Early timeline of Nazism

The early timeline of Nazism begins with its origins in 1896 and continues until Hitler's rise to power.

Prehistory of National Socialism

1896 The Czech National Socialist Party is formed.
1897 Franko Stein moves a small periodical Der Hammer from Vienna to Eger.
May 1898 Maurice Barrès, while standing as a nationalist candidate for Nancy, France, coins the term "Socialist Nationalism".
1898 German Workers Congress organized by Stein in Eger (Cheb).
Apr 1902 Organization of Nationalistic Labor took place in Saaz.
Nov 15, 1903 Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in Österreich formed. (DAP)
1904 Hans Knirsch proposes to add "National Socialist" to the Austrian DAP name; rejected by party congress confrees.
1909 "All-Austrian" congress of the German Workers’ Party held in Prague.

World War I

1914

Aug 1, 1914 World War I breaks out.
Aug 2, 1914 Adolf Hitler receives permission to enlist; joins the 16th Reserve Infantry Regiment in Munich
Oct 30, 1914 Adolf Hitler transferred to regimental staff as runner.
Nov 1, 1914 Adolf Hitler promoted to Gefreiter (senior private or corporal).

1918

Mar 7, 1918 Anton Drexler organized a branch of German Workers’ Peace in Munich.
Jul 17, 1918 Adolf Hitler saves life of 9th Company Commander
Aug 4, 1918 Adolf Hitler awarded Iron Cross 1st Class.
Oct 13, 1918 Adolf Hitler gassed near Ypres.
Nov 7, 1918 100,000 workers march on the Royal House of Wittelsbach. Kaiser Wilhelm flees.
Nov 8, 1918 All 22 of Germany’s lesser kings, princes, grand dukes, and ruling dukes had been desposed.
" " Kaiser Wilhelm told to abdicate
Nov 9, 1918 Emil Eichhorn, radical leftist of the Independent Socialists, led an armed mob; seized the HQ of Berlin
" " Kaiser Wilhelm consents to abdicate.
" " Social Democrats demand government from Prince Max.
" " Friedrich Ebert assumes the chancellery.
" " First German Republic established.
Nov 11, 1918 First World War ended.
Nov 19, 1918 Hitler discharged from hospital at Pasewalk.
Mid Dec, 1918 First Freikorps unit formed; Maercker Volunteer Rifles.

1919

Jan 1919 Independent Socialists & Spartacist League staged large protests, known as the Spartacist uprising. Large sections of Berlin seized.
" " German Workers’ Peace party renamed German Workers Party.
Jan 10, 1919 Battle of Berlin begins; Counter-revolution with Freikorps taking crucial role.
Jan 13, 1919 Battle of Berlin finished.
" " German Gov. moved to the city of Weimar.
Mar 3, 1919 2nd Battle for Berlin; Communists seize Berlin;
" " Gustav Noske appointed dictator of Germany.
Mar 7, 1919 Communist Strike Committee withdraws proclamation and makes peace overtures to government.
Mar 10, 1919 Gustav Noske orders Peoples’ Naval Division disbanded. Battle for Berlin over.
Mar 1919 Adolf Hitler finishes job of guarding Russian prisoners.
Apr 14, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Dresden.
Apr 16, 1919 "Battle" of the Bavarian government troops at Dachau. Communists defeat republican forces.
Apr 18, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Brunswick.
Apr 27, 1919 Battle for Munich between Communists and Freikorps units.
May 2, 1919 City of Munich taken; not declared secure until May 6th; aprox. 1200 Reds slaughtered.
May 10, 1919 Freikorps suppress communists in Leipzig.
Jun 22, 1919 German Reichstag ratify the Versailles Treaty.
Jun 28, 1919 Versailles Treaty signed in the Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles).

Weimar Republic

Aug 11, 1919 The Weimar Constitution is announced.
Sep 12, 1919 Adolf Hitler's inspection of the German Workers' Party in the Sterneckerbräu brewery, in Munich..

