1. Adolf Hitler: Rise to Power
Hitler Gloats Over Victories.mov

2. Hitler’s Plan for the Third Reich
‘Mein Kampf’ = ‘My Struggle’
Extreme nationalism
Unite all German-speaking people in an Empire, The Third Reich including:
Dutch, Scandinavians, English, half of Belgiums
Germans in Austria, Poland, Sudetenland
Expand territory, Lebensraum, into Russia, Ukraine
Enforce racial “purification”
Most loathsome: Jews
Master race prevails
Anti-Democracy

4. Plan for Power
While in prison decided Nazis must use legal means to come to power
Propaganda
Goebbels
Symbolism
Mass media
Attack current gov’t
Offered differing solutions to differing groups

5. Weimar Germany & the Depression
Germany living on borrowed money, investments which have not had time to payoff
US difficulties lead to US banks not loaning money to Germany & asking for repayments
Consumers stop buying German exports
Businesses go under or layoff workers, massive unemployment results
Germany’s many political parties cannot agree on how to resolve the situation

7. SA & SS Celebrate January 30th, 1933 Hitler Appointed Chancellor

8. Reichstag Fire Hitler immediately calls for new elections
SA & SS attack left-wing supporters
Hitler rants against Communism
Goebbels turns up propaganda
And then…the Reichstag burns

9. Aftermath of Reichstag Fire
Blamed on Communists
Dutchman & former Communist arrested
Tried & executed
Hitler ‘whips up’ anti-Communist support
SA harasses Communists & Socialists at will
Beaten, killed, offices destroyed, meetings broken-up
Goering, Nazi Minister of Interior deputizes 50,000 SA men

10. Big Business Support
At this point money pouring into Nazi Party from big business
Hitler held meeting with industrialists
Why the support?

11. New Reichstag Elections
Nazis win 288 seats just short of majority
Outlawed Communist Party
Now had majority
Enabling Bill
SS outside & SA inside chanting ‘we want the bill or fire and murder’
The Reichstag voted itself out of existence
Centre Party supported in exchange for religious protections
Only SPD opposed

12. Enabling Act and its Effects
The Enabling Act gave Hitler the right to suspend civil rights and liberties in Germany until the crisis passed
Hitler to rule by decree for 4 years
What he says is now law

13. Consolidation of Power
Gleichschaltung
‘Bringing into line’
Nazification of Germany
Purge of ‘unreliables’
Socialists, jews, opposition
Lost jobs as teachers, civil servants, lawyers
SA carries out the violence
Violence of SA grew almost beyond Hitler’s control

14. 1st Concentration Camp
Summer of 1934 ~27,000 prisoners in concentration camps
1st Concentration Camp: Dachau
Near Munich

15. Gleichschaltung: Elimination of Political Parties
All parties either outlawed or forced to disband via SA intimidation
Reichstag remained but just for show
July 1933: Law Against the Formation of Parties
Nazi Party only legal party in Germany

16. Gleichschaltung: State governments abolished
Replaced by 18 Nazi governors

17. Army vs SA
SA, so valuable to Hitler in gaining power, was now falling out of his control
~ 1,000,000 men
SA, under Ernst Rohm, wanted to continue the revolution via violent means
Left was crushed, now turn to right
SA making Hitler look bad
SA seeking more power, takeover of entire army

18. Purge of SA: Why? Army liked much of what they saw in Hitler
However, they hated the idea of being turned over to the S.A. and Ernst Rohm.
Considered SA to be a bunch of thugs
Army suggested loyalty to Hitler if SA not put in charge
Hitler needed the Army for future plans
Rohm had to go for Hitler to have the Army.

19. Night of the Long Knives
June 29- July 1, 1934
SS, Hitler’s personal bodyguard, used to eliminate opposition
100 SA leaders murdered
Including Ernst Rohm
Many other political opponents also murdered
Von Schleicher & von Kahr
Social Dems
‘Undesirables’ like anti-Nazi religious leaders
Army swore loyalty to Hitler

20. Hindenburg Hindenburg dies August 1934
Hitler combines chancellor & president
Becomes Fuhrer
SS, under Himmler, established as main instrument of terror

21. Tannenburg Memorial: site of Hindenburg’s famous WWI victory
Hindenburg’s Funeral
Tannenburg Memorial: site of Hindenburg’s famous WWI victory

22. Hitler becomes the Fuhrer