1. Changes to the Party 1920 -1922
Learning Objectives:
• To identify how Hitler rose to power
• To explore the early years of the Nazi Party and the SA
• To examine the extent of Hitler’s role in the rise of the Nazis
2. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
Use the information on the next few pages to build a timeline of
the development and changes in the Nazi Party between 1919
and 1922. This can be added to your existing timeline that you
have already created.
In 1919 Anton Drexler created the DAP
(German Worker’s Party) in Munich,
Bavaria. The party believed in a “pure
German” people and were very
nationalistic (patriotic). In 1919 they
only had 6 members.
3. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
In September 1919 Adolf Hitler
attended a meeting and was so angry
at one of the speaker’s comments he
made a powerful speech in reply.
Drexler was so impressed with his
speaking skills that he asked Hitler to
join the party.
In the DAP Hitler realised he was
talented at public speaking and was
soon put in charge of recruitment and
propaganda.
4. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
In February 1920 Hitler and the then leader of the party Anton
Drexler wrote the 25 Point Programme. A political manifesto of
the party’s (then known as the DAP) ideas. Hitler kept to these
ideas most of his life. These ideas included all non Germans
having to leave and scrapping the Treaty of Versailles. Many of
the ideas were anti-Semitic (anti Jewish).
In 1920 the party grew massively (largely thanks to Hitler’s public
speaking skills) and becomes known as the Nazi Party. The
increased membership to the party meant that they could publish
their own newspaper (The People’s Observer) where they could
advertise their ideas.
5. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
In 1921 Hitler became leader of the party. He had the role of
“Fuhrer” (leader) and developed “Fuhrerprizip” which meant he
had absolute power in the party and was answerable to none.
This was a warning of how he planned to rule Germany in the
future.
In 1921 Hitler also started to use the swastika as the symbol of
the Nazi Party and the one armed salute.
The Sturmabteilung (SA) were also created and led by Ernst
Rohm in 1921 to protect Nazi speakers. They were bully boy
thugs and used violence. They were known as “the brown shirts”
because of the colour of their uniform.
6. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
Hitler used the SA to disrupt meetings of his opposition parties
(the Communists and the Social Democrats).
His speeches criticised the Weimar Government (the November
Criminals) and their mistakes (the Treaty of Versailles) but also
contained hate for Jews and emphasis on the purity of the
German race (an need for an Aryan race). He used the Jews as a
scapegoat for all of Germany’s problems.
He used lots of publicity and membership of the party grew to
55,000. However, the majority of his support was in the area of
Bavaria.
7. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To explore
the early years
of the Nazi Party
and the SA
Sturmabteilung (SA) or storm troopers
• They were the Nazis’ private army
• They were recruited from demobbed
soldiers, the unemployed & students
• These ‘Brownshirts provided security at
meetings & bodyguards for Nazi leaders
• They broke up meetings of opposition
groups
• Hitler put Rohm in charge of the SA
• Many of the SA were thugs & difficult to
control so in 1923 Hitler selected trusted
members of the SA & formed his own
personal bodyguard – the Stosstrupp or
Shock Troop
Describe the role of the
SA in Hitler’s Nazi
Party?
8. Source 1
The trouble had not begun when my storm troopers
attacked. Like wolves, they flung themselves in packs of
eight or ten upon the enemy. After only five minutes, I hardly
saw one of them who was not covered in blood. The hall
looked as if a shell had struck it. Many of my supporters
were being bandaged, others had to be driven away, but we
had remained the masters of the situation.
Adolf Hitler, 1925
Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To explore
the early years
of the Nazi Party
and the SA
What do you learn about the SA (Stormtroopers) from the
below source?
9. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To examine
the extent of
Hitler’s role in
the rise of the
Nazis
There were four main ways in which Hitler was able to rise to
power.
• The creation of the SA
• The designing of the Nazi Emblem
• Hitler’s own charisma
• Hitler gathering close supporters
You have already learnt about the role of the SA. Now read the
next set of slides. In your pairs, discuss how all these factor
helped Hitler rise to power. Make bullet point notes as you go.
10. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
Nazi Emblem • As a self-proclaimed artist, Hitler gave a lot of
thought to the Nazi symbology.
• He recognised the need for the Nazis to have a
memorable emblem, and designed the now
infamous flag.
• The colours of the flag red, black and white were the
same colours as the flag under the Kaiser
• Red represented the socialist ideas of the
movement, white the nationalist and the swastika
the mission for the victory of the Aryan man
• The flag and swastika emblem essentially turned
the Nazis from a political party into a household
brand.
• As a result, Hitler propelled the party in the
popularity stakes, and membership rose quickly.
LO: To examine
the extent of
Hitler’s role in
the rise of the
Nazis
11. Charisma • Hitler was incredibly charismatic.
• He was also an excellent orator
(public speaker) and drew huge
crowds to his Nazi speeches and
rallies.
• This increased the Nazi audience,
and allowed them to convey their
ideas to the masses.
• No other party at the time had such
a ‘hypnotic’ speaker.
• As a result, support for the party
greatly increased.
Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To examine
the extent of
Hitler’s role in
the rise of the
Nazis
12. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
Close
Supporters
LO: To examine
the extent of
Hitler’s role in
the rise of the
Nazis
• As soon as Hitler took the leadership in
1921, he surrounded himself with loyal
supporters.
• He rewarded these men with positions of
power in the party, and many went on to
become top Nazis in later years.
• By surrounding himself with these
supporters, he ensured his own position
was safe, whilst being able to delegate
most of his dirty work to them.
• This created competition within the Nazi
party itself, with several prominent
supporters vying for power, which
essentially caused the party to escalate its
policies and become more and more
extreme.
13. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
Hitler’s closest supporters
Ernst Rohm -
a scar faced,
Bull-necked
soldier
Hermann Goring –
a wealthy hero of the
German Air Force
Julius Streicher –
founder of the Nazi
Paper Der Sturmer
Rudolf Hess –
a wealthy academic
who became Hitler’s
deputy
LO: To examine
the extent of
Hitler’s role in
the rise of the
Nazis
14. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
Review Source 5 on pgs. 34-35 in your text
books.
Using your own
knowledge and Source
5 create a spider
diagram that outlines
what the Nazi’s stood.
15. Changes to the Party
1920 -1922
LO: To identify
how Hitler rose
to power
Read pgs.
36 & 37.
Complete
the task
and activity
on pg. 37.
