Hitler promised recovery and strong leadership. Nazi organisers spread that message, while the SA threatened and attacked opponents.
Hitler presented himself as the leader who could restore jobs, national strength and unity. Nazi propaganda was communication designed to shape what people believed and how they acted. Posters, speeches, rallies and local campaigners repeated the party's promises. They could emphasise jobs to people facing hardship and opposition to communism to people afraid of revolution. Nazi leaders also promoted militarism: giving military strength and preparation for war a central role in national life.
The Nazis also used scapegoating: falsely blaming a group for wider problems. Their antisemitism, or hostility towards Jews, wrongly presented Jewish people as responsible for Germany's difficulties. Their promises and false accusations help explain how the party sought support; they should not be repeated as true explanations of Germany's problems.
In November 1923, Hitler tried to seize power by force in Munich. This failed attempt is known as the Beer Hall Putsch; a putsch is an attempted coup. The Nazis later rebuilt their organisation and competed in elections. They used elections to gain power, while intending to remove the democratic system that allowed rival parties to compete.
The SA was the Nazi Party's uniformed fighting organisation. Its members intimidated and attacked political opponents. This made it harder for rivals to campaign and contributed to the disorder Hitler claimed he could end. Campaigning could win people over; violence could frighten opponents into silence. Both mattered, but they worked in different ways.
Worked example: Why the same campaign could attract different people
A Nazi campaign promises jobs, national recovery and action against communism.
- Someone worried about unemployment may be drawn to the promise of work.
- A property owner afraid of a Communist revolution may be drawn to the promise to fight communism.
- Both may support the same party for different reasons. This does not show that either agreed with every Nazi policy, and it does not make the party's racist claims true.
Watch out for this
Taking part in elections proves that the Nazis supported democracy.
The Nazis used elections as a route to power. Their attacks on opponents and later destruction of rival parties show that they did not intend to preserve political competition.
Check your understanding
Which fact best challenges the claim that the Nazis offered order without contributing to disorder?
- Hitler made speeches.
- The SA intimidated and attacked political opponents.
- The Nazis used posters.