The Rise of Nazi Germany: From Munich to Power
The Rise of Nazi Germany
The beginnings of Nazi Germany can be traced to Munich, where the German Workers’ Party, a nationalist party that spread illiberal and racist propaganda, was founded. Hitler soon became involved, embracing its nationalism.
He chaired a committee that set the agenda of 25 points and changed the party’s name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. That year, the party formed a paramilitary organization, the SA, which soon practiced violence against its opponents.
Nazi Ideology
The Nazi party’s ideology was a confusing set of principles aimed at all social classes. National Socialism opposed Marxist socialism, prioritizing the interests of the nation over class benefits.
Central to their program were two ideas: the establishment of a strong nationalist dictatorship capable of preserving racial purity and eliminating Germany’s enemies, and the unification of all Germans into a Greater Germany, securing the dominance of the Aryan race.
Hitler’s Leadership
Hitler, as the party leader, imposed a hierarchical structure, with the Führer at the center, supported by the party elite. Ultra-nationalist groups prepared a coup, the Munich Putsch, but it failed, and Hitler was imprisoned.
After his release, he refounded the party and rethought its agenda, limiting its anti-capitalist postulates and effectively using anti-Semitic and anti-establishment sentiments, as well as exploiting the unpopularity of the Treaty of Versailles. He changed his strategy to transform his party into a mass movement, employing every method of propaganda.
The Great Depression and the Rise of Nazism
The Great Depression was a devastating blow to Germany and propelled Nazism to power. The crisis had catastrophic effects, as Germany depended on foreign investment. The repatriation of U.S. capital caused the collapse of the German banking system, and industrial production plummeted.
Unemployment rose, causing widespread misery. The parties of the Weimar coalition lost prestige and social support because they were perceived as unable to cope with the crisis. The Nazis expanded their base among the middle classes, the working class, and big industrialists and landowners. The SA intensified its violent activities.
Political Maneuvering and Hitler’s Appointment
In elections, the NSDAP became increasingly important in the Reichstag. Building on this success, they intensified their contacts with the traditional right, including nationalists, the military, heavy industry magnates, and large landowners. The traditional right made a covenant with the rising Nazi front, aiming to end democratic politics, suppress socialists and communists, and facilitate Hitler’s rise to power.
1932 was a moment of intense political crisis. The resignation of Brüning inaugurated a series of authoritarian governments backed by extraordinary powers granted to the president of the republic. In presidential elections, the only two viable candidates were Hindenburg and Hitler.
The parties of the moderate right, including social democrats, supported Hindenburg to avoid a Nazi victory. Hindenburg won. Von Papen became Chancellor and called for new elections, in which the NSDAP achieved 37.3% of the votes, becoming the largest party but without an absolute majority. Von Papen invited Hitler to join the government, but he refused.
Von Papen attempted to weaken the Nazis and called for new elections, in which the NSDAP lost millions of votes, and the Nazi party began to decline. However, political rivalries among the right-wing factions favored Hitler. Von Papen, willing to weaken his rivals, persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, with Von Papen as Vice-Chancellor, aiming to control the radicalism of the NSDAP.