Hitler’s Rise to Power Flashcards
All 27 cards in this deck
Which party did Hitler join in September 1919?
The German Workers' Party (DAP), founded by Anton Drexler. It was renamed the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) in 1920.
When did Hitler become leader of the Nazi Party?
July 1921, after threatening to resign and overcoming his opponents within the Party.
What was the Munich Putsch?
Hitler and the SA's attempt to seize power in Munich on 8–9 November 1923, launched from a beer hall; it failed when police opened fire, 16 Nazis were killed and Hitler was arrested.
What was Mein Kampf?
'My Struggle', the book Hitler wrote in Landsberg prison after the Munich Putsch (published 1925), setting out Nazi ideas such as Lebensraum, the Aryan master race and hatred of Jews and Communists.
Give one reason for the limited support for the Nazi Party in 1924–28.
The economy and cultural life were thriving under Stresemann, so most Germans supported the Weimar Republic rather than extremist parties; the Nazis won only 12 seats in the 1928 election.
What happened at the Bamberg Conference of 1926?
Hitler reasserted his authority and gained complete control of the Party, reducing the importance of local leaders such as Strasser and deciding how the Party would be restructured.
What caused the rapid growth of unemployment in Germany from 1929?
The Wall Street Crash: US banks recalled their loans to Germany and world trade collapsed, so firms closed; unemployment passed 6 million by early 1932.
True or false? Support for the Communist Party (KPD) fell during the Depression.
False. It grew as unemployed workers turned to the KPD, which won 100 seats in the November 1932 Reichstag election.
Why did Hitler himself appeal to German voters in 1929–32?
He was a charismatic, passionate speaker who claimed he could solve Germany's problems, and he appealed to a wide range of groups in society.
How did Goebbels use propaganda to increase Nazi support in 1929–32?
He ran campaigns such as the 'Hitler over Germany' aeroplane tour and the 'Hitler, our last hope' posters, and targeted propaganda at different groups in society.
What was the result of the 1932 presidential election?
Hindenburg was re-elected with about 19 million votes; Hitler came second with about 13 million.
What were the results of the two Reichstag elections of 1932?
In July the Nazis became the largest party with 230 seats; in November they fell to 196 seats but were still the largest party.
What was von Papen's role in Hitler becoming Chancellor?
He convinced Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor with himself as Vice-Chancellor, believing they could control Hitler.
True or false? Hitler became Chancellor because the Nazis won a majority of seats in a Reichstag election.
False. President Hindenburg appointed him Chancellor on 30 January 1933; the Nazis never won a Reichstag majority in a free election.
What was the Twenty-Five Point Programme?
The Nazi Party's statement of its aims and policies, announced by Hitler in February 1920.
Give one aim set out in the Nazi Twenty-Five Point Programme (1920).
The abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.
Other points: union of all Germans in a Greater Germany; only those of German blood could be citizens; Lebensraum.What was the SA?
The Nazi Party's paramilitary force, set up in 1921 and made up largely of ex-soldiers; known as 'stormtroopers' or 'brownshirts'.
True or false? One role of the SA was to disrupt the meetings of rival parties, especially the Communists.
True. The SA also protected Nazi meetings and speakers, and gave the impression that the Nazis offered strength and discipline.
Give one reason why Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch in November 1923.
Any one of: he hoped to exploit public anger over hyperinflation and the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr; he was inspired by Mussolini, whose March on Rome in 1922 had brought him to power in Italy.
How did Hitler use his trial after the Munich Putsch (1924)?
Newspapers reported the trial widely, so he used it to attack the Weimar government and spread his ideas across Germany. He was sentenced to five years but released after about nine months.
What did Hitler conclude about how to gain power after the Munich Putsch failed?
That force alone would not work: the Nazis would have to win power legally, through elections, and build a better-organised party across the whole country.
How did the Nazis do in the Reichstag election of September 1930?
They won about 18% of the vote and 107 seats, up from 12 seats in 1928, and became the second-largest party in the Reichstag.
Give two examples of what Nazi propaganda promised different groups in 1929–32.
Any two: farmers were promised that their land would be safe from the Communists; workers were promised 'work and bread'; business leaders were promised an end to the economic crisis.
What happened between the SA and the Communists in the run-up to the July 1932 Reichstag election?
There was widespread street fighting between them, and dozens of people were killed. The Nazis used the disorder to present themselves as the only party able to stop a Communist revolution.
What happened to Chancellor Brüning in 1932?
He banned the SA in April 1932, lost President Hindenburg's support and resigned in May. Franz von Papen replaced him and lifted the SA ban to win Nazi backing.
What happened when Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor after the July 1932 election?
Hindenburg refused and kept von Papen as Chancellor, even though the Nazis were now the largest party in the Reichstag.
Why did Kurt von Schleicher's time as Chancellor (December 1932–January 1933) come to an end?
He had little support in the Reichstag, and Hindenburg refused his request to rule with emergency powers backed by the army. Von Papen then persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler instead.