Featured Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-13744 / CC BY-SAC 3.0. Source.
I decided to watch Hitler’s Circle of Evil which is a documentary series on Netflix that focuses in on the people that surrounded Adolf Hitler, AKA those who make up his inner circle. It includes many people you may well have heard of and learned about, such as Heinrich Himmler and Goebbels. But also includes others you may not have heard of, at least as much, such as Martin Bormann.
So it gives you a real good insight into the influence these people had, how they may have moulded Hitler, or how Hitler moulded them, and how they regarded him, and what ambitions they had, what their fate came to, and also includes the betrayals and backhand plots. It really gives you a good and concise view of the people closest to Hitler and helps you to understand the entire evil course of the 3rd Reich from start to finish. For the history buffs out there it is certainly something to watch.
It gives you a real scary sense of how a dictatorship managed to rise up within a democratic republic and the power they had even before reaching total power, when Hitler merged the Presidency with his own Chancellorship, becoming the outright Fuhrer.
I myself made lots of notes while watching the series and decided to collect some of the most interesting parts here. But again, I still recommend watching the entire series.
The Beginnings – Hermann Goring
So first of all we come to learn about Hermann Goring. We get taken back all the way to World War 1 where we learn about Richthofen’s Flying Circus, its name comes from the Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen, a famous pilot during World War 1 who became a national hero due to being the ace-of-aces, having been credited with 80 victories in air combat during the war before he himself was killed from being shot down. Whoever shot him down remains a speculative and contested mystery to this day.
Hermann Goring came to fill the void after Richthofen’s death and he himself becomes a national hero and also a fighter pilot ace having shot down 22 aircraft during the war. He managed to achieve the highest honour, known as the Blue Max. He became viewed as a natural leadership figure.
As defeat loomed for imperial Germany during the 1st World War, Goring refused to surrendor and commanded his squadron to ignore any such rumours of defeat and to keep on fighting. But for Goring the rumours would soon become reality as orders come through to halt all air operations on the Western Front, which Goring takes as a devastating blow.
Groing becomes infuriated at Germany’s defeat and comes to blame it on what he called cowardly back-room left-wing politicians. Goring rejected orders to hand over their aircrafts to Allied forces and instead instructs his men to fly back home and crash land their planes on German soil, in a show of discontent.
Following Germany’s defeat in World War 1 the state enters into a period of economic and social chaos. Socialism begins becoming a popular alternative for the dissaffected people, and extremist left and right views begin to become abundant.
Dietrich Eckart and the Thule Society
This brings us to the next figure we are to learn about, one many may not know well, but who would become intrumental in beginning Hitler’s rise to power. His name is Dietrich Eckart, an outspoken individual on the far-right of the political spectrum, a dramatist and poet living in Bavaria, an area where far right sentiment was high.
Not only is he instrumental to the beginning’s of Adolf Hitler’s rise, but also for laying the foundations of what would become the Nazi Party, effectively setting events in motion. Eckart, having made his fame and fortune as a successful playwright before the 1st World War, had enabled him to make a network of important and beneficial connections. Eckart also published his own newspaper, called Auf Gut Deutsch, which was far-right, including much racism and Jew-baiting anti-Semitic pieces.
Through his connections, Eckart was also part of a secretive right-wing occultist group known as the Thule Society. The group had some strange beliefs, including believing in Atlantis, and believing that the Aryans were a super human race in beauty and strength and that they originated from Atlantis. The group believed this race to be the great civilising force throughout human history, and that they ultimately became Germanic.
Although these beliefs were seen by many as far-fetched, many were still attracted to such beliefs as a way to avoid humiliation of defeat. The Thule Society also believed that the Aryans had been weakened by interbreeding, such as with inferior and morally corrupt races, and that these races were now in control. Eckart himself believed that the current chaos in Germany at the time was a result of this outlandish hypothesis.
Eckart viewed the main enemies of the Aryans to be the Bolsheviks, Communists, and the Jews. The Jews themselves were seen as one of the biggest enemies due to the belief that they were concerned to destroy all other cultures from within. Of course, there was no evidence for any of this nonsense.
