Category: WWII

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who had been in opposition since 1923, won a nearly 30% majority in the 1928 Federal Elections. Despite having over 150 seats in the Reichstag, nearly 100 seats more than their main opposition, the right wing German National People’s Party (DNVP), the SPD, under chancellor Herman Müller formed a centre left to conservative liberal grand coalition, in order to gain a larger majority and form a stronger left.

As a part of the coalition, head of the German People’s Party (DVP) and former Chancellor, Gustav Stresemann, continued his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Stresemann attempted to enact the Young Plan, which would help decrease war reparations needing to be paid to the Allies and ultimately fell through. In addition, the new Hoover Administration in the United States implemented vast trade tariffs, lessening US credit to Germany.

With a plan with the US growing discontent with the liberal democratic process, allowing the slow but steady rise of the Nazi and the Communist Parties, Streseman pursued closer ties with Britain and France, managing to get French troops to withdraw from the Rhineland. He was perhaps even in the process of forming an economic and political Union in Europe, in order to counterweight the fast growing economy of the United States. Just after he managed to convince the Reichstag to go through with the Young Plan, Stresemann had a series of strokes and died on October 3rd, 1929. He was only 51. And this was when things went down the drain.

The Wall Street Crash hit not just the US Economy but the economy overseas too. Germany was hit especially hard. Still somewhat reeling from the hyperinflation crisis and needing to pay of Treaty of Versailles war debts, the economy was hit bad. By 1932, 6 million Germans were unemployed due to the hit on large industrial corporations. Small and medium businesses were hit even harder, leading to bankruptcy and eventually closure.

German banks faced massive collapse as loans were not being repaid, and credit froze. This caused a panic in the banking sector, further deepening the crisis. The German mark lost much of its value, and the financial system became unstable, leading to more business closures and layoffs. Due to a heavy reliance on an economy based on exports, a global trade halt further crippled the German economy. Not only that but American tariffs made the situation even worse, making it harder for Germany to trade.

The SDP Coalition collapsed in March 1930, due to the government increasing employees’ national insurance contributions, meaning they’d have to pay their worker’s less, at a time when wages were falling, due to the Depression. This meant that the SDP was no longer in control of the government, so President Paul von Hindenburg, a right leaning former World War 1 General, appointed Heinrich Brüning, leader of the Centre Party, as his new Chancellor.

Now governing in a minority, with only 61 seats in the Reichstag (around 12%), Brüning intended to liberate Germany from it’s debts, war and otherwise, by increasing wages and tightening the credit, a widely unpopular policy within the Reichstag. They voted down the policies, before Brüning passed them by himself anyway. The Reichstag, once again rejected the decree, with nearly all parties voting against it, including the SPD, Nazis and Communists. Brüning called for a dissolution of the current government from Hindenburg, who gladly obliged. Another election was to be held on September 14th, 1930. This is when Hitler saw an opportunity to strike.

He appointed Joseph Goebbels as head of the party’s propaganda division. Goebbels ended up overseeing much of the Reichstag campaign. Between 1928 and the election, the Nazi Party’s membership had more than doubled, to nearly 300,000. The party had 49 newspapers, 6 of which were published daily. The campaign was a massive success for the Nazis, who ended up gaining a large proportion of the vote, becoming the second largest party in the Reichstag. They gained 95 seats and had 18.3% of the vote in an election turnout of 82%, the highest since the Weimar Republic was established.

With nearly 40% of the vote between them, the SPD attempted to form a coalition with the Communists, who outright refused. Ernst Thälmann, leader of the Communist Party said that:

Hitler must come to power first, then the requirements for a revolutionary crisis [will] arrive more quickly

Thälmann speaking in February 1932

Bürning lost his majority and began to rule by decree, implementing harsh austerity measures that were vastly unpopular, but paved the way for the authoritarian way of government that the Nazis would come to thrive upon.

During this time, Hitler’s niece, Geli Raubal, had been living with him in his flat in Munich. Hitler was infatuated with his niece, even to the point where many historians suggest they may have had a romantic relationship. In 1931, she was found dead in Hitler’s apartment from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was only 23. No autopsy was performed and some suspect she may have been murdered. Her death left a deep impression on Hitler, with Rudolf Hess, deputy to the Führer, commenting on his demeanour after her death and often spoke about taking his own life. Hitler’s personal photographer stated that Geli’s death “was when the seeds of inhumanity began to grow inside Hitler.”

