A History of the Nazi Party 1919-1945. The early years: Nazism (as a political party) was essentially a product of the First World War; of Germany’s defeat and of the revolutions and political extremism that followed the war. Its beliefs (ideology) however, reach far back into pre-war Germany. They lay firstly in the wave of anti-Semitism which began with the Great Depression of 1873- 1896, and secondly in the growth of extreme right wing groups in the 1890’s, such as the nationalist Pan-German League. Both of these developments were in turn a result of the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of Germany after unification in 1871.

Question: (1) In your own words, explain the: a) Political origins; b) Ideological origins of the Nazi Party.

After the war: The Nazi Party was merely one of a number of ‘VOLKISCH’ groups, which sprang up, all over Germany in 1919. It had the advantage of being based in Bavaria, where all the political turbulence meant that both left and right wing movements were very strong. The defeat and revolution of November 1918 had created very favourable conditions for the birth of Nazism and the Volkisch Movement.

Hitler first came into contact with the Volkisch Movement after attending a Pan- German rally. He had been attracted by the Movement’s nationalism and was also influenced by his History teacher who was a supporter. After the war ended, Hitler worked as a ‘V’ man; an agent who kept an eye on the various political activities going on in Munich. As part of this activity, Hitler was assigned the task of reporting on the ‘German Workers Party’ (DAP) led by a railway mechanic named Anton Drexler and a journalist called Karl Harrer who had founded the party on 9th January 1918. Hitler soon joined the party. The party programme was almost completely drawn up by Drexler and Hitler, and was anti-Semitic, extremely nationalistic and anti-capitalist. However, at this stage the party was extremely small with only around a dozen committed members. It was therefore quite insignificant.

In February 1920 the party changed its name to the ‘National Socialist German Workers Party’ (NSDAP); this was an attempt to appeal to both nationalists and socialists. Membership increased to 2000 at the end of 1920 and then to 3,000 by August 1921. Soon branches of the party began to form outside of Munich. A racist weekly newspaper called ‘VOLKISCHER BEOBACTER’ (VB) became the official newspaper of the Nazi party, through which the party could express its views. At this point Hitler was still only ‘Propaganda Chief’ in the party. However, his speeches were attracting many to the party. Soon a series of conflicts broke out in the party about the future direction, which they should follow. Harrer clashed with Hitler and Drexler. The conflict continued into 1921; Drexler attempting to expel some of Hitler’s supporters from the party. However, Hitler proved a fearsome opponent and Drexler soon sided with Hitler in order to avoid a major confrontation within the party. Hitler was declared leader of the Nazi Party in August 1921 and soon developed the party in many ways. Hitler explained its differences compared to the more traditional political parties, and stated that it was a new kind of party- ‘a movement of the people.’ Hitler was now leader of the strongest political force in Munich. He now set up his own private army. This army was first known as ‘The Gymnastic and Sports Section’ in July 1921, but by October was known as the ‘Storm Detachments’ (SA). The SA protected Nazi meetings from unwelcome visitors, assisted in propaganda and disrupted the meetings of political opponents.

The first Nazi Party rally was banned in 1923. This, and the political and economic situation in Germany, helped Hitler to realise the potential strength of his party. He decided that the time was right for the Nazis to seize power in the form of a PUTSCH. With the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 and the general sense of crisis within Germany, Hitler sensed that the time was ripe for his coup. He especially feared that Germany might fall into the hands of the Communists if he did not act soon. Crucially, at this time Hitler became head of the ‘ KAMPHBUND’ , which organised the activities of the Nazis and other paramilitary groups in Bavaria. Under intense pressure form the Kamphbund, the Bavarian government declared a ‘state of emergency’. Germany as a whole was in crisis and many feared a civil war. In Bavaria the Kamphbund increased its activities. On 9th November 1923 Hitler seized the opportunity. Hitler and the SA burst into a meeting of the Bavarian leaders and told them that the Nazis were taking power. The SA took control of other key government posts and buildings. However, the success of the putsch depended on the co-operation and support of the Bavarian government and the Kamphbund; but both groups went back on their word. Hitler was arrested. However his widely publicised trial gave him a platform for his ideas (even the judge was sympathetic to Hitler’s ideas!). The trial therefore won more support for the Nazis, but Hitler was still sent to Landsberg Prison as a punishment. The Nazi Party was banned and fell into ruin, and split by conflicts amongst its members. Its future looked bleak.

