1. How did the Nazi Party develop in the early 1920s?

2. Learning objective – to understand how the Nazi Party developed in the early 1920s and what it stood for.
I can describe some of the key developments of the early history of the Nazi Party.
Grade D
I can explain the why the Nazi party decided to stand for particular issues.
Grade B
I can explain and assess the impact of the Nazi Party on German politics in the early 1920s.
Grade A

3. Starter – Hitler went that extra MILE for the Nazi Party in the early 1920s. MILE is an acrostic that helps summarise this lesson – what did Hitler do in the Nazi Party in the early 1920s? In this presentation can you work out what MILE stands for?

4. What was the impact of the First World War on Hitler?
Hitler had served with honour in the First World War and Germany’s defeat left him immensely bitter. He blamed the defeat on Communists and Jews who he felt had stabbed Germany in the back.
After the war, Hitler found work checking on extremist political groups in Munich for a newspaper. It was doing this in September 1919, he came across the Nazi Party which he soon joined and became a leading a member shaping its party programme.

5. What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s?
Abolish the Treaty of Versailles
Destroy Marxism
Destroy the Weimar Republic
Challenge terror with your own terror
Remove Jews from key positions
Strong central government
Welfare provision
Rearm Germany
What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s?

6. What was Hitler’s impact as leader of the Nazi Party from 1920?
Hitler became the formal leader of the Nazi Party in 1921 and his first move was to reorganise the party along military lines. He formed the SA, which became the Nazi’s private army made up of mostly disaffected young men.
Hitler appointed his friends and allies into key positions, such as Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess.
There was an explicit focus on Hitler himself, who was the undisputed leader of the party. He appeared on all Nazi propaganda and was the central figure in all meetings.

7. How did the Nazi Party develop its organisation in the early 1920s?
Nazi membership grew from 1,100 in June 1920 to 55,000 in November This allowed the party to buy its own newspaper – Völkischer Beobachter – providing a platform for their views.
Hitler rebranded the party, designing the Nazi flag of red, white and black and using the ancient religious symbol, the swastika, which became Germany’s most well-known political symbol.
There was an increased focus on image and publicity as Hitler prioritised raising the profile of the Nazis through speeches and propaganda aiming to develop from a regional party into a national one.

8. What was the role of the SA during the early 1920s?
In 1921, Hitler created the Sturmabteilung [SA] which became Hitler’s private army. This was not unusual at the time as political meetings generated lots of violence and other political leaders employed such protection squads to protect speakers and beat up opponents.
The SA was led by Hitler’s ally, Ernst Röhm, and wore a uniform which included a brownshirt. Their organisation helped give the image of military discipline
During the early 1920s, the SA was made up of thugs and they broke up opposition meetings and provided protection for Nazi leaders.

9. Military organisation Image Leadership Explanation Using the MILE acrostic as a structure, make notes under each subheading explaining each area of how the Nazi Party developed under Hitler in the early 1920s. Using these notes, you can then complete the other tasks from the worksheet.

10. Plenary