HITLERS RISE

TO POWER

HOW DID
HITLER
BECOME
CHANCELLOR
IN 1933?

HITLERS
STRENGTHS

ENERGY AND COMMITMENT

POWERFUL SPEAKER
HE
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

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

NATIONAL
SOCIALISM
Stood for loyalty to Germany and
Racial purity

RACISM

The Aryans were the

master race
All other races were inferior

HITLERS
VIEWS

LIVING SPACE

LEBENSRAUM
Belief in expansion (to the East)

ARMED
FORCE
Belief in war and struggle
To strengthen superior
race

THE
FUHRER
Strength lay in total
Loyalty to the leader

HITLERS
METHODS
THE MUNISCH PUTSCH, 1923
PROPAGANDA
USE OF VIOLENCE
HE WAS APPOINTED CHANCELLOR

THE MUNICH PUTSCH,

Hitler led an1923
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

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.

PROPAGANDA
JOSEPH GOEBBELS since 1925
MODERN AND EFFECTIVE METHODS
GENERALISED SLOGANS RATHER THAN
DETAILED POLICIES
POSTER + PAMPHLETS + RALLIES
+FILMS + RADIO BROADCASTS
ORGANIZATION OF SOUP KITCHENS AND
PROVISION OF SHELTERS FOR THE
UNEMPLOYED during the Depression
early 1930s

Joseph Goebbels

POSTER APPEALING TO WORKERS

A NAZI RALLY (mass meeting)

PROPAGANDA
GREATEST CAMPAIGNING VALUE WAS HITLER:
Powerful speaker. Magnetism
Ran for President in 1932: got 13 million
votes. He was defeated by Hindenburg but his
campaign raised his profile
Tour of rallies, travelled by plane
Appeared 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.

GOING BACK
TO
TRADITIONAL
VALUES

JEWS +
COMMUNISTS
+ NOV
CRIMINALS +
TOV= CAUSES
OF GERMANYS
PROBLEMS

NAZI PROPAGANDA

WEIMAR
DEMOCRAC
Y WAS
UNABLE TO
SOLVE THE
PROBLEMS

UNITING THE
GERMAN
PEOPLE
BEHIND ONE
LEADER

Who supported the Nazis?

Wealthy landowners and industrialists: they
feared communism and approved of the Nazi
policy of hostility to Communism
Peasant farmers: they were not sharing the
Weimar Germanys prosperity. Hitler promised
to help agriculture if he came to power.
Racially pure Germans
Young 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.

USE OF VIOLENCE
USE OF VIOLENCE TO INTIMIDATE
OPPONENTS
THE 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
PARTIES
2. HE SET UP THE SS IN 1925:
HIS OWN PERSONAL

SA + SS

HITLERS
APPOINTMENT AS
CHANCELLOR

1. REICHSTAG ELECTIONS JULY 1932:

the Nazis were the largest single
party.

2. Hitler demanded the post of

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

3. VON PAPEN continued to be

Chancellor. But he had no support.

1.

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.

2.

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
DEPRESSION

GERMANY IN THE 1920s

Stresemann 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

THE GREAT DEPRESSION : economic

impact on Germany
It 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 Germany
IS THE WEIMAR
THEN GERMANY NEEDS A
HITLERS
IDEAS
HAD
NOW
GOVERNMENT INDECISIVE?
STRONG
LEADER!
SPECIAL RELEVANCE!
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 WORK
THE MORE UNSTABLE THE
ECONOMY THE MORE SEATS
THE NAZIS WON.
1930: 107 seats in the Reichstag
Nov 1932: 200 seats in the
Reichstag

OPPONENTS

WEAKNESSE

 Weimar 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 (abusing
Article 48 of the Constitution).

Opponents failed to unite: The left wing

parties such as the SPD and KPD were
divided failed to unite