changes to the party 1920-22

Learning Objectives:

• To identify how Hitler rose to power

• To explore the early years of the Nazi Party and the SA

• To examine the extent of Hitler’s role in the rise of the Nazis

Changes to the Party 1920 -1922

In 1919 Anton Drexler created the DAP

(German Worker’s Party) in Munich,

Bavaria. The party believed in a “pure

German” people and were very

nationalistic (patriotic). In 1919 they

only had 6 members.


LO: To identify how Hitler rose to power

Use the information on the next few pages to build a timeline of

the development and changes in the Nazi Party between 1919

and 1922. This can be added to your existing timeline that you

have already created.

In September 1919 Adolf Hitler

attended a meeting and was so angry

at one of the speaker’s comments he

made a powerful speech in reply.

Drexler was so impressed with his

speaking skills that he asked Hitler to

join the party.

In the DAP Hitler realised he was

talented at public speaking and was

soon put in charge of recruitment and

propaganda.



In February 1920 Hitler and the then leader of the party Anton

Drexler wrote the 25 Point Programme. A political manifesto of

the party’s (then known as the DAP) ideas. Hitler kept to these

ideas most of his life. These ideas included all non Germans

having to leave and scrapping the Treaty of Versailles. Many of

the ideas were anti-Semitic (anti Jewish).

In 1920 the party grew massively (largely thanks to Hitler’s public

speaking skills) and becomes known as the Nazi Party. The

increased membership to the party meant that they could publish

their own newspaper (The People’s Observer) where they could

advertise their ideas.



In 1921 Hitler became leader of the party. He had the role of

“Fuhrer” (leader) and developed “Fuhrerprizip” which meant he

had absolute power in the party and was answerable to none.

This was a warning of how he planned to rule Germany in the

future.

In 1921 Hitler also started to use the swastika as the symbol of

the Nazi Party and the one armed salute.

The Sturmabteilung (SA) were also created and led by Ernst

Rohm in 1921 to protect Nazi speakers. They were bully boy

thugs and used violence. They were known as “the brown shirts”

because of the colour of their uniform.



Hitler used the SA to disrupt meetings of his opposition parties

(the Communists and the Social Democrats).

His speeches criticised the Weimar Government (the November

Criminals) and their mistakes (the Treaty of Versailles) but also

contained hate for Jews and emphasis on the purity of the

German race (an need for an Aryan race). He used the Jews as a

scapegoat for all of Germany’s problems.

He used lots of publicity and membership of the party grew to

55,000. However, the majority of his support was in the area of

Bavaria.



Sturmabteilung (SA) or storm troopers

• They were the Nazis’ private army

• They were recruited from demobbed soldiers, the unemployed & students

• These ‘Brownshirts provided security at meetings & bodyguards for Nazi leaders

• They broke up meetings of opposition groups

• Hitler put Rohm in charge of the SA

• Many of the SA were thugs & difficult to control so in 1923 Hitler selected trusted members of the SA & formed his own personal bodyguard – the Stosstrupp or Shock Troop


LO: To explore the early years of the Nazi Party and the SA

Describe the role of the

SA in Hitler’s Nazi

Party?

Source 1

The trouble had not begun when my storm troopers attacked. Like wolves, they flung themselves in packs of eight or ten upon the enemy. After only five minutes, I hardly saw one of them who was not covered in blood. The hall looked as if a shell had struck it. Many of my supporters were being bandaged, others had to be driven away, but we had remained the masters of the situation.

Adolf Hitler, 1925


LO: To explore the early years of the Nazi Party and the SA

What do you learn about the SA (Stormtroopers) from the

below source?

There were four main ways in which Hitler was able to rise to

power.

• The creation of the SA

• The designing of the Nazi Emblem

• Hitler’s own charisma

• Hitler gathering close supporters

You have already learnt about the role of the SA. Now read the

next set of slides. In your pairs, discuss how all these factor

helped Hitler rise to power. Make bullet point notes as you go.


LO: To examine the extent of Hitler’s role in the rise of the Nazis

Nazi Emblem • As a self-proclaimed artist, Hitler gave a lot of

thought to the Nazi symbology.

• He recognised the need for the Nazis to have a

memorable emblem, and designed the now

infamous flag.

• The colours of the flag red, black and white were the

same colours as the flag under the Kaiser

• Red represented the socialist ideas of the

movement, white the nationalist and the swastika

the mission for the victory of the Aryan man

• The flag and swastika emblem essentially turned

the Nazis from a political party into a household

brand.

• As a result, Hitler propelled the party in the

popularity stakes, and membership rose quickly.



Charisma• Hitler was incredibly charismatic.

• He was also an excellent orator

(public speaker) and drew huge

crowds to his Nazi speeches and

rallies.

• This increased the Nazi audience,

and allowed them to convey their

ideas to the masses.

• No other party at the time had such

a ‘hypnotic’ speaker.

• As a result, support for the party

greatly increased.



Close

Supporters• As soon as Hitler took the leadership in

1921, he surrounded himself with loyal supporters.

• He rewarded these men with positions of power in the party, and many went on to become top Nazis in later years.

• By surrounding himself with these supporters, he ensured his own position was safe, whilst being able to delegate most of his dirty work to them.

• This created competition within the Nazi party itself, with several prominent supporters vying for power, which essentially caused the party to escalate its policies and become more and more extreme.



Hitler’s closest supporters

Ernst Rohm -

a scar faced,

Bull-necked

soldier

Hermann Goring –

a wealthy hero of the

German Air Force

Rudolf Hess –

a wealthy academic

who became Hitler’s

deputy

Julius Streicher –

founder of the Nazi

Paper Der Sturmer



Review Source 5 on pgs. 34-35 in your text

books.



Using your own

knowledge and Source

5 create a spider

diagram that outlines

what the Nazi’s stood.



Read pgs.

36 & 37.

Complete

the task

and activity

on pg. 37.

changes to the party 1920-22

Education