The nature of leadership is essential if one wishes to understand power and its structures within a dictatorship. The nature of Hitler's leadership has drawn unparalleled attention from historians since 1945, and shows no signs of abating even 80 years after his suicide in the Führerbunker. There have been a number of significant contributions to the historiography of Hitler's leadership during this time, but perhaps the most compelling and revealing is Ian Kershaw's Working Towards the Führer thesis. In this episode, I attempt to present the case for Kershaw's thesis by detailing the origins, nature and impact of Hitler's unique form of personalised rule in Nazi Germany.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Hitler's indecisiveness throughout the SA crisis was indicative of his leadership throughout the Third Reich. Once he had resolved to act, however, his response was often ruthless and without compromise. The Night of the Long Knives, or the Blood Purge, was an event of multiple layers of symbolism and significance. Not only did it signal the end of the SA as an influential group within the Party and State, losing out to the advancing SS, but it also signalled to all the true nature of this regime and what it was capable of. Of perhaps greater importance was the acclaim and support given to the regime after the purge by powerful groups and ordinary Germans following what can only be described as a descent into gangsterism. This was a dictatorship not imposed on the people, but one in which the majority acquiesced to.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Although the Enabling Act had effectively removed all constitutional constraints on Hitler's regime and had laid the foundation of the 'legal' dictatorship, there still remained the simmering challenges from within the movement itself. Since the late 1920s the SA had proven to be a focal point of insubordination and deviation from Hitler's strategies and priorities. Hitler's need to court influential groups after 1933, and his own demand for complete obedience to his will, notwithstanding the SA's claims to increased power, would intensify this internal conflict throughout the first 18 months of Nazi rule.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The Enabling Act was passed with a combination of pressure and persuasion. Although violence and intimidation was evident from the very beginning of the regime, the targets in the first 6 weeks of power were widely considered to be legitimate. Indeed, the assault on the political left and democratic liberalism more broadly, was supported by much of the population and provided a mandate for the Enabling Act. The massive extension of the regime's power following March 23, and at the same time the diminution of any meaningful checks and balances, accelerated the process of coordination that would transform Germany into a dictatorship by the middle of 1934.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers- Sam and Toby
Music- Sam
The Law for the Removal of Distress from People and Reich, commonly referred to as the Enabling Act, was the foundation stone of the Nazi dictatorship. The law granted Hitler and his government legislative powers without the checks and balances of parliamentary procedure, fatally undermining the remnants of democracy and ushering in the process of Gleichschaltung (coordination). Just how did Hitler convince the Reichstag's deputies, the majority of whom were not Nazis, to agree to a law that voted them out of a job? The answer to this question helps to reveal the complex interplay between National Socialism, old elites and the German people that made and sustained the Third Reich.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The arson attack on the Reichstag marked a decisive turning point in the history of Germany. Although Hitler had formed powerful alliances to help establish his new government, he was still hemmed in by constitutional constraints and lacking in sufficient popular support to initiate fundamental change. The facts of the fire were quickly discarded in favour of a conspiracy that exploited and profited from the widespread loathing of Communism, particularly amongst those who had access to the levers of power. The Reichstag Fire was the trigger to the real seizure of power and left the road to a dictatorship wide open.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Nazism was in many ways an 'anti-' movement. It made a name for itself in the Weimar years as being a movement that rejected the many political, social and cultural developments of the age. It was not surprising, therefore, that the new Nazi government claimed to be surrounded everywhere by enemies, opponents and antagonists. Perhaps more surprising, and highly significant, was the rush by many groups and individuals after January 1933 to endorse Hitler and Nazism. It was these alliances that would prove vital in the final disintegration of democracy and its replacement with a dictatorship.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Welcome to season 2 of the 'History Nut Podcast'!
The Nazi dictatorship did not emerge immediately on Hitler's appointment in January 1933. There were a series of limits and constraints on Hitler's power and manoeuvrability that stood in the way of his plans to establish a dictatorship. Some of these limits were part of a deliberate ploy by elite groups to control and use Hitler; yet, within a short space of time they would come see the degree of their miscalculation.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
How Hitler and the Nazis came to power in January 1933 has been one of the most significant areas of historiography since 1945. Historiography of Hitler's rise is wide-ranging and, given the nature of the Nazi dictatorship, interpretations have been highly-charged, stridently defended and vociferously attacked by other historians. This podcast cannot do justice to the full breadth of important contributions made by historians since 1945, but hopefully it will provide listeners with a useful overview of the main developments in the historiography of this vital area of study.This is the end of season 1 and our adventure into the Weimar Republic, a big thank you to all listeners for your time. We hope you will come back soon as we will begin to post our NEW series, 'The Third Reich'.
