Starter

Match these events to the years…..

Munich Putsch

Hitler removes Drexler as leader of the German Workers’ Party [Nazis]

Hitler born in Austria

Stresemann’s government takes over

Hyperinflation

Spartacist rebellion

Kapp Putsch

1923(majority of it) 1889 1920 1919 1923(Aug)

1923(Nov) 1921

Starter Write me a speech / thought bubble for Hitler based on this image….

Learning outcome

By the end of the lesson we will be able to

Discuss the Nazis in the ‘wilderness years’ of 1924-

1929

How are we going to learn?

Play as Hitler!

On your workshee

t you start with

100% health rating

Play as Adolf

1923Following the unsuccessful Munich Putsch in

November 1923 you, as Adolf Hitler, faced trial for high treason against the Weimar Republic.

How do you play the situation at the trial?

A) Impress the judges with your skill as an orator

B) Refuse to speak to any of the prosecutors, opting to go ‘No comment’

C) Blame everyone else, including Ludendorff for the failed Putsch

D) Plead guilty to high treason

Play as Adolf

1923A) Impress the judges with your skill as an orator

Gain 10 points on your health rating. You impress the judges with your assured performance in the witness box. This leads to you ‘only’ receiving a 5 year sentence.

Play as Adolf

1923B) Refuse to speak to any of the prosecutors,

opting to go ‘No comment.

This is not a smart move Adolf! You are not utilising your undoubted skills at a public

speaker. The German press report this fact, and the judges don’t take pity on you. You receive

the mandatory life sentence for treason.

Lose 25 points on your health rating.

Play as Adolf

1923C) Blame everyone else, including Ludendorff for

the failed

Putsch

Not a bad idea, however this doesn’t impress the judges or the public via the media and written

press. Unfortunately you receive the mandatory life sentence for high treason.

Lose 15 points from your health rating

Play as Adolf

1923

D) Plead guilty to high treason

An admirable tactic, however this basically means that you know your fate and do not rely on your public oratory skills to woo over the judges.

Lose 10 points from your health rating.

Play as Adolf

1923 –: what really happened?

Hitler so impressed the judges that he and his accomplices got off very lightly. Ludendorff

was freed altogether and Hitler was only given 5 years in prison even though the legal

guidelines stated he should’ve received a mandatory life sentence.

Play as Adolf

1924(a)

You’re now stuck in the, relative, comfort of Landsberg Castle.

Play as Adolf

Play as Adolf

1924(a)You are beginning to write your novel, Mein Kampf to pass away the hours. What is the central strand of it that you intend to write?

A) You plot that when you get out of prison you will group together as many ex-soldiers as you can to form a new, elite, SA, to seize power in the ReichstagB) You decide to go back to Austria and form a new Nazi Party there and leave Germany when released.C) The Nazis would not be able to take power by force. We will have to work within the democratic system and take power through democratic means.

Play as Adolf

1924(a)A) You plot that when you get out of prison you will group together as many ex-soldiers as you can to form a new, elite, SA, to seize power in the Reichstag

This is basically the same philosophy that has got you into prison at this time! It’s been

proved that you need to take the democratic route to power albeit on the face of it!

Lose 10 points from your health rating

Play as Adolf

1924(a)B) You decide to go back to Austria and form a new Nazi Party there and leave Germany when released.

A strange decision considering you are the decorated war veteran that served his new country

with such vigour in the ‘Great War’. You are released from prison and go into obscurity and are

never head from again.

Lose 25 points from your health rating

Play as Adolf

1924(a)C) The Nazis would not be able to take power by

force. We will have to work within the democratic system and take power through democratic

means.

A really sensible policy - after all the violent means has ended up with you in prison after all.

Gain 10 points to your health rating.

Play as Adolf

1924 (a)– what really happened?

Hitler spent his time in prison writing Mein Kampf as well as coming to the conclusion that the Nazis would not be able to seize power by force. They would have to work within the democratic system to achieve

power but, once in power, they could destroy the system!

Play as Adolf

1924 (b)–

Beer

Play as Adolf

1924 (b)– You are now released from prison and you quickly get down to celebrating in the beer

halls of Munich. You hook up with some likeminded people in the German Workers’ Party. What do you decide is the best way

forward for the Nazis now you’ve been released from prison?

