The crisis in the economy, polity, and society formed the background to Hitler�s rise to power. Born in 1889 in Austria, Hitler spent his youth in poverty. When the First World War broke out, he enrolled in the army, acted as a messenger in the front, became a corporal, and earned medals for bravery. Let us learn about Hitler's rise to power.

The German defeat horrified him and the Versailles Treaty made him furious. In 1919, he joined a small group called the German Workers Party. He subsequently took over the organization and renamed it the National Socialist German Workers� Party.

This party came to be known as the Nazi Party. In 1923, Hitler planned to seize control of Bavaria, march to Berlin, and capture power. He failed, was arrested, tried for treason, and later released. The Nazis could not effectively mobilize popular support till the early 1930s. It was during the Great Depression that Nazism became a mass movement.

As we have seen, after 1929, banks collapsed and businesses shut down, workers lost their jobs and the middle classes were threatened with destitution. In such a situation Nazi propaganda stirred hopes of a better future. In 1928, the Nazi Party got no more than 2. 6 percent votes in the Reichstag � the German parliament.

By 1932, it had become the largest party with 37 percent votes Hitler was a powerful speaker. His passion and his words moved people. He promised to build a strong nation, undo the injustice of the Versailles Treaty and restore the dignity of the German people.

He promised employment for those looking for work, and a secure future for the youth. He promised to weed out all foreign influences and resist all foreign �conspiracies� against Germany. Hitler devised a new style of politics. He understood the significance of rituals and spectacle in mass mobilization.

Nazis held massive rallies and public meetings to demonstrate their support for Hitler and instill a sense of unity among the people. The Red banners with the Swastika, the Nazi salute, and the ritualized rounds of applause after the speeches were all part of this spectacle of power Nazi propaganda skilfully projected Hitler as a messiah, a savior, as someone who had arrived to deliver people from their distress.

It is an image that captured the imagination of a people whose sense of dignity and pride had been shattered, and who were living in a time of acute economic and political crises.

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