Growth in Support for the Nazi Party, 1929-1933 (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Natasha Smith
Why Did the Popularity of the Nazi Party Explode, 1929-32? - Summary
The German people experienced a variety of push and pull factors that increased the popularity of the Nazi Party, 1929-32.
Some Germans were ‘pushed’ towards fascism because of the Wall Street Crash. Experiencing a second economic crisis within a decade made people lose hope in Weimar politicians. They distrusted democracy as they could not see the Weimar Republic working in times of crisis. More Germans began to wish for the return of a totalitarian government like they had under the Kaiser. A strong government would take control of Germany and resolve the country’s issues.
There were multiple ‘pull’ factors of the NSDAP for Germans. Hitler understood the frustrations of the people and offered solutions. A popular aspect of the Nazi Party’s campaign was the reversal of the Treaty of Versailles. Many Germans traced the issues of 1929-32 to the signing of the Treaty in 1919. Hitler used this hatred to bring people together and offer solutions to their problems. Nazi propaganda, under the supervision of Joseph Goebbels, specifically targeted the needs of different groups in society. This widened the appeal of the NSDAP.
Hitler's ideas
After the failure of the Munich Putsch, Hitler was arrested for nine months
At this time, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (‘My Struggle’)
He considered what the core values of the Nazi Party should be
He shifted the party from a socialist party to more of a nationalist party
He published Mein Kampf in July 1925
Key beliefs of Mein Kampf
The Aryan race
Hitler believed that the Aryan race was the best in the world because they were 'true' Germans
He wanted to keep this race 'pure' by banning Jewish people from marrying Germans
Social Darwinism
The pseudo-science that some races are better than others
He believed the Aryan race was the best and the Jewish race was the worst
He accused the Jewish people of trying to bring down the German race by controlling politics and industry
Lebensraum
Lebensraum means ‘living space’ in German
Hitler believed that Aryans needed more territory to grow its population
He believed this space should come from Eastern Europe
Führerprinzip
Führerprinzip was the concept was that Germany needed an autocratic leader with ultimate power
Restoring traditional values
Hitler saw the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar Germany as a corruption of traditional values
He wanted to reintroduce strong family values, Christianity and realism in art and culture
Redistributing the wealth
Hitler believed that landowners and factory owners should have their profits taken from them
The German workers would benefit from this money
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Many students struggle to Hitler's key ideas such as 'Lebensraum' or 'Führerprinzip'. Keep practising the spelling of these words until you feel more confident. You could also create a mnemonic for words that you find difficult in this topic. This will help you to remember the order of the letters in each word.
Reorganising the Nazi Party
Hitler needed to make the Nazi Party electable
The Munich Putsch showed that it was impossible to take power through violence
The Nazi Party headquarters
Hitler changed how he ran the headquarters for the NSDAP in Munich
Organisation of the NSDAP
A National Nazi Party
Hitler divided Germany into 35 regions (called gaue)
Each gau (single region) had a local Nazi Party leader called a gauleiter
Gauleiters were not often appointed
Hitler left it to the Nazi members in the gaue to fight over who became the gauleiter
Hitler strongly believed in the survival of the fittest mentality. Whoever wanted the position more would win it by any means necessary
To fund a national party, Hitler persuaded business owners who shared his nationalist vision for Germany to contribute
Big corporations such as Thyssen, Krupp and Bosch funded the Nazi Party
The business owners believed Hitler’s influence over the workers would limit the power of trade unions
Business owners feared trade unions because they could make unreasonable demands for increased pay and benefits
Trade unions had strong links to communism. If communism became powerful, business owners would lose their ability to make lots of profit
Hitler's speeches and propaganda
Hitler's speeches
Hitler was a strong public speaker
Hitler spent a considerable amount of time practising his speeches
Hitler developed a unique pattern of oration, increasing his tempo of speaking until he reached a frantic and aggressive crescendo
This made his arguments very persuasive
He would practice hand gestures to utilise in certain sections of his speeches
Initially, Hitler was the propaganda minister for the Nazi Party
In 1928, Hitler made Joseph Goebbels the propaganda minister
Nazi propaganda before 1933
The NSDAP's political campaigns in 1930 and 1932 also increased his popularity
Goebbels:
flew Hitler around Germany
Financial support from big businesses funded Hitler’s tour
ensured Hitler made several speeches across Germany
organised impressive marches and rallies
produced posters, radio broadcasts and pamphlets to spread Nazi propaganda such as:
Revenge on the dolchstoss committed by the ‘November Criminals’ for ending the First World War and signing the Treaty of Versailles
Accusing the Jewish people of being ‘enemies of Germany’
Promoting the return to traditional values
The SA & the SS
The SA and the SS were paramilitary groups for the Nazi Party
The SA
SA stood for Sturmabteilung (‘Stormtroopers’)
It was formed in August 1921
They gained the nickname ‘Brownshirts’ due to the colour of their uniform
Members of the SA included:
the unemployed
students
ex-soldiers
Hitler used the SA to:
control crowds at meetings
start fights on the streets
disrupt the meetings of opposition groups like the KPD
strengthen the image of the NSDAP
Ernst Röhm became the leader of the SA in 1923
The SA was not under Hitler’s direct control
Ernst Röhm was popular amongst the stormtroopers
By 1925, the SA had 400,000 members
The SS
SS stood for the Schutzstaffel (‘Protection Squad’)
It was formed in 1925
They wore black uniforms from 1932
Their uniforms made members of society feel intimidating
This influenced the election results
Hitler selected and trusted members of the SS
All members had to be Aryans
They would become Hitler’s personal bodyguards
They conducted themselves less violently than the SA
Heinrich Himmler became head of the SS
Himmler was one of Hitler’s most trusted party members
By 1930, there were 3,000 SS members
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Students sometimes confuse the SA with the SS. Ensure you study this section and read exam questions carefully so you correctly identify which paramilitary group you need information on.
