Rise of the Nazis in Weimar Germany: Methods and Impact

The Nazis used a number of methods to take advantage of the economic and political problems of the Weimar Republic. They focused on: the appeal of Hitler, the activities of the SA, skillful use of propaganda. During election campaigns in 1930-32, the Nazis presented Hitler as the strong leader that Germany needed and was looking for. In posters, his appearance was changed and he was shown to have almost superhuman strength. When making speeches, for example at Nazi rallies, Hitler developed a powerful and convincing personal style. He said he was Germany's last hope and he promised a better future. These messages were very popular with people who were desperate to see Germany become strong again. Hitler made sure his messages would appeal to many different groups in Germany, with broad pledges such as 'Make Germany Strong' and 'Smash the chains of Versailles'. Powerful business interests were vying to support Hitler and provide financial backing for his campaign with the aim of stopping the rise of communist support. It was time for the German people to stand up to big business and advocate for a fairer society. After 1929, the National Party which had previously attracted the support of big business in Germany had been in decline, so industrialists began to favor Hitler as an alternative. Business owners like Krupps and Siemens gave money to help.

The SA played a part in the Nazis’ increasing popularity by:

• Intimidating the Nazis’ political opponents – especially the communists – by turning up at their meetings and attacking them.
• Providing opportunities for young, unemployed men to become involved in the party.
• Protecting Hitler and other key Nazis when they organized meetings and made speeches.

By 1932, there were 400,000 members of the SA. The Nazis had consistently attacked the Treaty, calling it a diktat that had been imposed on the German people, not only by the victorious Allies, but also by the new Weimar government who had signed it. Hitler promised to discard the restrictions of the Treaty and restore Germany’s armed forces and its position of strength and pride in international affairs. Hitler also promised to ignore the payment of reparations.

Nazi propaganda was controlled by Joseph Goebbels and had three main themes:

• The Führer cult. Hitler was always portrayed as Germany’s savior – the man who would rescue the country from the grip of depression.
• Volksgemeinschaft (people’s community). This was the idea that the Nazis would create one German community that would make religion or social class less relevant to people.
• Scapegoating the Jews (and others) for Germany’s ills. Jews were often portrayed as sub-human, or as a threat to both the racial purity and economic future of the country.

Hitler was a great speaker with an extraordinary power to win people over. Goebbels' propaganda campaign was very effective and brought huge support for the Nazis by targeting specific groups of society with different slogans and policies to win their support. Propaganda was delivered in a number of ways - newspapers, posters, radio, and news films in the cinemas. The messages were simple, and said what Germans wanted to hear.