Regime Change and Versailles Treaty
Goring for obvious reasons becomes frustrated following the war. Street violence conducted by Socialists was becoming a rising issue, especially with such gangs targeting former military officers, with Goring himself even being attacked by them. Goring went on to become increasingly annoyed at the disrespect being shown to the uniform.
Goring also struggles to find new employment, and to fill his monetary need he started performing as a travelling stunt pilot. He decides to fly out of and leave Germany in 1919. But quite obviously, it would not be the last we see of him.
Also in early 1919 Eckart and the Thule Society decide to launch a plan to spread their right-wing message. They begin by forming the German Worker’s Party, one of many small factions who tend to meet up in cellars and beer halls of Munich, and discuss far-right politics.
Then in the Summer of 1919 the victorious Allies gather in Paris at the palace of Versailles, and it is here that Germany signs the Versailles Treaty. The treaty is naturally a disaster for the state, with them having been fined 260 billion gold marks, and having to hand over a fifth of German industry to the Allies. Germany is also stripped of its overseas colonies, and is forced to give up 13% of its territory to neighbours, causing 7 million Germans to lose citizenship.
The expected reaction to this outcome is the rising of great nationalist anger in Germany.
In August 1919 a new system rises, known as the Weimar Republic and of which is based on democratic principles, replacing the formerly autocratic rule of the Kaiser and his generals. Eckart views this new system of government as weak, and believes it to be dominated by Jews and liberals. Eckart wants the German Worker’s Party to take them on, but decides first he needs a man who can speak directly to the people, and calls such a person “the messiah”. You probably know where this is heading…
Adolf Hitler Enters the Scene
Eckart had written about a so-called messiah before in a 1918 poem which describes a figure called The Nameless One or The Great One, who would be a common German soldier with blazing, fiery eyes, and this individual would become the saviour of the German people.
Now, it’s quite simply nuts and something you’d expect from a movie or fantasy series where the plot is based on some kind of grand prophecy. But quite unbelievably this prophecy plays a part in Eckart discovering – you know who. So, let’s carry on and see how this madness continues to unfold.
We jump to the Autumn of 1919 to another German Worker’s Party meeting. At this particular meeting is a spy lurking in the crowd, he is reporting on proceedings for the German Army. But this spy finds that the anti-Communist and anti-Semitic rhetoric being flung about is quite close to his own views.
The spy becomes so inspired that he simply stops taking notes, and in a moment of I guess… passion? He stands up and spontaneously begins to address the crowd. Nobody tells him to be quiet, or to stop interrupting or anything like that, instead they all listen to him and find they are quite impressed by his speech. Now who could this person be? Well, it’s none other than Adolf Hitler himself. Eckart becomes transfixed by him after this.
Eckart see’s Hitler as the man, or messiah, that he had been crazily talking about. He especially liked Hitler’s fantastic oratory skills, that enabled him to get things across in such a way he himself could never achieve.
Hitler’s Obsessed Fan – Rudolf Hess
There was also another that became a fanatic of Hitler on that day at the meeting. This individual was a young university student called Rudolf Hess. Hess himself had been a soldier during the 1st World War, and following this had fallen in with the Thule Society, himself being quite strange as you’ll eventually discover.
Hess is so impressed by Hitler he becomes quite obssessed with talking about him, in a very effectionate manner, including in conversations with his wife. Hess would go on to become one of the founding members of Hitler’s inner circle, which we’ll get to later on.
The Desperate Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler is also among the group. Himmler had become desperate to prove himself as a soldier but had been too young to sign up before the war had ended. He was described as a sickly and fairly awkward child and young man, who lacked being social, and had a deep inferiority complex.
Himmler’s father tried to keep his son out of trouble by enrolling him into agriculture at the Munich University. But Himmler’s views aligned closely with Eckart’s and Hess’s. Himmler was also himself odd, being fascinated by mystery, the occult, and legends.
