Albert Speer wasn’t any ordinary citizen, he was smart and sophisticated. He knew that he may need employment in the future and he knew the Nazi party may have been a path. However, Speer announced that he joined because of “fear of communism, fascination for Hitler and rejection of the Treaty of Versailles”. Speer joining the Nazi Party was a significant event in his personality becoming prominent to history because this event led to further events in which made his prominence progress. Speer’s appointment as Architect of the Third Reich contributed greatly to his rise in prominence.
The arrival of Röhm was an important development as he had access to the army political fund and was able to transfer some of the money into the GWP. The German Worker's Party used some of this money to advertise their meetings. Adolf Hitler was often the main speaker and it was during this period that he developed the techniques that made him into such a persuasive orator. Hitler's reputation as an orator grew and it soon became clear that he was the main reason why people were joining the party. This gave Hitler tremendous power within the organization as they knew they could not afford to lose him.
Explain why the Nazi Regime proclaimed “Total War” in February 1943. (12 Marks) One factor behind why the Nazi regime went ahead with total war was because it offered a chance to revive public morale following the defeat at Stalingrad. The public morale down at this point however going to war with allies seemed the perfect opportunity in regaining the trust of people in the regime. Josef Goebbels speech proved to be a great example in uplifting the people’s moods in regards to total war. His powerful speech was influential and enabled the German public to feel more optimistic within the war as well as regime.
Propaganda was very important in the Nazi’s maintaining their power once they won the election in 1933. In the Nazis campaigns previous to them gaining power, they had exploited all the media they could in order to appeal to the public. Hitler’s speeches were played on the radio, his beliefs were written about in Nazi newspapers and magazines and posters containing horrific propaganda were placed everywhere. The public were bombarded with so much powerful propaganda that it could be argued that it would be almost impossible for them not to become attracted to the Nazi party in some way. This propaganda continued even once they had won the election.
“Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 because he was leader of the most popular Party in Germany. How far do you agree with this judgement?” The Nazi Party (NSDAP) became the largest political Party in German Reichstag after the Reichstag elections in July 1932. The Nazi Party won 37.3% of the vote which gave them 230 seats in the Reichstag out of a total 608 seats. Despite being the single largest Party, the German President, Paul von Hindenburg, refused to appoint Hitler as Chancellor. Even though Hindenburg was in Hitler’s way of gaining the Chancellorship, there were many other factors that lead to Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933 and not just because he was leader of the most popular Party in Germany.
Describe the rise to prominence of the personality you have studied (10 marks) Albert Speer’s rise to prominence took place between 1931 and 1946, beginning with him joining the Nazi Party and his rise ending with his condemnation at the Nuremberg trials, however, he has remained prominent to today as a result of his work for the Nazi Part and for the manner in which he conducted himself at his trial. Speer’s decision to join the Nazi Party did not lead to his immediate, fully-fledged involvement in party affairs. Speer’s part work extended no further than driving party members around to meetings and rallies. However, Speer’s fortunes changed when he made the acquaintance of Karl Hanke. Hanke gave Speer the job of redecorating the headquarters of a district branch of the Nazi Party, Grunewald Villa.
Was the Reichstag fire the main reason why Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship in Germany by 1934? Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship in Germany by 1934 through events like the Reichstag fire but also other events. These events were the enabling act, the general election and finally the night of the long knives. The first and arguably the most key reason as to why Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship was because of the Reichstag fire. The Reichstag Fire took place on 27 February and the building burning was a dramatic development for the Nazis.
Anyone that he didn’t want alive, didn’t have much of a chance to survive. He used his influence to start World War II and influenced the Germans to fight for their country. Other ways that Hitler influenced the German citizens included making many appearances in front of large crowds by using military music. He had “elaborate ceremonies and dramatic speeches to demonstrate the glory of Germany and of his own leadership” (“Hitler, Adolf”). It is generally accepted that once someone is famous or popular, they can become influential and so it
Assess the view that the most important element in maintaining Hitler’s regime in power between 1933 and 1945 was the consent of the German people. Interpretation D and to some extent A argue that the German people supported the regime while B and C suggest that other factors such as repression, propaganda and economic conditions played a vital role in Hitler’s maintenance of power. The German nation as pointed out in source A (“A”) had a “long tradition of obedience to authority” so we can assume that the circumstances that were created in the 1920-1930s led to the willing establishment of a new regime. This is supported by the argument that the people gave their vote to Hitler and his followers repeatedly, as argued by Flenly in “A.” Historical evidence has shown us that Hitler gained support even from Germans living outside Germany. His occupation of Austria was an outstanding achievement as Austria welcomed their German neighbors and 200,000 Austrians gathered to welcome Hitler and hear his speech.
Albert Speer was a major contributor in multiple ways during World War II. One vital way in which he involved and contributed himself to Adolf Hitler’s regime was through his status as Chief of Architect in the Nazi Party. Speer’s first attendance of a Nazi Party rally, merely actioned out of curiosity, found himself strangely drawn to Adolf Hitler, not only because of Hitler's proposed solutions to the threat of Communism and his renunciation of the Treaty of Versailles, but also drawn towards the man himself. Speer's first major commission as a Party member came in 1932 when Karl Hanke recommended him to Goebbels to help renovate the new District Headquarters in Berlin, and, later on, to renovate Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry. Goebbels was impressed with Speer’s work and recommended him to Hitler, who then assigned him to help renovate the Chancellery in Berlin.