Because of his new large majority, Hitler believed that now was the time to seize power. He decided to do it by running for President in 1932. Many on the right, who had supported Hindenburg in the 1925 Presidential Election, were disappointed that Hindenburg had not dissolved the Weimar Republic so began to back Hitler, whilst people on the left and in the centre feared what Hitler might do, so began to back Hindenburg. With supporters switched, Hitler came second, but managed to gain 36% of the vote, miles ahead of Thälmann’s 10% but still behind Hindenburg’s 53%. However, this was still a testament to Hitler’s popularity and the popularity of the Nazis.

After an attempt at land redistribution by Bürning, Hindenburg, a landowner himself, vocally opposed this, forcing Bürning to resign, who was replaced by Franz von Papen, another Centre Politician. Papen was a recommendation to Hindenburg by Kurt von Schleicher, a right wing aristocratic former WW1 General who successfully halted the Kerensky Offensive on the Eastern Front. In order to curb the left’s threat to the aristocratic elite, Schleicher believed that he could use and weaponise the Nazis whilst keeping them under his control. Schleicher slowly wore Hindenburg down, convincing him to work with the Nazis and hiring Papen, a chancellor who he could easily manipulate. Whilst Schleicher believed he had everything in place, Hitler had other plans. For him it was the Nazis first.

Another federal election took place in July of 1932. The results were astounding.

The Nazis, now the largest political party in the Reichstag at 230 seats, they were getting too big for Schleicher to control. Hitler demands to be Chancellor, a move that, to Schleicher, came way out of left field. Realising that they are no longer talking to a servant but now a mad man, Schleicher and Papen both manage to convince Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and rule by Presidential decree.

Papen, by order of Hindenburg, travelled to the Reichstag on September 12th with the intent of grabbing the speaker’s attention to dissolve parliament. However, the Communists quickly requested a vote of no confidence in Papen’s government. Papen was highly unpopular in the Reichstag, something which he was very aware of but expected an immediate objection that never came. He stood up and attempted to show the Presidential decree calling for the Reichstag’s dissolution to the Reichstag Speaker. There was one small problem. The Speaker was Hermann Göring, a very high ranking member of the Nazi Party known to be Hitler’s fixer, who simply ignored him and called a vote of no confidence. The motion carried by 512 to 42. Papen was out.

Frustrated at this, Papen quickly calls another snap election for that November. However, Hindenburg, displeased with his unpopularity in the Reichstag, dismisses him regardless. He replaced him with Schleicher, whose primary objective now is to stop Hitler and the Nazis, in whatever way he can.

The next federal election comes around and the economy is looking on the up. Becuase of this, the Nazis lose 34 seats in the Reichstag. Not only that but power hungry Nazis are beginning to defect, only to be picked up by Schleicher. In addition, years of campaigning have left the Nazis on the verge of bankruptcy. Hitler may end up losing all his power. This is what should’ve been the beginning of the end.

In one last attempt to clasp onto whatever power he may still have a chance of getting, Hitler meets with Papen in January of 1933. Whilst Papen does not agree with Hitler on many issues, he still sees him as a way back into power and get back at Schleicher, so the two begin to collaborate and the two vow to form a coalition at the next election. Papen then speaks to Hindenburg, requesting that he, Papen, become Vice Chancellor and Hitler becomes Chancellor. Hindenburg accepts the plan.

On the 30th of January 1933, appointed Hitler as his next Chancellor. Hitler requested the dissolving of the Reichstag from Hindenburg and to schedule the elections for early March. Hitler now has power. Little does Hindenburg know that this the beginning of the end for democracy in Germany.

May all others understand our position and so help to ensure that this sincere desire for the welfare of Europe and of the whole world shall find fulfilment. Despite our love for our Army as the bearer of our arms and the symbol of our great past, we should be happy if the world, by restricting its armaments, made unnecessary any increase in our own weapons. But if Germany is to experience this political and economic revival and conscientiously to fulfill its duties towards other nations, a decisive act is required: We must overcome the demoralization of Germany by the Communists.

