Intro to Weimar, and Hitler and the NAZI’s

Revolution of 1918• November 9th :

–Kaiser abdicates and flees to Holland– new temporary civilian government under the leader of Social Democrats (SD) Friedrich Ebert whose party had the most votes in recent elections (the Republic is declared)

• November 10th: Deal struck between new government and army (for support)• November 11th – representatives of new government meet with Allies and agree to

armistice at 11/11 11AMKaiser Wilhelm II in Exile Ebert

Support for the Revolution

….And some Germans (like Prince Max who convinced the Kaiser to abdicate) feared a civil war would break out if things didn’t change….And Wilson refused to offer peace without a “democratic” government in Germany

Structure of Government

President (elected 7 year term)

Chancellor & Ministers (appointed)

Army

Reichstag (elected)

Makes laws

Reichsrat (appointed

by state) Can object to

laws

Kaiser

Chancellor &

Ministers (appointe

d)

Army

Reichstag (elected)Approves laws from

Kaiser

Reichsrat (appointed by

state) Supported

KaiserGovernment under Kaiser Weimar Government 1919 - 34

Kaiser Wilhelm II President Hindenburg

A closer look

Elections January 1919…Yeah in the midst of all this!

# of seats/%

n/a

165/38%

75/18.5%

91/19.7%

19/4.4%

44/10.3%

n/a

*remaining 10% or so was divided among 4 small regional parties*

German Political Parties

CommunismSocialismLiberalismConservatismFascism

KPDUSPSPDDDPZP

(Centre)

DVPDNVPNSDAP

Left-wing Right-wing

Note: Germany is divided into two parts by the ‘Polish Corridor’

First act of new government? Signing the Treaty of Versailles

• Result:– The Army (General Ludendorff) accuses the new

government of “a stab in the back” (betraying the army while it was fighting the war – not defeated)

– Representatives of the new government branded as the November Criminals by the Nationalists and later the NAZIs for signing the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.

Four Putsches• “Red Bavaria”:

– Leninists take over in Bavaria– Late 1918 to early 1919

• Spartacist Revolt– January 1919– Leninists fail to take over in Berlin after

defeat by the Freikorps• Kapp Putsch

– March 1920– Berlin nearly falls to rightists– Freikorps led by Dr. Wolfgang Kapp

• Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch– November 1923

Modest origins Father - minor customs official Born in German-Austrian border

town of Braunau, Austria in 1889

Dropped out of school at 16 in 1905

Dreams of art or architectureIn 1907 moves to Vienna

Failed to gain admission to Vienna Fine Arts or Vienna School of Architecture

Mom dies

Young Hitler

Hitler’s Painting: ‘Village Scene’

Was Hitler Jewish?

• It is possible though unproven• Hitler’s paternal grandfather is unknown

– Hitler’s dad’s mom was named Schicklgruber & Hitler’s dad was born illegitimate

• She later married a man named Hiedler who formally adopted Hitler’s dad & gave him the name Hitler

Hitler up to WWI• Aimless in Austria

– From 16 to 23 years of age

• Lived on small inheritance & orphan’s pension

• Sold tourist postcards to make ends meet

• Picked up anti-Semitic views living on the street & in flophouses / hostels

• 1913 - moved to Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Hitler & World War I• Caught up in war fervor

when Germany declares war (photo)

• Enlisted as soldier in WWI– Dispatch runner at the front– Wounded twice, decorated

five times including Iron Cross (HIH video)

• War ended 1918– Hitler in hospital temporarily

blind from poison gas• Believes German republic

stabbed Germans in the back for seeking peace

Hitler & The Nazis• Unemployed after war• Took job spying on political

parties for the army• Joined one of them instead:

German Workers’ Party– Became National Socialist

German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party)

• Became exceptional speaker– Practice and determination

Hofbrauhaus where Hitler gave many Speeches to his followers

Beer Hall Putsch ‘Pooch’• 1921 Hitler became

leader of Nazi Party• Called ‘Der Fuhrer’• 1923 Hitler plans coup

in Munich • To be followed by

March on Berlin – Remind you of

anything?Mussolini’s March on

Rome (a year earlier) What the king conquered,The prince shaped,The field marshall defended,Was rescued & united by the soldier.

Storm Troopers -- SA

• ‘Strong-arm’ squads• Hitler’s paramilitary force• Many unemployed & ex-WWI vets

(Freikorps)• Sturm Abteilung

– “Storm troopers” – AKA “brown shirts”(not to be confused with Mussolini’s

“Blackshirts”!)

Stormtroopers

Schutzstaffel SS

• Led by Himmler• Began as Hitler’s

bodyguard• Slowly grew to huge

operation after he comes to power– Concentration camps– Dirty work

Beer Hall

Putsch ‘Pooch’

Leader of Bavaria von Kahr called meeting to debate Stresemann’s new policies Buergerbrau beer hall

Hitler & SA interrupted, fired a shot into ceiling, & declared ‘The national revolution has broken out’.

Hitler declared takeover of local government, followed by a march on Berlin

Ludendorff arrived on Hitler’s side 9th Nov 1923 – Hitler and 3000

supporters were confronted by 100 armed policemen

16 Nazis were killed, Hitler was wounded

The whole putsch (revolt) collapsed

Why did the Nazi Putsch Fail ?

Tactical errors Hitler left to resolve

another crisis Ludendorff allowed

leaders to go home Hitler had expected support

from other right-wing groups, including the Bavarian government of von Kahr

The Nazis had little public exposure – few outside Munich had ever heard of them

Trial & Prison Term Hitler & Ludendorff

arrested & jailed Ludendorff acquitted Hitler found guilty of

treason However, Hitler obtained

sympathy & fame Sentenced to 5 years,

served 9 months Wrote Mein Kampf (My

Struggle)

Hitler and supporters in Landsberg prison,

1924

Hitler’s Plan for the Third Reich• ‘Mein Kampf’ = ‘My Struggle’• Extreme nationalism• Unite all German-speaking people in

an Empire, The Third Reich including:– Dutch, Scandinavians, English, half of Belgiums– Germans in Austria, Poland, Sudetenland

• Expand territory, Lebensraum, into Ukraine & lands between

• Enforce racial “purification”– Most loathsome: Jews– Master race prevails

• Anti-Democracy

Hitler Comes to Power.mov