Rise of the Nazis Flashcards
Munich Putsch 1923
- Hitler became leaer of the NSDAP in 1921
- Began establishing connections with the MUnich elite and building support for the party
- Worked with Ernst Rohm to develop an armed wing of the party, the SA
- In the atmosphere of the economic crisis in late 1923, Hitler attempted to seize power
- 8 November in a beer hall in Munich, Hitler and Rohm, backed by Ludendorff, announced a national revolution that would unite right wing nationalists
- Some of Hitler’s supposed conservative alliesreported the plot to the authorities and it was stopped by the police on the 9th
- Despite sympathy from the the judge, Hitler was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to 5 years in prison
- Nazis were banned in bavaria
Hitler’s realease from prison and reorganisation of the party
- While in prison, Hitler decided the best way to gain power was to use the Weimar democratic system rather than by force
- Persuaded the Chancellor of Bavaria to lift the ban on the Nazis in 1925
- In 1925, a small bodyguard for Hitler led by Heinrich Himmler, the SS, was formed
- the 1926 Bamberg Conference asserted Hitler’s ideology and his absolute power and authority in the party FUHRERPRINZIP
- Established a national party network were regional Gauleiters were appointed by and accountable to Hitler
- Nazi organisations set up for doctors and teachers, and and agricultural movement was established in 1930 to try to draw in the peasantry
- Despite this, the pary performed weakly in the 1928 election, gaining only 2.6% of the vote
- However, the party had made large gains in many rural areas such as Schleswig-Holstein
- Established the foundations upon which a national movement could be built upon in the coming years
Wall Street Crash
- Germany was heavily reliant on US investment. When their economy collapsed in 1929 after the Wall Street Crash, the German economy was soon to follow
- National Income shrunk 39% between 1929 and 1932
- Industrial production declined by more than 40%
- 6 million unemployed by 1932 (1/3 out of work)
- 50,000 businesses bankrupted
- 1931 a banking crisis was triggered and 5 major banks collapsed
- Homlessness and poverty increased, standards of living fell
Political effects of Depression
- Muller’s Grand Coalition fell apart as the parties in government disagreed over the issue of unemployment benefits
- Following governments were minority administrations that lacked Reichstag support
- Bruning’s government failed to get support for its budget in 1930 forcing Hindenburg to call another election
- von Papen’s government lost a vote of no confidence in 1932
- von Schleicher’s government lasted for only two months
- German political system moved in amore authoritarian direction
- Bruning and von Papen relied extensively on Presidential decree
- 44 emergency decrees issued under article 48 in 1931 compared to just 5 in 1930
- In July 1932, Hindenburg and von Papen used article 48 to suspend the local government in Prussia controlled by the SPD
-Political system failed to help ordinary people. Bruning lebelled the ‘hunger Chancellor’
- Democratic norms broke down. In 1932 election campaign there were 461 riots in Prusia
- Much of violence organised by SA. Political and military leaders realised Hitler was the only politician capable of controlling the violence of the SA
Nazi Party vote in Reichstag elections
- 1928, 2.6%
- 1930, 18.3%
- 1932, 37.3%
Largest Party in Reichstag from 1932 onwards
Membership of 2 million by 1933
Demographics of Nazi voters and members
- Nazi members most likely to be young males (2/3 of members in 1930 were under 40)
- Women more likely to vote for Nazis than men, Hitler had some success in appealing to traditionally minded women who had not voted before
- Catholics less likely to support Nazis
- Urban dwellers less likely to vote Nazi
- Mittelstand over-represented as members
-Working class formed largest number of members for the Nazis (31%), but were on average less likely to become members than other social classes
Impact of Propaganda
-Tailored to different audiences to try and maximise support. Messages about bread and work displayed to the working class. Messages about the Weimar decadence and lax moral standards tailored to conservative mothers. All small shopkeepers were targeted with anti-semetic messages
- Nazis used posters, leaflets, rallies and sppeches as well as modern technology to disseminate propaganda.
- Nazis benefitted from their association with DNVP leader Alfred Hugenberg who put his empire at the hands of Nazi propagandists
-Impact of propaganda cannot be denied but should be noted that the Nazi vote increased dramatically even in areas where propaganda was not targeted (down to other factors?)