An excerpt from Hitler’s first radio address after becoming Chancellor

By late 1923, hyperinflation was in full swing. To explain simply, hyperinflation was caused when Germany continued to fail to make war payments, leading to the French occupied the heavily industrialised Ruhr province, where much of the industry of the Weimar Republic was, and decided to reclaim payments through more materials. In order to pay them back as soon as possible, the government began printing more money. This led to more cash in people’s pockets, so business owners increased the prices of their products. When the government noticed this, they began to print more money, which led to people having more money, which led to prices increasing, which ultimately led to people hauling around wheelbarrows full of money in order to buy a loaf of bread. And, as I’m sure you’re aware, the more of something you have, the less valuable it becomes. By the end of 1923, 1 US Dollar was worth 4.23 trillion marks.

Many who had savings found them to be worthless and were thus left destitute and penniless, despising the political establishment as it was. Unemployment was through the roof and many Germans began to turn to extreme alternatives to the established government. High ranking members of the Bavarian government organised a meeting at the Bürgerbräu Keller, a beer hall in Munich, to discuss the establishment of an authoritarian regime in Bavaria, that would not adhere to the rules of other Weimar German States, despising the central government’s passive action against the French Occupation of the Ruhr. Hitler, fearing that the Minister-President of Bavaria, Gustav Ritter von Kahr, would pose a threat to his nationalist revolution, he decided to act.

At around 8:30 in the evening of November 8th, 1923, where Bavarian officials, including von Kahr as well as General Otto von Lossow and Chief of Bavarian Police Hans Ritter von Seisser, were having their meeting, Hitler stormed into the beer hall with his personal body guard, firing his pistol into the air. “National revolution is underway!” he cried. He then proceeded to state that the Bavarian government had been deposed and that it was now simply a matter of the central government, which was a massive lie. Hitler’s plan was to mimic Benito Mussolini’s March on Rome, taking Berlin by force.

He organised Kahr, Lossow and Seisser into a backroom and forced them to cooperate at gun point. Meanwhile, the SA was tasked with securing communications lines and seizing local government authorities. However, this is when things began to go down hill very quickly. The SA only managed to seize a handful of government buildings. In addition, Hitler left the trio in the hands of Erich Ludendorff, a former World War 1 General and fervent German Nationalist, who let them go, under the pretense that they would go and assist in the revolution. They did not, instead ordering the military and police to suppress the Nazis.

Agitated, Hitler paced around the beer hall for hours, thinking on what to do next now that his three points of leverage had gone, enabling the military and police to set up blockades around the city. Eventually, Hitler rallied some 2,000 men to march on the Feldherrnhalle, a Bavarian Army war memorial from the 19th Century. After marching for some distance, the group encountered an armed police presence. After pausing for a moment, they continued to march, and the police opened fire.

With over a dozen Nazis dead and four police officers killed in a shootout, Hitler had fled and went into hiding. He was eventually captured two days later and put on trial for high treason in February 1924. High treason carried a sentence of life imprisonment. Despite the multiple other crimes perpetrated during the putsch, such as the murder of the police officers and the assault of Jewish citizens of Munich, Hitler, as well as other Nazis were only tried for treason. The right leaning judge, Georg Niendhart was incredibly lenient on Hitler.

Whilst the Bavarian government wanted to keep the trial on the down low as much as possible, Hitler wanted to make a scene, often erupting into fiery speeches, interrupting court procedure and telling his entire life story, interjections that the judge actively enabled. Because of this, Hitler’s public profile grew over the course of the trial. Whilst he was found guilty, Niendhart only sentenced him to 5 years at Landsberg Prison, of which he only served nine months. His cell was incredibly luxurious and he was treated incredibly well, often having meetings with party members.

He also began to work on Mein Kampf, his autobiography and political manifesto. Much of the book contained antisemitic and racist talking points.

Races which are culturally superior but less ruthless would be forced to restrict their increase, because of insufficient territory to support the population, while less civilized races could increase indefinitely, owing to the vast territories at their disposal. In other words: should that state of affairs continue, then the world will one day be possessed by that portion of mankind which is culturally inferior but more active and energetic. A time will come, even though in the distant future, when there can be only two alternatives: Either the world will be ruled according to our modern concept of democracy, and then every decision will be in favour of the numerically stronger races; or the world will be governed by the law of natural distribution of power, and then those nations will be victorious who are of more brutal will and are not the nations who have practised self-denial.

Hitler’s writings in Mein Kampf

Eventually, Hitler was released from prison. It was then that he realised that the Nazis could not take over a nation by force. In order to create a “racial state” he could not do it from the outside in but from the inside out.

