Rise of Nazism

Rise of Nazism
RsVe, corrected by Barliner. · Public domain · source
Name	National Socialist German Workers' Party
Native name	Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
Founded	1920
Chairman	Adolf Hitler
Ideology	Nazism
Country	Germany

Rise of Nazism The rise of Nazism was the process by which the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei under Adolf Hitler grew from a fringe movement into the ruling power of the Weimar Republic and established the Third Reich. This transformation involved ideological development influenced by pan-German nationalism, antisemitism, and social Darwinism, political maneuvering amid crises such as hyperinflation and the Great Depression, and the use of propaganda, paramilitary violence, and legal seizure of power.

Historical background and origins

Late 19th‑century and early 20th‑century developments set the stage: the unification of Germany under Otto von Bismarck after the Franco‑Prussian War and the German Empire’s evolution through the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II influenced nationalist currents. The defeat of Imperial Germany in the World War I and the punitive terms of the Treaty of Versailles produced resentment exploited by figures like Anton Drexler, Adolf Hitler, and organizations such as the Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund. The fragile parliamentary system of the Weimar Republic faced political fragmentation with parties including the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Centre Party, German National People's Party, and later the Communist Party of Germany in contention. Intellectual influences came from writers and movements such as Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Friedrich Nietzsche (misappropriated), and the völkisch milieu associated with figures like Ernst Röhm and Alfred Rosenberg.

Ideology and key tenets

Nazism synthesized ideas from nationalist and racialist thinkers into a program advocating volksgemeinschaft, anti‑Marxism, and lebensraum. Core tenets were articulated in Hitler’s Mein Kampf and elaborated by theoreticians like Alfred Rosenberg, with racial policy grounded in notions from social Darwinism and antisemitic tracts circulated by actors like Julius Streicher. The movement opposed the November Revolution (1918) and targeted political opponents such as Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht as threats. Key policy goals invoked references to historical entities and events—calls to revise the Treaty of Versailles, restore pride associated with the Imperial German Army, and pursue revisionist foreign policy toward Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.

Political strategy and rise to power (1919–1933)

From its founding in 1920, the party used electoral politics, street mobilization, and legal tactics. Early leaders like Anton Drexler and later strategists including Gottfried Feder and Gregor Strasser shaped policy and appeal to workers and veterans. The 1923 Beer Hall Putsch led by Hitler and associates such as Ernst Hanfstaengl and Hermann Göring resulted in imprisonment and the production of Mein Kampf, after which the party pursued legal seizure of power, building electoral strength in the late 1920s and early 1930s amid competition with the Centre Party, German People's Party, and Social Democratic Party of Germany. Political deals culminated in appointments involving Paul von Hindenburg and conservative elites like Franz von Papen and Kurt von Schleicher, with Hitler ultimately appointed Chancellor in January 1933.

Role of economic and social crises

Economic shocks magnified extremist appeal: the hyperinflation crisis of 1923 affected perceptions from the Reichsbank era into the middle years of the Weimar Republic, while the global downturn starting with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression devastated employment and investment. Industrial employers and finance figures including the Krupp conglomerate and banking interests reacted alongside conservative politicians such as Franz von Papen and Alfred Hugenberg to support anti‑left coalitions. Displacement of veterans from formations like the Freikorps and social anxieties among urban and rural populations played into narratives promoted by the party and allied organizations like the Pan‑German League.

Organization, propaganda, and paramilitary forces

The party developed a sophisticated organizational apparatus: the Sturmabteilung provided street enforcement, while the later Schutzstaffel became an elite force. Key organizers included Joseph Goebbels who, alongside newspapers like Der Stürmer and mass events at places like the Nuremberg Rally, expanded media reach. The party used modern techniques drawn from mass politics exemplars including Giovanni Gentile‑style rhetoric and propaganda methods adapted from earlier movements; cultural campaigns targeted institutions such as the Reichstag and journals associated with the Völkischer Beobachter. Funding and industrial ties involved figures like Fritz Thyssen and organizational support interfaced with entities including the Reichswehr.

Opposition, suppression, and consolidation of control

After the Reichstag fire in February 1933, emergency measures and decrees curtailed civil liberties and enabled the suppression of rivals like the Communist Party of Germany and the Social Democratic Party of Germany. The passage of the Enabling Act of 1933 sidelined the Reichstag and empowered the executive, while purges such as the Night of the Long Knives eliminated internal rivals like Ernst Röhm and consolidated ties with conservative elites including Hindenburg's circle. Institutions including the Gestapo and laws like the Nuremberg Laws later enforced racial policies, and cultural control extended into organizations such as the Reichskulturkammer.

International reactions and impact on Europe

Foreign responses ranged from appeasement by leaders like Neville Chamberlain and diplomatic negotiations with actors including Édouard Daladier to opposition and rearmament policies in states like France and the Soviet Union. The remilitarization of the Rhineland, the annexation of Austria (Anschluss), and demands over the Sudetenland led to crises involving the League of Nations and conferences such as the Munich Agreement (1938). Alliances and pacts including the Pact of Steel and the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact reshaped the European order and precipitated conflicts culminating in World War II, with global consequences involving the United States and Soviet Union.

Category:20th century in Germany