Rise of The Nazi Party
The narrative that has been spun from the defeat of the Axis powers during World War II has been the subject of many scholars, enthusiasts, and entertainers for years. Often a great emphasis is placed on the battles fought, and the heroes who prevailed in the face of an overwhelming tyranny in the heart of Europe. The number of films, literature, and sometimes fond recollections of politicians and historians alike all place a great emphasis on the overcoming of Democracy in the cursed name of Fascism. Yet for the remarkable amount of time focused on this time period, there is so little stress placed on the origins of such a colossal confrontation. Americans receive adequate information regarding the New Deal, the Great Depression, and especially the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, and the war that we would go on to win that consumed all of Europe. Even so, very little information is taught on the global impacts of the Great Depression, why a conflict erupted in Europe in the first place. The blame is placed fairly on the shoulders of the Nazi regime and the Fascist Government of Mussolini, while still holding Imperial Japan accountable for conflict in the Pacific theater. But how did these nations gain power, what set in motion a second World War that would irrefutably change the political and global shape of most of the world? More specifically how did the Nazi regime gain political power and prominence post World War 1?
To truly understand the Origins of the Nazi regime we have to take a step back and look at the man who would become the ideological foundation and leader of the German superpower. Adolf Hitler was born in Braubau am Inn, Austria on April 20th, 1889. He grew up in a strict household with a heavy resentment of his father before finally venturing off to Vienna at the age of 16 with dreams of becoming a painter. He was rejected by the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts in 1907. Spending 5 years in the city of Vienna before making way to Munich he would enlist in 1914 as the Great War broke out across Europe. He was assigned to the Sixteenth Bavarian Infantry Regiment where he received Iron Cross for his bravery. Near the end of the war, he was badly gassed and had to be hospitalized. He was blinded for weeks until finally as he was recovering news had been received that Germany had surrendered the war which drove a young Adolf mad with contempt for the injustice he felt it brought upon Germany as a whole, he cursed the republic that arose in the wake of the surrender and the pieces had been set in motion for what would become not only a second global conflict but also a conspiracy to commit one of the worst atrocities in recorded human history.
After the surrender of Germany in 1918 international leaders met to convene, discuss, and sign, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. It should be noted that Germany was excluded from the discussion table as the treaty was deliberated. After its signing Germany was forced to take the brunt of responsibility for the war. They were to pay a total of 226 Billion gold marks or in modern terms, 860 billion dollars in reparation fees for the allies. They also lost large sections of their territories subsequently displacing around six million native Germans. Also, roughly one-fifth of all German industry was seized by the allies, crippling the exporting and manufacturing capabilities of the nation. In the wake of these changes the former Autocratic Militarized government of the Kaiser, Wilhelm the Second, was replaced with a federal constitutional republic. The Weimar Republic, named after the city of its founding, was a democratic government with President Friedrich Ebert taking the helm from 1919 to 1925 when he was replaced by Paul Von Hindenburg.
Around the time of these massive social changes occurring in Germany a disenfranchised, uncertain, Adolf Hitler is scouted by Karl Maeyer and hired to conduct spying on certain political parties cropping up in Munich. Agreeing to the offer Hitler found himself attending some of the political gatherings that occurred throughout German beer halls and cellars. There he had his first encounters with the German Workers Party. It seems likely that Hitler was pleased with what he saw and most likely heard. Gaining acceptance into the party he is quickly noticed by the then party leader Anton Drexler. Hitler quickly gains prominence amongst the party with his passionate displays of enthusiasm and heavy rhetoric. Soon after Hitler produces the German Workers Party 25-point manifesto. A collection of the parties’ political philosophy that would become a crucial cornerstone in the Reich mentality. (1) Also taking form was the birth of the iconic and hated Nazi flag. Using bright contrasting colors of red and black it stood out utilized iconographic themes to appeal to a more “Aryan identity”. (2) With this also came the rebranding of the party as the Nationalist Socialist Party or more commonly referred to, the Nazi party. The title change was meant to appeal to nationalist ideals while still accommodating the popular ideologies of socialism that appealed to the working and middle class.
