Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, was suave, charismatic and always impressive. Unfortunately, Hitler had a very memorable personality, and it has been stated that it was his personality that held the Nazi party together. Hitler was the party's main weapon. He was a passionate and emotive speaker who captured his audiences’ attention with greater ease than any other figure in history. "He shone in print and positively dazzled on the lecture platform." The unsatisfactory results of World War One, Hitler’s use of propaganda, Hitler’s Youth Group, the organisation of the Nazi Party, and the Great Depression all aided the Nazi Party for it’s rise and the popularity of Hitler.
Although World War 1 was over, the events of 1918 came as a great shock to Germans. The war had been launched in a wave of patriotism, unity, and optimism in 1914. In the East, the war had gone particularly well for Germany, victory had seemed within her grasp. The defeat and armistice therefore left many Germans in a state of shock about the course of events. As a result, many believed and found comfort in various conspiracy theories that appeared. It was a conspiracy that the Jewish had "stabbed Germany in the back" Hitler used this conspiracy theory to attract support. He gave the German people a scapegoat that they could blame for all their problems. Hitler took advantage of this, and promised to deal with the Jews if the Nazis were in power. The militarism and fondness for military tradition remained strong in Germany. With their processions, military bands, leaflets and sheer energy, the Nazis attracted massive interest and appealed to the soft spot that many Germans had for military style. The Nazi’s organised marches, often by the Nazi Storm troopers, which had a huge presence and were very impressive. The sight of these parades was very emotive for some German people, and those who respected the militaristic values showed support for Hitler. The ideal of discipline appealed to many, and although the Nazi Party was quite small, it was a tightly controlled, and had highly disciplined organisation. This is one reason why the Nazis gained growing support during the 1920's. The opportunity of serving in the Nazi Storm troopers gave unemployed men the opportunity to earn some money. In this manner, the Nazis were gaining support from the unemployed who traditionally favoured the socialists and communists. This is also an example of why the Nazis continued to grow in popularity, as they were able to attract Germans who appreciated the militarism displayed, whilst also attracting those unemployed men excited at the opportunity to do something worthwhile.
When Germany came under an agricultural depression that pre-empted the global depression that followed, the Nazi party attracted so much support. They promised a surplus of extraordinary concessions and aids to a large group of voting Germans, who would be anxious to accept the Nazi's promises. Hitler turned his focus to rural Germans, who were on the edge of bankruptcy and starvation. Hitler told the people of the land that under Nazi Government, rural people would be the most important people in Germany and as a result, rural Germans showed increased popularity of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Hitler knew they would be looking for someone to offer them solutions. Therefore, he promised to "restore honour to the Germans, to renew political order and to bring back work and bread'. Hitler told these poor farmers, rural traders and skilled workers that to help in reconstruction of their farming enterprises, they would use peasants. The peasants, the Nazis said, were of true German blood and their life was the true German life.
In 1927, Hitler established the Hitler Youth Group to draw younger people to the Nazi Party. This gave them a youthful, energetic source of members, and younger people were keen to join. Hitler was very intelligent in his plans to attract German youth and successfully sought to project the image of youth, dynamism, strength, power and unity. Hitler was able to harness the energies of younger people, who would later continue to increase Nazi membership when they were able to become full members. This growing of membership helped the Nazi Party rise to power and increased the popularity of Hitler.