Questions: (2) Devise a date list to show the key events in the history of the Nazi Party to 1923.

(3) What effects (both positive and negative) did Hitler have on the party?

1923-1933: Hitler’s term in prison was very short and in December 1924 he was released. The Nazi Party was now bitterly divided and the Weimar Republic was recovering economically. Hitler now realised that a putsch would not bring the Nazis to power; they would have to win power democratically. At this time Hitler said:

We will have to hold our noses and enter the Reichstag.’

Therefore, Hitler now decided to pursue a legal path to power and over the next four years he re-organised and built up the party.  Germany was divided into 35 GAU or regions, each supervised by a GAULEITER. Below these were the local authorities or branches staffed by dedicated Nazi activists. In line with the new electoral path of the party, the GAU came to represent the same areas as the Reichstag constituencies. Each level of the party was subordinate to the level above it.  Some groups within the party such as the Hitler Youth and the SA developed their own administrations. These were responsible to Hitler himself, not the party. Hitler thus created a ‘Fuhrer Party’ in which he was the sole inspiration and authority. He defeated all attempts to debate policy or share decision making. He made an image of himself as a demi-god, who was above all the conflicts within the party. He would only intervene if a real crisis occurred, leaving (in general) the day to day running of the party to bureaucrats such as Hess, who protected the image of Hitler, without threatening his supreme power.

It was the economic crisis of 1929-1933 that turned the Nazi Party into a mass party of protest. Hitler showed a genius in appealing to the German people with what, if it was analysed properly, was a completely contradictory programme of proposals. Nazi propaganda built up an image of a party that was: youthful, radical, nationalist, anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist, as well as being hostile to the industrialists.

The very scale of the party’s electoral success after September 1930 subjected the Party to increasing strains. As the party expanded, friction increased between the party’s political organisation and the SA, who staged a series of strikes and mutinies against the party. Consequently, by 1932 the Nazi Party was becoming as unwieldy and overblown organisation, which was only kept together by Hitler himself.

Yet, it was at this very time that the Nazi Party reached its peak in July 1932. Besides holding 230 seats in the Reichstag and controlling five of the smaller German states, the Nazis had also gained control of the ‘Agrarian League.’ Also at this time, Gregor Strasser as ‘REICH ORGANISATIONAL LEADER’ prepared structural reforms within the party, originally approved by Hitler. Strasser envisaged a long-term programme of action, which in practice meant playing a double game:

1) Co-operating with the political parties in the Reichstag. 2) The Nazis would continue their efforts to take control of the various interest groups in Germany, with the eventual aim of winning power.

However, Hitler then changed his mind when he helped to defeat Von Papen’s government in a no-confidence vote in September 1932, thereby committing the party to another election campaign at a time when most observers believed that the Nazis had won all the votes that they were going to win. By taking this decision, it is possible to suggest, as D.G Williamson does, that Hitler showed a deeper understanding of the party than Strasser.

