 Adolf Hitler was born in the small town of Braunau in Austria on the
20th April 1889 to a customs official and a former servant girl
 He came from a Middle class family that was comfortable by the
standards of the day
 The young Hitler had ability but performed poorly at school. He
reacted against discipline and the conformity of school life: “What gave
me pleasure I learned...what seemed to me unimportant or otherwise
unattractive to me I sabotaged completely.” (A. Hitler, Mein Kampf,
Manheim translation, Hutchinson, London, 1969, p.p 9-10 )
 One of his former teachers described Hitler as “wilful, arrogant, and
bad tempered. He had obvious difficulty in fitting in at school.
Moreover he was lazy...he demanded of his fellow pupils their
unqualified subservience, fancying himself in the role of leader.”
(Quoted in A. Bullock, Hitler: A Study in Tyranny, Penguin Books,
London, 1963, p.27)
 In 1905 at age 15, Hitler left school. Two years later he
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applied to the Vienna Academy of Arts but his application
was rejected
Later that year Hitler’s mother Klara died which affected
him greatly
In 1908 Hitler moved to Vienna, the capital of the AustroHungarian Empire
In 1910, Hitler was unemployed and almost destitute, living
at a shelter for homeless men.
By 1910 Hitler began to show an interest in politics.
By 1913 Hitler left Vienna and moved to Munich, the capital
of the German state of Bavaria.
In 1914 during WWI, Hitler joined the German Army
 Hitler served in the German Army on the front line in Flanders and
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France throughout the entire First World War
Hitler showed bravery under fire, being awarded the Iron Cross Second
Class in 1914 and the Iron Cross First Class in 1918
Hitler described the war as “the greatest and most unforgettable time
of my life”
In 1918 Hitler was caught in a gas attack and was partially blinded. He
was recovering in hospital when he heard the news that Germany had
surrendered.
Hitler believed that Germany had been betrayed: “I staggered back to
my ward and buried my aching head between the blankets and the
pillow...during those nights my hatred increased, hatred for the
originators of this dastardly crime.” According to Hitler’s own
testimony, it was at this point that he decided to become a politician
(Hitler, Mein Kampf, Manheim Translation, p. 176)
 After the war Hitler was made a political officer for the army
 While working, Hitler stumbled across a small, confused political
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group called the German Workers’ Party in September 1919
Hitler attended one of their meetings and spoke about issues he was
passionate about. As a result, he was asked to join the party
Hitler was put in charge of publicity and propaganda and from 1919
devoted all his energies to the party and sought to broaden its base and
appeal
During this time Hitler made several speeches and drew large crowds –
the force of his personality, his organising ability and his powerful
oratory ensured he became the dominant force behind the party
The party changed its name to the become the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party (National Sozialistische Deautsche Arbeiter
Partei = NAZI)
 To give the party a distinct identity, it developed its own set of symbols
and emblems, including the swastika, the party colours of black, red
and white, and a distinctive party salute
 The Nazi Party also attracted more financial support and was able to
create its own newspaper, the Volkischer Beobachter (National
Observer)
 As the Nazi movement took shape it wished to promote itself as having
a clear set of goals. Therefore, in February 1920 the party published its
25 Point Program, a wide-ranging statement about what the Nazis
stood for.
Political Parties
Social policies
-Nazism was against democracy, which was how
the Weimar Republic operated
-Nazism was based on nationalism and focused
on restoring Germany’s national pride
-Nazism supported totalitarianism because total
power could be held in the hands of one person
who ruled on behalf of the national interest
-Nazism promoted the idea that the German
people were a superior ‘Master Race’ – Hitler
labelled this race Aryan
-Hitler established several anti-Jewish policies,
included the Nuremberg Laws, around the idea
that the Jews were an inferior race polluting and
destroying the Aryan Master Race
Economic policies
-The Nazis supported a particular brand of
socialism – where all classes worked together in
the national interest
-However, they were against communism, which
Hitler believed could only lead to the destruction
of societies throughout the world. He believed
that 75 per cent of all communists were Jews
Agitation
-The Nazis willingly used force to promote
acceptance of and adherence to their policies
-Bullying, threats and violence were all common
features of Nazi rallies, speeches and publicity
 Hitler attempted to overthrow the Weimar Government in 1923
during the Munich Putsch
 He was put into Landsberg prison – but was released in 1925
 Upon his release, his tactics changed:
-Hitler learned that power could not be seized by force and that it
had to be achieved legally – in 1933, ten years after the failed
Munich Putsch, he did just that and was appointed Chancellor of
Germany
-The Munich Putsch gave Hitler and the Nazis national publicity he moved from being a relatively unknown politician in Bavaria
to a national figure
-Hitler learned that he could never hold power without the support
of the army, which had not been prepared to support his putsch
in 1923
 While in prison, Hitler wrote his political autobiography Mein Kampf
that outlined his political views
 He believed that:
-Humankind was divided into racial groups – some were stronger than
others
-Germans were descended from Aryans – a master race that were blonde,
blue-eyed, tall people only found in Northern Europe
-It was the role of the Nazis to eliminate racial ‘pollution’ and return
Germany to its rightful place as world leader
-To remove racial ‘pollution’, he proposed that people with disabilities,
hereditary disease or who were mentally ill be sterilised and that
intermarriage with ‘lesser races’ like Poles, Czechs and Russians be
stopped
-The Jews were the greatest threat to the ‘master race’ because they
controlled Communism, the world economy, the media, prostitution
and crime – with world domination as their aim – thus denying
Germany its destiny as leader of the world.
 After the failure of the Munich Putsch the Nazis were
reorganised into a traditional political party
 Hitler tightened his control over the party in 1925–
requiring all new members to swear lifelong loyalty to him
 The Nazis attempted to broaden their appeal by setting up
new organisations targeting people from all walks of life
(Eg: The Hitler Youth, the Nazi Women’s League and
groups for doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers, factory
workers and farmers)
 They also began a propaganda campaign – distributing
posters, holding party rallies and giving speeches to broad
audiences to win their votes in upcoming elections
"Citizens! Do not believe that the
Germany of misfortune and misery, the
nation of corruption and usury, the land
of Jewish corruption, can be saved by
parties that claim to stand on a
foundation of facts. Never!"
This poster advertised a speech that
Hitler was due to make in May 1920.
Another early example of a Nazi poster,
again inviting people to attend a speech
by Adolf Hitler in Munich. The choice of
colours here is deliberate. Red was
believed to 'arouse the opponents' of
National Socialism - and of course, is
highly visible and therefore attracts more
attention. 1921.
A March 1933 poster. The
text: “In the deepest need
Hindenburg chose Adolf
Hitler for Reich Chancellor.
You too should vote for List
1.”
 Voting patterns –
When did the Nazis have
the least support?
At what point did the
Nazis have the most
support?
Why do you think this is
so (you may want to
consider what was
happening in
Germany at the time)?
Date
May 1924
Votes (in thousands)
Percentage
Seats in Reichstag
Background
1,918.3
6.5
32 Hitler in prison
December 1924
907.3
3.0
14
May 1928
810.1
2.6
12
6,409.6
18.3
107 After the financial crisis
July 1932
13,745.8
37.4
230
November 1932
11,737.0
33.1
196
March 1933
17,277.0
43.9
288
September 1930
Hitler is released from
prison
After Hitler had become
Chancellor