Unit 3- Enemies of democracy: Hitler and the Nazis Flashcards
What type of person was Adolf Hitler?
Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 in Braunau, Austria. When he was 16, he moved to Vienna to study art, but was rejected by the art college. He lived in poverty and eventually volunteered the army when WW1 broke out in 1914.
Hitler was described to be argumentative, autocratic, bad tempered, self opinionated and has a lack of self control.
How did Hitler become part of the Nazi party?
After the war, Hitler was stayed with the army and was stationed in Munich, where he was given the task of keeping an eye on extremist parties. He was tasked with the German Workers’ party and attended their regular meetings. He liked the ideals of the party but thought it lacked organisation, so he decided to join. He became the leader and in February 1920, he changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers’ party, or Nazis. He printed posters and spread advertisement, as well as made the Swastika the symbol of the party.
What was the Nazi party like?
With Hitler as leader, Nazi party membership grew from 50 in 1919, to 3000 in 1920, to 50,000 in 1923. He also created the SA, or stormtroopers; the Nazi party’s private armed army to crush any opponents.
What were the political aims of the Nazi party?
- Destroy the Treaty of Versailles.
- Unite all Germans in one Aryan country.
- End all reparations.
- Deport all Jews or take away all their rights.
- Take back land lost in T of V and conquer more fro the German people.
- Germany should have a strong army.
- Democracy is weak and a dictatorship should replace it.
- Nationalisation of big businesses and help for small businesses.
What caused the Munich Putsch of November 1923?
The French invasion of the Rhur caused hyperinflation and the suffering of many Germans. This meant that the government had to end the passive resistance campaign. This angered many Germans as they blamed the government for their suffering. By this point, the Nazi party had more than 50,000 members so Hitler thought it would be the right time to try to seize power. He wanted to march to Berlin with 15,000 SA troops.
Why did the Munich Putsch fail?
Hitler could not win the support of Ritter von Kahr, the leader of Buvaria; this meant that in November, he stormed into a beer hall where Kahr was speaking with 600 SA and forced his support at gun point. The next day, Kahr went back on his promise and when Hitler was marching into Munich with 2,000 SA, armed police ambushed them; killing 16 Nazis and injuring many more including Hitler.
What were the consequences of the Munich Putsch?
Hitler was arrested for high treason and was sentenced to prison for 5 years (although he was released in 6 months). The Nazi party was banned and disbanded. During the 6 months, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My struggle), where he talked about his life and political views. He also rethought his tactics, realising that violence was not the best way of getting power. He decided that the best way to seize power was by getting voted into it.
