The Rise of Extremism

and the Collapse of

Weimar democracy

HI136, History of Germany

Lecture 8

The O

rigin

s of

Nazi

sm

Interwar Germany a fertile breeding

ground for

radical right-wing

organizations. 1919: Anton Drexler founds the Deutsche

Arbeiterpartei (German Workers Party,

DAP). Adolf Hitler joined the DAP in Sept. 1919,

quickly rising through the ranks to

become the party’s chief theorist and

propaganda officer. Feb. 1920: Hitler heads a committee

which draws up the Party’s ’25 Point

Programme’ which remains the basis of

Nazi ideology until 1945.

April 1920: The DAP renamed the

Nationalsozialistische

Deutsche

Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German

Workers Party, NSDAP or Nazi for short).

July 1921: Hitler ousts Drexler & is

appointed Party Chairman.

The R

ise o

f N

azi

sm

1925: Nazi party refounded with a

new commitment to achieving power

through legal means.

1926: The Bamberg Conference –

Hitler re-established his supremacy in

the Party, overcoming the challenge

to his leadership from Gregor

Strasser, but was forced to concede

that the 25-Point Programme (with its

socialist elements)

remained

inviolable. Establishment of new efficient Party

structure and youth and women’s

organisations led to a growing

membership: 27,000 in 1925

increased to 108,000 in 1928.

But still had little popular support –

they won only 2.6% of the vote in the

Reichstag elections of 1928.

The G

erm

an

Ideolo

gy?

Nazism is difficult to

pin down: it is easier

to say what the Nazis

were against than

what they were for.

Some have argued

that Nazism cannot

be called an ideology

at all: it

lacks

coherence & is

intellectually

superficial and

simplistic.

Most of the ideas key

to National Socialism

were present in

Germany in the 19th

century.

That is not to say

that Nazism is the

logical result

of

German thought:

such ideas also found

receptive audiences

in Britain & France.

Key concepts:

Race

Führerprinzip

Anti-Communism

Nationalism

Volksgemeinschaft

The 25 Points:

Creation of a Greater

Germany

encompassing all

ethnic Germans

Revocation of Treaty of

Versailles

Demand for colonies

(Lebensraum)

Only members of the

Volk can be citizens:

no Jew can be a

citizens & all non-

citizens to be deported

The primary duty of

the State is to provide

a livelihood for its

citizens: introduction

of profit sharing &

extension of welfare

state.

The G

reat

Depre

ssion

October 1929: the Wall Street

Crash led to a worldwide

economic downturn.

Germany was particularly

hard hit – the German

economy was

heavily

dependent on foreign loans

and the banking system was

geared towards short-term

credit to finance long-term

ventures.

As foreign investment dried

up and debts were called in,

German firms folded and

banks collapsed leading to

mass unemployment.

2 million Germans out of work

by the winter of 1929-30.

Unemployment reached 3

million in 1931 & had risen to

5.1 million by Sept. 1932. It

peaked at 6.1 million in early

1933.

This led to material hardship,

but also had an important

psychological effect – fear,

uncertainty, loss of pride and

status, feeling that the fabric

of society was unravelling.

The economic crisis quickly

became a political crisis as

the social insurance system

became overloaded.

Soucre: R. Overy,

The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Third

Reich (1996)

Reaso

ns

for

the

Collapse

of

Weim

ar

Dem

ocr

acy

Domestic Factors: Lack of popular support

Constitutional flaws Role of established

elites International Factors: Legacy of Versailles World economic crisis

(the Great Depression)

General crisis of liberal

democracy

The F

inal

Cri

sis,

1930-3

3

March 1930: Hermann Müller’s Grand Coalition

collapsed when the DVP and SPD members of the

Cabinet could not agree on how to solve the crisis.

Hindenburg appointed Heinrich Brüning, leader of the

Centre Party, Chancellor. His lack of charisma and

unpopular deflationary policies (cuts in public spending

& tax rises) meant that he was unable to command a

majority in the Reichstag. Thus from the summer of

1930 onwards he was forced to use emergency powers

to pass any legislation.

But the Depression had radicalized German politics and

the parties of the extreme left and right continued to

gain support – a very real fear of communist revolution

amongst conservatives and the middle classes.

By 1930 the Nazis were the 2nd largest party in the

Reichstag.Oct. 1931: the Harzburg Front – anti-republican alliance

between the Nazis, Alfred Hugenburg’s DNVP and the

Stahlhelm. 1932: Hitler confident enough to challenge Hindenburg

for the Presidency.

By May 1932 Brüning had lost the support of the

President and his advisors – his policies had not

significantly solved the problems caused by the

Depression or stopped the escalating violence in the

streets.June 1932: Franz von Papen head the right-wing

‘Cabinet of Barons’.

General Kurt von Schleicher(Non party)

Dec. 1932 – Jan. 1933

Franz von Papen (Centre Party)June – Dec. 1932

Heinrich Brüning (Centre Party)March 1930 – May 1932

Chancellors, 1930-33

The F

inal

Cri

sis,

1930-3

3

July 1932: Preussenschlag – The illegal

constitutional coup in which the elected

SPD government of Prussia deposed by

the army on the orders of von Papen. A

Reich Commissioner was installed and

Social Democratic and liberal officials

were replaced by conservative civil

servants. Nov. 1932: Papen replaced by General

Kurt von Schleicher. Papen enters into secret negotiations

with the Nazis, big business and large

landowners designed to bring about his

return to power with a majority in the

Reichstag. Jan. 1933: Hindenburg reluctantly agrees

to dismiss Schleicher and replace him

with Hitler. The Conservatives convinced that they

would be able to control Hitler and the

Nazis – Papen was Vice-Chancellor and

their were only 3 Nazis in the Cabinet.

