Nazis on their Way to Power

Through an analysis of six primary sources, this lesson covers the nature of the Nazi Party in Germany between 1919 and 1932.

• Fascism began in the 1920s in Italy, and Mussolini became the first fascist dictator.

• January 1919: Drexler set up the German Workers Party which became the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party in 1920 (also called the NSDAP, or the Nazi Party).

• Hitler was born in Austria in 1889 and served in the First World War. He attended a NSDAP meeting in September 1919 and soon became the chairman due to party disputes and his oratory skills.

• 1923: Hitler arranged the unsuccessful Munich Putsch (influenced by the Italian March on Rome). He was arrested and wrote Mein Kampf (1925) in prison.

• After his release in 1924, Hitler successfully reorganised the party and gain support through effective propaganda, encouraging the support of conservative elites who feared Communism.

• In July 1932: the Nazi Party won 230 seats and in January 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor after several unsuccessful chancellors.

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Teachers Notes Nazis on their Way to PowerDownload

Practice PEEL paragraphs

  1. Using sources 1 and 3, suggest why people might have joined the Nazi Party.
  2. Using sources 2, 5 and 6, describe Nazi attitudes towards violence.

Essay questions

  1. Why did Nazism become popular between 1919 and 1933?
  2. How did a particular attitude towards masculinity shape the Nazi Party before it came to power?