changes in the nazi party - 1924 to 1929

Learning Objectives: • To examine the main steps taken to re-launch and

reorganise the Nazi Party.• To suggest reasons for the Nazi Party’s poor performance in

elections, 1924-29.

The Lean Years, 1924-1929

STARTER:

Why might the Munich

Putsch be seen as a

success for Hitler and

the Nazi Party?

(8marks)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-00344A,_M%C3%BCnchen,_nach_Hitler-Ludendorff_Prozess.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-00344A,_M%C3%BCnchen,_nach_Hitler-Ludendorff_Prozess.jpg

Hitler stated: “Instead of working toachieve power byarmed conspiracy, weshall have to hold ournoses and enter theReichstag against theCatholic and Marxistdeputies. If outvotingthem takes longer thanoutshooting them, atleast the results will beguaranteed by our ownConstitution!”

Re-Launch of the Nazi Party

LO: To examine the main steps taken to re-launch and reorganise the Nazi Party

• Hitler re-launched the Nazi

party on 27th Feb 1925 at

Burgerbrau Keller, the scene

of the failed Munich Putsch.

• 4000 people came to hear

him speak and the hall was so

full that 1000 others had to be

turned away.

• Following this, Hitler began

changing many aspects of

the organisation of the Nazi

Party, in a bid to make it more

efficient and ensure their rise.



THE WORKING CLASS

• They ran many public

meetings and tried hard to

win the support of the

working classes.

• They discovered that the anti-

Jewish message most

appealed to the working-

classes and increased their

anti-Semitic propaganda.



Anti-Jewish



THE MIDDLE CLASS

In 1928, the Nazis realised they

needed to win over the middle

classes. They focused on these

and increased their anti-

Communist message.

The Nazis…

• Ran evening classes to train members

in public speaking

• Concentrated on public meetings

• Visited towns throughout Germany

• Focused on issues that people thought

important

• Would change their message to fit the

individual



• By 1929 the Nazi party was incredibly well organised, more of a machine

than a group.

• It had 10,000 members and Hitler was extremely popular.

• However, many historians have described 1924-29 as the ‘lean years’ for

the Nazi Party:

What do you think the term ‘lean years’ means? And why were they so lean?

Date of Election

Jan

1919

Jun

1920

May

1924

Dec

1924

May

1928

Sep

1930

Jul

1932

Nov

1932

Mar

1933

SPD Social Democrats 165 102 100 131 153 143 133 121 120

Communists KPD/USPD 22 88 62 45 54 77 89 101 81

Centre Party (Catholics) 91 64 65 69 62 68 75 70 74

DDP (Democrats) 75 39 28 32 25 20 4 2 5

Right-wing parties (BVP/ DVP/DNVP)

63 157 156 174 134 90 66 83 72

NSDAP (Nazis)

32 14 12 107 230 196 288

Others 7 9 29 29 51 72 11 12 7

Total Deputies 423 459 472 493 491 577 608 584 647

Just remember

a Golden PIE!

olitical stability

mproved international relations

conomic recovery

The Stresemann

Era was a

Golden Age for

Weimar…

For each part of

the pie, what

evidence

can you give?

• Locarno Treaties 1925 (co-operation, keeping of borders)

• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 (armies for self defence)

• More support for Weimar, less

support for extreme groups

• Rentenmark 1923

• Dawes Plan 1924 (loans from US, lowered reparations)

• Young Plan 1929 (lowered reparations)

Why didn’t the Nazis win?

LO: To suggest reasons for the Nazi Party’s poor performance in elections, 1924-1929.

Since 1923 inflation had eased,

employment had increased and the

public were better off.

This was largely due to the work of Gustav

Stresemann, who was popular both in

Germany and abroad.

In 1925 Hindenburg, the well-respected

78 year old ex-field marshal of the

German army, became president. His

reputation restored confidence in the

Weimar Republic.

As a result of all of the above, voters

supported the Weimar government and

the moderate parties instead of voting for

extremists like the Nazis.

changes in the nazi party - 1924 to 1929

Education