More specifically Himmler was obsessed with the notion of Blut and Boden, a notion that German society would get back to its folkish roots, a more agricultural economy, and that the nation would become a pure Aryan race of people, and which would enable Germany the strength to create an empire. In short, they were all quite mad, both emotionally and mentally.
The Moulding of Hitler
Eckart becomes a mentor-of-sorts to Adolf Hitler, goes on to dress him up to make him look more respectable, and goes ahead and shows him off to wealthy backers, some of his many connections. Adolf Hitler did not fit in well at these wealthy cocktail parties, and would spout out his views in an ill-advised manner, such as openly talking against Jews, and Hitler also had a lack of respect to the expected etiquette.
Eckart worked on refining Hitler’s etiquette, and they end up becoming close, with Hitler being made the head of the party’s propaganda. They both complimented each other, Eckart the better writer than speaker, and Hitler the better speaker than writer. Eckart wrote many of Hitler’s first oratory pieces.
Start of the Party’s Rise – and Tough Guy Ernst Rohm
The party develops a promise that territories taken from them via the Versailles Treaty would be taken back and that the war debt would not be paid back. The Swastika is incorporated into the official party emblem, of which the Thule Society believes the symbol is of ancient Aryan origin.
The movement develops into the National Socialist Worker’s Party, giving birth to the Nazi Party. The Party begins by attracting some powerful figures, one of whom is Ernst Rohm.
At the time Rohm was a serving officer in the German Army, and as such someone who could be a key asset with access to manpower and weapons. Rohm had been a highly decorated soldier during the 1st World War, had many awards, loved war, loved the army, and believed ends could only be achieved through violent means. Rohm had become angered by the Treaty as it shrunk the Army to just 100k men, and the Allies were allowed to seize and destroy equipment.
The German Army had chosen Rohm to secretly start unofficial paramilitary groups and stockpile weapons in defiance of the Treaty, of which he used intimidation and violence to do. Rohm is the kind of person addicted to power and authority. The relationship between Rohm and Hitler gets off to a bad beginning, with Rohm merely viewing Hitler as a means to his own ends, and that he was above Hitler.
Nonetheless Rohm would go on to join the Party and provide it with financial support, and introduces Hitler to senior patriotic military officers. By December 1920 Eckart and Rohm see a chance to get the Nazi message out, and raise funds to buy the Thule Society’s failing newspaper and begin early usage of mass propaganda through the Volkischer Beobachter.
Hitler for now remains officially just the Nazi mouthpiece, but Eckart, as the Party’s editor-in-chief, sells his vision of Hitler as Germany’s messiah, calling him der Kommenden Grossen ‘the Coming Great One’. He goes as far as to ascribe mystical powers of an Aryan mythical Teutonic chieftain to Hitler, during his crazy written tangents.
This all plays into feeding Hitler’s growing ego. Up until this point Hitler did not see himself as any kind of messiah figure, but he now begins to believe that he could be.
Rudolf Hess also sees Hitler in such a light, you know with being obssessed and all, Hess wants to live in Hitler’s shadow, he becomes the first to address Hitler as der Fuhrer ‘the Leader’, before he even became one.
Hitler Takes the Nazi Mantle
In July 1921 the Nazi Party is thrown into a crisis as the Party’s official leader, Anton Drexler, attempts to merge the party with other political groups. This makes Hitler furious as he did not want to see the Party’s manifesto become polluted with the ideals of other political groups.
In a calculated and planned move Hitler resigns from the Party, but secretly has no plans on turning his back on the Nazi movement. In essence Hitler gives an ultimatum to either back him or move on without him. He knows that due to his popularity in the party, he would likely be backed over Drexler.
Hitler makes a demand to Eckart to become Chairman of the party along with dictatorial powers. Eckart goes on to call such a vote on it, and Hitler unsurprisingly gains almost a unanimous vote, with only one voting against him, 543 voting in his favour. Hitler officially takes the leadership of the Nazi Party.
