It was to be his first time as a featured speaker, despite the doubts of some committee members who doubted Hitler's ability at this time. But when Hitler got up to speak, his skill of astounding people with his speeches, made people highly emotional. This got him more and more support and was a significant part of his political career.
Hitler took charge of party propaganda in early 1920, and also recruited young men to form his army. Army Captain Ernst Rohm, a new party member, who would play a vital role in Hitler’s eventual rise to power, supported him. He spread ideas using radio, posters and loud speakers on the streets.
In Munich, there were many ex-soldiers with distaste for the peace brought on by the Treaty of Versailles and the resulting democratic republic. They joined the German Workers' Party in growing numbers. Hitler was becoming more and more famous.
On February 24, 1920, Hitler held a large meeting in a hall in Munich and saw two thousand people waiting, including a large number of Communists. A few minutes into his speech, shouting followed by open brawling between German Workers’ Party associates and disruptive Communists drowned him out. Eventually, Hitler resumed speaking and claims in Mein Kampf the shouting was gradually drowned out by applause. He made clear the twenty five points about his party and one by one got approval by the crowd.
In the summer of 1920, Hitler chose the symbol, which to this day remains perhaps the most infamous in history, the swastika. It was placed inside a white circle on a red background, it provided a powerful, instantly recognizable symbol that immediately helped Hitler's party gain popularity.
By the end of 1920, Hitler managed to gain the party over 3,000 members.
In 1921, the German currency lost all its worth. People couldn’t buy anything because the government had raised costs so much to pay for the war, but all it did was turn people against the government. This was the time for Hitler to make his move to win over the public. The German state of Bavaria where the Nazis were based was a hotbed of groups opposed to the democratic government in Berlin. By now, November 1923, the Nazis, with 55,000 followers, were the biggest and best organized. With Nazi members demanding action, Hitler knew he had to act or risk losing the leadership of his Party. This was when the Munich Putch came about. Unfortunately for him, Hitler was arrested for treason and put into prison. However, his time in prison was beneficial because he had time to think about what he was going to do next. He was also allowed to use the courtroom to give his powerful speeches because of his skills to persuade people.
The Nazi Party after the Putsch became disorganized, but Hitler had gained national influence by taking advantage of the press to make his ideas known. He was also able to produce a book to set down his ideas as a form of propaganda.
By persuading and manipulating so many people, Hitler was able to rise to power and became Chancellor shortly after he printed his book.
