THE RISE OF HITLER. Hitler and the National Socialist Party Born in Austria 1889 (a German speaking...
-
Upload
christina-carpenter -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
0
Transcript of THE RISE OF HITLER. Hitler and the National Socialist Party Born in Austria 1889 (a German speaking...
THE RISE OF THE RISE OF HITLERHITLER
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Born in Austria 1889 (a German speaking country) the son of a minor customs official and a peasant girl.
Hitler grew up thinking himself as part of the German race
A poor student, he never completed high school
He applied for admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna twice but was rejected for lack of talent
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Staying in Vienna until 1913, he lived first on an orphan's pension, later on small earnings from pictures he drew
Learned many ideas while living in Vienna
He read voraciously, developing anti-Jewish and antidemocratic convictions
Believed that Germans were the best people in the world
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
1913 – moved to Germany Joined the German Army
and fought in WWI Involved in politics at the
end of WWI Continued working for the
army after the war Asked to spy on a small
political party, the German Worker’s Party
Found that it held views similar to his own, so he joined it
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Soon Hitler took over the leadership
Changed name to National Socialist German Worker’s Party
Nazi is an acronym for the party in German
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP, 'Nazi' Party
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
I myself, meanwhile, after innumerable attempts, had laid down a final form; a flag with a red background, a white disk, and a black swastika in the middle. After long trials I also found a definite proportion between the size of the flag and the size of the white disk, as well as the shape and thickness of the swastika.
And this remained final.
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
The red expressed the social thought
The white the national struggle
The swastika the struggle for the victory of the Aryan mankind
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Why “nationalist”? Wanted Germany to
be strong again and to recover all the power and lands it had lost
Why “socialist”? Attacked the rich;
wanted to spread wealth more evenly across different classes
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Aims End the agreements of the Treaty of
Versailles Redraw Germany’s borders to
include all German people Only Germans could be citizens of
Germany No Jewish people could be members
of this new Germany Additional territories (colonies) to
feed and settle surplus population The state to take over major
industries
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
As a “nationalist” party that was “socialist”, it hoped to win support from the ordinary people
The Nazi Party appealed to the man and woman in the street and also the middle and upper class
Little support in the early years
Munich putsch was a failure but his trial and arrest gave him the much needed publicity
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
It was while serving time in prison that he wrote Mein KampfMein Kampf (My Struggle)
After the failure of the Munich putsch, Hitler realised that he could come into power only by peaceful means
For the rest of 1920s, concentrated on the organisation of the party
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Hitler formed several organizations to assist in spreading the Nazi propaganda
By 1929, he was in a strong position to take advantage of any crisis that might occur
Let’s look at some of his organisations
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
The SA (or brownshirts) Private army of the Nazi
Party Used terror against his
opponents
The SS (or blackshirts) Hitler’s personal
bodyguard Also to make sure party
members stay loyal
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
Adolf Hitler's SS Bodyguard Regimental
Standard
Adolf Hitler's SA Regimental Standard
Munich
Hitler and the National Socialist Hitler and the National Socialist PartyParty
The Gestapo (secret police) Spied on people and persecuted people who did not
follow party line
The Hitler Youth Recruited youths by telling them that to be patriotic
to their country, they had to support the Nazis
Hitler Youth Organisation Flag
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
1. Weaknesses of the Weimar Republic- Came to power during WW1- Signed the armistice which ended WW1- Associated with defeat / blamed for
defeat – traitors / betrayers- Very democratic - Germany not used to
it- Weak leadership – coalition government- Nazis seen as most suitable alternative
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
2. Unfair Treaty of Versailles- Unfair terms of treaty- Insult to Germany- Nazis determined to destroy the
treaty- Germans attracted to the Nazis
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
3. Effects of the Great Depression- Wall Street Crash- Severe economic slump in countries- Unemployment in Germany increased- Cut down in American loans- People blamed Weimar Republic and
supported Nazis
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
4. Fear of Communism- Communist party also had much
support during depression- Middle class and upper class
worried of communism- Though not all supported Nazis,
they funded the Nazis to get rid of the communists
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
5. Charismatic leadership of Hitler
- A great political leader- Conducted vast rallies- Toured the country
frequently- Convinced people to
support the Nazis- Germany was looking
for a leader – saw Hitler as the solution
Reasons for the Rise of the Reasons for the Rise of the Nazis Nazis
6. Strength of the Nazi party- Nazi messages were simple – going
back to old days- Criticised Weimar republic- Attacked communism- Portrayed as modern party e.g. Hitler
travelled in plane- Well organised rallies – floodlights,
military music, marches- SA and SS looked good in uniform