In the November 1932 elections the Nazis won 196 seats. Even though they lost votes, Hitler did not change his tactics. He stopped Strasser joining Von Schleicher’s government in December 1932. Strasser resigned in protest and Hitler destroyed all his reforms. Contempories had already assigned the Nazi Party to:

‘the rubbish pile of History.’ However, the party’s fortunes were rescued when, on Von Papen’s suggestion to Hindenburg, Hitler was appointed Chancellor on 30th January 1933. Both Von Papen and Hindenburg planned to control Hitler in a cabinet consisting of only 3 Nazis out of 12 cabinet ministers. They would be able to control the Nazis (or so they thought) within this coalition. Hitler however, was no fool and probably knew exactly what both men were up to. Hitler wanted complete power and was not going to let Von Papen and his co-conspirators determine the path of his government. Hitler began to invoke ‘ARTICLE 48’ of the Constitution through Hindenburg, and although the party was incapable of governing the country without the support of Hindenburg and his followers, it itself was a powerful force and was spurred on by the prospect of total power.

Questions: (4) Continue your date list on the history of the Nazi Party to 30th January 1933. (5) What were the main issues of disagreement between Hitler and Strasser?

The Nazi Party in government 1933-45: Hitler’s first aim was to eliminate the power of the Reichstag as a threat to the Nazi position. He rejected a pact with the ‘Centre Party’ and secured the cabinets agreement to hold another election. The Nazis then once again launched a massive propaganda campaign. Hitler concentrated his message on the supposed danger from the Communists and the failure of the ‘November Criminals’ to control help Germany in the recent crisis. During the lection campaign, Hitler began to lay the foundations of his future dictatorship. On the eve of the elections the Reichstag went up in flames, and a young communist named Marinus Van de Lubbe was blamed. On 5th March, after forming a partnership with the Nationalist Party to achieve a majority, the Nazi Party was catapulted into power in its own right. The Nazis now had political, as well as physical control over Germany. The result of the election sparked off a reign of terror and action against groups such as the Communists.

The violence was successful against the Communists, but Hitler was worried that it would alienate both his coalition partners and Hindenburg, but it did not. The Enabling Law was passed on 23rd March 1933 and with only the Social Democrats voting against it, the Nazi Party now had total and almost absolute power. Everybody and everything with the exception of the President, the Army and the Church was under Nazi control. On 14th July the ‘Law against the Formation of New Parties’ was passed and it made the Nazi Party the only legal party in Germany.

In March 1933 there was a large upsurge in membership. Membership did however, become restricted during the late 1930’s and this made the Party become like a privileged institution. To qualify for membership, one had to be of good Aryan ancestry and had to be able to prove their ‘German purity and pedigree.’

The Nazi Party however, failed to dictate policy in the way that the Communist Party in the Soviet Union did, although the party did have a significant amount of control. The Nazi Party, in the early years of power merely took over the existing state departments and organs of power. The Party either occupied the key national and local positions, or ensured that they were in reliable hands. There were however, signs that things would soon change. On 29th March 1933 Hitler told his Gauleiters that: ‘The work done outside the state organs of power was decisive.’

This suggested that from now on the Party would become more involved with political matters. The Party certainly controlled and brainwashed the masses through organisations such as ‘The Hitler Youth’ and the ‘German Labour Front.’ The Party in theory existed to run the State, but the control was stronger in theory than in practice. Rivalry between the Party and the State at regional level was just as strong as at national level. Although the Party was indeed one of the key power blocks of the Third Reich, it was too divided and too lacking in administrative ability to create a proper Nazi State. It failed therefore to remove all the old institutions of Weimar Germany or even pre-war Germany. It was also not helped in its task by the fact that party members were often more concerned with building up their own positions, rather than that of the party. Hitler did not play a great role on the day-to-day running of the Party, and after 1933 the cabinet hardly ever met to discuss policy. Germany was a country being run by one man- Hitler. The party’s greatest success was the implementation of the Nuremberg Race Laws. When war came in 1939, the power and influence of the party grew significantly, and its authority over the State increased. The war presented the Party with numerous opportunities to extend its growth and influence at both central and local level. The Party was mainly concerned with maintaining the morale of the German people during the war. However, due to its divisions, it failed to act effectively, and in its own way contributed to the eventual collapse of Nazism in Germany.

Questions: (6) Continue your date list to 1945. (7) Outline the main features of the relationship between the Nazi Party and the State.