WeimarRepublic

Withthelossofthewar,theGermanmonarchycametoanendandarepublicwasproclaimed.
AconstitutionwaswrittenprovidingforaPresidentwithbroadpoliticalandmilitarypoweranda
parliamentarydemocracy.Anationalelectionwasheldtoelect423deputiestotheNational
Assembly.Thecentristpartiesswepttovictory.TheresultwaswhatisknownastheWeimar
Republic.OnJune28,1919,
theGermangovernmentratifiedtheTreatyofVersailles
.Underthe
termsofthetreatywhichendedhostilitiesintheWar,Germanyhadto
payreparationsforall
civiliandamagescausedbythewar
.Germanyalsolosther
coloniesandlargeportionsof
Germanterritory.
A30milestripontherightbankoftheRhinewasdemilitarized.
Limitswere
placedonGermanarmamentsandmilitarystrength
.Thetermsofthetreatywere
humiliatingto
mostGermans
,andcondemnationofitstermsunderminedthegovernmentandservedasa
rallyingcryforthosewholikeHitlerbelievedGermanywasultimatelydestinedforgreatness.

GermanWorker'sParty
SoonafterthewarinMunich,Hitlerwasrecruitedtojoinamilitaryintelligenceunit(thePress
andPropagandaDepartmentofGroupCommandIVofthe
Reichswehr)
,andwasassignedto
keeptabsontheGermanWorker'sParty.Atthetime,itwascomprisedofonlyahandfulof
members.Itwasdisorganizedandhadnoprogram,butitsmembersexpressedarightwing
doctrineconsonantwithHitler's.
Hesawthispartyasavehicletoreachhispoliticalends.HisblossominghatredoftheJews
becamepartoftheorganization'spoliticalplatform.
Hitler
builtuptheparty,
convertingitfroma
defactodiscussiongrouptoanactualpoliticalparty.Advertisingfortheparty'smeetings
appearedinantiSemiticnewspapers
.TheturningpointofHitler'smesmerizingoratoricalcareer
occurredatonesuchmeetingheldonOctober16,1919.Hitler'semotionaldeliveryofan
impromptuspeech
captivatedhisaudience.
Throughwordofmouth,donationspouredintothe
party'scoffers,andsubsequentmassmeetings
attractedhundredsofGermans
eagertohear
theyoung,forcefulandhypnoticleader.
AschairmanoftheNSDAP,hecameintocontactwithLudendorff,GottfriedFeder(18831941),
ErnstRhm(18871934),andDietrichEckart(18681923),whoseinfluencewasreflectedin
Hitler'sthought:GottfriedFeder("Breakthebondofinterest"),ErnstRhm(theconceptofthe
"stateinarms")andDietrichErkart(anticommunism).Withtheassistanceofpartystaff,Hitler
draftedapartyprogramconsistingoftwentyfivepoints.Thisplatformwaspresentedatapublic
meetingonFebruary24,1920,withover2,000eagerparticipants.Afterhecklerswereforcibly
removedbyHitlersupportersarmedwithrubbertruncheonsandwhips,Hitler
electrifiedthe
audiencewithhismasterfuldemagoguery
.Jewsweretheprincipaltargetofhisdiatribe.Among
the25pointsmorenegativepointsweretheabrogationoftheVersaillesTreaty,confiscating
warprofits,expropriatinglandwithoutcompensationforusebythestate,revokingcivilrightsfor
Jews,andexpellingthoseJewswhohademigratedintoGermanyafterthewarbegan.More
appealingtothemasseswerenodoubthispromotionofthepopularwelfare("thecommonweal
comesbeforeindividualwelfare"),therightoftheestablishmentofselfdeterminationforall
Germansandequalrightsfortheirstate,andthedestructionofthe"bondageofinterest."The

