Title: HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 9
1HI136 The History of GermanyLecture 9
- The Rise of the Nazis
- and the Nazi Seizure of Power
2Possible Coalitions
- Weimar Coalition of center-left, which was never
able to constitute more than a minority govt. - Center-right, also a minority coalition
- Great Coalition of a left-center-right majority
coalition like under Stresemann in 1923 - Bourgeois Coalition center-right-far-right
majority coalition
3Who were the NSDAP?
- National
- Socialist
- German
- Workers
- Party
4The Origins of Nazism
- Interwar Germany a fertile breeding ground for
radical right-wing organizations. - 1919 Anton Drexler founds the Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei (German Workers Party, DAP). - Adolf Hitler joined the DAP in Sept. 1919,
quickly rising through the ranks to become the
partys chief theorist and propaganda officer. - Feb. 1920 Hitler heads a committee which draws
up the Partys 25 Point Programme which remains
the basis of Nazi ideology until 1945. - April 1920 The DAP renamed the
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
(National Socialist German Workers Party, NSDAP
or Nazi for short). - July 1921 Hitler ousts Drexler is appointed
Party Chairman.
5Peoples Party
- Boasted a wide range of support.
- Actual Membership depended on the middle classes
- White-collar workers 25.6
- Farmers 14.1
- Small businessman shopkeepers 8.2
- Self-employed professionals 3
- Teachers 1.7
- Other govt. employees 6.6
- Workers 28.1
6The Rise of Nazism
- 1925 Nazi party refounded with a new commitment
to achieving power through legal means. - 1926 The Bamberg Conference Hitler
re-established his supremacy in the Party,
overcoming the challenge to his leadership from
Gregor Strasser, but was forced to concede that
the 25-Point Programme (with its socialist
elements) remained inviolable. - Establishment of new efficient Party structure
and youth and womens organisations led to a
growing membership 27,000 in 1925 increased to
108,000 in 1928. - But still had little popular support they won
only 2.6 of the vote in the Reichstag elections
of 1928.
7National Socialist Ideology?
- Key concepts
- Race
- Führerprinzip
- Anti-Communism
- Nationalism
- Volksgemeinschaft
- From the 25 Point Programme (1920)
- Creation of a Greater Germany encompassing all
ethnic Germans - Revocation of Treaty of Versailles
- Demand for colonies (Lebensraum)
- Only members of the Volk can be citizens no Jew
can be a citizens all non-citizens to be
deported - The primary duty of the State is to provide a
livelihood for its citizens introduction of
profit sharing extension of welfare state.
8Who Voted for the Nazis?
Source G. Layton, Democracy and Dictatorship in
Germany (2009)
9Peoples Party
- Boasted a wide range of support.
- Actual Membership depended on the middle classes
- White-collar workers 25.6
- Farmers 14.1
- Small businessman shopkeepers 8.2
- Self-employed professionals 3
- Teachers 1.7
- Other govt. employees 6.6
- Workers 28.1
10Soucre R. Overy, The Penguin Historical Atlas of
the Third Reich (1996)
11Why did people vote for the Nazis?
- How did their ideas fit into right-wing,
anti-Republican thought? - What international factors aided their
breakthrough in the polls?
12Triumph of the Will, 1935
Documentary of the 1934 Nazi Party Rally in
Nuremberg dir. Leni Riefenstahl
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vGcFuHGHfYwE
13The Great Depression
- October 1929 the Wall Street Crash led to a
worldwide economic downturn. - Germany was particularly hard hit the German
economy was heavily dependent on foreign loans
and the banking system was geared towards
short-term credit to finance long-term ventures. - As foreign investment dried up and debts were
called in, German firms folded and banks
collapsed leading to mass unemployment. - 2 million Germans out of work by the winter of
1929-30. - Unemployment reached 3 million in 1931 had
risen to 5.1 million by Sept. 1932. It peaked at
6.1 million in early 1933. - This led to material hardship, but also had an
important psychological effect fear,
uncertainty, loss of pride and status, feeling
that the fabric of society was unravelling. - The economic crisis quickly became a political
crisis as the social insurance system became
overloaded.
Soucre R. Overy, The Penguin Historical Atlas
of the Third Reich (1996)
14Immediate Effects in Germany
- German loans by 1929 were nearly 15 billion
marks. - German stock exchange fell drastically
- Business failures multiplied
- Unemployment rose to three million during the
course of the year. - By the winter of 1932, unemployment reached six
million. - Germany's industry fell to less than 50 of
capacity. - German foreign trade fell by two-thirds between
1929 and 1932.