In 1921 Hitler became the official leader of the Nazi party. Around this time the Nazis also began to utilize the paper to spread their influence across the city. They bought paper shares in the Volkischer Beobachter. They used headlines and images with provoking headlines to rally up attention to their name and cause. Hitler also met Herman Goring in this span of time. A fellow veteran who was well decorated and highly revered. They both shared dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic and the current state of affairs in Germany.
More than just drum up support for their party, the Nazis also utilized the paper to form their own personalized fighting force. The Sturmabteilung or SA were sometimes men who had a similar ideological sense with the Nazi party but were usually men who had fallen on hard economic times. Unemployed and simply seeking work or disenfranchised individuals who had felt abandoned by the Republic acted as little more than hired muscle. They were mostly used in attempts to intimidate rivals, assault opponents, and protect party meetings or rallies. During this time, the Nazi party expanded from a mere 2,000 to around 14,000.
“German recruitment poster for the Sturmabteilung (SA), a Nazi paramilitary organization responsible for protecting party meetings, voter intimidation, and physically assaulting opponents.” (3)
As Hitler Grows his base and the beginnings of the Nazi regiment begin to take form Germany is facing an economic nightmare. Unable to pay off the massive reparation debt they owe the country begins to print more money which in turn causes inflation. This drastically undercut the worth of the mark which in turn caused more money to be printed, perpetuating the issue. A simple pound of meat could sell for an outrageous cost of nine billion marks. At the same time, the middle class who had invested in pensions in an attempt to secure some sort of savings and future economic stability years prior suddenly found themselves having lost everything. In 1923, defaulting on their payment and asking for an extension to pay once the economy had recovered, Germany was refuted and instead met with an invasion by Belgian and French troops to seize the Rhur, an industrial region that served as perhaps the literal industrial heart of Germany. This caused severe tensions and unrest amongst the German people while also striking a massive blow to an already struggling manufacturing and export market. “By the autumn of 1923, a loaf of bread cost 200,000,000,000 marks. Workers paid by the hour found their wages were worthless because prices had risen since they began their shifts. The situation was critical.” (4)
On the 8th of November 1923, having taken inspiration from Italy’s Benito Mussolini’s march and takeover of Italian government one year prior the Nazi’s launch their own attempted coup. Wanting to seize control of power within Munich before marching into the heart of Berlin they armed themselves with weapons and scattered at several points across the city. With the political support of right-wing advocate General Erich Ludendorff, the Nazi party felt confident in their ability to sway Munich's political power and by extension the populace. “They began at the Bürgerbräu Keller, a beer hall in the Bavarian city of Munich. Hitler and the Nazi Party aimed to seize control of the state government, march on Berlin, and overthrow the German federal government. They sought to establish a new government to oversee the creation of a unified Greater German Reich. In this new government, citizenship would be based on race.” (5)
The coup failed. It ended with an armed confrontation with troops in the middle of Munich that resulted in 14 Nazi party member deaths, and 4 officer fatalities. The coup would later go on to be remembered as the Beer Hall Putsch, a national holiday remembering the bravery of those fallen once the Reich had taken over complete control.
In the wake of the coup Hitler had fled in an ambulance and was later arrested to be placed on trial for high treason. During the trial, Hitler went on to give many emboldened, powerful speeches about the state of the Republic, and his personal beliefs of acting out in patriotism during the coup. His emblazoned words allowed for him to skate by with a mere five-year sentence in place of a potential death penalty. It was the lowest possible sentence he could have received, and he was to carry out his punishment in Landsberg am Lech. Here he had a great deal of leniency, able to walk around the year, converse with inmates and even send personal letters. During his brief nine-month stay, he also dedicated the first draft of his autobiography ‘Mien Kampf’ with the help of fellow inmate Rudolf Hess.
‘Mien Kampf’ would serve as a manifesto of the Nazi ideology. Highlighting a particular dissatisfaction in regard to the Democratic Weimar Republic, Communism, the political left, and most notoriously a deep-rooted despisal of the Jewish religion. It was to be a hallmark of his ideals, values, and personal/ political beliefs.
