Nazi ideas, methods and pre-1930 failure
Hitler took over the tiny German Workers' Party in 1919, renaming it the NSDAP, and by 1921 was Fuhrer. Its 1920 "25 Point Programme" combined nationalism (reversing Versailles, Lebensraum), antisemitism, anti-communism and the Fuhrerprinzip; its methods were the SA (led by Ernst Rohm) and Hitler's oratory. The Munich Putsch (November 1923) collapsed in a day. In the "Golden Years" the Nazis had little success, winning only 12 seats in 1928.
From Depression to dictatorship by 1934
Domination by 1934 was multi-causal. The Depression drove unemployment near 6 million by 1932 and lifted the Nazis from 12 (1928) to 230 seats by July 1932. Papen's conservatives made Hitler Chancellor (30 January 1933). He used the Reichstag Fire (February 1933) for emergency decrees, the Enabling Act (March 1933) to rule by decree, the Night of the Long Knives (July 1934) to purge Rohm's SA, and Hindenburg's death (August 1934) to become Fuhrer.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Forgetting the industrialists' backing
On why Hitler became Chancellor, most candidates cover propaganda, mass unemployment and anti-Versailles rhetoric well, but are unfamiliar with the role of industrialists. Fearing Communism, some leading businessmen funded and backed the Nazis, sharing their anti-communism and hoping to protect their interests. Add this business support to the familiar points.
Digest (## DB2): on why Hitler became Chancellor, many are unfamiliar with the role of industrialists (funding, shared anti-communism) though confident on propaganda, unemployment and anti-Versailles rhetoric (Paper 1).
Wrong events for "why he became Chancellor"
"Why Hitler became Chancellor" is about 30 January 1933. Do not bring in the Reichstag Fire (February 1933) or the Night of the Long Knives (1934) - both AFTER he was Chancellor - or confuse it with consolidation. His appointment is explained by the Depression, collapsing mainstream support, industrialist backing and Papen's scheming with Hindenburg.
Digest (## DB2): chronology confusion on "why Hitler became Chancellor" (Jan 1933) wrongly includes the Reichstag Fire and Night of the Long Knives, or conflates the question with consolidation of power (Paper 1).
Night of the Long Knives: give the reason
On the Night of the Long Knives (30 June-2 July 1934), do not just name Ernst Rohm as a threat - explain WHY. His SA had grown to several million men and he wanted to merge it with the regular army, alarming both Hitler (a rival power base) and the army generals whose support Hitler needed. Give the causes of the purge, not just a description of its results.
Digest (## DB2): on the Night of the Long Knives, weaker candidates name Rohm as a threat without explaining why, or describe results rather than causes (Paper 1).
SA vs SS; and not Kristallnacht
Keep the two forces apart: the SA ("Brownshirts", led by Rohm) were the mass paramilitary and the TARGET of the 1934 purge; the SS (Himmler's elite guard) CARRIED IT OUT. Do not swap them, and do not confuse the Night of the Long Knives (1934 purge of SA/Nazi rivals) with Kristallnacht, the 1938 attack on Jewish people and property - four years later.
Digest (## DB2): candidates confuse the SA with the SS, or confuse the Night of the Long Knives with Kristallnacht (Paper 1).
Consolidation is not 1930-32 campaigning
Asked how Hitler consolidated power in 1933-34, do not stray into 1930-32 electoral campaigning (posters, rallies, promises). Consolidation means the mechanisms of dictatorship: the Enabling Act (March 1933), banning other parties and trade unions, the Night of the Long Knives, and merging the Chancellorship and Presidency after Hindenburg's death.
Digest (## DB2): on consolidation 1933-34, weaker responses stray into 1930-32 electoral campaigning instead of consolidation (Paper 4).
Hindenburg: give a second causal point
On Hindenburg's part in Hitler's appointment, stronger answers link his old-order, war-hero reputation to the conservative support that made a Hitler cabinet acceptable - but a second causal point is often missing. Add one: his advisers, especially Papen, schemed to make Hitler Chancellor believing they could control him. Give two developed reasons, not one.
Digest (## DB2): on Hindenburg, stronger answers link his old-order reputation to conservative support; a second causal point is often missing (Paper 1).
Hitler took power legally, not by a coup
Do not carry the failed Munich Putsch of 1923 into 1933 and assume Hitler seized power by force. He was legally appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg on 30 January 1933 by conservatives hoping to control him; the Enabling Act (March 1933) passed by a two-thirds Reichstag vote. Violence mattered too, but the crucial step to power was legal, not a coup.
Balance fear of communism in the answer
On Nazi electoral success 1930-33, candidates handle propaganda, SA violence and promises well but are weak on fear of communism. Develop it: as the KPD grew, many middle-class voters and industrialists backed the Nazis as a bulwark against revolution. Weigh all strands.
Connect the causes, do not just list
This is a multi-causal question - connect the factors, do not list them. Show the sequence: the Depression created the opportunity, elite miscalculation gave Hitler the Chancellorship, then the Enabling Act and the Night of the Long Knives built the dictatorship.
Both sides, then a weighed judgement
On a "how far" question (was the Depression the main reason?), develop BOTH sides with dated detail - the Depression AND elite miscalculation, the Reichstag Fire and removing rivals - then judge which mattered most. Do not argue one side or just restate evidence.
Tie a source's purpose to its content
On a Paper 2 purpose or utility question, judge the author's purpose from the source's CONTENT, not provenance alone. Do not say "propaganda, so useless": a biased source is useful evidence of the perspective it represents. Support the verdict with detail.
By August 1934, Adolf Hitler had gone from the leader of a small, failed fringe party to the undisputed dictator of Germany. This Key Question asks you to explain that journey: the Nazi Party's early ideas and methods, why it struggled before 1930, how the Depression transformed its fortunes, how Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, and how he consolidated total power by the summer of 1934.
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