DAPwasrenamedtheNationalSocialistGermanWorkers'Party.Thefollowingday,
The
ProtocolsoftheEldersofZion
werepublishedinthelocalantiSemiticnewspaper.Thefalse,
butalarmingaccusationsreinforcedHitler'santiSemitism.Soonafter,treatmentoftheJews
wasamajorthemeofHitler'sorations,andtheincreasingscapegoatingoftheJewsfor
inflation,politicalinstability,unemployment,andthehumiliationinthewar,foundawilling
audience.Jewsweretiedto"internationalism"byHitler.Thenameofthepartywaschangedto
theNationalSocialistGermanWorker'sparty,andtheredflagwiththeswastikawasadoptedas
thepartysymbol.AlocalnewspaperwhichappealedtoantiSemiteswasonthevergeof
bankruptcy,andHitlerraisedfundstopurchaseitfortheparty.
InJuly1921Hitlerbecamechairmanoftheparty(No.7ontheExecutiveCommittee).In
January1923,FrenchandBelgiantroopsmarchedintoGermanytosettleareparationsdispute.
Germansresentedthisoccupation,whichalsohadanadverseeffectontheeconomy.Hitler's
party
benefitted
bythereactiontothisdevelopment,andexploiteditbyholding
massprotest
rallies
despiteabanonsuchralliesbythelocalpolice.TheNazipartybegandrawing
thousandsofnewmembers
,manyofwhomwerevictimsof
hyperinflation
andfoundcomfortin
blamingtheJewsforthistrouble.Thepriceofanegg,forexample,hadinflatedto30million
timesitsoriginalpriceinjust10years.
Economicupheavalgenerallybreedspoliticalupheaval,
andGermanyinthe1920swasnoexception.

TheMunichPutsch
TheBavariangovernmentdefiedtheWeimarRepublic,accusingitofbeingtoofarleft.Hitler
endorsedthefalloftheWeimarRepublic,anddeclaredatapublicrallyonOctober30,1923
thathewaspreparedtomarchonBerlintoridthegovernmentoftheCommunistsandthe
Jews.
OnNovember8,1923,Hitler
heldarally
ataMunichbeerhallandproclaimedarevolution.The
followingday,heled2,000armed"brownshirts"inanattempttotakeovertheBavarian
government.
ThesmallNaziPartyfirstwonnationalattentionintheBeerHallPutsch
of
November1923,whentheRuhrcrisisandthegreatinflationwereattheirheight.Hitlerandhis
NazisjoinedwithGeneralErichLudendorff(18651937)andhisconservativenationalist
followersinanattempttoseizepowerinMunich.(Theplotgotitsnamebecauseitwasplanned
inoneofMunich'sbeerhalls.)OncetheyhadtakenMunich,HitlerandLudendorffplannedto
usetheBavariancapitalasabaseofoperationsagainsttherepublicangovernmentinBerlin.
ThesupportthatHitlerandLudendorffexpectedtoreceivefromsomeconservativeBavarian
politiciansfailedtomaterialize,however,andthepoliceeasilysuppressedtherevolt.
FollowingthecollapseoftheBeerHallPutsch,HitlerandLudendorffweretriedfortreason.In
recognitionofhisservicestoGermanyduringthewar,Ludendorffwasacquitted.The
conservativejudgesallowedHitlertousehistrialasapropagandaforumforhisideas.Hitler
wasconvictedbutsentencedtoatermofonlyfiveyearsimprisonmentatLandsbergwherehe
wouldremainonly8months.Duringhisstay,Hitlerputtogetherthefirstpartofhisbook
Mein
Kampf
.

Hitler's
MeinKampf
Hitlerservedonlyeightmonthsofhisfiveyearterm.Whileinprison,hewrotethefirstvolumeof
MeinKampf
(2edpartwaswrittenin19271927).Itwaspartlyanautobiographicalbook
(althoughfilledwithglorifiedinaccuracies,selfservinghalftruthsandoutrightrevisionism)which
alsodetailedhisviewsonthefutureoftheGermanpeople.Therewereseveraltargetsofthe
viciousdiatribesinthebook,suchasdemocrats,Communists,andinternationalists.Buthe
reservedthebruntofhisvituperationfortheJews,whomheportrayedasresponsibleforallof
theproblemsandevilsoftheworld,particularlydemocracy,Communism,andinternationalism,
aswellasGermany'sdefeatintheWar.JewsweretheGermannation'strueenemy,hewrote.
Theyhadnocultureoftheirown,heasserted,butpervertedexistingculturessuchas
Germany'swiththeirparasitism.Assuch,theywerenotarace,butanantirace:
"[TheJews']ultimategoalisthedenaturalization,thepromiscuousbastardizationofother
peoples,theloweringoftheraciallevelofthehighestpeoplesaswellasthedominationofhis
racialmishmashthroughtheextirpationofthevolkishintelligentsiaanditsreplacementbythe
membersofhisownpeople,"hewrote.Onthecontrary,theGermanpeoplewereofthehighest
racialpurityandthosedestinedtobethemasterraceaccordingtoHitler.Tomaintainthat
purity,itwasnecessarytoavoidintermarriagewithsubhumanracessuchasJewsandSlavs....
GermanycouldstoptheJewsfromconqueringtheworldonlybyeliminatingthem.Bydoingso,
GermanycouldalsofindLebensraum,livingspace,withoutwhichthesuperiorGermanculture
woulddecay.Thislivingspace,Hitlercontinued,wouldcomefromconqueringRussia(which
wasunderthecontrolofJewishMarxists,hebelieved)andtheSlaviccountries.Thisempire
wouldbelaunchedafterdemocracywaseliminatedanda"Fhrer"calledupontorebuildthe
GermanReich."
Asecondvolumeof
MeinKampf
waspublishedin1927.Itincluded
ahistoryoftheNaziparty
to
thattimeanditsprogram,aswellasaprimeronhowtoobtainandretainpoliticalpower,howto
usepropagandaandterrorism,andhowtobuildapoliticalorganization.While
MeinKampf
was
crudelywrittenandfilledwithembarrassingtangentsandramblings,itstruck
aresponsivechord
amongitstargetandthoseGermanswhobelieveditwastheirdestinytodominate
Europe.The
booksoldover
fivemillioncopies
bythestartofWorldWarII.

