Download Biography of Hitler 2009

Biography of Adolf Hitler
DIRECTIONS: Using the information below answer the questions on
side two:
In the early 1930s, the mood in Germany was grim. The worldwide economic depression had
hit the country especially hard, and millions of people were out of work. Still fresh in the
minds of many was Germany's humiliating defeat fifteen years earlier during World War I,
and Germans lacked confidence in their weak government, known as the Weimar Republic.
These conditions provided the chance for the rise of a new leader, Adolf Hitler, and his party,
the National Socialist German Workers' Party, or Nazi party for short.
Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding speaker who attracted a wide following of Germans
desperate for change. He promised the disenchanted a better life and a new and glorious
Germany. The Nazis appealed especially to the unemployed, young people, and members of
the lower middle class (small store owners, office employees, craftsmen, and farmers).
The party's rise to power was rapid. Before the economic depression struck, the Nazis were
practically unknown, winning only 3 percent of the vote to the Reichstag (German parliament)
in elections in 1924. In the 1932 elections, the Nazis won 33 percent of the votes, more than
any other party. In January 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor, the head of the German
government, and many Germans believed that they had found a savior for their nation.
These are the reasons for Hitler’s rise to power: 1.
Long-term bitterness - Deep anger about the First World War and the Treaty of
Versailles created an underlying bitterness to which Hitler’s viciousness and expansionism
appealed, so they gave him support.
2.
Ineffective Constitution - Weaknesses in the Constitution crippled the government. In
fact, there were many people in Germany who wanted a return to dictatorship. When the
crisis came in 1929–1933 – there was no one who was prepared or able to fight to stop
Hitler.
3.
Money - The financial support of wealthy businessmen gave Hitler the money to run
his propaganda and election campaigns.
4.
Propaganda - Nazi propaganda persuaded the German masses to believe that the
Jews were to blame and that Hitler was their last hope.
5.
Programme - Hitler promised everybody something, so they supported him.
6.
Attacks on other parties - The Storm troopers attacked Jews and people who opposed
Hitler. Many opponents kept quiet simply because they were scared of being murdered –
and, if they were, the judges simply let the Storm troopers go free.
7.
Personal Qualities - Hitler was a brilliant speaker, and his eyes had a peculiar power
over people. He was a good organiser and politician. He was a driven, unstable man, who
believed that he had been called by God to become dictator of Germany and rule the world.
This kept him going when other people might have given up. His self-belief persuaded
people to believe in him.
8.
Economic Depression - After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the US called in its loans to
Germany, and the German economy collapsed. The Number of unemployed grew; people
starved on the streets. In the crisis, people wanted someone to blame, and looked to extreme
solutions – Hitler offered them both, and Nazi success in the elections grew.
Germans turned to Nazism because they were desperate. The number of Nazi
seats in the Reichstag rose from 12 in 1928 to 230 in July 1932.
Biography of Adolf Hitler
NAME: _________________________________ Period:_____ Row:____ Score:_____
1-2.
List two reasons the mood was grim in Germany in the 1930s:
1__________________________________________________________________________
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2__________________________________________________________________________
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3-4.
What were the two names used for the Hitler’s German party?
3__________________________________________________________________________
4__________________________________________________________________________
5.
What was it about Hitler as a speaker that attracted a wide following of Germans
desperate for change?
__________________________________________________________________
6.
What did Hitler promise the disenchanted?
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7.
In January 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor, the head of the German
government, and many Germans believed that they had found what?
___________________________________________________________________
Summarize the reasons for Hitler’s rise to power: 8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Long-term bitterness - _________________________________________________
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Ineffective Constitution - ________________________________________________
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Money - ____________________________________________________________
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Propaganda - ________________________________________________________
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Programme - ________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Attacks on other parties - _______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Personal Qualities - ___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Economic Depression - ________________________________________________
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