The Nazi Rise to Power

Understanding why millions voted NSDAP is a central question of twentieth-century history. The Nazi rise reflected deep currents in German society — not simply economic crisis or propaganda.

Key Definition: The NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party) was founded in 1920 from the DAP. Despite its name, it was neither socialist nor a workers' party — it was a radical nationalist, racist, anti-democratic movement.

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Origins and the 25-Point Programme

The DAP was founded in Munich (January 1919) by Anton Drexler. Hitler joined and became the party's most effective speaker. The 25-Point Programme (February 1920) included union of all Germans, abolition of Versailles, racial citizenship excluding Jews, and strong central authority.

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Hitler's Ideology

Element	Explanation
Racial theory	Hierarchy of races; 'Aryan' supreme; Jews a parasitic 'anti-race'
Anti-Semitism	Jews blamed for defeat, Bolshevism, capitalism, cultural degeneracy
Lebensraum	'Living space' in the east through conquest
Anti-communism	Bolshevism as Jewish conspiracy ('Judeo-Bolshevism')
Social Darwinism	Racial struggle; war natural and desirable
Fuhrerprinzip	All-powerful leader whose will was law
Volksgemeinschaft	Racially unified, classless national community
Anti-Versailles	Treaty must be destroyed; Germany must rearm

Key Definition: Lebensraum ('living space') was Hitler's concept of eastward expansion. It became the driving force of foreign policy and the ultimate cause of the war.

Ian Kershaw argues Hitler's ideology had a 'terrible inner logic.' Richard Evans notes Mein Kampf was 'a remarkably honest statement of intent.'

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Reorganisation After 1924: The 'Legality Strategy'

After the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler concluded power must be seized through elections. Key changes: the Gau system mirroring constituencies; specialist organisations (Hitler Youth, NS Women's Organisation); the SS under Himmler (from 1929); propaganda under Goebbels (appointed Reich Propaganda Leader in 1930).

At the Bamberg Conference (1926), Hitler defeated Gregor Strasser's socialist wing, reasserting nationalism and racial ideology.

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Nazi Propaganda