Before his incarceration, Hitler had gained notoriety from his passionate speeches during the trial. However, upon his release on the 20th of December 1924, he found most of his support had simply withered away. From 1924 to 1929, the Weimar Republic hit its ‘Golden Years’. During this time Germany found its once ailing economy booming. Foreign minister Gustav Stressman had worked tirelessly to improve international relations. With the Locarno Pact of 1925, an agreement had been made between France, Belgium, and Germany to respect each other’s borders. This improved international relations which previously been on the fritz. Also, worth noting is the creation and implementation of the Dawes Plan, which listed below aided in lessening the strain of reparations on Germany.
“The Dawes Plan of 1924 (devised by a banker from the United States called Charles G. Dawes) was an agreement between the Allies and Germany. The basic idea behind the plan was to make it easier for Germany to pay reparations and had two key parts.
Reparations were reduced in the short term to 50 million pounds per year.
The United States gave loans of $25 billion to Germany to help rebuild its industrial capacity (which would make it easier for Germany to generate the tax revenues needed to meet reparations)
As a result, reparations payments resumed, and the French occupation of the Ruhr ended. These measures helped to improve the German economy as the German industry thrived with the support of the loans and employment increased. Tax revenues also increased as employment grew.” (6)
In this time of economic thriving the appeal of the Nazi’s anti republic, and vitriolic rhetoric was less appealing to German messes as a whole. The economic hardships and vast unemployment being diminished had led to an air of content and support for the current establishment. However, there was still a high rate of unemployment though it had reduced. Also, rural areas and farms were still in woe and recovery from wartime. With this rural wages were still significantly lower in bigger cities and towns and perhaps most damning of all was that the loans built a dependency for Germany on an income that it had no control in.
Following his release, Hitler found multiple failures waiting for him outside prison. His publication of ‘Mien Kampf’ was a commercial failure with only around 10,000 copies sold nationally. Nazi support had dwindled from around 55,000 to less than half, and the party had only walked away with roughly 3% of the electoral vote in the 1924 election. This caused a shift in the Nazi party’s strategy for control. They realized that force alone would not win them the power of the nation. Instead, they focused on rebranding themselves and winning support through the electoral process by changing into a more traditional parliamentary party.
As Hitler redesigned himself to appeal to a more traditional politician, he practiced his public speaking, often practicing for hours in front of a mirror. During this period Joseph Goebbels was tasked with acquiring notoriety for the Nazi party in berlin. He achieved this through the use of short, poignant propaganda pieces he would spray and litter throughout the city. Also, the party acquired resources such as papers and magazines to spread their name.
As the party grew Hitler decided he needed more muscle than just the SA who were seen as more thugs than political bodyguards. This led to the foundation of the Schutzstaffel or perhaps you know them as the SS. They were only to be of pure Arian descent, tall, muscular, and imposing. Dressed in black sharp uniforms they were to be an icon of the Nazi party, just as much the red and black flag of the Swastika was.
Hitler focused his political appeal towards those in the working class and unemployed. He toned down the anti-Semitism and instead directed on economic promises. Yet his most prominent skill was on appealing to their emotions rather than reason. Despite all of these efforts though, the Nazi party only accumulated 2.6% of the vote in the 1928 election.
It was clear something had to change for the Nazi party to rise to greater prominence should they ever want to take over. One year later in 1929, the party would get their opportunity. The stock market crash in the United States sent the entire world falling into an economic depression. The U.S. found itself unable to continue to produce the loans to Germany which sent the nation reeling. Hitler had warned of this during his many previous speeches. Now with Germany facing high unemployment and loss of manufacturing goods yet again, the party staked its claim.
Hitler blames the Weimar Republic and, in a bid, to drum up more support he launches a massive propaganda campaign across the nation, targeting the destitute, impoverished, and unhappy working class. He promises to stop paying reparations as per the Treaty of Versailles, and a better life for farmers in the rural areas and fix the unemployment crisis. During this time, He also begins to lambast the Jewish people as the real enemies of the nation. As a result, in 1930, they achieved around six and a half million votes. Now controlling 107 senate seats they were only outnumbered by the 136 ruling seats of the social democrats.
