Key Question 3: The Changing Fortunes of the Nazi Party (1924-1933) Flashcards

1
Q

Basics on Hitler’s Early Life

A
  • Born in Brahnau-am-inn (1889) during the Austro-Hungarian empire
  • moved to Vienna in 1907
  • failed to get into art school
  • 6 years was poor and homeless
  • Joined Bavarian Regiment on the outbreak of war
  • awarded the Iron Cross twice
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2
Q

What was Hitler’s main ideas for National Socialism?

A
  • Fervent German nationalists
  • support of authoritarianism, opposition to democracy and socialism
  • racially inspired view of society - anti-semitism and veneration of a master aryan race
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3
Q

How did Hitler come in contact with the German Workers Party?

A
  • he was deployed as a spy for Bavarian intelligence
  • German workers party fit his ideals of nationalism, antisemitism and anti communist
  • he started making propaganda for the group to gain more followers
  • Anton Drexler and Hitler drew up the 25 - point plan in Feb 1920
  • changed DAP to NSDAP/NAZI
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4
Q

Key Points from the 25 - Point Plan

A

(1) Demand of all Germans union on right of national self-determination
(4) Only members of nation may be citizens of state = only German Blood
(25) Creation of strong central power of Reich

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5
Q

How did Hitler Help the German workers Party to gain more followers?

A

Increased them to 3,300 and encouraged creation of armed squads to protect party meetings - SA and he created propaganda techniques such as the Nazi salute, uniform, etc

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6
Q

Key words to use (In German)

A
  • Lebensraum = more living space for Germany
  • Vaksgemeinschaft = people’s community
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7
Q

When Hitler was starting to gain more power what did people do?

A
  • Drexler and other members tried to eliminate Hitler as he was growing too powerful
  • Hitler was the most influential speaker so to retaliate he resigned - manipulating
  • he was invited back and Drexler reigned therefore Hitler became chairman and Fuhrer of the party
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8
Q

Hitler wanted to control other right wing parties, why?

A
  • To increase overall strength
  • Happened between 1921-1930
    1) SA was set up 1921 led by Ernst Rohm
    2) Volkischer Beobalhter established 1921 - ‘peoples observer’ (newspaper)
    3) Backing of Julies Streicher in 1922 - Der Stilmer - newspaper/magazine (antisemitism and violent/sexual)
    4) Won Support of Hermann Goring in 1922 - helped with social contacts
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9
Q

By 1923 how many members did the Nazi Party have?

A
  • 20,000 extreme right of Bavaria - but difficult to control all political groups
  • very much a fringe party - limited to Bavaria
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10
Q

The Beer Hall Putsch 1923

A
  • based around Mussolini on October 1922
  • German Mussolini is Hitler
  • encouraged Hitler to seize power but Nazi Party was too weak to take over - to stir the masses
  • need for allies leading Hitler to negotiate with Kahr and state gov and Von Lossow
  • ‘National Revolution’ forced support
  • aimed to mobilise military forces by closing in on Berlin to seize power
  • March on Berlin like the march on Rome
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11
Q

The Beer Hall Putsch 1923: Why was it doomed?

A
  • Hitler overestimated level of public support - hyperinflation effected morale
  • lack of real planning
  • relied heavily on promises from Ludendorff
  • fearing failure Kahr and Lossow held back
  • only had 2,000 SA men, no real backing
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12
Q

The Beer Hall Putsch 1923: Causes

A
  • based on Mussolini march on Rome (1922)
  • used support from Von Ludendorff, Kahr and Lossow
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • hyperinflation
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13
Q

The Beer Hall Putsch 1923: Consequences

A
  • instantly shut down
  • 14 nazis killed
  • Kahr and Lossow informed police
  • Ludendorff got off free
  • Hitler was sent to prison for 10 months
  • wrote Mein Kampf
  • NSADP was banned
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14
Q

The Beer Hall Putsch 1923: Overall

A
  • turned trial into propaganda as judges were bias
  • made himself a national figure
  • gained new political strategy
  • won right wing nationalists ‘had courage to act’
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15
Q

Where did the main Ideas of the Nazis’ come from?

A

Mein Kampf became the bible of national socialism, 25 -point plan of 1920 provides frame work for Hitler’s ideology

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16
Q

Nazi Ideology: Racism Beliefs

A
  • shaped by social Darwinism “only the best evolve”
  • master race was the aryan race - Herrenvolk
  • in Mein Kampf he states ‘adulteration of blood and racial deterioration conditioned thereby are the only cause that account for decline of ancient civilisation’
  • pure racial blood/racial self-preservation
    (4) Only members of nation are citizens. German blood only
    (6) Right of voting only allowed to German people of the state
17
Q

