Timeline of Hitler’s rise to power
0 Nov 1918: WW1 ended; Kaiser abdicated
0 1919: Weimar Government formed; Treaty of
Versailles signed; Hitler became leader of Nazi Party
0 1923: Munich Putsch failed; Hitler imprisoned
Timeline of Hitler’s rise to power
0 1929: Wall Street Crash led to Great Depression
0 1932: Nazis won 37% of votes – biggest party in
Reichstag
0 Jan 1933: Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany
Video clip of one of Hitler’s
speeches
(http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=eGhdX1SI3KY&ski
pcontrinter=1)
Play this video clip for the
students and then ask them
these questions:
• Do you think that Hitler was a confident
and strong speaker?
• How did the crowd receive his speech?
• How do you think he became so
popular among the people?
Hitler speaking to a crowd of supporters.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
To what extent was Hitler’s
rise to power due more to
favourable circumstances
than his leadership abilities?
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Favourable circumstances
Weaknesses of the
Weimar Government
Impact of the Great
Depression on
Germany
German children playing with worthless banknotes
during the hyperinflation.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Weaknesses of Weimar
Government (1919-1933)
 Anger about Treaty of Versailles
 Ineffective constitution
 Opposition from left and right
 Economic mismanagement
Rise and Fall of Weimar
Government
1919-23
0 Weimar in danger
• Anger over
Versailles
• Violent opposition
• Hyperinflation
1924-29
 Golden Twenties
 Recovery under
Stresemann
1929-33
 Great Depression
 Rise of Nazis
8
Treaty of Versailles
0 A source of bitterness to many Germans
0 Harsh treaty that inflicted hardship and humiliation
– war guilt clause, reparations etc.
0 Many blamed the Weimar Government for signing
the treaty  believed that Germany had been
“stabbed in the back” by the politicians (‘November
criminals’) who didn’t dare to continue fighting
10
Ineffective constitution
0 System of proportional representation (% of seats
proportionate to % of votes) resulted in many
parties in parliament (Reichstag)
0 No single party strong enough to form government
General Election
0 100 constituencies contested by PAP and WP
0 Identical results in every constituency = PAP 60% vs.
WP 40%
0 First-past-the-post system: PAP will have 100 seats
in parliament
0 Proportional representation: PAP will have 60 seats
in parliament and WP will have 40 seats
13
Crisis and Conflict: Nazi Germany
Copyright 2007
Ineffective constitution
0 1919-33  20 coalition governments; frequent
changes made it difficult to get laws passed
0 Article 48 allows President to suspend the
constitution and rule by decree
Opposition from left and right
0 From 1919 to 1923, both left and right wing
extremists tried to seize power by violent means
0 Left-wing opposition: communists who wanted to
set up a Soviet-style government e.g. Spartacist
rebellion
Opposition from left and right
0 Right-wing opposition: extreme nationalists who
did not accept Germany’s defeat in WW1 e.g. Kapp
Putsch
0 Weimar Government struggled to suppress the
revolts and appeared too weak to control the
country.
Economic mismanagement
0 The Weimar Government was heavily in debt
due to the reparations.
0 Tried to pay off debts by printing money – led to
hyperinflation in 1923 – rapid rise in prices that
damaged a country’s economy
How did this happen?
0 In 1923, France invaded the industrial area of
Ruhr after Germany missed a payment.
0 Humiliated, the government ordered the
workers to go on strike.
0 As it had no goods to trade, the government
simply printed more money to pay its debts.
Result?
0 Prices spiraled out of control and hyperinflation
resulted.
0 Many Germans lost their savings overnight.
0 The middle class was the worst hit and they
stopped supporting the government.
Stories about hyper-inflation
0 People used money as fuel.
0 People collected their wages in suitcases.
0 One person, who left their suitcase
unattended, found that a thief had stolen
the suitcase but not the money.
Stories about hyper-inflation
0 One boy, who was sent to buy two bread
buns, stopped to play football and by the
time he got to the shop, the price had gone
up, so he could only afford to buy one.
0 One woman sold her house with the
intention of using the money to live on. A
few weeks later, the money wasn't even
enough to buy a loaf of bread
Impact of weakness of Weimar
Government
0 Many Germans lost faith in democracy
0 Paved the way for the rise of Hitler
Weimar recovery under Stresmann
(1924-29)
0 Carried out currency reform to stop
hyperinflation
0 Negotiated Dawes Plan to obtain loans
from USA
0 Built up Germany’s prosperity again
0 Death in 1929 was a big blow
Great Depression
0 Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to the worldwide
Great Depression which devastated Germany
0 When USA withdrew the loans from German
banks, Germany suffered an economic crisis
0 Businesses went bankrupt and unemployment
rocketed. By 1932, six million people were
unemployed.
Great Depression
0 Many suffered poverty,
homelessness and even
starvation.
0 Weimar government
was unable to offer
effective solutions due
to disagreement among
parties
Here comes the Nazis
Work means bread
Hitler: Our last hope
26
German women think of
your children! Vote Hitler
Nazi election fortunes (1924-1932)
Date of Election
May 1928
Sep 1930
Jul 1932
Nov 1932
12
107
230
196
54
77
89
101
491
577
608
584
Seats won by Nazis
Seats won by
Communists
Total number of
seats
27
Impact of Great Depression
0 People lost confidence in the democratic
system, and turned to extremist parties like
the Nazis who seemed to offer more effective
ways of solving Germany’s economic woes.