In the wake of this success, Hitler set out in an even larger propaganda support in preparation for another electoral vote, seeking to control the majority. They held large-scale rallies to promote the Nazi party. These were large-scale events that utilized marching formations, well-dressed soldiers, nighttime events, marching bands, and would culminate in a large fanfare headed by magnificent speeches by Hitler. Perhaps little more than theater but it still acted a as guiding light for a depression-stricken nation.
Hitler followed forth with an attempt at the German presidential seat. He was mainly contested by still president Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg who was an important political figure in Germany and held massive weight and appeal to the German population. Despite new and invigorated propaganda and campaigning strategies Hitler is still beat by Hindenburg in the next with a total of 50% to 36%. Yet as Hitler still took to the streets to reach more people the government ran into a series of election spades. Constant turbulent political unrest and instability caused massive amounts of elections to take shape and occur repeatedly. Sometimes two per month. In this time around 1932, the Nazis seize the majority in the senate. In turn, Hitler begins to make demands from President Hindenburg to be made Chancellor. Refused, Hitler makes moves to sway the industrialists and major military leaders to put pressure on the President, who finally concedes to appoint Hitler as Chancellor.
In the wake of this momentum, Hitler calls yet another vote for the senate to try and push for a Nazi majority and take ultimate control. A mere week before the election on the night of February 27th, 1933, the parliament building was set ablaze by communist Marinus van der Lubbe. In response, a state of emergency is set off across Germany one that Hitler uses to suppress the communist party. Unleashing the SS and SA, they attack and imprison and murder the major communist party in Germany destroying their ability as a political faction.
In March 1933, the Nazi party still cannot receive the majority vote. In response, Hitler passes the Enabling Act. Which in short allows him the ability to seize control in the event of a crisis by suspending the constitution and taking power for the next four years without the aid of parliament. It seems almost similar to the safety control of the Roman Republic that Caesar utilized to seize control, instill himself as ruler and create the empire of Rome.
As Hindenburg accepts the Act, the parliament is met to vote on it. Ans with a crushing 441 majority the legislation is passed overwhelmingly. Hitler had at long last created an avenue for absolute power by using the democratic process to eliminate the democratic nature of parliament. Several key events follow in the wake of this news. Most of which are Hitler and his inner circle eliminating potential political threats to their power.
On the 30th of June 1934, Hitler leads an arrest of Senior SA members, rounded them up and most were executed.
1st of July 1934 holds a tea party with his cabinet and their families as assassinations occur throughout Germany of political rivals and enemies. This became known as the ‘Night of Long Knives”. Nearly 400 people had been slaughtered.
Two weeks later President Hindenburg passes away and allows Hitler to come into absolute power. Hitler does away with the presidency and sits at the top of Germany as the undisputed leader. The Nazi regime was put into place and the tragedy of what was to come had only just begun. The Nazis had utilized force, intimidation, murder, extortion, an unparalleled understanding and use of propaganda, and the economic downturn that created opportunistic avenues for a desperate party to achieve power. Yet perhaps most tragic of all was their ability to utilize democracy to create a fascist dictatorship with the mass support of the people. Perhaps a lesson that should not be so soon neglected.
(1) “The Nazi Party 25 Points (1920) — Document Extract.” Nazi Germany, 29 June 2018, alphahistory.com/nazigermany/nazi-party-25-points-1920/.
(2) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika.
(3) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn3720.
(4)“The Weimar Republic.” Hyperinflation and the Invasion of the Ruhr — The Holocaust Explained: Designed for Schools, www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-nazi-rise-to-power/the-weimar-republic/invasion-of-the-ruhr/.
(5) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/beer-hall-putsch-munich-putsch.
(6) “The Dawes Plan (1924).” tutor2u, 22 Mar. 2021, www.tutor2u.net/history/reference/the-dawes-plan-1924#:~:text=The%20Dawes%20Plan%20of%201924,50%20million%20pounds%20per%20year.
Shirer, William L., and Ron Rosenbaum. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: a History of Nazi Germany. Simon & Schuster, 2011.
JANKOWSKI, PAUL. ALL AGAINST ALL: the Long Winter of 1933 and the Origins of the Second World War. PROFILE BOOKS LTD, 2021.
