By 1923 the support in Bavaria helped the Nazi party to 35,000 members. Hitler, seeing the Weimar’s problems, saw this as his opportunity to seize power and so attempted a putsch. Due to lack of influence he could not do it alone, so he persuaded key right wing figureheads in Bavaria to back the rising. The Bavarian state commissioner, Gustav von Kahr, was addressing a meeting in the largest beer-hall in Munich. Hitler took over and attempted to persuade those present to adopt his plans for a government takeover. Hitler’s supporters in the Bavarian government abandoned him, and the event. Meanwhile Hitler’s troops marched into the city centre, but the police fired on them and the attempted putsch ended in a fiasco. Hitler was tried for treason, the outcome being his imprisonment for a five year sentence. The Newspaper, Völkischer Beobachter, was banned along with the party itself. Hitler only served nine months, during which he wrote Mein Kampf, which contained Hitler’s beliefs and ideas, although it was originally ignored. During his time in prison Hitler also revised his strategies. He realised he could only obtain power legally, and to do so he would have to persuade the German electorate to vote for him. After his release Hitler reaffirmed his control over the re-established National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP).
Despite other challenges, Hitler remained the undisputed Führer of the party. The party built on its recruitment, canvassing, organisation and fundraising. Hitler also established the Hitler Youth and the SS his own personal bodyguard. Hitler divided the country into regions each headed by a regional leader. In a party conference in 1926 he persuaded members to re-adopt the original Twenty-Five Point Programme. The party also developed a horizontal organizational structure. They set up associations for different occupational and social groups.
Hitler worked on exploiting the nation’s fears and prejudices, by using modern technology to give out its message. Presenting itself as a party that would protect Germany from the threat of a communist revolution, capitalizing on the people’s fear of the growing increase in the Communist Party’s votes. Although the SA’s actions towards communists alarmed many, some felt reassured that action was being taken against a potential threat. Hitler also put his propaganda into effect through posters leaflets and huge rallies.
Hitler also put his oratory power into use. Hitler, along with other Nazi leaders toured the country to canvass voters in various districts. Hitler’s campaigning had a powerful impact; by delivering simple messages and slogans, he manipulated the crowds. He attacked the government and its corruption and The Treaty of Versailles using the circumstances and situations in the government as a stepping stone.
By the end of 1926 the party had some 50,000 members and by 1927 held their first Nuremberg rally.
2. Using some of the causes on the list explain how both long term and short term causes contributed to Hitler’s rise to power.
One of the main long term causes which contributed to Hitler’s rise in power was the Treaty of Versailles. It was a vindictive treaty which penalized Germany for its role in the First World War. It had many effects on Hitler’s rise to power. The reparations figure of £6600 million put Germany into an economic crisis causing the Depression and hyperinflation. The people were furious with the ‘diktat’, and claimed the new Weimar government were to blame for the ‘stab in the back’ which put Germany into a political crisis. People soon came to realise the Treaty as a mistake, and sympathised with Germany because of the harsh Treaty.
This aided Hitler in many ways. Firstly, due to political and economic crises, extremists such as Hitler were given more of an opportunity to succeed. After an unpopular start from Ebert’s Republic, people’s views of how the country should be governed changed. In his speeches Hitler attacked the government and, due to the circumstances he got the people’s vote.
