The Nazis’ Struggle for Power1919-1933

I. The German Civil War (1918-1923)

• Anti-War Movement Wins!

• Kaiser Flees• Social Democrats

proclaim the “Weimar Republic”

• AT LAST: DEMOCRACY IN GERMANY?

• But: Pro-War Groups arm themselves

• 1918-1923: CIVIL WAR

The German Civil War (1918-1923)

• Open Warfare Continues 1919-1923)

• The FREIKORPS – pro-war vigilantes; anti-peace; anti-democracy; anti-Semitic – instead of a democracy, they demand a military dictatorship!

The German Civil War (1918-1923)

• Democracy Doomed?

• Doom #1: ferocious hostility of pro-war groups: violent, authoritarian, anti-democratic

• 1920 Kapp Putsch – failed effort by Freikorps to seize power

The German Civil War (1918-1923)

Doom #2: The Versailles Treaty –

• Loss of territory• Reparations –

Billions to be paid for 50+ years

• Humiliation (Art. 231:“War Guilt Clause”)

Almost all Germans were enraged by the Versailles Treaty – above, “Germany after the treaty;” “Germany cuts through the treaty;” “Versailles executes Germany!”

The German Civil War (1918-1923)

Doom #3: HYPER-INFLATION

• Marks/Dollars• 1914 $1 = 4 marks• 1919 1 = 14• 1921 1 = 76• 1922 1 = 493• Aug 23 $1 = 4, 620, 455• Nov 1923 $1 =

4,200, 000,000,000

Children use packs of Marks as building blocks; after the inflation, children hold a New Mark, and show how many Old Marks it was worth; a 50 Billion Mark postage stamp

Middle classes all but wiped out; profound fear of disorder; “Any Order is better than Disorder!!”

The German Civil War (1918-1923)

Democracy Survives• 1924 economy

stabilizes• 1924 pro-war/

anti-democratic groups die out

• 1924 “Weimar Culture” (experiment, energy, excitement!)

II. Origins: Hitler and the National Socialists (1919-1923)

• Sep 1919: AH, as Army Intelligence Agent, attends meeting of the National Socialist German Workers Party (its eventual name)

• 30 (?) members

Origins: Hitler and the National Socialists (1919-1923)

• Oct 1919 – AH speaks to group

• “I Discovered My Vocation!”

• AH expresses furiously all the resentments, fears, hates, of his little group

• AH becomes professional politician

Origins: Hitler and the National Socialists (1919-1923)

• 1919-1923: Munich’s chaotic politics

• November 1923: BEER HALL PUTSCH

• Nazis attempt to take over Bavarian State Gov’t; police break up the march; AH arrested

III. Nazi Ideology

• 1924: 5 months in confinement

• MEIN KAMPF

Nazi Ideology

EUROPEAN FASCISM• 1922: Mussolini

takes power, legally, in Italy

• AUTHORITARIANISM• MILITARISM• NATIONALISM/ RACISM• IMPERIALISM• Fascist-like movements

across Europe (UK; Spain; France; Poland; Hungary)

Nazi Ideology

1. KAMPF (Struggle)

2. VOLK (Folk)

3. BLUT UND BODEN (Blood and Soil)

4. FÜHRER (Leader)

5. VOLKSGEMEINSHAFT

(Folk-Community)

6. LEBENSRAUM (Living-Space)

IV. The Struggle for Power (1925-1933)

1925: • AH consolidates his hold

on the NSDAP

• A “Führer” party – AH’s word is party law

• Aggressive tactics – rallies, posters, parades

• The Storm Troopers (“SA”) – a “party army” – security for AH; attacks on rival parties

1929 – The Wall Street Crash

• Crisis• Problem-Solving

• Catastrophizing: Apocalypse! Collapse of reasoning ability;

Us v. Them; Fantasy solutions; Yearning for a Father-figure

1930• Political crisis –

“normal” political parties can’t agree on action

• Chancellor Brüning begins to “Rule by Decree” (allowed in “Emergency Situations” by Art. 48 of the Constitution)

• ELECTIONS: Nazis win 18.3%

1931

• Germany economy shuts down – mass unemployment, mass business failures

• Communists call for Communist Revolution!

• Conservative/ Liberal/Moderate parties clueless

• Nazis call for a

“National Revolution!”

What did people understand by the term “NATIONAL

REVOLUTION?”

• Law & Order• “Traditional values”• National Unity• National Pride (“we

don’t need the rest of the world!!”)

• From endless debates & elections LEADER & FOLLOWER

1931 – Hitler’s Tactics

1. Hegemony on the Right: NSDAP as the “Conservative” Party (“traditional values;” “patriotism; “we’re the ‘Real’ Germans!)

2. Appeal to the terrified Middle Class (most workers voted for Communists or Social Democrats; AH vows to protect the Middle Class – he’ll protect property, restore law & order, return to traditional values, restore patriotism, etc.

1931 – Hitler’s Tactics

3. Use the Political Revival as a moment for political conversion: night rallies; patriotic music; “testimonial” speakers; warm-up speakers … then the star!

1931 – Hitler’s Tactics

4. AH as Celebrity: J. Goebbels; AH as “common soldier,” who “returned to save the nation;” no family; given all for the country; he’s the very incarnation of the people! AH is super-patriotism incarnate! Excitement: airplanes; fast cars; crowds of photographers; swooning groupies …

1931 – Hitler’s Tactics

5. Terror – Stormtroopers

• Hoodlums mobilized for politics

• break up opposition meetings

• street fights• intimidation • cult of super-patriot

hyper-masculinity

1932: Depth of the Great Depression

• Jan: “Dusseldorf Club Speech” – speaking to business Tycoons, AH vows to protect corporations & break unions

• Mar-Apr – AH loses Presidential election to Paul von Hindenburg (old, infirm, mentally unstable)

1932: Depth of the Great Depression

• July Reichstag elections: 37.3% of vote! The highest vote the Nazis ever receive

• Nov Reichstag elections: 33.1% of the vote – support drifting off?

1932: Depth of the Great Depression

• Dec: The Reichstag can’t agree on measures to combat the Depression;

• first Chancellor Brüning fails;

• then Von Papen;• now Von Schleicher

fails to reach democratic solution

1933

• Jan: President von Hindenburg asks AH to form a CONSERVATIVE COALITION GOV’T

• (Consensus: he’ll not last a year!)