Do Now
Read the speech that Hitler made against the Treaty of Versailles in 1923 and
construct a 1 paragraph response to the following question in your drive
• What are Hitler’s reasons for discrediting the Weimar Republic? Why does
he argue it is not a republic of the people?
• What does the Treaty of Versailles symbolize to Hitler?
• Why has Germany been an “anvil” in Hitler’s point of view? What do you
think Hitler will do to make it a “hammer?
• Explain how the Treaty of Versailles created Hitler.
Enter Adolf Hitler
Learning about Early Hitler
• Research the following information about Hitler using your
chromebooks
– Who was Hitler’s Father?
– What was Hitler’s original last name?
– Why did he change his name to Hitler?
– What did Hitler’s Father do for a living?
– How did his father treat his family?
– Who was Hitler’s mother?
– How did she treat her son?
– How is she related to Hitler’s Father other than marriage?
– Where and when was Hitler born?
Hitler’s Origins
• Hitler’s father was named Alois
Schicklgruber.
• Alois had been born
illegitimate and didn’t know
who his real father was until he
was 39 years old.
• He later changed his last name
to that of his biological father;
Hitler.
• He worked as a customs
official, was considered well off
by the standards of the time,
and was both abusive and
unfaithful to his wife.
• Hitler’s mother, Klara Poelzl,
was 23 years younger than
Alois and was his 2nd cousin.
Pictured above are Hitler’s parents.
At the top Alois, and below Klara
• Adolf Hitler was born not in
Germany, but in Austria on April
20, 1889.
• He had 1 sister Paula, and 2 halfsiblings, Alois Jr. and Angela.
• His mother was caring, loving,
and devoted while his father was
an abusive alcoholic.
• Adolf had a very difficult
relationship with his father. Alois
wanted his son to join the civil
service, while young Adolf
wanted to become an artist.
Left: Hitler with Angela.
Above: Paula
Right: Alois Jr.
• In elementary school Adolf got straight
A’s, and at one point wanted to
become a Catholic priest.
• By high school Hitler’s dream was to
become an artist, and he got into bitter
arguments with his father over his
future. As a result his grades declined
dramatically.
• Dr. Ludwig Poetsch was Hitler’s
favorite teacher. He was an Anti-Semite
and German Nationalist. Hitler visited
him in 1938 to find that was a member
of the Nazi party and the SS
• In 1903 Hitler’s father died and two
years later he dropped out of school
with the equivalent of a 9th grade
education.
• In 1907 Hitler’s mother got breast
cancer and was taken care of by Dr.
Eduard Bloch, a Jewish physician. She
died later that year.
• In 1940 all the Jews from Hitler’s home
town of Linz were expelled, with one
exception.
• The Nazis came to Dr. Bloch and told
him that he could move or stay
unmolested for the rest of his life.
• Dr. Bloch moved to the United States
and was allowed to sell all his property
and take anything with him.
• Whatever Hitler’s reasons for
persecuting the Jews, Dr. Bloch’s
treatment of his mother was not
among them.
Hitler’s Paintings and Sketches
Other Hitler Art Work
• In 1906 Hitler went to Vienna
to realize his dream and
applied to the prestigious
Academy of Fine Arts. The
judges failed him in what they
called “unfitness for painting”
because he had trouble
drawing human figures.
• In all fairness it was VERY difficult to
get into the Academy. Hitler was one
of 113 applicants and only 28 were
accepted.
• From 1907 to 1913 Hitler spent most of his money
going to the opera and lived in hostels in Vienna.
He never tried to get a fulltime job, and as a result
spent many nights out on the street. He was
constantly worried that he would have to work
with unskilled Slavs* whom he detested.
• He tried to get into the academy a second time
but failed.
• He would later blame the Jews since, according
to him, they owned Vienna’s art gallery's.
• In 1913 he left for Munich because he hated
seeing Vienna’s ethnic minorities.
• He was also trying to dodge Austria's military
draft. Officials caught up with him, but upon
examination was deemed “unfit for military
service.”
The reasons for his rejection into the army have never
been proven. Even when he was dictator Hitler never let
his doctors perform a full physical on him. This has led to
one of the most bizarre facts of Adolf Hitler, only confirmed
in the 1960’s. Any guess what it is?
Was Hitler poor or lazy?
Hitler had an income of 83 crowns a month
How much did Hitler make in US dollars at the
time (5 Austrian Crowns make 1 US dollar)
How much is that in today’s money?
Hitler made more than teacher or lawyer at the
time, but he spent all his money going to the
theater.
Hitler in World War One
• Hitler joined the German army in August
1914 and became according to his
superiors, “exceptionally brave, effective,
and conscientious” and a “courageous and
outstanding soldier”.
• He was wounded in 1916, and injured in a
gas attack in October 1918.
• In July 1918 he was awarded the Iron Cross
First Class, and wore this medal for the rest
of his life.