Expanding the Force and Bulilding the Party
Rohm gets to work and assembles a paramilitary force for the party, originally called the Sports Section, and then eventually the Storm Section or SA for short, a group that would go on to have a rather ill fate, although that’s a large understatement. This force’s main job is to eject hecklers from meetings and intimidate political opponents. But issues exist, with the force being ill-disciplined and without a leader, as it is too risky for Rohm to become their leader as for now he still remains a German Army officer.
Goring also returns to Germany during this time and joins up to the Nazi Party. Although Goring does not buy into all of Hitler’s extremist views and policies, he sets aside such moral objections to pursue his own personal power and recognition.
Many of who would come to be within Hitler’s inner circle already take up important roles and jobs in the party. Hess starts actively recruiting members to the Nazi Party, Rohm works to secure secret Army training, and Goring works to turn the SA into a formidable force. Eckart though finds himself become increasingly pushed out of Hitler’s forming circle.
Hitler himself believed that Eckart had become a liability as a political operator, seeing him as too much of a drinker and being more ideas and no action, or more bark than bite. He now saw Eckart as a fatalist, pedant, and pessimist. Eckart in his misery begins drinking even more, and starts having doubts about Hitler, and accusing him quite ironically of having a messiah complex, despite having pushed this idea into Hitler’s mind himself.
Rohm begins facing a crisis himself when he starts drawing attention of his army commanders, who are concerned about his increasing involvement in extreme far right politics. They force him to choose between his military career or the Nazi Party, I wonder what he chooses…
While contending with this he continues to recruit fighters to the Party’s militia, one such person is Himmler, the wannabe soldier, and he is introduced to the Nazi Party, later joining up as a member, and at first sticking under Rohm’s wing.
Germany Plunges Deeper into Crisis
By 1923 Germany plunges into deeper economic crisis due to hyperinflation. Things become so bad that a loaf of bread rises from costing 165 marks to a whopping 1 billion marks within 10 months. People’s fortunes end up becoming worthless, and massive uncertainty begins to grip the nation. The crisis also impacts the Nazi Party coffers.
The resulting economic chaos leads to the Weimar government defaulting on its war debt to the Allies, which prompts French and Belgian troops to retaliate by seizing and occupying one of Germany’s few remaining assets, the Ruhr, the country’s industrial heartland.
Goring and the Nazis view this event as a call to arms, and the SA begins to become restless. In late September 1923 Rohm makes his decision, resigns from the German Army, gambling his hope on their being a successful Nazi coup.
Rohm goes on to convince Hitler that much of the German Army was on their side and would not stand in their way, and so Hitler agrees on conducting a coup. They find inspiration from a bloodless fascist coup in Italy which installs Benito Mussolini into power, a later ally of the Nazi war machine.
The Nazi Munich Putsch Attempt
The Nazi coup plot involved first taking the state of Bavaria, and then marching on the national government in Berlin. During this time Bavaria was in the hands of the Head of Bavaria Police, the Head of Bavaria Military, and the State Prime Minister Gustav von Kahr. The plan was to get these three men on to their side, securing the Army and Police.
But here lies the problem, although Hitler was popular amongst the Nazi Party and far-right circles in Munich, he was still relatively unknown to many outside of Munich. This was a problem that Mussolini did not face as he was a popular fascist nationwide before taking power.
To get around this issue they seek out a temporary figurehead with nationwide appeal, choosing General Erich Ludendorff, a hero of the German right and a great WW1 commander, who had wide respect among the German populace.
During the planning of the coup the Nazis discover that Kahr, the State Prime Minister, is holding a public meeting in one of Munich’s main beer halls, the Burgerbraukeller, of which the Chiefs of the Bavarian Army and Police would also be attending. The Nazis are concerned that this meeting would lead to Kahr declaring Bavarian independence from Germany, which they did not want and so they decided to act fast.
Goring begins by mobilising the SA, him and Hess would lead the assault on the beer hall, hijacking the meeting and capturing the three key players. The SA units would then take control of key military and police buildings around the city.
