Nazi Party

The National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: [1] Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (help·info), abbreviated NSDAP), commonly known in English as the Nazi Party (from the German Nazi, abbreviated from the pronunciation of Nationalsozialist^[5]), was a political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945. It was known as the German Workers' Party (DAP) prior to a change of name in 1920.

The party's last leader, Adolf Hitler, was appointed Chancellor of Germany by president Paul von Hindenburg in 1933. Hitler rapidly established a totalitarian regime^[6][7][8][9] known as the Third Reich.

Nazi ideology stressed the failures of laissez-faire capitalism, communism, economic liberalism, and democracy; supported the "racial purity of the German people" and that of other Northwestern Europeans; and claimed itself as the protector of Germany from Jewish influence and corruption. The Nazis persecuted those they perceived as either race enemies or Lebensunwertes Leben, that is "life unworthy of living". This included Jews, Slavs, Roma, and so-called "Mischlinge" along with Communists, homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled, and others. The persecution reached its climax when the party and the German state which it controlled organized the systematic murder of approximately six million Jews and six million other people from the other targeted groups, in what has become known as the Holocaust. Hitler's desire to build a German empire through expansionist policies led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.

The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party, NSDAP), also known as the Nazi Party, was a German political party. It was started in 1920 from the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers' party) (DAP).^[1] That party was renamed to NSDAP later. On the day of its founding, the party published its 25 point manifesto (book of ideas). The items in this list of ideas included getting rid of the Treaty of Versailles, gaining more land for the German people, to confiscate any income not earned through working, to take away citizenship from Jewish people, to reform the education system, freedom of religion except those that weakened the German nation, and to set up a strong central German government.^[1] Until 1923, the party was most popular in Bavaria.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler and Erich Ludendorff tried to start a coup d'etat in Munich to take over Germany, but they failed. This battle was called the Beer Hall Putsch Hitler was given five years in prison for high treason. This is a very small sentence. Other people were given the death penalty. The NSDAP was also banned. While he was in prison, Adolf Hitler wrote most of Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In this book he wrote down his political ideas and his future plans for Germany.

In 1924, Adolf Hitler was released early from prison. He restarted the NSDAP. He wanted to gain power legally by elections. The next elections to the Reichstag were in 1928. Until then, the NSDAP was only one of a few nationalist, parties from the extreme right. There were many other parties with similar ideas then. Among people supporting the party were Fritz Thyssen and Emil Kirdorf, both leaders of big industries.

In the 1928 election, the party won 2.6 percent of the vote. The party decided to reduce antisemitic slogans, in order to do better next time. The party focused on terrorising the people, as well as more on international policy, and got around 10 % of the vote in local elections in 1929 and 1930.

In 1930, President Paul von Hindenburg dissolved the Reichstag. This was seen as an opportunity for the NSDAP. In the elections on September 14, 1930, the NSDAP won 18.3% of the vote, and was the second biggest party. What people wanted was to put away with the Weimar Republic Weimarer Republik. Weimar was the German city where the constitution for Germany was written after the First World War. People also wanted a stronger Germany with more troops. Germany banned from having some types of weapons and ships by the Treaty of Versailles. All those points were in the programme of the NSDAP. That is why so many people voted for them.

On the 30 January 1933, Franz von Papen offered to make Adolf Hitler Chancellor in a nationalist cabinet. This was done in secret. This was a Machtübergabe or transfer of power but later the NSDAP started to call this event the Machtergreifung (seizing power), because it was better for Nazi propaganda to say that they came and took over from the Weimar Republic, in stead of being made the legal government of the Weimar Republic.

In the last free election in Weimar Germany was in March 1933, the NSDAP won 44 % of the vote. This was not the majority. Nevertheless, they managed to get the required two thirds majority to pass the Ermächtigungsgesetz (Enabling Act). Based on this, they dissolved parliament, gave Hitler the power to do anything he wanted, and made all parties (except the NSDAP) illegal.

After this the NSDAP became very important. People had to be party members to get some jobs, or to get promoted. The NSDAP was busy until the surrender of Germany on 8 May 1945.