Hitler and the Rise of the Nazi
Party – Part II
Chapter 13.5
Adolf Hitler
Hitler was released from prison after
one year
Many Germans believed that
energetic leader Adolf Hitler would
solve Germany’s economic problems
and high unemployment
As the head of the Nazi Party, Hitler
promised to end reparations, create
jobs, and re-arm Germany in
defiance of the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles
Hitler was legally elected chancellor
in 1933
Within one year he was dictator over
the new fascist state in Germany
Germans Attracted to Nazism
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
war veterans
workers
lower middle classes
small town Germans
business people
Adolf Hitler
Hitler’s first steps as dictator
Suspended civil rights
Destroyed socialists and Communists
Outlawed other political parties
Hitler executed disloyal Nazi Party
members
Hitler demanded absolute obedience
The German Reichs
First Reich – Medieval Holy Roman Empire
Second Reich – Bismarck’s German Empire (1871)
following German unification
Third Reich – Hitler’s German empire predicted to last
1000 years (it lasted from 1933-1945)
Third Reich
To appeal to nationalism and recall Germany’s
glorious past, Hitler called his government the
Third Reich (Reich = empire)
To combat the Depression, Hitler launched a
public works program (e.g., highways, housing
projects)
In violation of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler rearmed Germany
Hitler wanted to unite Germany and Austria
because both countries speak German
Where was the League of Nations to stop this???
Totalitarianism
Hitler organized a brutal system
of terror, repression, and
totalitarian rule
Nazis controlled all aspects of
German life (government,
religion, education, etc.)
Nazis used the Gestapo, the
secret police, to enforce the will
of the Nazi Party
The Gestapo purged any person
who opposed the Nazi Party
Nuremberg Laws
A fanatical anti-Semite, Hitler set out to
expel the Jews from Germany
Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s
problems
In 1935, the Nazis passed the
Nuremberg Laws, which deprived
Jews of German citizenship and placed
severe restrictions on them
The Nazis indoctrinated German youth
and rewrote textbooks to reflect Nazi
racial views
Examples of Nuremberg Laws
Jews prohibited from marrying non-Jews
Jews could not attend German schools
Jews could not teach at schools or universities
Jews banned from holding government jobs
Jews prohibited from practicing law or
medicine
Jews could not publish books
The Nazis began a terror campaign against
Jews – many fled for their lives
Chart to Define if You are Jewish
Instructional chart issued to
help bureaucrats distinguish
Jews from Mischlinge (mixed
race persons) and Aryans.
The white figures are Aryans;
the black figures Jews; and
the shaded figures
Mischlinge.
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken
Glass)
1938 – Young Jew named Herschel Grynszpan killed
a German diplomat in Paris
Nazis retaliated by destroying Jewish synagogues,
Jewish books, religious symbols, and Jewish
businesses on November 9-10, 1938
Nazi thugs attacked Jews throughout Germany
Kristallnacht
Video
Watch this video about Kristallnacht:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCj9RJU2Y1Y
Nazi Cultural and Societal
Influences
Hitler also limited women’s roles and
encouraged “pure-blooded Aryan”
(blond hair, blue eyes) women to bear
many children to raise the birthrate
He sought to purge German culture of
what he believed were corrupt
influences
Nazis denounced modern art and jazz,
but glorified German artists and myths
Jazz music was condemned for its
African roots
Hitler and Religion
Hitler despised Christianity as “weak”
Hitler wanted to replace religion with
racial beliefs
He combined all Protestant sects into a
single state church
Nazis closed Catholic schools
Although many clergy either supported
the new regime or remained silent,
some courageously spoke out against
Hitler’s government
Authoritarian Rule in Germany
Like Germany, most new nations in
Eastern Europe slid from systems of
democracy to authoritarian rule
Economic problems and ethnic tensions
contributed to instability and helped fascist
rulers to gain power
The new dictators promised to keep order,
and won the backing of the military and
the wealthy
They also supported the growth of antisemitism – using Jewish people as
scapegoats of national problems
Powerpoint Questions – Part II
(18 points)
1. What did many Germans believe about Hitler?
2. What three things did Hitler promise to do as head
of the Nazi Party? (3 points)
3. How did Hitler become the chancellor of Germany?
4. Why was Germany defined as a fascist state?
5. What steps did Hitler take as dictator (5 points)?
6. What did Hitler do that violated the Treaty of
Versailles?
Powerpoint Questions – Part II
(18 points)
7. Identify the German secret police force.
8. What laws deprived German Jews of citizenship and
placed severe restrictions on them?
9. Identify and describe the events of November 9-10,
1938.
10. What were Aryan women obligated to do?
11. Why did Hitler dislike jazz music?
12. With what did Hitler want to replace religion?
The End