Thank you, The History Nut Podcast.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Some historians view Brüning as the 'grave-digger of the Republic', highlighting the role that key governmental figures played in the shift away from democracy. Whilst this view does highlight the growing complacency, arrogance and self-interest of governmental elites in these years, it bears no resemblance to the complete abdication of responsibility from those who wielded power in the years following Brüning's dismissal. Although Hitler and the party he led had grown to become the biggest party by July 1932 with considerable influence, the route to the Chancellorship was still determined by others. Rather than seizing power in 1933, as the Party would later claim, Hitler was handed the chancellorship as part of an elite power strategy.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 had profound consequences for Germany. The structural weaknesses within the economy, none more so than Germany's dependence on US credit, revealed just how superficial the 'golden years' had been. The depth of despair wrought by the Depression was immense and accelerated the move away from democracy which provided the situational context necessary for Nazism to flourish. The meteoric rise of the Party in these years, however, was not solely of their own making and was intimately linked with the actions and interests of other groups. Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The Bamberg Conference consolidated Hitler's supremacy over the movement. Although divisions and tensions would continue within the Party, particularly within the SA, Hitler's own position would never be truly challenged again. Externally, however, life was very difficult for the Nazi Party. The changing socio-economic conditions after 1924 ushered in an age of recovery and optimism in which the Nazis' brand of extremism seemed outdated, as demonstrated by their meagre performances in Reichstag elections. At the grassroots level, however, local elections results were more promising. Furthermore, important developments were taking place in the party's organisational structure which were vital to the Party's rapid ascendency after 1929.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
In the early years Hitler had often referred to himself as the 'drummer' who was paving the way for the coming leader of the movement. The events of 1923, however, had shown that Hitler was more than a party activist, and he too now realised his leader potential. His grip on the party, however, was not total. Discontent at the failure of the putsch and subsequent restrictions placed on the movement, ideological differences, and concerns over an emerging Hitler-cult in Bavaria, had created a rival faction within the movement that had to be addressed.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
October 1929 in Germany was bookended by two significant moments. The sudden death of Stresemann on 3 October robbed Weimar democracy of its greatest statesman and hope for survival. Less than 4 weeks later the stock market collapsed on Wall Street sending shockwaves around the world. Within days US loans, which had underpinned the German economy, would be recalled sending the economy into freefall. Germany's rapid descent into Depression would reignite old wounds and inspire new attacks.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
In many ways the most significant figure of the 1920s was not Adolf Hitler, but Gustav Stresemann. As Foreign Minister from 1923-29, Stresemann followed a policy of Erfüllungspolitik ('fulfilment') in which the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were met. His pragmatic approach to diplomacy helped to rehabilitate Germany's international standing, opening the door to greater cooperation and opportunity. To those on the extremist right at home in Germany, however, 'fulfilment' was just another marker of Germany's decline and subservience to foreign powers.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
With hyperinflation curbed and Hitler in prison, the Weimar Republic looked as though it had weathered the storms of the early years. The influx of millions of US dollars ushered in an age of liberal cultural experimentation and optimism in what has been labelled the 'Golden Years' of the WR. In reality, Germany's economic position remained precarious as it tied itself ever more closely to US investment. As many in Germany danced the late 1920s away, little did they know they were dancing on a volcano.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The Beer Hall Putsch (Part 2):The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch should have been the end of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Within 10 years Hitler was in power and in the process of establishing a dictatorship. How was disaster turned into triumph, and what does this reveal about the condition of the Republic?Speaker-Rhys
Producer-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The Beer Hall Putsch (Part 1): The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch should have been the end of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Within 10 years Hitler was in power and in the process of establishing a dictatorship. How was disaster turned into triumph, and what does this reveal about the condition of the Republic?Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
The rise of Hitler's status in German politics is reflected in his belief that he could launch a successful putsch against the German government. Throughout 1923 Hitler was emerging as the mouthpiece of the extreme right-wing in Germany, and the unique conditions of the year had further undermined the credibility of the Republic. It was in this context that Hitler launched his putsch. The failure of the putsch exposed the weaknesses of the movement and Hitler's leadership. Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam
Hitler's leadership of the fledgling Nazi Party had brought about important developments in the nature and growth of the party. Yet by the end of 1922 the Party was nothing more than a provincial, albeit loud, extremist political movement. All of this was about to change. As the French and Belgians occupied the Ruhr industrial region and inflation turned to hyperinflation, 1923 would launch Hitler and his Party on to the national stage.
Speaker-Rhys
Producers-Sam and Toby
Music-Sam