The constant struggle and poor quality of life faced by the general population during the depression led to a marked changed of political allegiance. Support for parties offering more radical polices of change and hope for the future grew significantly following the election in 1928. The Nazi party was such an extremist party who gained mass support at this time. The new found support was based on promises which included the creation of an Aryan society, improved investment for industry and agriculture aswell as protection from foreign imports these polices which appealed to a cross section of the population.
Almost 20% of the votes came from those with an agricultural background, so it was important therefore to appeal to this group and win their support. The propaganda posters used at the time featured the ideal Aryan – blonde, blue eyed, strong and healthy, had working on the land or in industry. Such visual imagery appealed to the agricultural workers, farmers and industrial workers alike, and helped to build an image of the Nazi party succeeding in creating a strong and united fatherland.
Between 1924-1930 men were more likely to vote for the Nazi party then women. However by 1932 women voting habits changed significantly equalising those votes by men, indeed in predominantly Protestant areas significantly more women than men voted in favour.
By the spring of 1932 membership of the party had reached 1 million. It was a great achievement for any political party in such a short space of time of just 4 years. There were several elections throughout 1932, two for presidency in the spring, regional elections and two elections for the Reichstag. In the presidential elections Hitler challenged Hindenburg for the presidency. Old field Marshal won but only with the support of the SPD and the centre party, which Hitler resented. Hitler gained 13 million votes in all and won the support of large numbers of middle-class conservatives voters. The growing strength of the Communists frightened middle-class voters, leading many to the Nazi Party as the lesser of the two evils.
Thomas Childers in his book, ‘The Nazi Voter’ makes the point that the Nazi electorate was primarily made up of the so-called ‘old middle class,’ that is to say self employed businessmen, artisans and retailers and peasant farmers. Thomas Childers believed this group formed the nucleus of the party’s following and, ‘consistent that most stable and consistent components of the National Socialists constituency between 1924 and 1932.’
By contrast, the relationship between the Nazi Party and the ‘new middle class,’ which was composed of civil servants and white-collar workers, was ‘surprisingly tenuous.’ This group only turned to the Nazis in the crisis period of 1930-33 and, of its two component groups, the civil servants were significantly more likely to vote Nazi that the white collar employees. Childers’ also claims that widows and pensioners, who, since they were on fixed incomes, had been badly hit by inflation, also formed a significant element in the Nazi constituency. However like the ‘new middle class’ their voting was crisis-related. Another historian Falter also agrees with Childers on these matters. Falter confirmed Childers; thesis about relatively low proportion of white-collar workers among the Nazi electorate. Falter also confirms Childers point on the pensioners and widows voter by demonstrating that there is a slight correlation between a high Nazi vote and districts where there was a higher that average number of pensioners and visa versa. Therefore many pensioners were prepared to vote for the party, if not to become members to it.
Between 1928 and 1932 the changing policies of the Nazi movement helped ensure mass appeal and support from a broad spectrum of society, covering a wide range of socio-economic groups. The significant shift encompassed elements from both the working and middle classes, ranging from farmers, small businessmen to the civil servants and white-collar workers; all of who, were striving for prosperity for themselves and the ideal of building a ‘fatherland.’
