3. Nazi Germany - Hitler`s Rise to Power

Hitler's Rise to Power
Nazi Germany
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What we will learn today
In this presentation you will learn:
1.
Who Hitler was.
2.
What Hitler brought to the Nazi Party.
3.
How the failure of his Beer Hall Putsch helped Hitler.
4.
How Hitler turned the Depression to his advantage.
5.
How the Weimar government helped Hitler gain
power.
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Who was Hitler?
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What were the key events that moulded Hitler?
How important do you think each event was in
shaping Hitler?
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What did Hitler bring to the Nazi party?
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The Munich Putsch
In 1923, Hitler helped organise the Munich Putsch –
an attempt to seize control of Munich.
The attempt failed dismally.
Hitler was arrested for treason
and thrown into prison.
However, in the long run the
whole affair actually helped to
strengthen his position!
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, London.
His trial gave publicity to the Nazi movement.
He reviewed and altered his political philosophy.
We will now investigate each of these in more detail.
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The Munich Putsch – Hitler’s trial
1. Hitler’s trial gave publicity to the Nazi movement.
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The Munich Putsch – Mein Kampf
2. Hitler reviewed his political philosophy.
Whilst locked away in prison he dictated a book to one
of his most faithful followers, Rudolf Hess.
He entitled this book Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In it,
he developed two important principles.
The Fuhrer Principle – Hitler argued that to be
successful, his party needed one all-powerful leader
(‘fuhrer’) – in other words, Hitler himself!
The Reichstag Principle – Hitler argued that outright
rebellion would never destroy the system. Instead, it
would be necessary to “hold our noses and enter the
Reichstag [parliament]” – in other words, get elected
and then destroy the system from within.
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Continued weakness, 1924–28
Despite Hitler’s efforts, the Nazis remained a minor
political force.
In 1924 they had 5% of the seats in the Reichstag.
In 1928 they had less than 2% – even the Communists
had four times as many seats!
One reason for this was that Stresemann had helped to
stabilize the country:
1924: Dawes Plan eases the reparations bill.
1925: Locarno Treaties improve relations with France.
1926: Germany allowed to join the League of Nations.
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Impact of the Depression, 1929–32
What changed everything was the worldwide Depression.
In 1929, the
Wall Street Crash
caused the US stock
market to collapse.
This led to a terrible
chain reaction that
threw the whole world
into an economic crisis.
Germany was hit particularly hard because the country
had borrowed a lot of money to pay for reparations.
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The Depression spread
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Reaction of the Nazis: Fresh propaganda
It was during the Depression that the Nazis really started to
use propaganda – political advertising – effectively.
This was particularly the case in 1932, when Hitler ran for
president and came a very close second to Hindenburg.
Posters were produced depicting Hitler as ‘Germany’s
last hope’.
Planes were used to help him travel all over Germany
to deliver rousing speeches.
Radio was used to help him reach an even wider
audience.
The mastermind behind this campaign was Josef Goebbels.
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Reaction of the Nazis: Mass appeal
However, propaganda is only effective if it is publicizing
popular policies. The Nazis came up with policies that
appealed to many ordinary Germans.
1. End unemployment – Hitler promised to provide jobs
for the thousands of Germans who had become
unemployed as a result of the depression.
2. Tear up Versailles – Hitler said that he would break
the hated Treaty of Versailles and make Germany great
again.
3. Blame the Jews – Hitler gave the desperate German
people someone to blame for the depression and the
1918 defeat. He blamed the Jews.
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Reaction of the Nazis: Fresh policies
Hitler also identified several key groups in German society
that it was important for him to win over.
Hitler, with the help of Goebbels, made sure the Nazi
message targeted these key groups of voters.
People in the Cities
The slogan ‘Work,
Freedom, Bread’ was
used to convince workers
that the Nazis were
focused on the needs of
the industrial class.
People in the Countryside
The slogan ‘Blood and Soil’
was used to convince rural
voters that the Nazis
believed that the German
nation sprang from the
farming class.
Suggest a slogan that the Nazis could have used to
win the votes of women. Explain your choice.
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Reaction of the Weimar Republic: Indecision
Whilst Hitler responded brilliantly to the crisis created by
the Depression, the Weimar Republic did not.
Parliament – Proportional Representation (PR): The
electoral system meant that Reichstag seats were split
between many parties. No party could get a majority, so
weak, indecisive coalition governments were formed.
President – Article 48: The president had emergency
powers, but his advisers discouraged him from raising
unemployment benefits, fearing another hyperinflation
crisis like the one which had hit Germany in 1923.
Discussion point: In 1923 Germany suffered an
inflationary crisis. In 1929 it suffered a deflationary
crisis. What is the difference?
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Reaction of the Weimar Republic: Hitler
As well as pursuing unpopular policies, the Weimar
Republic made a terrible mistake in appointing Hitler as
chancellor in January 1933 – even though he had made it
clear that he hated democracy.
What makes this decision even more surprising is that:
Support for the Nazi party was declining
Germany was coming out of the Depression
President Hindenburg had nothing but contempt for
Hitler, who he called ‘a little Bohemian corporal’.
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How and why was Hitler appointed chancellor?
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How did Hitler get to power?
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