The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis

Paper 1 : Development of dictatorship : Germany , 1918-1945

The rise of Hitler and the Nazis

• Hitler and German Workers' Party

The German Worker Party (DAP)

• Right wing group founded by Anton Drexler in 1919.
• DAP members were angry about:
  • Communists and Socialists who brought down the Kaiser
  • Weimar politicians who agreed to the Treaty of Versailles
  • The weakness of democracy as means of government.
  • The Jews, who were blamed for weakening the economy (anti-Semitism)
• Hitler attended his first meeting in 1919 where there were only 23 members in the group.
• Hitlers found out that the entire party was only funded by only 7 marks.
• Hitler had been sent to DAP to spy for the army but later he realised he agreed with the DAP.
• September 1919, Hitler joined the party.
• By 1920, he was Anton's right-hand man.
     
• Changes to the party 1920-1922

The 25 point programme (1920)

• Main points: 
  • Scrap the Treaty of Versailles
  • Expand Germany borders to give people it's Lebensraum (living space)
  • Deprive Jews of rights and citizenship
  • Destroying communism
  • Making Germany great again
• DAP used force and violence to achieve all this.
• Hitler's public speaking was full of confidence and attracted a large number of people to meetings.
  • Many people were dissatisfied with the Weimar Republic as of 1923.
  • Hitler's excellent and convincing oratory skills attracted support from the army, police, small businesses.
  • Membership grew rapidly to 1,100 people in 1920 from 23 in 1919.

The Growth of Hitler's role in DAP during the 1920s

• In 1920, Hitler changed DAP's name to NSDAP.
• Members of the NSDAP were known as Nazis.
• The party adopted the swastika as its emblem.
• Members began to use the arm salute as a Nazi characteristic.
• Members of the NSDAP increased to 3,000.
• Increased membership boosted party funds which enabled the party to buy the newspaper Beobatcher for 180,000 marks.
  • This meant that the party was able to spread propaganda and Nazi views more efficiently.
• In 1921, Hitler pushed Anton Drexler aside and became the Party Leader.
• He gathered powerful party members 
  • Ernst Rohm (founder of SA)
  • Goering (leader of **, hero of Luftwaffe)
  • Rudolf Hess (Hitler's deputy)
  • Julius Streicher (founder of Nazi newspaper Der Sturmer)
• He was also close friends with General Ludendorff (leader of German army during WW1)

The Sturmabteilung (SA)

• Stormtroopers / Brownshirts 
• Created in 1921.
• Recruited members were demobilised soldiers from 1919 Treaty of Versailles.
• The Nazi party's private army.
  • Provided security at Nazi meetings.
  • Acted as bodyguards for Nazi leaders
  • Broke up meetings of opposition groups.
  • Spread Nazi propaganda
  • Intimidated oppositions
  • Gave Nazis appearance of strength and order
      
• Causes, Events, Results of Munich Putsch (1923)

Causes

• Hyperinflation
  • Caused Germans to lead a miserable life.
  • Germans had a shortage of goods due to the French occupation in the Ruhr.
  • Germans reacted with passive resistance where workers went on strike.
  • France brought in their own workers and took German resources which were mainly coal.
  • The loss of agricultural land due to the treaty and lack…