedom for all - providing the the view expressed did not threaten or offend German people
What changes did Hitler make as leader of the Nazi Party?
- adopted the swastika as the emblem of the party
- used the raised arm salute
- in 1921 the Stormtroopers (SA) were formed as a protection squad for Nazi speakers, led by Ernst Röhm
How many members did the Nazi Party have in:
a) June 1920
b) November 1923
a) 1100
b) 55,000
What did the NSDAP become known as?
The Nazi Party
What did the SA do?
Protect Nazi speakers and disrupt the meetings of the social democratic and communist parties
What did Hitler turn Jews into?
A scapegoat for all of Germany’s problems
State five reasons for the Munich Putsch.
- Hitler detested the Treaty of Versailles and wanted to remove its terms
- the Nazi Party had increased support by 1923, especially in Bavaria
- Hitler had won the support of General Ludendorff, the former army Commander in Chief and an extremely popular figure
- the SA could be used as armed support
- Hitler was confident that von Kahr and the army in Bavaria would support him
- Hitler hated the Weimar Republic
- many Germans were furious that the Weimar Republic eventually called off passive resistance to the French occupation of the Ruhr
- many Germans blamed the Weimar Republic for hyperinflation
- Hitler believed people across Germany would support him instead of Weimar
- recently Mussolini, leader of the Italian National Facist Party, has successfully marched on the capital with his private army
- Hitler felt that Weimar was so disgraced it could easily topple
When did the Munich Putsch take place?
8th November 1923
Which three leaders agreed to support Hitler’s Putsch after being held at gunpoint?
von Kahr
von Seisser
von Lossow
What did von Seisser and von Lossow do to resist the Putsch?
Betrayed Hitler and organised troops and police to resist Hitler’s armed march through Munich
How many rifles did the Nazis have in the Munich Putsch?
About 2000, which was no match for the armed police force
How many were killed in the Munich Putsch?
16 Nazis
4 policemen
What happened two days after the Munich Putsch?
Hitler was arrested and the Nazi Party was banned
When did Hitler’s trial begin and how long did it last?
February 1924 and it lasted almost a month
Who else was tried for treason alongside Hitler?
General Ludendorff
How did Hitler’s trial play out?
He turned the trial into a publicity stunt and denied the charge of treason. He claimed that he was simply attempting to restore Germany’s greatness and was resisting the weak and feeble Weimar government. He criticised the November Criminals, the Treaty of Versailles and the Jews. He used the trial to put forward his political views.
What were the results of Hitler’s trial?
On 1st April Hitler was found guilty of treason but the judges were lenient and sentenced him to five years in prison which was the minimum sentence. Ludendorff wasn’t charged.
How long did Hitler serve in Landsberg prison?
Only 9 months, and he had a relatively easy time there. He was permitted as many visitors as he wanted, received large amounts of mail and was able to access whatever books he required.
What did Hitler do in prison?
He wrote his autobiography ‘Mein Kampf’ and imprisonment gave him time to reflect on the Putsch and his future in politics
State three of Hitler’s key ideas in Mein Kampf.
- creation of a people’s community where the strongest races would dominate the weakest in Germany
- abolition of the Treaty of Versailles
- gain living space (Lebensraum) to create a greater Germany where all German speaking people would be incorporated into the nation
- all ills in German society were caused by Jews, therefore all Jews were to be eliminated from Germany
How did the Nazi Party survive after being banned?
Whilst Hitler was in prison, the Nazi Party continued to meet in secret, though the party split into rival groups due to poor leadership. When Hitler got out of prison, he convinced the President of Bavaria to lift the ban on the Nazi Party.
When was the Nazi Party relaunched?
February 1924
What happened at the Bamberg Conference in 1926?
- Hitler continued to strengthen his position as leader of the party
- possible rivals to Hitler’s leadership such as Strasser and Goebbels were won over
- Hitler forced Röhm to resign as leader of the SA
- Hitler created his own bodyguard unit called the SS
- the Hitler Youth was set up
Why did Hitler try to win the support of rural voters after 1928?
Farmers were beginning to experience economic problems and found Nazism attractive
How many members did the Nazi Party have in:
a) 1925
b) 1928
a) 27,000
b) exceeded 100,000
How many seats did the Nazis have in parliament in:
a) 1924
b) 1928
a) 32
b) 12
Who became Party Propaganda Leader is the late 1920s?
