Diapositiva 1

HITLERS RISE TO POWER

HOW DID HITLER BECOME CHANCELLOR IN 1933?

HITLERS STRENGTHSENERGY AND COMMITMENTPOWERFUL SPEAKERHE STIRRED NATIONALIST PASSIONS IN HIS AUDIENCES: gave them scapegoats to blame for Germanys problems: the Allies, the November Criminals, the Communists and the Jews.EXTRAORDINARY POLITICAL ABILITIES Hitler knew how to whip up those crowdsnot by argument, but by his MANNER: the roaring and especially the power of his repetitions delivered in a certain infectious rhythmhe would draw up a list of existing evils and imaginary abuses and after listing them, in higher and higher crescendo, he screamed: and whose fault is it? Its allthe fault.of the Jews!

A person who went to the nazi meetings describes the impact of Hitlers speeches.

HITLERS VIEWS

The Aryans were the master raceAll other races were inferiorStood for loyalty to Germany andRacial purityBelief in war and struggle To strengthen superiorraceStrength lay in totalLoyalty to the leaderBelief in expansion (to the East)THE MUNISCH PUTSCH, 1923PROPAGANDAUSE OF VIOLENCEHE WAS APPOINTED CHANCELLORHITLERS METHODSHitler led an attempted rebellion in Munich in November 1923 to topple the Weimar government.RESULTS:Short term: disaster for Hitler. He miscalculated the mood of th Germans. People did not rise up to support him. He and other leading Nazis were arrested and charged with treason.Mid-long term: at the trial he gained enormous publicity for himself and his ideas. He impressed the judges and got off very lightly. (served 9 months of 5 year sentence)THE MUNICH PUTSCH, 1923

While in jail hitler wrote MEIN KAMPF, presenting his ideas about Germanys future. In prison he came to the conclusion that the Nazis would not be able to seize power by force. THEY WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITHIN THE DEMOCRACTIC SYSTEM TO ACHIEVE POWER, BUT ONCE IN POWER, THEY COULD DESTROY THAT SYSTEM.

JOSEPH GOEBBELS since 1925MODERN AND EFFECTIVE METHODSGENERALISED SLOGANS RATHER THAN DETAILED POLICIESPOSTER + PAMPHLETS + RALLIES +FILMS + RADIO BROADCASTSORGANIZATION OF SOUP KITCHENS AND PROVISION OF SHELTERS FOR THE UNEMPLOYED during the Depressionearly 1930s

PROPAGANDA

Joseph Goebbels

POSTER APPEALING TO WORKERS

A NAZI RALLY (mass meeting)GREATEST CAMPAIGNING VALUE WAS HITLER: Powerful speaker. MagnetismRan for President in 1932: got 13 million votes. He was defeated by Hindenburg but his campaign raised his profileTour of rallies, travelled by planeAppeared as a the dynamic leader of a modern party + MAN OF THE PEOPLE- someone who knew and understood the people and their problems:Many people supported the Nazis because they shared their fears and dislikes: disillusionement with democracy + Communist threat + decadence.PROPAGANDAWealthy landowners and industrialists: they feared communism and approved of the Nazi policy of hostility to CommunismPeasant farmers: they were not sharing the Weimar Germanys prosperity. Hitler promised to help agriculture if he came to power. Racially pure GermansYoung Germans: attracted by the vision of the Nazis and the prospect of being important and useful at a time of mass unemployment.Unemployed + elderly + middle class: felt attracted to Hitlers ideas after the Great Depression, since they were the most vulnerable groups.Who supported the Nazis?USE OF VIOLENCE TO INTIMIDATE OPPONENTSTHE NAZIS SET UP 2 PRIVATE ARMIES: 1. HE SET UP THE SA (BROWN SHIRTS) IN 1921: THEY PROTECTED HITLERS MEETINGS AND DISRUPTED THOSE OF OTHER PARTIES2. HE SET UP THE SS IN 1925: HIS OWN PERSONAL BODYGUARD.LOYAL NAZISUSE OF VIOLENCE

SA + SS

HITLERS APPOINTMENT AS CHANCELLORREICHSTAG ELECTIONS JULY 1932: the Nazis were the largest single party.

Hitler demanded the post of Chancellor from Hindenburg, but he refused as he was suspicious of Hitler

VON PAPEN continued to be Chancellor. But he had no support.

REICHSTAG ELECTIONS NOVEMBER 1932: the Nazis were still the largest party but their share of the vote fell. Hitler regarded this election as a disaster as he lost 2 million votes.

VON SCHLEICHER, the new Chancellor was forced to resign. HINDENBURG NEEDED A CHANCELLOR WHO HAD THE SUPPORT OF THE REICHSTAG.

JANUARY 30: HINDENBURG AND VON PAPEN OFFERED HITLER THE POST OF CHANCELLOR.WHY? They were confident they could limit Hitlers influence and resist his extremist demands as there were only a few Nazis in the Cabinet and Von Papen was vice-chancellor. Hitler would get the support in the Reichstag and control the Communists.

CONTEXT THE IMPACT OF THE GREAT DEPRESSIONGERMANY IN THE 1920sStresemann succeeded in stabilising Germany between 1924 and 1929.DURING THE STRESEMANN YEARS THE NAZI PARTY DID NOT GAIN MUCH SUPPORT.WHY? Prosperity and stability made Germans uninterested in extreme politics. (In extreme situations there is a demand for extreme solutions)HOWEVER, the extremist opponents of the Weimar government (such as the NAZIS) had not disappeared. Throughout the 1920s they were organising and regrouping, waiting for their chance to win power. The SS was set up. Nazi youth groups attracted the young. Goebbels was put in charge of Nazi propaganda. Hitler tried to win over those discontent with the Republic.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION : economic impact on GermanyIt started in the USA but soon became a global Depression.Because Germany had been so dependent on American loans, and because it still had to pay reparations to the Allies, the problems were most acute in Germany.End of US loans + demand of repayment of previous loans. ECONOMIC COLLAPSE IN GERMANY

THE GREAT DEPRESSION: political impact on GermanyHITLERS IDEAS HAD NOW SPECIAL RELEVANCE!

IS THE WEIMAR GOVERNMENT INDECISIVE?THEN GERMANY NEEDS A STRONG LEADER!ARE REPARATIONS ADDING TO GERMANYS PROBLEMS? THEN KICK OUT THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES!IS UNEMPLOYMENT A PROBLEM?THEN LET THE UNEMPLOYED JOIN THE ARMY, BUILD ARMAMENTS AND BE USED FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUCH AS ROAD BUILDING!NONE OF THESE MESSAGES WERE NEWTHE DIFFERENCE WAS THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTIES SIMPLY COULD NOT GET GERMANY BACK TO WORKTHE MORE UNSTABLE THE ECONOMY THE MORE SEATS THE NAZIS WON.1930: 107 seats in the ReichstagNov 1932: 200 seats in the Reichstag

OPPONENTS WEAKNESSESWeimar politicians failed to deal with the Depression: tough economic policy that cut government spending and welfare benefits

Hindenburg overthrew the principle of democracy by running Germany with emergency powers (abusingArticle 48 of the Constitution).

Opponents failed to unite: The left wing parties such as the SPD and KPD were divided failed to unite