1920

Jan 1920 The DAP grew to 190 members.
Feb 20, 1920 DAP changes name to National Socialist German Workers’ Party.
Feb 1920 Inter-Allied Control Commission order 2/3 of Freikorps disbanded.
Feb 24, 1920 First public meeting of the NSDAP. The party announces its first programme, known as the "25 points."
Mar 13-17, 1920 Kapp Putsch
Mar 31, 1920 Adolf Hitler mustered out of the military.
Apr 3, 1920 21 different Freikorps units, under the command of General Baron Oskar von Watter, annihilate the Ruhr Red uprising in five days; thousands killed.
Apr 1920 Gov stops paying Freikorps units.
May 10, 1920 Dr. Joseph Wirth and Walter Rathenau announce their "Policy of Fulfillment"; not received well by nationalist groups.
Aug 11, 1920 National Disarmament Law takes effect; disbanded civil guards
Dec 17, 1920 NSDAP buys its first paper, the Voelkischer Beobachter.
Dec 1920 NSDAP total party membership comes to 2000.

1922

Jan 12, 1922 Adolf Hitler sentenced to three months for disturbance of Sept 14 1921.
Jun 24, 1922 Hitler Incarcerated.
Jun 24, 1922 German Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau assassinated
Jul 27, 1922 Hitler released.
Jul 1922 670 RM = 1 USD
Aug 1922 2,000 RM = 1 USD
Oct 28, 1922 Benito Mussolini establishes his Fascist dictatorship in Italy.
Oct 1922 4,500 RM = 1 USD
Nov 22, 1922 Dr. Wirth leaves office
Nov 1922 10,000 RM = 1 USD
Dec 27, 1922 France occupies the Ruhr.

1923

Feb 1923 Reichsbank buys back RM; stabilizes RM at 20,000 to 1 USD
May 4, 1923 RM 40,000 = 1 USD
May 27, 1923 Albert Leo Schlageter, a German freebooter and saboteur was executed by a French firing squad in the Ruhr. Hitler declared him a hero that the German people was not worthy to possess.
Jun 1, 1923 RM 70,000-1 USD
Jun 30, 1923 RM 150,000-1USD
Aug 1-7, 1923 RM 3,500,000-1USD
Aug 13, 1923 Dr. Wilhelm Cuno (No party affiliation) leaves office
Aug 15, 1923 RM 4,000,000-1USD
Sep 1, 1923 RM 10,000,000-1USD
Sep 24, 1923 Chancellor Stresemann ends the passive resistance in the Ruhr; infuriates the nationalists.
Sep 30, 1923 Major Fedor von Bock crushes a coup attempt by the Black Reichswehr.
" " RM 60,000,000-1USD
Oct 6, 1923 Dr. Gustav Stresemann (People’s) forms 2nd cabinet
Oct 20, 1923 General Alfred Mueller marched on Saxony to prevent a communist takeover.
" " General Otto von Lossow in Bavaria is relieved of command by Berlin; he refuses.
Oct 23, 1923 Communist takeover of Hamburg
Oct 25, 1923 Hamburg uprising suppressed
Nov 8, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch
Nov 9, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch quelled.

1924

Feb 26, 1924 Hitlerputsch trial begins.
Dec 20, 1924 Hitler released from the Landsberg Prison.

1927

May 1927 Hitler speaking ban lifted in Bavaria.

1928

Oct 20, 1928 Alfred Hugenberg becomes head of DNVP
March 20, 1928 NSDAP gains 2.6% of the vote in Reichstag elections.

1929

Oct 16, 1929 Liberty Law campaign officially begins. The Nazi Party joins a coalition of conservative groups under Hugenberg's leadership to oppose the Young Plan.
Dec 22, 1929 The Liberty Law referendum is defeated. Hitler denounces Hugenberg's leadership parlance.

1930

Sep 1930 Hitler at trial of 3 SA Lieutenants disavows the SA goals of replacing the army and hence appeases the army.
Sep 15 1930 - In a milestone election, Nazis gain 6 million votes in national polling to emerge as the second largest party in Germany.

1931

May 11, 1931 Austrian Kreditanstalt collapses
May 1931 Four million unemployed in Germany.
Jun 20, 1931 Herbert Hoover puts moratorium on reparations.
Jul 13, 1931 German bank crisis.
Sep 18, 1931 Geli Raubal dies
Oct 11, 1931 Harzburg Front formed of coalition between DNVP, Stahlhelm, and Nazi Party

1932

File:Vote number 1b.jpg

Political poster for the November 11, 1932 Reichstag election. "Das Volk wählt Liste 1 Nationalsozialisten Reichstagswahl." Translation: "The people are voting for list 1, the Nazis, at the Reichstag election."