Josef Goebbels
Which event propelled the Nazis to the forefront of politics in Germany?
Wall Street Crash
Why did the death of Stresemann have such a big effect on Germany in 1929?
As they though he was the only person who would be able to steer Germany through troubled times again after the Wall Street Crash
State three of the effects of the Great Depression in Germany.
- international trade began to contract
- German exports fell rapidly in the years after 1929
- unemployment rose as employers sacked workers and factories closed
- German farmers had already been experiencing problems and then the food prices fell
- some Germans were unable to pay their rents and found themselves living on the streets
What did the government do about the Great Depression?
They financed unemployment relief, but as its revenue began to shrink, the threat of benefit cuts loomed large. People looked to political parties such as the Nazis to solve their problems.
How many Germans were unemployed by early 1932?
Over 6 million, so 4 in every 10 Germans didn’t have a job
Who became Chancellor in March 1930 due to Article 48?
Heinrich Brüning, replacing Muller
What did Hindenburg triggering Article 48 mark in politics?
The Reichstag was used less frequently and many historians view this as the death of the Weimar Republic and the end of parliamentary democracy.
How many seats did the the Nazi Party win in the September 1930 election?
107 seats, becoming the second biggest political party in Germany
How many times did the Reichstag meet in:
a) 1930
b) 1932
a) 94
b) 13
What nickname did Brüning earn due to his reduction of government spending?
The Hunger Chancellor
When did Brüning resign and who replaced him as Chancellor in January 1933?
May 1932
He was replaced by Hitler
How successful was the communist party during the years of the Weimar Republic?
The KPD recovered from the failure of the Spartacist Uprising in 1919 and abandoned the goal of immediate revolution. They became the largest communist party in Europe, maintaining a solid electoral performance, usually polling more than 10% of the vote.
What percentage of the vote did the KPD get in the November 1932 election?
13%
How was propaganda in the Nazi Party used between 1929-1932?
- mass rallies
- posters everywhere
- displaying banners
- Nazi message was simple and repeated frequency
- the Nazis owned 120 newspapers by the early 1930s
- radio
What did Hitler say about the Jews to turn them in scapegoats?
- were involved with communism and capitalism
- helped to cause unemployment
- conspired in Germany’s defeat in the First World War
- were preparing to cause a revolution in Germany
Who stood in the presidential election of 1932?
Hindenburg
Hitler (NSDAP)
Thälmann (KPD)
How did Hitler campaign for the 1932 presidential election?
He used modern technology such as:
- planes to fly to different cities and speak at different venues
- films
- radio
- records
How did Hindenburg campaign in the 1932 presidential election?
He did not campaign
What were the results of the 1932 presidential election?
Hindenburg failed to win more than 50% of the votes so there was a second election which he won.
How were the SA used in the early 1930s?
- provide protection at the Nazi meetings
- disrupted meeting of opponents, especially the communists
- Ernst Rohm was reappointed as the leader
- its membership increased by 70,000 in just a year
- engaged in street fights
What was Hitler’s electoral appeal?
- war hero
- charismatic
- his vision of the future revolved around making Germany the strongest nation in the world
- never lost sight of his aims
- presented his party as law abiding and democratic
When was the 1932 general election?
31st July
How many people were injured in the run up to the 1932 general election?
More than 1125 people wounded and about 100 people killed in clashes between the political parties
How did the Nazis do in the 1932 general election?
They won 230 seats and became the biggest party in the Reichstag
Who was chancellor and leader of the Centre Party in 1932?
von Papen
What happened with the Chancellor post in 1932?
Hitler wanted to be chancellor, but von Papen didn’t relinquish his post and Hindenburg refused to make Hitler chancellor. Hitler continued to demand the chancellor post and von Papen suggesting abolishing the Weimar constitution. Von Schleicher convinced Hindenburg that if this happened there might be a civil war, and Hindenburg chose him to be chancellor.
How did Hitler become Chancellor?
Von Papen and Hitler worked together to convince the German people that they were saving Germany from Schleicher’s plan and a possible communist takeover. Von Papen convinced Hindenburg that a coalition government with Hitler as chancellor would bring stability to Germany and he could control Hitler.
When did Hitler become chancellor?
30th January 1933