• According to the law of averages there is
no reason Hitler should have survived, but
he did. His regiment had 3600 troops when
the war began and, with replenishments,
had lost 3754 by the end.
Let’s review….
• 1. Schicklgruber! Does a persons last name have an effect on their success in life?
Explain.
• 2. Hitler was born in Austria, not Germany. Why would a man like Hitler not be
bothered by this? Should people who are not natural born citizens be allowed to
become head of state?
• 3. How much of an education did Hitler have?
• Do you think if he received a college education he would have been different?
Why or Why not?
•
4. What famous art school did Hitler try to get into twice? Do you believe the
school today is glad he was denied entry? Or that they may have had a indirect
responsibility for future events?
•
5. What did Hitler do for his Jewish doctor? What do you think this says about
Hitler’s mentality?
•
6. Why did Hitler become impoverished in Vienna? Is he at fault for this? Why
would he feel work was “below” him.
•
7. Describe Hitler’s war record. How would this make him into a supporter of
right wing political parties?
Hitler’s Rise to fame
• After the war Hitler worked as a spy for
the army in Munich. His job was to
investigate over 50 new political parties
to see if they posed any danger to
Germany. (Communists)
• German Workers Party, led by Anton
Drexler which met in the backroom of a
Beer Hall.
• Hitler made himself known to the party
when he verbally attacked a speaker
who demanded Bavaria break away
from Germany.
• Drexler – “He has the gift for the gab so
we can use him”
Hitler on the German Worker’s
Party
• "This absurd little organization with its few members seemed
to me to possess the one advantage that it had not frozen into
an 'organization,' but left the individual opportunity for real
personal activity. Here it was still possible to work, and the
smaller the movement, the more readily it could be put into
the proper form. Here, the content, the goal, and the road
could still be determined..."
• "I finally came to the conviction that I had to take this step...It
was the most decisive resolve of my life. From here there was
and could be no turning back.
– Mein Kampf
• He liked their goals –
Nationalist, pro-military, and
anti-Semitic party, but not sure
if he wanted to join.
• “There was nothing, no
program, no leaflet, no printed
material, etc” – Mein Kampf
• Shortly afterward Hitler was
asked to join the party,
becoming member number 55.
• Hitler discovered his talent for
public speaking and decided his
future was in politics. In March
1920 he left the army.
This is Hitler’s membership card. It
says he is member #555. The party
started with the number 500 to
make it look like they had more
members than they actually did.
• Thanks to Hitler by early 1920 the
party had more than 2500
members and he became its
minister of propaganda.
• He decided to change the name
of the party to the National
Socialist German Workers Party,
NSDAP or NAZI for short. Hitler
didn’t like the word “Socialist” but
added it because it was thought to
attract the poor.
• The party also bought a
newspaper, the Voelkischer
Beobachter. (The Peoples
Observer)
How do you get Nazi from that long
name? It gets lost in the translation.
In German National Socialist is
National Sozialistische.
• In 1921 Hitler took over the
leadership of the party and
created a new post for himself
called the Fuhrer, or leader.
• He spoke all over Munich at
dozens of beer halls and became
famous.
• In September he was arrested
when he and his SA men beat a
speaker demanding Bavaria break
away from Germany.
• Georg Neithardt, a judge
sympathetic to the Nazi cause,
acted as judge and was sentenced
to only 33 days in jail.
The Hofbrauhaus
The records of his arrest
were supposedly
destroyed when Hitler
came to power but were
found in 2005.
Hitler Speaks
•
1. Hitler had a habit of showing up right before his speech began and leaving right after the
speech is over. Why do you think he did this?
•
2. How does Hitler connect with his audience?
•
3. How does he use his body to enhance his speech?
•
4. How does Hitler use his voice to stress certain points?
•
5. Do you believe it would be easy to be persuaded by him? Explain.
The Swastika
• Hitler realized one thing the party lacked
was a recognizable symbol and flag. In the
summer of 1920, Hitler chose the symbol
which to this day remains perhaps the most
infamous in history, the swastika.
• Placed inside a white circle on a red
background, it provided a powerful, instantly
recognizable symbol that immediately
helped Hitler's party gain popularity.
(Left) Men
holding the Nazi
Standard
The word for swastika in
German is Hakenkreuz,
literally “Hook Cross”.
A History of the German Flag
•
•
•
•
•
•
In the early 19th century a Black, Red, and Gold flag (1)
was used as a symbolize a unified Germany. It become a
well established symbol for the liberal, democratic, and
republican movement within the German states. In 1848
there was a brief attempt to unite the German states and
this was used as the proposed flag.
During the Second Reich (1871-1918) This Black, White,
and Red flag (2) was the official flag of Germany.
During the years of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933)
The Black, Red and Gold Flag (1) was reintroduced. This
change was not welcomed by many people in Germany,
who saw this new flag as a symbol of humiliation
following Germany's defeat in World War I
Hitler quickly scrapped the Black, Red and Gold flag and
reintroduced the Black, White, and Red along with the
Nazi Party flag (3) as the 2 official flag's of Germany.