Unlike most other soldiers that returned to civilian life, Hitler elected to remain a part of the military, eventually being recruited to the Information Office under Captain Karl Mayr. He excelled in this line of work, and impressed Mayr with his oration skills, to such a point where Mayr asked him to respond to a letter from a soldier about the Jewish Question. This became one of Hitler’s first, and most notable, antisemitic writings.

[T]he Jews are unquestionably a race, not a religious community. And the Jew himself never describes himself as a Jewish German, a Jewish Pole or a Jewish American, but always as a German, Polish or American Jew. Never has the Jew absorbed more from the alien people in whose midst he lives than their language. […] There is hardly a race in the world whose members all belong to a single religion. Through inbreeding for thousands of years, often in very small circles, the Jew has been able to preserve his race and his racial characteristics much more successfully than most of the numerous people among whom he lives. As a result we have living in our midst a non-German, alien race, unwilling and indeed unable to shed its racial characteristics, its particular feelings, thoughts and ambitions, and nevertheless enjoying the same political rights as we ourselves do. [A Jews] activities produce a racial tuberculosis among nations. And this has the following result: Antisemitism stemming from purely emotive reasons will always find its expression in the form of pogroms. But antisemitism based on reason must lead to the systematic legal combating and removal of the rights of the Jew […]. [A governments] final aim, however, must be the uncompromising removal of the Jews altogether.

Hitler’s letter to the soldier

As a part of his job in the Information Office, he’d often infiltrate parties suspected of communist sentiments. In September of 1919, he attended a meeting at the German Workers Party, also known as the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in German or DAP for short. However, he found that the party did support Marxism, like the title of the party suggested, but instead was incredibly nationalist and antisemitic, both of which Hitler agreed with.

He eventually formally joined the party and resigned from his position at the information office. He’d often speak at party meetings, impressing Party Chairman, Anton Drexler, with his oration skills. Drexler allowed Hitler to publicly speak at rallies, and became a mentor to him. However, Hitler was less than impressed by the disorganisation of the party, asking Drexler if he could enact vast changes within the party. Drexler agreed and Hitler quickly got to work. He became the head of recruitment propaganda and organised massive rallies, where he would often speak. His oratory skills made him a vital asset to the party.

One of his most notable changes was the rebranding of the party to the National Socialist German Workers Party, which in German translates to Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei and was commonly abbreviated to the NSDAP or the Nazi Party. He also created a party logo, which consisted of a black swastika, a Hindu symbol meaning prosperity, in a white circle with a red background, the colours of the former Imperial German Flag.

Eventually, Hitler announced a massive reworking of power inside the party, which would remove a democratically elected chairman and replace them with a “Führer” with absolute power. If his demands were not met, Hitler would resign from the party. Fearing the loss of the party’s greatest speaker, Drexler conceded, stepping down from the role of Chairman and allowing Hitler to ascend to the title of Führer of the Party. This is the first example of Hitler assuming absolute power, by any means necessary.

During these early years of the Nazi Party, many men, who would soon become high ranking members of the party, joined, inspired greatly by Hitler’s words. Ernst Röhm joined around the same time as Hitler and the two became fast friends. Röhm became the only person who would refer to Hitler by his first name, often referring to him as “Adi”. As the party developed and rose in popularity in the 1930s, Röhm would become the head of the Stormtroopers, also known as the SA, a violent paramilitary arm of the Nazi Party.

Through Röhm another notorious figure within the ranks of the party would enter, a man named Heinrich Himmler. Known for his cunning, loyalty and brutality, he would later become the head of the Schutzstaffel, more commonly known as the SS, another paramilitary group of the Nazis, who differed from the SA in their brutality and loyalty.

Finally of note was Hermann Göring. Having met Hitler in 1921, he was appointed as Supreme Leader of the SA in March 1923, and later became a key figure in the political rise of the Nazis throughout the 1930s via the democracy of the Weimar Republic.

In June 1921, there was a mutiny in the party, which kicked out Drexler and Hitler became the party chairman, where he spoke at beer halls, a type of large German pub. Early followers included Hermann Goering, a former flying ace, Ernst Rohm, a WW1 veteran and was later found out to be homosexual, and Rudolf Hess, another WW1 veteran and met Hitler at one of his speeches in 1920. Rohm later became the head of the Nazi’s Paramilitary force, the Stormtroopers or SA.