The Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party
Hitler after an SS rally in Berlin
Adolf Hitler never had a real job aside from being a solider in WWI, but when he joined the German Worker Party (which would later evolve into the Nazi Party), Hitler tried harder than he ever had to make it work. At first, he and about seven other executive members invited only their friends to meetings, but hardly any showed up. Finally, the party placed an ad in a local anti-Semitic newspaper, at Hitler's insistence, and moved meetings to a tavern that could hold a hundred people. A little over a hundred came. Hitler was second to speak, and much to the surprise of his peers, gave an extraordinary, passionate speech that moved the audience. The German Worker Party used donations to fund more ads and leaflets, now featuring Adolf Hitler as their main speaker. He began to use the Jewish people as a scapegoat for Germany's problems, directing his follower's hatred towards them, and laying the foundation for the Holocaust.
Hitler took control of the company's propaganda in 1920, and choose the swastika as the symbol for his beloved party's flag. He did not come up with the swastika, but when he put it in a white circle on a red background, it became an instantly recognizable symbol, helping the Nazi party gain popularity. Hitler described the symbolism used "In the red we see the social idea of the movement, in the white the national idea, in the swastika the mission to struggle for the victory of Aryan man and at the same time the victory of the idea of creative work, which is eternally anti-Semitic and will always be anti-Semitic." By the end of 1920, the German worker party changed it's name to the Nazi Party, and had more than three thousand members.
The Great Depression's devastating effects on the German middle class helped Hitler win over everyone who felt their financial security was threatened. They continued to place blame on the Jews. By 1932, the Nazi Party emerged as the largest political party in Germany. The destruction of the SA leadership (under Ernst Rohm) in the 1934 Blood Purge confirmed Hitler as undisputed dictator of the Third Reich. The next four years, he numerous successes outwitting rivals, and on September 1st, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland to secure Germany's "living space", starting World War II.
Hitler took control of the company's propaganda in 1920, and choose the swastika as the symbol for his beloved party's flag. He did not come up with the swastika, but when he put it in a white circle on a red background, it became an instantly recognizable symbol, helping the Nazi party gain popularity. Hitler described the symbolism used "In the red we see the social idea of the movement, in the white the national idea, in the swastika the mission to struggle for the victory of Aryan man and at the same time the victory of the idea of creative work, which is eternally anti-Semitic and will always be anti-Semitic." By the end of 1920, the German worker party changed it's name to the Nazi Party, and had more than three thousand members.
The Great Depression's devastating effects on the German middle class helped Hitler win over everyone who felt their financial security was threatened. They continued to place blame on the Jews. By 1932, the Nazi Party emerged as the largest political party in Germany. The destruction of the SA leadership (under Ernst Rohm) in the 1934 Blood Purge confirmed Hitler as undisputed dictator of the Third Reich. The next four years, he numerous successes outwitting rivals, and on September 1st, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland to secure Germany's "living space", starting World War II.