From 1935 onward the Nazi Party flag become the sole
German national flag.
What is the flag of German today? Look it up on your
phones.
1
2
3
• You can imagine Hitler had his fair
share of enemies by this time. Men
began to volunteer to
• 1. Protect Hitler at his speeches.
• 2. Disrupt those of his opponents.
• 3. Fight anyone that treaded on the
Nazi Party.
• This force called themselves the
Sturm Abteilung (Storm Detachment)
or SA. The SA literally became the
private army of the party. Leading the
organization was Ernst Rohm. Rohm
was a war veteran who wanted
nothing to do with communists,
democracy, or women.
The SA was also called
“Brownshirts” because
they bought surplus
army uniforms that were
brown.
Beer Hall Putsch Background
• November 8 – 9, 1923
• Happened during the
Hyperinflation Crisis
• Bavaria was ruled by Gustav
Von Kahr, General Otto von
Lossow, and Colonel Hans
Ritter
• People would gather in beer
halls during the evening and
enjoy beer while discussing
political or social issues.
• The Putsch was launched at
the Bürgerbräukeller which
was one of the largest in
Munich
The Plans before
• Original Plan was to capture the triumvirate on
November 4, 1923 (German Memorial Day)
– Close the street off with machine guns and “convince”
them to join Hitler in his revolution
• Abandoned the plan because there were too
many police on the street
• Planned to march into Munich and seize specific
points on November 11, 1923 (anniversary of the
armistice)
– However, Hitler heard of the November 8th meeting
and decided to act from there
Bürgerbräukeller
• One of the main gathering
places for Nazis during the
early 1920’s
• After Hitler seized power he
would come here each year to
commemorate the anniversary
of the Putsch
• In 1939, Georg Elser, an antiNazi set up a time bomb to go
off during Hitler’s speech on
Nov. 8
• The bomb killed 7 people, but
Hitler cut his speech short and
was not harmed
• Building never recovered
Beer Hall Putsch Questions
•
1. What did the essay state were the 2 causes of the hyperinflation? Think back to Chapter 2. Do you
believe Dr. Havenstein is still to blame, or were outside forces so great he had no choice?
•
2. How did Hitler plan to take over Germany?
•
3. How did Von Khar and the other leaders initially respond to Hitler’s putsch? Who made them change
their minds?
•
3. Why did Hitler leave the Beer Hall? Why was this a big mistake?
•
4. When things began to unravel what new plan did Ludendorff come up with? Why did he think it
would work?
•
5. How did the putsch end?
Hitler on Trial
• The trial of Adolf Hitler for high treason after the Beer
Hall Putsch was not the end of Hitler's political career
as many had expected.
• Overnight, Hitler became a nationally known figure
due to massive press coverage. The main judge at this
trial was again Georg Neithardt.
• He allowed Hitler to use the courtroom as a
propaganda platform from which he could speak at
any length on his own behalf, interrupt others at any
time, and even cross examine witnesses.
• Rather than deny the charges, Hitler admitted
wanting to overthrow the government and outlined
his reasons, portraying himself as a German patriot.
He called the democratic government, its founders,
and leaders as the real criminals.
• Newspapers quoted Hitler at length.
Thus, for the first time, the German
people as a whole had a chance to get
acquainted with this man and his
thinking. And many liked what they
heard.
• The three judges in the trial had become
so sympathetic that they had to be
persuaded to find him guilty at all. They
agreed to find Hitler guilty only after
being assured he would get early parole.
• The court's verdict – guilty. Hitler's
sentence – five years, eligible for parole in
nine months!
• Other Nazi leaders arrested after the
failed Putsch got light sentences as well.
General Ludendorff was even acquitted.
Try to violently overthrow the
government, get 9 months in
jail. What is this telling you
about those in the German
judicial system?
Legacy of the Putsch
• Hitler learned that he could NOT destroy the
Weimar Republic with the support of the Army
and police
• Hitler learned that the success of the Nazi party
depended on him and ONLY HIM
• Hitler learned that he could not overthrow the
government, he needed to do it Legally
– Popular Vote, Freedom of Speech
• Nazi party banned until 1925
• Hitler goes to jail and retires for a short period of
time
Closing
• What if the judges had followed the law and
deported Hitler for plotting against the
government? Would people have protested
the decision? Or was Hitler so unknown and
unimportant at the time that his case was
likely to be overlooked? How would this affect
Germany?
Questions for Review
• 1. How did his trial for treason actually help Hitler?
• 2. Who did Hitler say were the real traitors?
• 3. How did the judges at the trial treat him and his fellow
conspirators?
• 4. What sentence did Hitler get?
• 5. As you watch the trial, list at least 3 things you notice about the
courtroom that stand out.