When did Adolf Hitler join the German Workers' Party and begin his rise to power?
Hitler joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP), the German Workers' Party, in September 1919, receiving provisional membership card number 7. He had been sent to the party as an army intelligence agent but joined on orders from his superiors and quickly became its most effective public speaker.
What was the Beer Hall Putsch and what happened to Hitler afterward?
The Beer Hall Putsch was Hitler's attempted coup d'état on the 8th and the 9th of November 1923, launched from the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich. Sixteen Nazi Party members and four police officers were killed when police blocked their march on the Marienplatz. Hitler was convicted of high treason and sentenced to five years at Landsberg Prison, but was released on the 20th of December 1924 after serving just nine months.
What did Hitler write during his time in Landsberg Prison?
Hitler dictated Mein Kampf (My Struggle) at Landsberg Prison, principally to his deputy Rudolf Hess. The book, originally entitled Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice, became the foundational text of Nazi ideology.
How did the Great Depression help Hitler's rise to power in Germany?
The Wall Street crash of 1929 devastated the German economy and radicalized German politics. In the September 1930 federal election, the Nazi Party surged from 12 Reichstag seats to 107, winning 18.3% of the vote. By July 1932, the Nazis were the largest party in the Reichstag with 230 out of 608 seats.
How did Hitler become chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933?
President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor on the 30th of January 1933 after two inconclusive elections in July and November 1932 failed to produce a working parliamentary majority. Backroom negotiations involving industrialists, Hindenburg's son Oskar, and former chancellor Franz von Papen persuaded Hindenburg to acquiesce despite his personal reluctance.
When did Hitler complete his transition from chancellor to absolute dictator of Germany?
Hitler's dictatorship was effectively established by April 1933, when the Enabling Act gave him power to govern without parliamentary oversight. Full dictatorial power came in August 1934, when Hindenburg died and Hitler merged the presidency and chancellery into the title of Führer, with all German soldiers swearing a personal oath of obedience to him on the day of Hindenburg's death.