Transcript Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler
• Hitler and his Nazi Party had tried
to take over the Weimar
government in 1923.
• The attempt failed. Why?
• Hitler was jailed. He was
supposed to spend 5 years in jail,
but he only served for 1 year.
• While in jail, Hitler wrote a book,
Mein Kampf (my struggle). The
book had two main themes:
• 1. Blaming Jews for Germany’s
problems
• 2. Claiming Germany needed
room to expand.
Weimar Part III: BAD - 1928 -1933
Why did the Nazi Party’s popularity
increase so dramatically from
1928-1930?
• Hitler (the leader of the Nazi Party) claimed to have all
of the answers to Germany’s problems. The depression
had just hit and many people in Germany needed a
strong leader to help save their country.
• The Nazis also staged thorough campaign - they put on
parades, broadcasted on the radio, put together films,
gave speeches, etc.
• Hitler wasNot
a veryto
powerful
speaker.
mention
…
Powerful speaker…
“Germans, stand together! Up and resist the
foe!...So long as this Treaty stands there can be
no resurrection of the German people…The
treaty was made in order to bring 20 million
Germans to their deaths and to ruin the German
nation…He who will not be a hammer must be
an anvil. An anvil we are today, and that anvil will
be beaten until out of the anvil we fashion once
more a hammer, a German sword!”
What did Hitler’s party promise the
people of Germany?
•
•
•
•
Promised jobs and food. This attracted the vote of the
unemployed workers, small farmers,industrialists, and
shopkeepers, who were nearly bankrupt and accepted his promise
of good earnings.
Promised to restore law and order. This attracted urban
Germans, who were fed up with the crime and disorder in the
cities.
Promised to destroy the Communists. This attracted the upper
and middle class property owners, who feared that the communists
would take over Germany and seize all of their private holdings and
wealth.
Promised to restore honor and glory to Germany by tearing up
the Treaty of Versailles (refusing to pay the war debts, building up
the German army). This attracted nearly all Germans who felt that
the treaty had destroyed their country.
•
Blame
and
Pride
Blame: Hitler found ways to put the blame for the
horrid conditions on someone else, thus giving the
German people a scapegoat for their suffering.
– Traitorous politicians and deceitful Jews, “stabbed Germany
in the back,” by signing the Treaty of Versailles.
– Jews: who he claimed “controlled all the money in the
world.” And, their loyalty was now in question.
• Pride: Called true Germans a “master race” that was
destined to rule the world.
But WHY the Jews?
• Jews were only 1% of the population.
• Most German Jews were assimilated
people who considered themselves
GERMAN.
• Then how did they become “THEY?”
The “Other?”
• Why did people believe Hitler?
• Why didn’t more people stand up this
new and dangerous attitude?