HITLER AND THE RISE OF THE NAZIS

With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the prediction made in this article from the New York Times was wrong. Hitler never returned to Austria to retire from public life. When he was released from prison, he remained active in politics, although the success of the Weimar Republic during the Stressemann period meant that extremist parties such as the Nazis were less of a threat.

Hitler left prison determined to win power by electoral means rather than violent revolution- "ballots not bullets" was the way the Nazi Party would take control of government. Although pushed the political background, Hitler began making many of political changes which would later guarantee such success. For example, he created a strong and disciplined party organization with himself as the unquestioned leader. He also created groups such as the S.A. and S.S and build up local party organization. Josef Goebbels, who would late become a key leader in Nazi Germany, began creating very persuasive forms of propaganda. In the political wilderness, Hitler was able to shape the tools that would eventually sweep him to power in the 1930's.

The key event that transformed the Nazis from a political fringe party to leading electoral contender was the Wall Street Crash of 1929. This helped to push the world into the Great Depression and few countries suffered as much as Germany. This was largely because the German economy was reliant on American loans, which were swiftly recalled once the New York Stockmarket crashed.

---

See the presentation below for how the Nazi Party were able to become the largest party in Germany by 1932.