0 This enabled the Nazis to gain more votes and
paved the way for the rise of Hitler.
Hitler’s leadership abilities
Nazi Ideology
Charisma and oratorical
skills
Exploitation of the fears
of Communism
Reorganization of the
Nazi Party
Skillfulness at making
deals with politicians
The crowd reaching out to Hitler.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Nazi ideology
0 Key Nazi ideas were outlined in the Twenty-Five
Point Programme of the Nazi Party and Hitler’s
auto-biography, Mein Kampf.
0 Attractive to those vulnerable to Depression: the
unemployed, middles classes etc…
Nazi ideology
0 Abolish Treaty of Versailles
0 Establish a strong government under a single
leader
0 Superiority of the white Aryan or Germanic races
0 Get rid of Jews and Communists
Impact
0 Offered a better future and something for
everyone which gave Nazis widespread appeal.
0 Made people more willing to support and vote
for Hitler  rise to power
Charisma and oratorical skills
0 Powerful speaker with great charisma and
oratorical skills
0 Dynamic leader of modern party
0 Man of the people – someone who knew and
understood the people and their problems
Charisma and oratorical skills
0 Used the ‘November criminals’, communists and
Jews as convenient scapegoats
0 Promised to solve Germany’s troubles and make
the country great again.
Effects of Hitler’s speech
“He was holding the masses, and me with
them, under an hypnotic spell by the sheer
force of his beliefs. His words were like a whip.
When he spoke of the disgrace of Germany, I
felt ready to attack any enemy.”
Karl Ludecke, an early follower of Hitler, 1924
37
Impact
0 ??
Exploitation of fears of communism
0 Hitler exploited the popular fear of
communism to advance his own cause.
0 Told the landowners and industrialists that
the Communists would take over all their
property and business
Exploitation of fears of communism
0 Claimed that the Nazis were the only party
that could provide order and prevent the
Communists from starting a revolution
0 Big businesses gave financial support to the
Nazis as they wanted an anti-Communist
government.
Impact
0 ??
Reorganization of the Nazi Party
0 After the failed Munich Putsch, Hitler
reorganized the Nazi Party to win power through
elections.
0 Method 1: Increase party membership by setting
up local party branches and creating the Hitler
Youth
Reorganization of the Nazi Party
0 Method 2: Establish the SA (storm troopers) and SS
(elite bodyguard) to protect Nazi party and fight
Communists – gave impression of discipline and
order
0 Method 3: Effective Nazi propaganda that appealed
to people’s emotions – posters and pamphlets with
generalized slogans; massive rallies etc.
Nazi campaigning posters
Work means bread
44
Hitler: Our last hope
Impact
0 Projected Nazi Party as a strong, united,
modern party
0 Increased appeal and support network
Skilfulness at making deals with
politicians
0 Hitler was a clever political strategist
0 Skilful at making deals to advance his own
position.
0 Nazis were the largest party after 1932
elections . Hitler refused to join any coalition
unless he was made Chancellor.
Skilfulness at making deals with
politicians
0 President Hindenburg and Franz von Papen
wanted to use Hitler to provide support for their
policies and keep the communists under control.
0 Thought they could limit Hitler’s influence by
controlling the Cabinet.
0 Did a deal with Hitler and made him Chancellor in
Jan 1933.
Skilfulness at making deals with
politicians
Hindenburg brought Hitler
to power in January 1933
Impact
0 ??
SEQ
0 Were economic factors the main reason Hitler
rose to power in 1933? EYA. (2005 ‘O’ level)
0 Explain given factor
0 Explain three other factors
0 Conclusion
Trailer of Schindler’s List
(http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=W74jGQ-CDTE)
Play this video clip for the
students and then ask them these
questions:
• Would you have dared to help
the Jews, as Oskar Schindler
tried to?
• Would you have been able to
come up with a list of people
you wanted to save? How
would you decide who was
worth saving?
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Concentration Camp Scene
(Band of Brothers)
(http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=1PNjQi1Pmkc)
Play this video clip for the
students and then ask them
these questions:
• Who were the targets of
Hitler’s concentration
camps?
• What were the living
conditions of the
concentration camp
victims?
Did Hitler’s rule benefit
the people in Germany?
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Political Impact
Consolidation of power
through political
manipulation and use of
force
• Reichstag Fire
• Enabling Act, March 1933
• One Party Rule, July 1933
• Night of the Long Knives,
June 1934
• Creation of the Fuehrer
position, August 1934
The Reichstag Fire.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Economic Impact
Re-employment
Rise of big industrialists
Control of trade unions
Improved working
conditions
Militarisation
A Nazi poster showing Hitler’s support for industrialisation.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY
Social Impact
Propaganda
Censorship
Rise of the Secret police
Persecution of Jewish
people and other
minority groups
Jews being escorted to concentration camps.
CHAPTER 3: HITLER’S GERMANY