Chapter 1
Propaganda, the growth of Nazism, the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht
Context
Germany had been a democracy, so how were Adolf Hitler and the Nazis able to take over and control the state? Some context is helpful to understanding what allowed this to transpire.
Germany had suffered a humiliating loss in World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was perceived by Germans to be unfair. Germany was required to pay reparations and it depended upon the United States for loans. The Great Depression, however, crippled the US economy and created a ripple effect felt in Germany. The Nazis promised prosperity and blamed Jews for the country’s economic woes. Further, their avowed antisemitism appealed to certain segments of the population. Antisemitism had a long history in Europe, albeit stronger at certain times than others, and was a useful tool for assigning blame to Jews for Germany’s problems.
The German Workers Party originated in 1919 as a small, far right group, one of many fringe Bavarian political groups which shared the belief that Jews were manipulators who had contributed to Germany’s loss in World War I. They associated Jews with Communist revolution and they decried the Weimar democratic government. On September 19, 1919, Adolf Hitler attended a German Workers Party meeting in Munich. As a German intelligence agent, he had been sent to observe; instead, he became involved. Anton Drexler, the group’s leader, was impressed by Hitler and invited him into the Party.
Hitler became active not only in party propaganda, but also in drafting the 25 Points. This document, published on February 24, 1920, outlined Nazi ideology. Core values included antisemitism, racial stereotyping, a hatred for the Treaty of Versailles, a desire for more living space (land for Germans), a classless Germany, and a physically fit population. The doctrine embraced the notions of absolute power, press restrictions, and censorship. Democracy was shunned and state-sponsored terror against perceived criminals and enemies was suggested. On the same day that the 25 Points doctrine was published, the German Workers Party changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), better known as the Nazi Party.
Hitler quickly was seen as the Party’s leader and his Third Reich ultimately would adopt the antisemitic, anti-Marxist, anti-capitalist, and anti-democratic principles of the NSDAP. Hitler was charismatic, and his fiery rhetoric made him a popular speaker at rallies. His speeches and writings attracted men in the early 1920s who later would become prominent figures in the Reich: Julius Streicher created and ran the hate-filled publication Der Stürmer; Herman Goering shaped the Nazi police state; Hans Frank became President of the Reichstag and Minister of Justice; Ernst Rohm organized the Storm Troopers; and Rudolf Hess became Hitler’s deputy party leader. More people joined the Nazis when France and Belgium crossed into German territory, an action taken when the country could not make reparations payments.
The Nazis first tried to take control of Germany by force. This failed, and Hitler was convicted of high treason. In prison, he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in which he explained his hatred of Jews and other central beliefs.
These were fundamental beliefs for Hitler, and they would be at the forefront when he came to power. Hitler was paroled from prison on December 21, 1924.
The Nazis next tried to gain power through the electoral process and then by political maneuvering. Using this strategy, the Nazis went from getting 26 percent of the vote in May 1928 to becoming the second largest political party in the Reichstag in 1930. By 1932, they were the largest party in the Reichstag, holding 230 seats.
Working-class people were central to the party’s growth. Nazis targeted rural areas with propaganda. They attracted more Protestants to the party than any other religious group. Support came from the lower middle classes, small businessmen, artisans and agricultural workers. By targeting certain demographics and regions of the country, the NSDAP became identified as a party of the masses.
Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. On February 23, 1933, the Reichstag burned. Although the fire was arson, the “Reichstag Fire Decree” was issued the next day. It suspended the people’s right of assembly, negated the right to free speech and free press, allowed the state access to telephone conversations and mail, as well as the right to search houses, seize property and jail people without a trial. It enhanced Hitler’s power.
The Enabling Act passed on March 24, 1933 permitted Hitler to bypass the Reichstag and allowed the Reich Cabinet to govern. It laid a legal foundation for dictatorship. To further strengthen their hold on the government, the Nazis took over policing and local government.
Further, by eliminating political competition, the Nazi Party was, less than half a year after taking power, the only lawfully recognized political party in the country.
The Nazi government wasted no time in tightening the noose. On March 28, 1933, Hitler called for Jewish businesses to be boycotted. That occurred on April 1, 1933. Storm Troopers stood in front of Jewish shops. They painted slogans on shops such as “The Jews are our misery” that told patrons not to shop at Jewish enterprises. This action, however, was not as successful as the Nazis had hoped.
Laws were passed in 1933 that limited the number of Jewish doctors and lawyers who could practice their professions. A law also limited the number of Jewish students allowed into the state schools and universities. Another banned Jews from civil service jobs. Dachau, the first concentration camp, was established in March 1933 to incarcerate political prisoners.
Significant events also occurred in 1934. “The Night of Long Knives” took place on June 30. Hitler had Ernst Rohm, head of the SA, and 20 of his followers killed. Because of their role in this, the SS (Schutzstaffel or Protection Squad) was elevated to a top paramilitary force and Heinrich Himmler became head of the Nazis’ security forces. Even more momentous, on August 2, German President Paul von Hindenburg died. Hitler used the Enabling Act to merge the presidency and the chancellorship into one office. With that, he became Germany’s dictator.
The Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935. These separated Jews from the rest of the population. Jews were defined not by their religion but by their grandparents’ religious affiliations. With these laws, Jews lost the right to marry, their political rights, as well as the right to employ non-Jews. They could not display the national flag. Young people defined as Jews, even if they did not practice the religion or had converted to Christianity, could not take pre-college exams or pursue professions that required a state exit exam. They could not participate in Hitler Youth groups or the Reich Labor Service. The law for The Protection of German Blood and Honor outlawed sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews. Th...
