The Rise of Nazism

Germany – Nazi Germany, 1933-45

In this course, Dr Lisa Pine (London South Bank University) explores several aspects of Nazi Germany. In the first module, we think about the rise of Nazism from the foundation of the DAP (later the NSDAP) in 1919 to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933. After that, we think about the impact of the Great Depression specifically on the rise of the Nazi Party, before turning in the third module to the question of what kind of people voted (and did not vote) for the Nazis. In the fourth module, we think about the importance of the propaganda and the 'Hitler myth' to the stability of the Nazi regime, before turning in the fifth module to consider the role of coercion and terror, focusing in particular on the role of Nazi secret police, the Gestapo, and the extensive concentration camp network that lasted between 1933-44. Finally, in the sixth module, we think about the experience of women in Nazi Germany.

The Rise of Nazism

In this module, we think about the rise of Nazism in the period 1918-33, focusing in particular on: (i) the Sonderweg theory in German historiography, its central thesis, and its proponents and its critics; (ii) the development of scientific racism in the second half of the nineteenth century: Darwin's Origin of Species, Herbert Spencer's "survival of the fittest" and Arthur de Gobineau's theory of the Aryan master race; (iii) the emergence of radical right-wing groups at the turn of the century, e.g. the Pan-German League; (iv) the impact of the First World War, the German Revolution, and the creation of the Weimar Republic in the creation of the Nazi Party; (v) the economic and political difficulties of Weimar Germany in the period 1918-22, especially the difficulties created by the Treaty of Versailles; (vi) the sense in which things improved between 1923-29, including important developments in art, science and social welfare; (vii) the origins of the Nazi Party in the German Workers' Party (DAP), founded in 1919; (viii) the importance of Adolf Hitler in the emergence of the DAP: his leadership of the party, creation of an official newspaper and a paramilitary wing; (ix) the (failed) Beer Hall Putsch and Hitler's time in jail; (x) the continued growth of the party after Hitler is released from jail; and (xi) Hitler's use of violence and propaganda to defeat his enemies and gain popular support.