On Jan. 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany. While this was certainly an important historical moment, it's worth noting that Hitler was not yet a dictator. He faced a number of legal and practical limitations on his power, and many contemporaries expected him to quickly fail. And yet, just five months later all other political parties - even those closely allied with the Nazis - no longer existed. This episode walks reader through the why and how of the story, discussing events such as the Reichstag Fire and the passage of the Enabling Act. 

At the same time, it also comments on the nature of dictatorship, tragically noting how so many individuals and organizations in German society traded belief in the rule of law for promises of security and a return to normality.  But as Benjamin Franklin once noted, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."  As we'll see, many Germans would learn this lesson the hard way.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

On January 30, 1933, German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler as the country's new Chancellor, the third attempt in less than a year to create a stable German government.  The result of course was dictatorship, war and eventually genocide.  

But was Hitler's appointment inevitable?   For as historians such as Henry Ashby Turner have argued, on the immediate eve of his appointment Hitler's Nazi Party was broke and its electoral support was waning.  Could Hindenburg have made other choices?

This episode walks us through the complicated political intrigues of the summer and winter of 1932-33, showing how the actions of ambitious and short-sighted men paved the way for Hitler's rise to power.  At the center of the drama lie the politician Franz von Papen and General Kurt von Schleicher - men who viewed the political chaos of the early 1930s as a ladder for their own path to power.  Of course, like many characters from the HBO show Game of Thrones, their misunderstandings would prove fatal.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

In October 1929, the New York stock market crash ushered in the Great Depression.  With their economy closely tied to the supply of cheap American capital, Germans felt the impact of the crash more acutely than most other nations.  Soon the country's economy was in ruins, with millions unemployed.
 
 This episode charts the relationship between German politics and economic between 1929 and 1932, showing how economic suffering led to growing cynicism about the Weimar system.  In 1930 German President Paul von Hindenburg would move away from the parliamentary system, appointing his own man for the position.
 
The episode concludes with a brief discussion of Heinrich Brüning's Chancellorship, pointing out some of the reasons he failed to lift the country out of the Great Depression. 

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

In the spring of 1925, a newly free Adolf Hitler ordered his bodyguard/chauffeur Julius Schreck to create a new protection detail. Eventually known as the SS, its membership would fluctuate between 250 and 1000 men over the next four years. And yet, perhaps no institution in Nazi Germany strikes more fear into the hearts of modern listeners. This episode documents how the SS grew from an otherwise unremarkable Nazi formation into a sprawling empire that included effective control over the police, ran the concentration camp system and operated its own military units (known as Waffen SS). 

Among the topics covered are the early history of the formation, the roles of Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich, the rivalries that enabled Himmler to become chief of German police by 1936, and the Röhm purge of 1934.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

In the Reichstag elections of May 1928, the Nazi Party took home just 2.6% of the vote. Two years later they would explode onto the German political scene, taking 18.3% of the vote and becoming the second largest party in Germany. This episode uncovers the secrets to the Nazis electoral success, showcasing how new techniques and strategies helped distinguish them from their political rivals on both the left and the right. Topics covered include Joseph Goebbels and the use of violence; Heinrich Himmler and the development of saturation campaigns; the Nazi's use of new technologies like the radio and airplane for electioneering and more. 

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

When Adolf Hitler left prison in Dec. 1924, his Nazi Party lay in ruins.  Officially banned by the Bavarian government, he was also prohibited from public speech in many German states.  And yet, eight years later he would become Chancellor of Germany, head of the country's largest political party.  How did this happen?

This episode begins to answer that question by looking at the rebuilding of the Nazi Party between 1925 and 1928.  In addition to discussing some of the key bureaucratic changes that prepared the party for exponential growth after 1928, it also explains how Hitler conquered potential party rivals such as Joseph Goebbels and Gregory Strasser.  In the end, it argues that this establishment of a dictatorship over the party played a key role in paving the way for Hitler's future domination of Germany.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

From Indiana Jones, to Captain America to Hellboy, the theme of Nazis and the Occult has long fascinated Hollywood.  But is there any truth behind these fictional representations? This partial Patreon preview explores the bizarre world of late 19th/early 20th century occultism, elucidating its tangential links to the birth and development of the Nazi Party.  As we'll see, Hitler was not "nuts" about the occult. But some prominent Nazis such as Rudolf Hess and Heinrich Himmler were at least occult "curious," and the occultist Thule Society did play a key role in the early development of the Nazi Party.  

To hear the full story, which includes discussions of Mme. Blavatsky and Theosophy, Guido von List, Lanz von Liebenfels, Rudolf von Sebettendorff and the Thule Society, check out our Patreon site where you can get access to this and other episodes for as little as $2/month (patreon.com/historyoffthepage). 

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

In Nov 1918, Germans set out on a radical experiment: the building of a new, fully democratic state known as the Weimar Republic.  Unfortunately, of course, it didn't last.  But the question remains why?  And what should this tell us about the strength of our own democracies?

This episode explores the foundation of the Weimar Republic, discussing some of its early successes and failures.  It highlights some of the initial problems encountered in the construction of Weimar democracy, including the split between the SPD and KPD, and the failure to win the loyalties of Germans who were not predisposed to favor democracy.  Topics covered include the transfer of power in Nov 1918, the early formation of the Republic, the Spartacist Rebellion, Hyperinflation and the Occupation of the Ruhr, Friedrich Ebert and Gustav Stresemann, and much more.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

At the time of its foundation in early 1919, the Nazi Party was a group of several dozen dilettantes who at first glance appeared to stand little chance of changing history.  And yet, by 1923 it had grown to over 50K members - enough to convince Hitler that they could seize control of Bavaria.  This episode explores the secrets to the Nazi Party's success, showing how they built a politically effective, modern mass movement.  Topics covered include why Hitler was such a convincing speaker, the "socialist" element of early Nazism, the pivotal role of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and the development of Nazi rituals of violence, and the Beer Hall Putsch (Nov. 1923).  We'll also briefly introduce several key Nazi figures to the story, including Ernst Röhm, Julius Streicher, and Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstaengl.  Finally, the episode concludes by showing the failure of Weimar authorities to effectively deal with Hitler's treason.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.

Adolf Hitler is one of the most notorious villains of history. But how did he become HITLER? This partial preview episode documents his early history, from his boyhood in Linz to his Bohemian wandering in Vienna to his exploits during the First World War. It tracks the origins of his political philosophy, showing how much of his political and anti-Semitic wakening occurred only after the Great War, when he participated in ideological training classes sponsored by the German army. Topics covered include Hitler's youth, Georg von Schönerer and the Pan-Germans, Karl Lueger and Christian Socialism, Richard Wagner, Gottfried Feder and more! 

Want the full episode?  Get access to this and other episodes at Patreon for as little as $2/month (patreon.com/historyoffthepage).

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.