1. Nazi party: the early years
Learning Objectives:
• To explore the early years of the
Nazi Party and the SA
•To identify how Hitler rose to
power
•To examine the extent of Hitler’s
role in the rise of the Nazis

2. January
1919
Anton Drexler
founded the
German Workers’
Party or DAP.
Hitler first attended a DAP
meeting. He shared the party’s
main views in rallying against;
• the communists & socialists for bringing down the Kaiser
• the Weimar Republic for accepting the Treaty of Versailles
• the Jews, whom they blamed for undermining the German economy
September 1919
February 1920
Hitler began working as
Drexler’s right-hand man &
together they announced the
new 25 Point Programme which
included; scrapping the Treaty
of Versailles, expanding
Germany’s borders & depriving
the Jews of German
citizenship.
The birth of the Nazi Party 1919-1921
June 1920
Hitler was an energetic, passionate
speaker & his public speaking began
to attract larger numbers to the
meetings. He exploited the fact that
so many people were dissatisfied
with the Weimar Republic.
Membership grew rapidly to 1100.
August 1920
Hitler suggested that
the DAP change its
name to the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party (NSDAP
or Nazi Party for short) &
adopt the swastika as its
Emblem.
Mid-1921
Hitler pushed Drexler
Aside & became party
Fuhrer, or leader

3. In 1921, Hitler created the
Sturmabteilung (SA) or storm troopers
• They were the Nazis’
private army
• They were recruited from
demobbed soldiers, the
unemployed & students
• These ‘Brownshirts
provided security at
meetings & bodyguards for
Nazi leaders
• They broke up meetings of
opposition groups
• Hitler put Rohm in charge
of the SA
• Many of the SA were thugs
& difficult to control so in
1923 Hitler selected trusted
members of the SA &
formed his own personal
bodyguard – the Stosstrupp
or Shock Troop

4. Evidence
Source 1
The trouble had not begun when my storm troopers
attacked. Like wolves, they flung themselves in packs
of eight or ten upon the enemy. After only five
minutes, I hardly saw one of them who was not
covered in blood. The hall looked as if a shell had
struck it. Many of my supporters were being
bandaged, others had to be driven away, but we had
remained the masters of the situation.
Adolf Hitler, 1925
What do you learn about the SA
(Stormtroopers) from this source?

5. Hitler’s Rise
There were four main ways in which
Hitler was able to rise to power:
•The creation of the SA
•The designing of the Nazi Emblem
•Hitler’s own charisma
•Hitler gathering close supporters
In your group, discuss how your factor
helped Hitler rise to power.

6. The SA
• Hitler initially faced a great deal of
opposition – both from opposing parties
and from fellow nazis.
• To deal with this opposition, Hitler set up
the SA, which was essentially his own
private army.
• The SA was made up of violent ex-
soldiers with an axe to grind.
• Their reputation grew very quickly, with
repeated shows of violence at political
events.
• As a result, Hitler was able to remove an
opposition he faced swiftly, and
opposition quickly faded away anyway due
to the culture of fear the SA created.

7. Nazi Emblem
• As a self-proclaimed artist, Hitler
gave a lot of thought to the Nazi
symbology.
• He recognised the need for the
Nazis to have a memorable
emblem, and designed the now
infamous flag.
• The flag and swastika emblem
essentially turned the Nazis from
a political party into a household
brand.
• As a result, Hitler propelled the
party in the popularity stakes, and
membership rose quickly.

8. Charisma
• Hitler was incredibly
charismatic.
• He was also an excellent
orator (public speaker) and drew huge
crowds to his Nazi speeches and rallies.
• This increased the Nazi audience, and allowed
them to convey their ideas to the masses.
• No other party at the time had such a
‘hypnotic’ speaker.
• As a result, support for the party greatly
increased.

9. Close Supporters
• As soon as Hitler took the leadership in 1921, he
surrounded himself with loyal supporters.
• He rewarded these men with positions of power in
the party, and many went on to become top Nazis
in later years.
• By surrounding himself with these supporters, he
ensured his own position was safe, whilst being able
to delegate most of his dirty work to them.
• This created competition within the Nazi party
itself, with several prominent supporters vying for
power, which essentially caused the party to
escalate its policies and become more and more
extreme.

10. Hitler’s closest supporters
Ernst Rohm -
a scar faced,
Bull-necked
soldier
Hermann Goring –
a wealthy hero of
the German Air
Force
Rudolf Hess –
a wealthy academic
who became Hitler’s
deputy
Julius Streicher –
founder of the Nazi
Paper Der Sturmer

11. The Nazi Party 1919-23
1919 1921
Hitler’s
role
• Draw the graph above. (Use a whole page!)
• Cut out the ‘events that led to the rise of the Nazis’ cards, and
stick them on your graph according to how much involvement
Hitler had.

12. Exam Practise
“How far was Hitler responsible
for the rise of the Nazi Party
between 1919-21?”
(6 marks)

13. Hitler renamed the DAP
the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party
(NSDAP or Nazi Party
for short).
When Hitler first
attended a party meeting
there were only 23 people
present.
Hitler pushed Drexler
Aside & became party
Fuhrer, or leader.
At first the DAP was
only a small & little known
group.
The party adopted the
swastika as its emblem &
began to use the raised
arm salute.
Hitler’s passionate &
energetic public speaking
attracted larger numbers.
In 1921 Hitler created the
Sturmabteilung (SA) or
Storm Troopers.
Drexler & Hitler revealed
the Party’s 25-Point
Programme.
Hitler’s group attracted
support from the army,
the police & small
businesses.
Hitler surrounded himself
with loyal party leaders.
Anton Drexler founded
German Workers’ Party
(DAP).
Hitler began working as
Drexler’s right-hand man.