KQ3 - The Rise Of The Nazis and End Of Weimar Flashcards
When/who founded the German Worker’s Party?
Anton Drexler in 1919
How does Hitler end up joining the party?
Sept 1919, Hitler (working for the army intelligence unit) was angered when listening to one of the speakers of the party. He gave a speech in reply.
Drexler was so impressed he offered Hitler to join the party.
What was created in February 1920?
25 Point Programme
When/where was the 25 Point Programme announced?
At a meeting in Munich, shortly after the words ‘National Socialist’ was added to the Party’s name (NSDAP)
Stats to show the growth of the Early Nazi Party?
1100 in June 1920 to 55000 in Nov 1923
What did the increasing membership of the party mean?
The party was able to buy and publish its own newspaper known as the ‘People’s Observer’ (Völkischer Beobachter)
When did Hitler become the leader of the NSDAP?
July 1921
What did Hitler do as leader?
Gave himself title of ‘Fuhrer’ which helped develop the Führerprinzip.
Adopted ‘swastika’ and raised arm salute.
Protection Squads created.
Why were the protection squads created?
To protect Nazi speakers during political meeting in Munich which were usually quite violent.
What did the Protection squads develop into? And when?
The Sturmabteilung or SA known as ‘brownshirts’ in 1921.
When was the Munich Putsch?
8th November 1923
When was Hitler found guilty for treason? What was his sentence?
1 April Hitler was founded guilty of treason but the judges treated him leniently and sentenced him to five years in prison (minimum sentence)
How long was Hitler in prison? Where? What did he do there?
Served on 9 months of his sentence in Landsberg Prison where he completed his autobiography called ‘Mein Kampf’.
Key ideas in Mein Kampf
Volksgemeinschaft (People’s community) referred to the idea that the strongest races would dominate the weakest.
Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.
Lebensruam + Unite all German Speaking people
Jews blamed for everything wrong in Germany + All Jews to be eradicated from
Germany
When/who did Hitler convince to lift the ban on the Nazi Party (NSDAP)?
Hitler persuaded the president of Bavaria to lift the ban on the Nazi Party. The party was relaunched in February 1924.
When was the bam berg conference?
1926
What did Hitler do at the Bamberg conference?
Possible rivals, such as Gregor Strasser (made Party Propaganda Leader) and Josef Goebbels (made Gauleiter of Berlin), were won over.
Other opponents removed (Hitler forces Röhm to resign as leader of the SA as he couldn’t guarantee his obedience + the SA would continue to be a violent group. Replaced by Ernst Von Solomon.)
Hitler creates Schutzstaffel (SS) as his personal bodyguard.
Introduces the HitlerJugend
How did Hitler change one of he points of the 25 Point Programme?
In 1928, Point 17 amended to say that only private land owned by a Jew would be confiscated.
Stats to show growth of Nazi Party under Hitler (post-jail)
Only 27000 members in 1925 but this figure exceeded 100000 by the end of 1928.
Social impacts of the Depression points.
Death of Stresemann (German people did no have leader to solve crisis)
Loans made under Dawes Plan were withdrawn
International trade began to fall - businesses closed causing unemployment
Falling food prices hit farmers hard
Homelessness (people could no longer afford rent)
Unemployment Benefit (Gov needed more money to pay but getting less in taxes so there were talks of Benefit cuts)
Stat on unemployment during depression
In early 1932, unemployment had exceeded 6 million.
What period was Brünig chancellor?
March 1930 - May 1932
What party was Brünig from?
Centre Party
Why was Brünig seen as the end of Parliamentary democracy?
He had to rely on President Hindenburg using Article 48.
From this point, the Reichstag was used less frequently
Did Chanceller Brünig call an election? If yes, when? If yes, what were the results?
He called a general election in September 1930.
The Nazis won 107 seats and became the second biggest party after the Social Democrats who had won 143 seats.
Why was Brünig labelled the ‘Hunger Chancellor’?
He reduced government spending which made him lose the support of the unemployed.
Blamed for foreign investors withdrawing assets from Germany. (Potential investors were frightened off during the banking crisis of 1931)
One positive of the depression
The suspension of reparations payments, but this did not come until 1931.
What were the KPD?
German Communist Party?
Stat on success of the German Communist Party during depression period
It usually polled more than 10% of the vote, gaining 100 deputies in the November 1932 elections.
Success of Communist Party during Weimar Period
During the Weimar Republic period, the KPD was the largest communist party in Europe and was seen as the ‘leading party’ of the communist movement outside the Soviet Union.
Reasons for the growing support of the Nazis Points
Propaganda The depression Financial Support The role of the SA The Appeal of Hitler Failure of the Weimar Republic
The Use of Propaganda for the rise of the Nazi Party?
Mass rallies, posters and banners to ensure that Nazis appeared everywhere.
Goebbels
By the early 1930s, the Nazis owner 120 daily or weekly newspapers that were regularly read by hundreds of thousands of people across the country
How many seats did the Nazis have after the September 1930 election?
107
Hitler’s presidential campaign
Nazis used modern technology. E.g aeroplanes allowed Hitler to speak to as much as 5 cities a day.
Goebbels ensured that not only the Nazi message was spread but that Hitler was seen as a national political figure.
Who did the Nazi Party receive funds from?
Leading industrialists such as Thyssen, Krupp and Bosch who were terrified of the communist threat and growth of the trade unions.
Which party did the Nazi make close ties to?
By 1932, Nazis began to develop close links with the National Party. The National Party leader, Alfred Hugenberg was a newspaper tycoon and permitted the Nazis to publish articles attacking Brünig.
What did Hitler do with Röhm
He reappointed him as the leader of the SA in January 1931
Stat to show growth of the SA during depression period
After Röhm reappointed leader of the SA in January 1931, within a year it’s membership has increased by 100000 to 170000
What did the role of the SA develop into?
(Private army) to provide protection during meetings
To disrupt opponent meetings
To intimidate people to vote Nazi.
The appeal of Hitler
He had Charisma, a quality other politicians lacked.
He offered something to all groups of society. He was a war hero, the saviour and the ordinary man in the street. His image was that he had given his whole existence to Germany
Did Chanceller Von Papen call an election? If yes, when? If yes, what were the results?
General election called for 31 July 1932.
Stat to show violence in the run up to the July 1932 election
About 100 people killed and 1125 wounded in clashes between political parties.
The number of seats of the Nazi Party in July 1932
The Nazis won 230 seats and were now the largest party in the Reichstag. Hitler began to demand the chancellorship.
What did Von Papen do to the Reichstag?
He dissolved the Reichstag in September 1932 because no majority or coalition could be formed and maintained. New elections set for November.
The number of seats of the Nazi Party in November 1932
196 seats
Why did Von Papen resign?
Von Papen suggested abolishing the Weimar Constitution but Kurt von Schleicher (minister of Defence) persuaded Hindenburg that this would result in civil war.
Papen lost Hindenburg’s confidence and resigned.
What was Chancellor von Schleicher’s plan to create political stability
He hoped to attain a majority in the Reichstag by forming a do-called Querfront, meaning ‘cross-front’ where he would bring together different strands from left and right parties.
How did Hitler become Chancellor?
Von Papen was determined to regain power so schemed with Hitler in early January 1933.
Supported by army, major landowners and leaders of industry that were appalled the Schleicher’s government might include socialists and were scared of a possible communist takeover.
Von Papen convinces Hindenburg that a coalition government with Hitler would save Germany. Von Papen thought he could control Hitler.
When did Hitler become Chancellor?
30 January 1933