Hitler’s first Cabinet, 30 January 1933:Seated (left to right): Hermann Göring, Hitler, Franz von Papen

Standing (left to right): Baron Konstantin von Neurath (Foreign Minister), Günther Gereke (Commissioner for Job Creation), Count Lutz Schwerin

von Krosigk (Finance Minister), Wilhelm Frick (Interior Minister), General Werner von Blomberg (Defence Minister), Alfred Hugenberg (Minister of

Agriculture and Economics)

Who V

ote

d fo

r

the N

azis?

The Nazis had the greatest

support in Protestant rural

North Germany, and did

badly in Catholic areas of

South Germany and in the

big cities.

This was at least in part

because Catholics and

urban workers had their

own well-established

political parties and social

organizations.

Traditional view = the

Nazis a party of the

disaffected middle class.

But close analysis reveals

that support was much

broader (though not

deep).

By 1932 the Nazis could

claim to be a Volkspartei

(People’s Party) – they

became a universal party

of protest.

Source: G. Layton, Democracy and

Dictatorship in Germany (2009)

Soucre: R. Overy, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Third Reich (1996)

The 1

933

Ele

ctio

n

New elections called within 24 hours of

Hitler becoming Chancellor.

The election campaign took place in an

atmosphere of violence and intimidation.

The Nazis used their access to the organs

of the state to get their message across &

intimidate their opponents.

31 Jan. 1933: Hitler’s ‘Appeal to the

German People’ – blamed Germany’s

problems on the Communists and

presented his government as a ‘National

Uprising’ that would restore German pride

& unity. As Minister of the Interior of Prussia Göring

recruited 500,000 extra police in Germany’s

largest state, most of them drawn from the

ranks of the SA and the SS.

Violence & intimidation of political

opponents – SPD and KPD meetings broken

up, voters intimidated etc. 69 people killed

during the 5 week campaign.

The R

eich

stag

Fire

27 Feb. 1933: The

Reichstag burned

down.

An unemployed Dutch

bricklayer named

Marius van der Lubbe

arrested.

The Nazis claimed this

was part of

a

Communist plot.

‘Decree for

the

Protection of the

People and the State’:

suspended civil

liberties & increased

the power of central

government – the Nazis

rounded up political

opponants.

Van der Lubbe &

Bulgarian Communist

Georgi Dimitrov put on

trial for the fire.

But on-going debate

about who

was

responsible.

Party Votes

NSDAP43,90

%

DNVP 8,00%

DVP 1,10%

BVP 2,70%

Zentrum11,20

%

Deutsche Staatspartei

0,90%

SPD18,30

%

KPD12,30

%

Other 1,60%

Ele

ctio

n R

esu

lts,

5 M

arc

h 1

933

The E

nabling L

aw

(Erm

äch

tigungsg

es

etz

)

Without the two-thirds majority in the

Reichstag necessary to change the

Constitution, Hitler proposed an ‘Enabling

Law’ that would enable him the

government to pass legislation without

the approval of either parliament or the

President. 23 March 1933: ‘Law for the Removal of

Distress from People and the Reich’

Article 1: In addition to the procedure

prescribed by the constitution [i.e.

decision by parliament], laws of the Reich

may also be enacted by the government

of the Reich. This includes laws as referred

to by Articles 85 sentence 2 and Article 87

of the constitution.

Article 2: Laws enacted by the

government of the Reich may deviate

from the constitution as long as they do

not affect the institutions of the Reichstag

and the Reichsrat. The rights of the

President remain undisturbed.

Gle

ichsc

halt

un

g

After the passage of the Enabling Law the

Nazis acted to ‘co-ordinate’ as many areas

of German life as possible and bring them

into line with Nazi ideology.

April 1933: Laws passed enabling Nazi-

dominated State governments to pass

legislation without the approval of

provincial parliaments.

Jan. 1934: State parliaments abolished &

local government subordinated to the

federal Minister of the Interior.

2 May 1933: Leading Trade Unionists

arrested & workers’ organizations merged

to form the Deutscher Arbeitsfront

(German Labour Front, DAF).

22 June 1933: The SPD officially banned.

June-July 1933: Other political parties

dissolved themselves.

14 July 1933: The Nazi Party proclaimed the

only legal political party in Germany.

The N

ight o

f the L

ong

Kniv

es,

30 Ju

ne 1

934

Pressure from the party

rank-and-file (and

particularly from within

the SA) for a ‘second

revolution’.

Fears that

the

radicalism of the SA

would bring about a

military coup against

the Nazis.

This led to a purge of

the party on 30 June

1934 – the SS carried

out raids

against

targets across Germany.

Critics of the regime

such as Vice-Chancellor

Papen were arrested,

while old enemies such

as Gregor Strasser &

Gustav Ritter von Kahr

were summarily

executed. Over 1000

people were arrested &

at least 85 killed.

Ernst Röhm (1887-1934)