What groups of people supported Hitler?
Big businesses
Hitler persuaded big businessmen like Benz and Krupps to fund the NSDAP
Working-class support
The NSDAP tried to become the party of the workers
They were named the National Socialist German Workers’ Party
The NSDAP targeted many of their policies towards the working classes. These include:
the redistribution of land
improved working conditions
The NSDAP had some election success with the workers but never gained the majority of the working-class vote
Middle-class support
The middle classes contained teachers, lawyers and smaller business owners
They often owned property and had savings
From 1929 to 1933, the middle classes no longer supported moderate parties
Farmers
Farmers were poorly treated under the Weimar Republic
High debt, low prices and increasing taxes damaged the standard of living in farming communities
By 1929, the income of agricultural workers was 44% below the national average
Farmers initially did not like the NSDAP
The Twenty-Five Point Programme created a policy of confiscating all private land
Under this policy, farmers would lose their income
The Nazi Party changed their policy to say that, if the people voted for the NSDAP, they would only confiscate land owned by the Jewish people
In 1930, the Nazi Party gained 60% of the rural vote in some areas
An illustration showing why the German farmers supported the Nazi Party in the 1930s
Young people
Young people suffered greatly from the economic crisis in the 1930s
By January 1933, unemployment hit 6.1 million people
Half of all 16 and 30-year-olds did not work
Worked Example
Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation of the appeal of the Nazi Party by 1933?
Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge
Interpretation A: From "Inside the Third Reich", the autobiography of Albert Speer, published in 1970.
Here, Speer is recalling a number of election rallies held on 27 July 1932. At the time of these rallies, he was a junior member of the Nazi Party. Speer later became a senior member of the Nazi government.
'Our cars set out for the first stadium. I waited outside the stadium so I did not hear Hitler’s speech, but I could hear thunderous applause from the crowd. Afterwards, we set off for another meeting. Hitler was making a total of three speeches that day. At the Berlin Stadium the stands were packed with people and more were waiting outside. Hitler was very late but the crowd had still waited for hours. A roar of applause burst out when the crowd heard that Hitler was on his way.'
Interpretation B: Adapted from the autobiography of Christabel Bielenberg, published in 1968. In it, she writes about life in Berlin under the Nazis.
Christabel was an English woman who married a German lawyer, Peter Bielenberg. He was associated with the resistance against the Nazis and was arrested after the failed plot against Hitler’s life in 1944. Christabel was questioned by the Gestapo but lived through the war as a German citizen.
'I gave up trying to read Mein Kampf after four pages. It had no appeal for me. However, in the autumn of 1932 I persuaded my husband to hear Hitler speak at a rally. We put up with the community singing, the drums, and the boring Nazi anthems. Halfway through Hitler’s speech my husband dragged me out and made one of his rare political statements, ‘you may think that Germans are political idiots but they won’t be so stupid as to fall for that clown’.'
Answer
Interpretation B differs from Interpretation A due to the author's background and occupation. The author of interpretation B is Christabel Bielenberg, an English woman living in Germany (1). Therefore, it is more likely that she would not be persuaded by Hitler because she would not understand his appeal. She would not have personally felt the dolchstoss, for example (1).
However, interpretation A is more likely to show Hitler as being very popular among a wide group of people. Interpretation A was written by Albert Speer, who later became a senior member of the Nazi Party (1). Therefore, it is likely to highlight the high attendance and adoration for Hitler by 1933 (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
To achieve full marks in a "Why are the interpretations different" question, consider choosing a difference which is visible and the same in both provenances. For the example question, the background and experience of Albert Speer and Christabel Bielenberg are very different and can be compared.
Our exam skills pages give further guidance and advice on comparing interpretations questions
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