Hitler'sRisetoPower
Oncereleasedfromprison,Hitlerdecidedtoseizepowerconstitutionallyratherthanbyforceof
arms.Usingdemagogicoratory,Hitlerspoketoscoresofmassaudiences,callingforthe
GermanpeopletoresisttheyokeofJewsandCommunists,andtocreateanewempirewhich
wouldruletheworldfor1,000years.

SeekingElectoralSuccess:19241929
In1924,HitlerpromptlyreestablishedtheNSDAPinMunich.Thepartywasorganized
accordingtothe
Fhrer
principle:itwasheadedbytheFhrer,hisdeputy,andthenational

leadershipwiththe
Reichsleiter
headingnationwidedepartmentsoftheparty.Theregional
politicalorganizationdescendedfromtheprovinciallevel(
Gau)
,tothecounty(
Kreis)
,local
district(
Ortsgruppe
),andcell(
Zell)
tothelocalbloc(
Block
).Partyorganizations,inpart
paramilitary,suchastheSA(Brownshirtstormtroopers),SS(Blackshirtstormtroopers),HJ
(HitlerYouth),andtheBdM(LeagueofGermanGirls),whichwerealsoorganizedaccordingto
the
Fhrer
principle,werecloselylinkedtotheparty,asweretheaffiliatedassociations(DAF
(GermanWorkers'Front),NSV(NationalSocialistPeople'sWelfare),andtheprofessional
organizationsofphysicians,teachers,lawyers,civilservants,etc.).

RisetoPower:19301933

TheNazisgraduallydevised
anelectoralstrategy
towinnorthernfarmersandwhitecollar
votersinsmalltowns,whichproducedalandslideelectoralvictoryinSeptember1930(jump
fromroughly3%to18%ofthevotescast)
duetothedepression
.Refusedachancetoforma
cabinet,andunwillingtoshareinacoalitionregime,theNazisjoinedtheCommunistsin
violenceanddisorderbetween1931and1933.In1932,HitlerranforPresidentandwon30%of
thevote,forcingtheeventualvictor,PaulvonHindenburg,intoarunoffelection.Afterabigger
landslideinJuly1932(44%),theirvotedeclinedandtheirmovementweakened(Hitlerlostthe
presidentialelectiontoWWIveteranPaulvonHindenburginAprilelectionsofNovember1932
roughly42%),soHitlerdecidedtoenteracoalitiongovernmentaschancellorinJanuary1933.
UponthedeathofHindenburginAugust1934,Hitlerwastheconsensussuccessor.Withan
improvingeconomy,Hitlerclaimedcreditandconsolidatedhispositionasadictator,having
succeededin
eliminatingchallengesfromotherpoliticalpartiesandgovernmentinstitutions.
The
Germanindustrialmachinewasbuiltupinpreparationforwar.InNovember1937,hewas
comfortableenoughtocallhistopmilitaryaidestogetheratthe"FhrerConference,"whenhe
outlinedhisplansforawarofaggressioninEurope.Thosewhoobjectedtotheplanwere
dismissed.

NaziSupporters
TheNaziswontheirsupportprimarilyfromthelowermiddleclassandthepeasantry.
These
voterswerestronglynationalisticintheirpoliticalviewsandfearedthatthedepressionwould
deprivethemoftheirstandardofliving.Inreligion,mostoftheNazis'supporterswere
Protestants
.GermanCatholicsremainedfirmintheirsupportoftheCatholicCenterParty.

AttitudeofWorkers
MostofGermany'sindustrialworkerscontinuedtovotefortheSocialDemocrats,which
remainedthelargestparty,with143seatsintheReichstag.However,manydisgruntled
industrialworkersvotedfortheCommunists,whoelected77Reichstagdeputiesinplaceofthe
54electedin1928.

