- He was born in Austria, but lived in Germany from 1912.
- He had been a brave soldier on the Western Front, winning the Iron Cross twice. He couldn't accept that Germany had lost the war.
- In 1919, he joined the German Workers' Party, became leader and changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazis).
- He was a charismatic speaker and soon helped the Party to grow.
- In the 1923 elections, the Nazis won 6% of the vote.
- Hitler was imprisoned for nine months in 1923 after the Munich Putsch and wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) which contained many of his ideas.
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- He believed that all Germans should be united as they are ll of 'one blood'. Once all Germans are united, they have a moral right to occupy foreign lands.
- Austria must return to 'the German mother country'.
- The Jews were involved in 'any form of filth or decadence'. The Jews are the people under whose parasitism the whole of humanity is suffering.
- If the Jews come into power, the human race will disintegrate.
- The Treaty of Versailles was a shame and a disgrace and should be destroyed.
- The government is weak and has produced politicians who give in easily.
- Jews are at the heart of Communism, which makes then unacceptable to the German people.
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How did the Nazis change their tactics between 192
- They ran many public meetings to get the support of the working classes. They also increased their anti-Jewish propaganda as it was this which had the most appeal.
- The Nazis won over the middle classes, especially farmers, by blaming the 'distress of agriculture' on the misery of the German people.
- The Nazis learnt the skill of focusing on the issues that people thought were important. Because of the rousing speeches, the membership almost doubled between 1927 and 1928.
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