Apr 10, 1932 Hindenburg reelected to Reichspresident with over 40% of the vote. Hitler gains 37% and the communist candidate Thälmann gains 10.2%
May 30, 1932 Henrich Bruening (Center) leaves office.
Jun 1, 1932 Franz von Papen cabinet
Jun 16-Jul 9 Lausanne conference
Jul 20, 1932 "Preußenschlag": Papen dissolves Prussian government.
Jul 31, 1932 Reichstag elections: Nazi party becomes the largest party.
Nov 6, 1932 Reichstag elections: Nazi party loses votes.
Nov 17, 1932 Franz von Papen leaves office
Dec 3, 1932 Reichswehr General Kurt von Schleicher cabinet

Nazi Revolution

1933

Jan 28, 1933 Schleicher leaves office
Jan 30, 1933 President Hindenburg appoints Hitler chancellor of a Nazi-DNVP coalition.
Feb 2, 1933 Hitler meets with top military leaders, describes his plans to rearm Germany
Feb 27, 1933 Reichstag Fire occurred, widely deemed by historians as having been set by SA, at the time officially blamed on Communists
Feb 28, 1933 Law for the Protection of People and State ("Reichstag Fire Decree"): civil liberties suspended. Gleichschaltung ("coordination"), the process of exerting totalitarian control over Germany, begins. Over the next five months, the Nazis systematically force all opposition political parties to shut down.
Mar 5, 1933 General Elections result in slim majority of Hitler's coalition, though not a majority for the Nazi Party.
Mar 23, 1933 Enabling Act, passed with help of Catholic Center Party, effectively hands the legislative powers of the Reichstag over to the Chancellor. Act permits Chancellor and cabinet to issue laws without a vote of Parliament and to deviate from the Constitution.
Apr 7, 1933 Nazi governors appointed to rule the German states. End of federalism.
May 23, 1933 Hitler visits Kiel Harbor to see the fleet consisting of the Karlsruhe, Königsberg, Schlesien, Hessen, Schleswig-Holstein, Leipzig. He boards the Leipzig with leading SS and government officials including General von Blomberg, Admiral Raeder, Goering, and von Papen.
Jul 6, 1933 At a gathering of high-ranking Nazi officials, Hitler declares the success of the National Socialist, or Nazi, revolution.
Jul 14, 1933 Hitler proclaims the Nazi party "the only political party in Germany." All others banned.
Jul 20, 1933 Reichskonkordat signed with Holy See. Violations by Germany begin immediately.

1934

Apr 11, 1934 Pact of the Deutschland: Hitler persuades the top officials of the army and navy to back his bid to succeed Hindenburg as president, by promising to "diminish" the three-million-man SA and greatly expand the regular army and navy.
May 16, 1934 German officer corps endorses Hitler to succeed the ailing President Hindenburg.
Jun 30, 1934 Night of the Long Knives or Blood Purge: On pretext of suppressing an alleged SA putsch, much of the brownshirt leadership is arrested and executed. Schleicher and other political enemies murdered. Papen briefly imprisoned. Hundreds killed.
Jul 13, 1934 Defending the purge, Hitler declares that to defend Germany he has the right to act unilaterally as "supreme judge" without resort to courts.
Aug 2, 1934 President Hindenburg dies. Hitler issues a decree appropriating to himself the powers of the President, including supreme military command. The decree is illegal but goes unchallenged. Assumes new title, Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor).
Aug 19, 1934 The German people in a plebliscite overwhelmingly (90%) approve merger of the offices of President and Chancellor.
Sep 5, 1934 In Nuremberg, Alex Izso proclaims the advent of a Thousand Year Reich.

References

Why Hitler, The Genesis of the Nazi Reich, Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr. Praeger, Westport, CT, 1996. pg 28.
The Logic of Evil, The Social Origins of the Nazi Party, 1925-1933, William Brustein, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. 1996. pp 191-193.