The SA had become so well organised under the guide of Goring that when they arrived at the beer hall, the police assumed they were regular Army units. The SA break into the beer hall during the meeting and set up a Maxim machine gun at one end of the hall, for maximum intimidation. They then make room for Hitler’s entrance, who comes in and quite dramatically fires a gunshot into the ceiling and declares that the national socialist revolution had begun.
Hitler then attempts to convince the three state leaders to join their coup, but they refuse, and Ludendorff, the national figurehead, had not yet arrived, he was their last hope at convincing the state leaders. Hitler becomes desperate and attempts to threaten them with his pistol, but still fails to make them budge.
Meanwhile back in the main beer hall, Hess picks out senior political opponents to kidnap from the hall, while Goring tries to keep the others in the hall to remain calm. Rohm is soon ordered to march his SA unit on the Bavarian War Ministry, of which Himmler takes part in as a proud banner bearer.
Hitler eventually enters back into the hall to make a speech to the crowd, he lies and pretends the Bavarian government had agreed to back them, with much of the crowd believing his words. Then at this moment Ludendorff finally arrives, and he appears to convince the state leaders to back the Nazi coup.
Rohm’s unit also manages to capture the war ministry, and other SA units in the city successfully manage to convince some Bavarian police and army units to join the coup. At this time it seemed the coup might succeed.
Back at the beer hall Hitler leaves Ludendorff and Goring behind to check on Rohm’s progress. During this time Ludendorff makes a critical error, Kahr convinces him to let himself leave, promising he would not betray them. Naturally, he does betray them, and rallies the army against the coup.
At this point Eckart enters back into the picture, he had been completely out of the loop by this time and did not even realize a coup was taking place until he heard about it via a phone call and was informed about the release of Kahr, which Eckart recognises as a dangerous blunder.
This prompts Eckart to turn up to the Nazi HQ where he comes across Hitler arriving by car, Hitler angrily tells Eckart to follow in a car behind. Ludendorff chooses to then take initiative and declares that they will still march towards Munich’s centre.
They march right into armed authorities who are waiting for them and a firefight begins. Goring is shot in the leg and badly wounded, and sixteen Nazis are killed with many others injured. A bullet narrowly misses Hitler.
In the aftermath of the failed coup Goring and Hess flee to Austria, Himmler quietly returns to his mother’s house and authorities do not come after him as he is not seen as a big player in the coup. Rohm turns himself in and is put in jail, Hitler is also jailed.
Although the coup was a disaster for the Nazis, it did enable them to learn that revolutionary politics were not going to work, and instead they would need to subvert democracy by themselves playing the democratic game.
Eckart would not live to see the rise of the Third Reich, six weeks after the failed coup he is dying in a hospital, due to years of alcohol abuse. But his final words were quite something: “Follow Hitler. He will dance, but it is I who called the tune. Do not mourn me. I shall have influenced history more than any German.”
Both dramatic and eerily accurate. After the death of Eckart, and despite their later falling out, Hitler would see Eckart as a permanent member to his inner circle, and dedicated the first volume of Mein Kampf to him, and called him the spiritual father of National Socialism.
Joseph Goebbels and Hitler’s Trial
Joseph Goebbels is eventually introduced, someone who will go on to become one of the most loyal members of Hitler’s inner circle, and another massive fanatic of Adolf Hitler.
Interestingly Joseph Goebbels made a note in his diary about the failed putsch, as he had since heard of the news, and merely brushes it off as something rather unimpressive.
Hitler meanwhile is in jail and some believe during this time that he may have contemplated committing suicide while locked up. But instead he changes tact and decides to try and use his upcoming trial as a platform to spread his ideas. He presents himself as a martyr figure and that he is the nation’s salvation. He also made harangues, as well as speeches, and refused to answer questions directed at him. He even managed to get applause from those watching the proceedings.
Hitler’s plan was coming to fruition through this scheme, turning him into a national figure and even making the front pages on a number of newspapers outside of Germany.
In the end Hitler is only given 5-years in prison, despite the possibility of facing a much greater prison sentence. It is speculated that the Bavarian authorities and judiciary had a great deal of sympathy for Hitler, and were therefore more leniant than you would otherwise expect. His performance at his trial played a large role in galvanising the Right.
