Upper Silesia in 1932: unemployed miners and their families moved into shacks in a shanty town because they had no money to pay their rent.

No one knew how many there were of them. They completely filled the streets. They stood or lay about in the streets as if they had taken root there. They sat or lay on the pavements or in the roadway and gravely shared out scraps of newspapers among themselves. - Eyewitness description of unemployed vagrants in Germany in 1932

The Nazis’ Appeal They promised strong leadership, at a time when the Weimar Government seemed indecisive They promised to rip up the Treaty of Versailles, and with it the hated reparations They offered a scapegoat for Germany’s woes, in the form of the Jews They had proposed solutions to unemployment

The Nazis also promised order in a time of chaos: My mother saw a storm trooper parade in the streets of Heidelberg. The sight of discipline in a time of chaos, the impression of energy in an atmosphere of universal hopelessness seems to have won her over. - Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect, writing in 1931

The Twenty-Five Point Programme The most important points of the Programme were: · - the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles · - union of Germany and Austria · - only ‘ true ’ Germans to be allowed to live in Germany. Jews in particular were to be excluded · - large industries and businesses to be nationalised · - generous provision for old age pensioners · - a strong central government in Germany.

Other Factors in Nazi Success Nazi campaigning was modern and effective Use of generalised slogans, not detailed policies Nazi image of order disguised their violent beating up of political opponents They used rallies effectively to promote a sense of excitement about their campaign Brilliant propagandists Even provided soup kitchens and hostels for unemployed

Nazi rally in Frankfurt, 1932

How did the Nazis get into Power? Effects of the Depression Their own campaigning methods An appealing political programme Support from key parts of society – the police often turned a blind eye to their excesses Growing weariness with Weimar

How did the Nazis get into Power? Despite these factors, the Nazis still were not able to gain a majority in the Reichstag. Their share of the vote actually fell in the november 1932 election, and Hitler thought the tide had turned against them. They eventually only reached government as a result of backroom deals by Germany’s aristocratic political leaders.