The Nazi party began in 1919 when Hitler joined the German Workers' Party and helped transform it into the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). In the early 1920s, the Nazis used the Sturmabteilung (SA) paramilitary group to attack political opponents and seize power in the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. After spending time in prison for treason, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf and reorganized the Nazi party for a new strategy pursuing power through legal democratic processes rather than revolution. The Nazis exploited economic instability and political divisions in Germany to gain popular support and parliamentary seats, culminating in Hitler being appointed chancellor in 1933 where he quickly consolidated power through the Reichstag Fire Decree and Enabling