Download Why did so many Germans vote for the NSDAP in the

Why did so many Germans vote
for the NSDAP in the elections of
1930 and 1932?
Hitler and the Fuhrer Principle
• Hitler was personally very popular and a
charismatic and powerful public speaker.
• He had fought in the German army during the
First World War and, although he had only been
a corporal, he was seen as a ‘man of the
people’. Much was made of this during the 1932
Presidential Election.
• Part of Nazi party philosophy was the ‘Fuhrer
Principle’ – namely the idea that there should be
one strong leader or Fuhrer. This appealed to
those who were disillusioned with the weak
Weimar coalitions and felt that democracy was
feeble and ineffective.
Quick solutions to economic
problems:
• The Nazis promised to provide
employment through rearmament and
conscription.
• Many of the Nazi promises on the
economy were vague but their ideas
appealed to those who had suffered during
the economic crises of 1923 and 1929.
Communism:
• The Nazis were vehemently anticommunist. They promised to destroy
communism and curb trade union power.
This was especially appealing to the
middle classes and those who feared that
communism may take Germany along the
same violent path as Russia. This was
probably the biggest factor in the Nazis
winning power as the KPD vote increased
after 1930.
State Socialism
• The NSDAP started off as the DAP, or
German Workers’ Party, so there were
socialist elements to their policies.
• The Nazis promised jobs and a fairer
share of national wealth.
• Hitler added ‘Socialist’ to the title of the
party in an attempt to give it a broader
appeal.
Foreign Policies
• The Nazis had an aggressive foreign policy,
designed to restore Germany’s power.
• They promised to overturn Versailles, re-arm,
and create a ‘Grossdeutschland’ incorporating
all German-speaking peoples into the Reich.
• These ideas were popular with most Germans.
• The Nazis promised to achieve Lebensraum ie
the expansion of German territory as far east as
the Ural Mountains in Soviet Russia, in order to
ensure the Reich had all the resources it needed
for self-sufficiency (or autarky), such as oil,
minerals and grain.
Racial Policies
• Nazi racial policies appealed to many likeminded Germans.
• The Nazis promised to get the ‘bank Jews’ off
the back of hard-working ordinary Germans, e.g.
farmers, shop-keepers, and small businessmen.
• Anti-Semitism was common in Germany at the
time, but not widespread enough to make this a
major vote winner for the Nazis.
Propaganda and Funding
• The backing of wealthy businessmen such
as Alfred Hugenburg was crucial in Nazi
electoral success. Hugenburg also owned
several newspapers and a chain of
cinemas, which helped publicise the Nazi
message.
• Nazi propaganda was also very effective
in getting the Nazi message across to the
electorate.
Appealed to all social classes
• Because of all of these policies and ideas the
Nazis did have broad appeal.
• Wealthy landowners and army officers desired a
‘Kaiser figure’ and therefore the Fuhrer Principle
was appealing.
• These people also supported the Nazis anticommunist stance, as did the middle-classes.
• Many of the working classes also supported the
Nazis. The KPD did well in towns, but the Nazis
did better in rural areas.