Questions and Imperatives Describe the origins of the Nazi
Party in Germany. How did it move to gain power in Germany?
Slide 3
Beginning of the Nazis Nazi Party: German Workers Party (DAP)
founded January 1919 in Munich with Anton Drexler as its leader
Drexler envisioned a vlkisch German state focused on broad middle-
class interests, and a purge of foreigners and Jews (story of
Hitlers job after the war) Ernst Roehm had recruited him as a
civilian investigator; his job was to find out what was going on in
meetings of any extremist parties; Hitler checked on the DAP At
first Hitler found the meeting boring and was ready to leave; he
was then drawn into discussion about Bavarian separatism, which
vehemently opposed Hitler was invited back and joined joined the
DAP in September (party # 555) and became the 7 th member of the
executive committee Soon, name of party changed to NSDAP
anti-Semitism characterized its meetings
Slide 4
Slide 5
1919-1921 1919-1921 violent anti-Semitic pogroms swept through
Poland and the Ukraine, with many Jews injured and killed (60,000)
February 1920: first mass meeting of the NSDAP in Munichs
Hofbrauhaus: Hitler established the party program (perhaps with
Drexlers help) 1921: Ernst Roehm formed the Brown Shirts (SA), a
paramilitary group; the swastika appeared and would be used as the
symbol for the Nazi party SA seemed mostly to be thugs, watched out
for party leaders Summer 1921: Hitler becomes partys first chairman
with dictatorial powers; Nazi party based on leadership principle
of a fuehrer (leader)
Slide 6
Slide 7
Slide 8
Better Organization beginning of Hitler Youth and SS Adolf
Hitler Boys Storm Troop, later called Hitler Youth (1926) Shock
Troop Adolf Hitler, nucleus for SS founded the next year, an elite
version of the SA (black uniforms with ss), brutal, but in a
refined sort of way, initially Hitlers guard and later elite armed
guard of the Third Reich (lead by Heinrich Himmler) 1922: foreign
minister Walther Rathenau, a Jew, is assassinated Jewish graves are
desecrated throughout Germany for next 20 years Hitler gave talks
at rallies to get people to believe in stab in the back theory
Slide 9
Slide 10
1923 Hyper-inflation, the currency becomes worthless (German
mark traded 4 billion to one U.S. $) we see the first issue of the
pro-Nazi anti-Semitic newspaper Der Strmer (The Attacker) published
in Nuremberg; its slogan was The Jews are our misfortune, a quote
picked up from Heinrich von Treitschke Der Sturmer banned by Weimar
Republic soon after its beginnings, but resumes printing in 1925;
The Nazi JULIUS STREIKER edited newspaper Der Sturmer...convinced
Hitler to hold Nazi rallies in Nuremberg. Jewish homes are burned
in Berlin 1923 putsch in Munich (putsch is an uprising), party
attempted to take over the government, Hitler was arrested and
spent about 9 months in prison, writing Mein Kampf (transcribed by
Rudolph Hess, also in prison for Putsch)the book will be published
in 1925/26and editions continued
Slide 11
Slide 12
Best way for Nazis to take power??
Slide 13
The End of the Beginning Weimar had banned Hitler from speaking
(1925), but lifted that ban in 1927 Joseph Goebbels published the
first issue of the anti-Semitic Der Angriff (The Attack). It was
founded to rally Nazi Party members because of the ban on the Nazi
Party in Berlin 1929: Hitler appoints Heinrich Himmler
Reichsfhrer-SS Nazi Party day rally held in Nuremberg in August
1929 and draws over 100,000 people Great Depression hit this gave
the Nazis the boost they needed the center parties had helped to
stabilize the Republic??? with the Depression, German citizens
looked to the extreme parties Nazis increased their seats in the
Reichstag
Slide 14
Slide 15
The End of the Beginning Weimar had banned Hitler from speaking
(1925), but lifted that ban in 1927 Joseph Goebbels published the
first issue of the anti-Semitic Der Angriff (The Attack). It was
founded to rally Nazi Party members because of the ban on the Nazi
Party in Berlin 1929: Hitler appoints Heinrich Himmler
Reichsfhrer-SS Nazi Party day rally held in Nuremberg in August
1929 and draws over 100,000 people Great Depression hit this gave
the Nazis the boost they needed the center parties had helped to
stabilize the Republic??? with the Depression, German citizens
looked to the extreme parties Nazis increased their seats in the
Reichstag
Slide 16
Political Parties in the Reichstag May 1924 Dec. 1924 May 1928
Sep. 1930 July 1932 Nov. 1932 Mar. 1933 Communist Party (KPD)
624554778910081 Social Democratic Party (SDP) 100131153143133121120
Catholic Centre Party (BVP) 81887887979093 Nationalist Party (DNVP)
9510373413752 Nazi Party (NSDAP) 321412107230196288 Other
Parties102112121122223523
Slide 17
Election for President 1932 German banks forced to close for
financial reasons for a month in summer 1931 Hitler speaks to
German industrialists in 1932 as he makes his bid for the
presidency 1932 election for President: Hindenburg, Hitler, and
Thaelmann Hitler had enough votes to force a second vote against
Hindenburg Hindenburg won, but Hitlers following increased having
been in the spotlight