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` By 1923 Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party. With inflation
running high, Hitler thought the time was ripe for his party to
seize control in Germany. With a group of ex-soldiers,
including a war time air ace Hermann Goring, and Field
Marshall Ludendorff, the Nazis plotted to seize control of
Munich, the capital of Bavaria, and then stage a march on
Berlin.It was a disaster.
` The plotters had not planned things carefully enough and
Hitler lost his nerve. He spent most of the crisis making
speeches to his own supporters in a beer hall. When
Ludendorff finally persuaded him to lead a march through
the streets, the police fired on the marchers and Hitler and
the Nazis ran away. Two days later Hitler was arrested.
` Hitler received a five year prison sentence for the Munich
Putsch, but prison was very comfortable and he was let out
after serving less than a year. He spent the time writing a
book about his ideas - Mein Kampf.
 m



 Hitler decided to stop trying to seize power and sought election by
legal means. He claimed he would have to use democracy.
 His chance came after 1929. America's economy was in trouble, so
the Americans stopped lending Germany money. The German
economy collapsed.

 Thousands of Germans were thrown out of work. In the election of

1932 the Nazi Party made a very attractive set of promises based
on what Hitler had written in Mein Kampf.
 Hitler promised to provide jobs, sort out the economy and make
Germany proud and strong again. In July 1932 the Nazi party was
the biggest in the Reichstag, the German Parliament building. Yet
in November 1932, the Nazi vote dropped back againÀ
 



 There was a power struggle in Germany after the 1932 election. Many of the
political parties thought they could use Hitler's popularity to their advantage.
 The power struggle ended in the President asking Hitler to become Chancellor.
It was thought that other experienced politicians could control Hitler and the
Nazis. They soon found that this was a mistake.
 Hitler quickly organized another election and made sure the Nazis would do well.
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£ Just before the election in 1933 the Reichstag building was set on fire.
£ Hitler cleverly blamed the Communists, who were feared by many
Germans. Most historians think that Hitler organised the entire event to make
people more afraid of the Communists and thus vote for the Nazis.
£ The Nazi vote increased in the election. By 1934 Hitler tightened his grip on
Germany and had banned other political parties. He created a Nazi dictatorship.
  

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£ Nazi beliefs Behind the promises were a set of beliefs that were to lead to the
Second World War and the death of millions of innocent people: 1. Rearm
Germany and retake what was lost at Versailles.
£ 2. The German Race (blonde, blue eyed Aryans) were a superior race. Anyone
else was racially impure and should be removed from Germany. Hitler called the
Germans the 'master race'.
£ 3. The 'master race' needed more living space - known (in German) as
Lebensraum'.
£ To all Germans Hitler promised to restore German honour by tearing up the
hated Treaty of Versailles and by making Germany great again.