A) Let’s regroup and concentrate on building up funds

B) Bide our time on the rebuilding and get lots of copies of Mein Kampf printed and put out into the public domain

C) Fight the May 1924 Reichstag elections, after all it’s better to get our name out there again even if we’ve no chance of winning

Play as Adolf

1924 (b)– A) Let’s regroup and concentrate on building up funds

A sensible policy – the Nazis do not have the funds, or the candidates for that matter for them to fight the May 1924 elections successfully and make any inroads.

Lose 3 points from your health

Play as Adolf

1924 (b)– B) Bide our time on the rebuilding and get lots of copies of Mein Kampf printed and put out into the public domain

Mein Kampf is a document that may be of fascination to historians, but unfortunately it doesn’t top the best sellers list at the Weimar’s Waterstones!

Perhaps it would have been better if you’d concentrated on some real ‘political’ action?

Lose 10 points from your health rating

Play as Adolf

1924 (b)– C) Fight the May 1924 Reichstag elections,

after all it’s better to get our name out there again even if we’ve no chance of winning

A great decision Adolf! You really hit the ground running following your release from prison and the Nazis fight the Reichstag elections for the very first time. Your bold decision is rewarded and the Nazis win a creditable 32 seats. Not enough to form a government , but a step in the right direction.

Gain 10 points

Play as Adolf

1924 (b) What really happened?–

The Nazis fought the Reichstag elections for the first time in May 1924, and won 32 seats.

Encouraged by this Hitler decided on further far reaching reforms and changes to the Nazi party

such as a network of local parties.

You are going to view a series of slides - and I

want you to think about the connection between

them:……

1924( c )

Following your successful showing in May elections and the reorganisation of the local

Nazi Party you turn your attention to the children of Germany.

What do you decide to do?

A) Nothing. They can’t exactly vote for you.

B) Reform the Hitler Youth a group whereby you can indoctrinate them further on their own away from their parents

C) Create a boys only youth group –- girls should learn their role model behaviour from their mothers

1924( c )

A) Nothing. They can’t exactly vote for you.

Perhaps you are write -– but you’re missing out on a potential future ‘market’ of voters and also on their ability to push the Nazi message home to the parents and other adults they know.

Lose 10 from your health

1924( c )

B) Reform the youth group called the Hitler Youth whereby you can indoctrinate them further on their

own away from their parents

A genius masterstroke!

You are able to tap into the youth market with the skill of a modern-day advertiser. This reaps its

reward later in the 1930s when those same children become people supportive of the Nazi

regime.

Gain 15 points on your health.

1924( c )

C) Create a boys only youth group –- girls should learn their role model behaviour from their

mothers

Although it is easily understandable to target the male youth of Germany – there is still a place for the young girls who can play a role in forming the

‘master Aryan’ race

Lose 3 points from your health

1924( c ) : what really happened?

Hitler made plans to reform the disbanded Hitler Youth and this eventually came about in 1926. Ostensibly this group has just gone underground following the Munich Putsch however many of the key players were still

active in Nazi political circles. Although mainly aimed at boys – girls from the ages of

10-18 were included.

1925

We move into 1925 and the Nazis have suffered an election setback in the December

1924 poll. They received only 14 seats this time –- losing 50% of the seats they had won in the earlier election in 1924. You decide to

do something about it and recruit more people for the SA. Where do you get them

from?

A) Ex-army personnel and the unemployed

B) Ex-army personnel

C) Older members of the Hitler Youth

D) Austria and any neighbouring countries.

1925

A) Ex-army personnel and the unemployed

A smart tactic. Ex-army personnel have a desired hatred of the Communists and the unemployed are fair game for your brand of patriotism.

Gain 10 points on your health rating.

1925

B) Ex-army personnel

A clever move - but you’ve missed out a potential resource in the unemployed who could have easily been brainwashed into following your particular brand of fascism!

Gain 3 points onto your health waiting

1925

C) Older members of the Hitler Youth

These would be a potential resource to add to the SA however they’re probably a bit too naive and green to be doing all the ‘bully-boy’ tactics of the SA just yet.

Lose 1 from your health rating

1925

D) Austria and any neighbouring countries

Although on the face of it quite a sensible suggestion. However logistically this is impossible. There is no way that the Weimar Republic can accept any more immigration albeit from neighbouring countries. Moreover your brand of nationalism could not be brought home to the German people by a load of foreigners!

1925: what happened?

In 1925 Hitler enlarged the SA. About 55% of the SA came from the ranks of the unemployed. Many were ex-servicemen from the war. He also set up a new group called the SS. The SS were similar to the SA but were fanatically loyal to Hitler personally. Membership of the party rose to over 100,000 by 1928.