AttitudeofBigBusiness

ThereislittleevidencetosupporttheviewthatHitlerreceivedsubstantialfinancialsupportfrom
bigbusiness.TheconservativeupperclassesgenerallyregardedHitlerasanuneducated
demagogueandgutterpolitician.

TheCreationoftheNaziDictatorship,19331939
PhaseOne,19331934
Nazidomesticpolicycanbebrokenintothreephasesbeginningwith193334.Duringtheseyears,Hitler
consolidatedhisauthoritythroughthedestructionofallotherpoliticalparties,"coordination"ofall
aspectsofGermanlife,andtheliquidationofdissentamongNazisandconservatives.Aftertakingoffice
aschancellor,HitlerquicklyoutmaneuveredPapenandtheconservativenationalists.
TheReichstagFire,February1933
AnewReichstagelectionwasscheduledforearlyMarch1933.Onlyafewdaysbeforetheelection,on
February27,theReichstagbuildingwaspartiallydestroyedbyfire.TheNazismaywellhavesetthe
blaze,but
theyblamedtheCommunists,chargingthattheCommunistswereplottingtoseizepower.
HitlerconvincedHindenburgtotakestrongactionagainstthesupposedCommunistthreat,andthe
presidentsuspendedfreedomofspeechandthepressandothercivilliberties.
March1933Election
TheNazissteppeduptheirharassmentoftheirpoliticalopponents,andtheMarch5electionwasheldin
anatmosphereoffearandintimidation.Polling44percentofthevotes,theNaziswon288seatsinthe
Reichstag.
Withthesupportoftheirconservativenationalistallies
,whoheld52seats,theNazis
controlledamajorityofthe647memberReichstag
.TheNazimajoritywas
evenmoresubstantial,
since
noneofthe81Communistdeputieswereallowedtotaketheirseats.
TheEnablingAct,March1933
OnMarch23,1933,theReichstagpassedtheEnablingAct,whichgavedictatorialauthoritytoHitler's
cabinetforfouryears.Armedwithfullpowers,Hitlermovedtoeliminateallpossiblecentersof
opposition.Hispolicyisknownas
Gleichschaltung
,whichtranslatesliterallyascoordination.Inthis
context,however,itmeantmorepreciselysubordination,thatis,subordinatingallindependentinstitutions
totheauthority
ofHitlerandtheNaziParty
.
ItwastheEnablingActofMarch23,1933,whichinalegalwayconferreddictatorialpowersonAdolf
Hitler.Only94SocialDemocraticvoteswerecastagainstit.Thedateforitsabrogation(seeArticle5)
wasneverkept.Indeed,theEnablingActisthelastmeasurewhichtheReichstagpassedunderthe
republicananddemocraticConstitutionoftheRepublic.ItspelleditsendandthebeginningofNational
Socialistdictatorship.
Article1.LawsoftheReichcanalsobepromulgatedbytheReichgovernmentapartfromthemethod
prescribedbytheConstitution.

Article2.LawsdecideduponbythegovernmentoftheReichcandepartfromtheConstitutionofthe
Reich,insofarastheydonottouchtheexistenceassuch,ofsuchinstitutionsastheReichstagandthe
Reichsrat.TherightsoftheReichspresidentremainuntouched....
Article4.TreatiesoftheReichwithforeignpowerswhichhavereferencetomattersconcerningthelaws
oftheReich,donotneedtheconsentofthebodieswhichhadpartinthemakingofsuchlaws,aslongas
thispresentlawisvalid.
Article5.Thislawisinforceonthedayofitspromulgation.ItisabrogatedonApril1,1937itisfurther
(9)
abrogatedifthepresentgovernmentoftheReichisreplacedbyanother.
ConsolidationofNaziPower
InApril1933,thegovernmentabolishedselfgovernmentintheGermanstatesbyappointinggovernors
responsibletothecentralgovernmentinBerlin.ThestateslostevenmorepowerinJanuary1934when
theReichsrat,theupperhouseoftheparliament,wasabolished.TheReichsrathadrepresentedthestates.
InMay1933,theNazisorderedtheabolitionoftheindependentlaborunions.Bothstrikesandlockouts
wereprohibited,andasystemofcompulsoryarbitrationoflabormanagementdisputeswasestablished.
AllworkerswerecompelledtojointheGermanLaborFront,anagencyoftheNaziParty,whichwas
designedprimarilytopromotelabordisciplineratherthantheinterestsoftheworkers.
Duringthespringof1933,theNazis
movedtoeliminateoppositionpoliticalparties
.InJuly,theNazi
Partybecame
theonlylegalparty
.