Hitler’s appeal
- Goebbels cultivated an image of Hitler as Germany’s saviour
- At a time when politicians were weak an ineffective, this was very appealing
- This ‘Hitler Myth’ helped to gain support for the Nazis
- Hitler ran against Hindenburg in the 1932 Presidential election. Goebbels’ campaign ‘Hitler over Germany’ portrayed Hitler as a dynamic and modern leader as a harnessed modern techology to put his message across, and travelled by plane when campaigning.
- Hitler came in second in the election and established himself as a credible political leader.
Support from the conservative elite
-Hindenburg offered Hitler vice-Chancellorship in 1932, but Hitler refused, waiting to become Chancellor
- Conservatives and industrialists turned to Hitler in fear of communist takeover (KPD had seen its vote increase by nearly 3 million from 1928 to 1933)
- Influential industrialists and bankers such as Hjalmar Shacht and IG Farben put pressure on Hindenburg to appoint Hitler
- Army leaders told Hindenburg they would be unable to deal with uprisings from both communists and the SA. Urged Hinden to do a deal with Hitler and gain the support of the SA
- von Papen schemed to get Hinden to appoint Hitler Chancellor and himself as vice.
- The Nazis were to be a minority in the cabinet
- von Papen wanted to use Hitler’s popular support to give legitimacy to an authoriatrian government that his had lacked in 1932
- He made the mistake of thinking he could control Hitler
- Hindenburg finally relented and appointed Hitler in 1933 depite a decline in the Nazi vote in the Reichstag from 37 to 32%
Factors in Hitler’s appointment to power
-Appointed 30th January 1933
- Economic depression and the failure of politicians to deal with it
- Many were dissillusioned with Weimar democracy as it did not seem to work effectively
- Nazi support rose dramatically between 1929 and 1932
- COnservatives saw the Nazis as a means to create a populist authoritarian government
-Other factors included Hitler’s personal role, the impact of propaganda, and SA violence
Nazi consolidation of power
-Reichstag Fire, 27 Feb 1933. Fire was blamed on the communists, and Hinden declared a state of emergency.
Issued the Reichstag Fire Decree which suspended parts of the Weimar constitution that included civil rights. Freedom of speech and association and right of Habeas Corpus was removed. Mass arrests and attacks on communists.
- March 1933 elections were ones of violence and fear. Intimidation secured the Nazis and their supporters a majority. Gave the government apparent legitimacy (but result cannot be considered free or fair to due SA harassment of the KPD and SPD)
- First concentration camp Dachau opened outside Munich in March 1933
- Propaganda ‘day of national unity’ was held in Potsdam in March 1933. Hinden and Hitler appeared before large crowds together, legitmising Nazi rule
- Hitler urged members of the Reichstag to pass an Enabling Act to give him power to issue law by decree. Had Hinden and von Papen’s support and von P envisioned a strong authoritarian leader to crush the communists.
- 2/3 majority was needed in Reichstag and this was acheived easily when the Centre Party were convinced to back it (KPD were banned from attending and many of SPD were intimidated by the SA)
- Passed on 24 March 1933
Role of terror in Nazi consolidation
- 200,000 Nazi opponents imprisoned in 1933
- Concentration camps opened
- KPD banned shortly after Reichstag fire, Trade Unions in May, SPD in June, and all other parties by July
- Hundreds of left wing newspapers shut down
-July 1934 Hitler had a number of opponents murdered in Night of the Long Knives including conservative von Schleicher and fellow Nazi Ernst Rohm.
Role of Conservatives in consolidation of power
- von Papen, Hinden, and all conservative parties supported the enabling act in the Reichstag
- Nazis given powerful positions in the cabinet that allowed to launch strong attacks against the left. e.g Frick appointed Minister of the Interior and had control of the security apparatus
- von Papen intentionally gave the Nazis powerful positions as he wished to use the Nazis to crush the left and create authoritarian rule
- Conservatives also bankrolled the Nazis in the 1933 election, party was promised 3 million marks by elite in feb 33
Role of propaganda in consolidation
- Goebbels portrayed the governments actions as necessary to deal with the ‘national emergency’
- Potsdam Day was an orchestrated piece of propaganda aimed at demonstrating the unity and popularity of the government
Illusion of moderation in consolidation
- Reichstag Fire Decree and Enabling Act gave a veneer of legality to Nazi actions.
- Hitler appeared more moderate at first, and emphasised national unity in his speeches
- Concordat of July 1933 reassured Catholics that their faith would be protected as long as they stayed out of political matters