Nazi Ideology: Anti-democracy Beliefs

A
  • Hitler wanted to run Germany a strong dictational gov as parliamentary democracy was weak
  • Hitler saw Weimar gov as a betrayal, it was the democratic and socialist politician of 1918, ‘November criminals’, who stabbed Germany in the back
  • Nazi democracy wanted one - party state that would be won on Frehrerprinzip - rejected liberal values/representative government
    (6) Right to vote is enjoyed by citizens of the state
    (23) legal battle against art/literature, harmful influence
18
Q

Nazi Ideology: Nationalism Beliefs

A
  • lebensraum for Germany a super power competing with British Empire/USA, objective against could be achieved only by territorial expansion on a grand scale
  • he desperately wanted to overturn Treaty of Versailles
  • he wanted to create Reich
    (3) Demanded land and territory
    (2) abolish peace treaties, equality for rights of German people
19
Q

Nazi Ideology: Socialism Beliefs

A
  • elements of socialism in early Nazi party were insurance for old age
  • Volksegemeinschaft = people’s community
  • it was authoritarian system
    (14) we demand profit sharing in industries
    (22) abolishing of army and replacing with a people’s army
20
Q

What’s the actual truth behind Nazi Ideology?

A
  • not an ideology more of stealing from other religions and ideologies
  • originally was very intellectually superficial and simplistic
  • ideas grew out of age of enlightenment and spirit of German romanticism
  • nazism was current in political circles. It was found in the cheap/vulagr pamphlets sold to masses
  • too easy to emphasise elements that prove the linkage theory, whilst ignoring the host of other evidence pointing to different views
21
Q

Nazi Fortunes in the 1920s

A
  • Hitler left prison in 1924 but Nazi members were split into factions and memberships was in decline
  • party was officially re-established on 27 February 1925
  • Hitler was ‘a new beginning’ in the Nazi magazine
22
Q

What was the new strategy of the Nazi Party?

A
  • he wanted to establish his own control over the party
  • his new plan was to work within the Weimar government and gain power by legal means - the new party structure gained success in the election “we shall have to hold our noses and enter the Reichstag against Catholic and Marxist deputies”
23
Q

Why was the Nazi Party divided?

A
  • not everyone agreed with the new policies of legality
  • hostility between base in Bavaria and northern Germany
  • policy differences had gotten worse between nationalist and Anticapitalist wings at the party
  • Gregor Strasser and his brother Otto had influence in the party (but more left wing) - Hitler’s greatest enemy at the time
24
Q

How was the divide in the Nazi Party fixed?

A
  • February 1926 the difference in the party came to head at a special party conference in Banberg
  • Hitler reestablished supremacy
  • they were going to run on Fiihrerprinzip
  • 25 points were unchallenged
  • unity restored but still had rivalry between Strassor and Hitler
25
Q

Hitler’s new Nazi Party Structure

A
  • Germon would be divided into regions (Gaue), which reflected the electoral geography of Weimar’s system of proportional representation
  • Gauleiters was in control of regions, Hitler created districts (Kreis) and branch (Ort) groups
26
Q

Who was Joseph Goebbels?

A
  • Holder of the Berlin post
  • originally been a sympathiser of Stassers socialist ideas but gave support to Hitler in 1926
  • responsible for winning over the capital (which was very left-wing)
  • into propaganda created Der Angriff (the attack) but did not become chief of party propaganda until 1930
27
Q

Nazi’s Organisations started to appear increasing the Followers

A
  • Hitler youth
  • Nazi teachers association
  • union of Nazi lawyers
  • order of Germon woman
28
Q

How did Hitler control his enemy (Gregor Strasser)?

A

He was responsible for building up an efficient party structure and was reflected in its increasing membership - this was a powerful play by Hitler as it kept his enemies close and in power so they couldn’t retaliate

29
Q

Creation of the SS

A
  • 1925
  • sworn to protect the Fuhrer
  • 1929 only 200 members of the SS
  • placed under Himmler later that year as they grew almost half the nation
30
Q

How many people were part of the Nazi Party by 1928

A

In 1925 27,000 to 108,000 in 1928

31
Q

The Reichstag Election of May 1928

A
  • it can be clearly seen at the party had made progress and was really an effective political machine
  • Structure was effectively organised
  • Membership had increased fourfold since 1925
  • Authoritative and secure under Hitler
  • Nazi party had also successfully taken over many of the right wing racist groups
  • there was much disappointment after the election
  • party one 2.6% of votes and 12 seats
32
Q

Why did the Nazi Party fail in the Reichstag Election?

A
  • policy failed to bring political success whereas in favourable social economic circumstances democracy managed to stabilise political position
  • No real sign it could be flourishing
  • belief of money that Hitler was nothing more than an eccentric without personal leadership to establish abroad national appeal
33
Q

What did the Nazi Party gain after the Reichstag Election?

A
  • significant gains in northern part of Germany among rural/middle/lower class in area such as Schleswig - Holstein
  • such figure suggested Nazis could exploit the increasingly difficult economic times of the great depression in 1930s