15Chancellors, 1930-33
General Kurt von Schleicher (Non party) Dec. 1932
Jan. 1933
Franz von Papen (Centre Party) June Dec. 1932
Heinrich Brüning (Centre Party) March 1930 May
1932
16Article 48
- Constitutional article granting the President the
right to declare a state of emergency - Built-in safety clause Parliament could overturn
the presidents emergency decree by mustering a
majority vote
17Paul von Hindenburg
- Elected president in 1925 at age of 78 after
Eberts death - Conservative candidate
- Had helped disseminate the stab in the back
legend - Worked to strengthen the role of the presidency
18Crisis of Legitimacy
- Max Webers notions of traditional, rational, or
charismatic legitimacy. - Continued popularity of Wilhelmine elites
burden of war - Compromises economic weakness
- New moves to tap into charismatic appeals rather
than pro-Republic sentiments - Political fragmentation preceded the Nazi rise to
power
19The Final Crisis, 1930-33
- March 1930 Hermann Müllers Grand Coalition
collapsed - Hindenburg appointed Heinrich Brüning, leader of
the Centre Party, Chancellor. - By 1930 the Nazis were the 2nd largest party in
the Reichstag. - Oct. 1931 the Harzburg Front anti-republican
alliance between the Nazis, Alfred Hugenburgs
DNVP and the Stahlhelm. - 1932 Hitler challenged Hindenburg for the
Presidency. - By May 1932 Brüning lost the support of the
President and his advisors - June 1932 Franz von Papen headed the right-wing
Cabinet of Barons. - July 1932 Preussenschlag
- Nov. 1932 Papen replaced by General Kurt von
Schleicher. - Papen entered into secret negotiations with the
Nazis, big business and large landowners. - Jan. 1933 Hindenburg reluctantly agreeed to
dismiss Schleicher and replace him with Hitler.
2030 January 1933
21Hitlers first Cabinet, 30 January 1933 Seated
(left to right) Hermann Göring, Hitler, Franz
von Papen Standing (left to right) Baron
Konstantin von Neurath (Foreign Minister),
Günther Gereke (Commissioner for Job Creation),
Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk (Finance
Minister), Wilhelm Frick (Interior Minister),
General Werner von Blomberg (Defence Minister),
Alfred Hugenberg (Minister of Agriculture and
Economics)
22(No Transcript)
23The Reichstag Fire
- 27 Feb. 1933 The Reichstag burned down.
- An unemployed Dutch bricklayer named Marius van
der Lubbe arrested. - The Nazis claimed this was part of a Communist
plot. - Decree for the Protection of the People and the
State suspended civil liberties increased the
power of central government the Nazis rounded
up political opponants. - Van der Lubbe Bulgarian Communist Georgi
Dimitrov put on trial for the fire. - But on-going debate about who was responsible.
24Election Results, 5 March 1933
Party Votes
NSDAP 43,90
DNVP 8,00
DVP 1,10
BVP 2,70
Zentrum 11,20
Deutsche Staatspartei 0,90
SPD 18,30
KPD 12,30
Other 1,60
25The Enabling Law (Ermächtigungsgesetz)
- Without the two-thirds majority in the Reichstag
necessary to change the Constitution, Hitler
proposed an Enabling Law that would enable him
the government to pass legislation without the
approval of either parliament or the President. - 23 March 1933 Law for the Removal of Distress
from People and the Reich - Article 1 In addition to the procedure
prescribed by the constitution i.e. decision by
parliament, laws of the Reich may also be
enacted by the government of the Reich. This
includes laws as referred to by Articles 85
sentence 2 and Article 87 of the constitution. - Article 2 Laws enacted by the government of the
Reich may deviate from the constitution as long
as they do not affect the institutions of the
Reichstag and the Reichsrat. The rights of the
President remain undisturbed.
26Gleichschaltung
- April 1933 Laws passed enabling Nazi-dominated
State governments to pass legislation without the
approval of provincial parliaments. - Jan. 1934 State parliaments abolished local
government subordinated to the federal Minister
of the Interior. - 2 May 1933 Leading Trade Unionists arrested
workers organizations merged to form the
Deutscher Arbeitsfront (German Labour Front,
DAF). - 22 June 1933 The SPD officially banned.
- June-July 1933 Other political parties dissolved
themselves. - 14 July 1933 The Nazi Party proclaimed the only
legal political party in Germany.
27The Night of the Long Knives,30 June 1934
- Pressure from the party rank-and-file (and
particularly from within the SA) for a second
revolution. - Fears that the radicalism of the SA would bring
about a military coup against the Nazis. - This led to a purge of the party on 30 June 1934
the SS carried out raids against targets across
Germany. Critics of the regime such as
Vice-Chancellor Papen were arrested, while old
enemies such as Gregor Strasser Gustav Ritter
von Kahr were summarily executed. Over 1000
people were arrested at least 85 killed.
Ernst Röhm (1887-1934)
28Understanding the Collapse of Weimar Democracy
- Domestic Factors
- Lack of popular support
- Constitutional flaws
- Role of established elites
- International Factors
- Legacy of Versailles
- World economic crisis (the Great Depression)
- General crisis of liberal democracy