The “Lean Years” (also called the "wilderness" years) of Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany refer to the period between 1924 and 1928 when the Nazi party did not have high levels of support and still suffered from humiliation over the Munich Putsch. Why where these years “lean”?

1. DEPTH STUDY
WEIMAR REPUBLIC
NAZIS IN THE
WILDERNESS
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2. MEIN KAMPF
Hitler used his time in prison to write a book, Mein Kampf
(My Struggle), which clarified and presented his ideas about
Germany’s future.
It was also while in prison that he realised that the Nazis
would not be able to seize power by force.
They would have to work within the democratic system to
achieve power but, once in power, they could destroy that
system.

4. HITLER YOUTH
As soon as he was released from prison, Hitler set about
rebuilding the Nazi Party so that it could take power through
democratic means.
He saw the Communists building up their strength through
youth organisations and recruitment drives. Soon the Nazis
were doing the same.
Their candidates stood in the Reichstag elections for the first
time in May 1924 and won 32 seats. Encouraged by this, Hitler
created a network of local Nazi parties which in turn set up
the HITLER YOUTH, the Nazi Students’ League and similar
organisations.

5. HITLER’S IDEAS ABOUT GERMANY
National Socialism
Loyalty to Germany, racial purity, equality, state control of the
economy.
Racism
The Aryans (white Europeans) were the Master Race. All other races
and especially the Jews were inferior.
Armed force
Hitler believed that war and struggle were an essential part of the
development of a healthy Aryan race.
Living space (‘Lebensraum’)
Germany needed to expand for the newly created Master Race. This
expansion would be mainly at the expense of Russia and Poland.
The Führer
Debate and democratic discussion produced weakness. Strength lay in

6. List the demands made by Goebbels. Would you say this source appeals more to the hearts of
German people than to their minds? Support your answer with evidence from the source.

7. CHANGE OF STRATEGY
By 1927 the Nazis were still trying to appeal to German workers.
Most of the workers supported either the Socialists or the
Communists. In the 1928 elections the Nazis gained only twelve
Reichstag seats (a quarter of the Communist vote), polling 2.6%
of the votes.
Although their anti-Semitic policies gained them some support,
they had failed to win over the workers.
The Nazis argued that workers were exploited, in fact urban
industrial workers felt that they were doing rather well in
Weimar Germany in the years up to 1929.

8. NAZIS AND WORLD ECONOMIC
DEPRESSION
The Great Depression transformed the prospects of the Nazi
Party.
In Germany there were:
- WAGE CUTS
- SHORT-TIME WORKING
- UNEMPLOYMENT
- HOMELESNESS
- POVERTY
The Social Democrats took the blame.
Desperate, voters changed to the parties critical to Weimar:
Nazis and Communists. Nazis breakthrough point was in the
general elections in September 1930. Unemployment hit the 2
million record and Nazis achieved 6 million votes.

9. DEPRESSION AND THE COMMUNISTS
The Depression boosted the fortune of the Communist Party too.
They argued that the root of all problems was the capitalist
system.
This argument was useful for the Nazis, as they posed in the
defenders of the existing system.
Communists were presented by the Nazis as scheming
revolutionaries, being hand in hand with the Jewish community.
Wealthy business-people started to contribute to the Nazi
coffers, in order to keep Communists out of power.