Joseph Goebbels is also won over through reading the court transcripts that were published in German newspapers. Goebbels himself was resentful as he felt like his writing career was being stifiled by Jewish publishers – so basically he is performing poorly and instead of blaming himself he invents a target to take his frustration out on.
Further Party Development and Hitler’s period in Jail
Rohm receives a suspended sentence and at the request of Hitler, Rohm relishes at the chance to build up the SA while Hitler remains locked up. Rohm has Goring hand over control of the SA to him and it becomes the Frontbahn. Due to Rohm’s military connections he is easily able to find many recruits.
Hitler meanwhile in jail is granted many priviledges. Things such as books, music, and other various amenities that a typical prisoner would not be allowed access to. Hitler is even allowed to hold an elaborate 35th birthday party within his cell with visitors.
Rudolf Hess eventually also ends up in prison, and is locked up alongside Hitler, allowing him a lot more access to the man he absolutely idolises, so really for him rather than being a punishments it’s more like a wonderful dream. During their time in prison together Hess becomes Hitler’s private secretary and makes sure to encourage Hitler’s ambitions. He helped to make Hitler believe that Germany had a destiny, a fate, and a right to expand.
Through Hess, Hitler develops the ideas about Lebensraum, basically living space for the Aryan people, of which they would try and obtain during the coming war, it’d become one of their main ideological aims.
Hess also encourages Hitler to to write down his vision for the future of Germany, leading to the creation of Mein Kampf, where Hess in practice is the co-author although does not take any credit.
And to cap off – what’s happening with Goring around this time? Well after the failed putsch he now feels lost and becomes a morphine addict while he is in exile, the addiction comes about due to the pain from the wounds he had obtained during the failed putsh.
Seizure of Power Versus the Ballot Box
Rohm has an ambition of making the Frontbahn strong enough to rival that of the German Army. He develops the paramilitary force into a mercenary consisting of tens of thousands, ready to seize power for the Nazis when the time is right.
Hitler though as we went over previously is no longer interested in revolutionary politics after the failed putsh and instead decides the way to get power is through the ballot box. So although Rohm was ready and willing with a plan for a new Putsh to put Hitler into power, it is outright rejected by Hitler.
On from this the Frontbahn begins becoming more of a hindurance to Hitler than anything helpful, he did not want to be associated with its violent street actions and thuggery.
Hitler decides due to this to distance himself by resigning as leader of the Nazi Party, and also distances himself from politics and stops receiving visitors on the advice of Hess. Hitler would later quietly leave prison early on a parole agreement, not making any big ruckus or pomp about it.
During this time Himmler begins moving up and becoming bigger player, and uses the opportunity to rise to the position of Deputy leader of the Nazi Party, and also finds himself as the de facto Nazi chief in lower Bavaria.
First Election and Party Transformation
Goebbels, who is now very much inspired by Adolf Hitler, decides to attend his first Right-Wing rally in 1924. He then throws himself into Right-Wing politics, using his language literary skills in newspaper. Goebbels discovers he has the ability to work a crowd like Hitler through public speaking. This leads to his reputation spreading within the Nazi Party.
The first election for the Nazis in 1924 saw them only get 3% of the vote and membership of the party collapses by half, in a new low turn for it. Hitler takes the opportunity to rebrand the Nazi Party from a revolutionary violent party to a democratic parliamentary party.
Rohm on the other hand is not too happy about this as he very much wants there to be a national revolution and he does attempt to stand in Hitler’s way, causing the relationship between the two to break down. Although Rohm could have potentially been a dangerous problem for Hitler, he eventually backs down, due to Hitler’s tight grip on the Nazi Party, and Rohm goes on to resign Frontbahn and SA leadership.
Rohm from then on attempted to maintain a close friendship with Hitler, but this was not within Hitler’s keen interests, and he is effectively cast out of the inner circle, for now.
Promotion Difficulties
One of the parole agreements for Hitler was that he could not perform any public speaking unless he was granted permission. Nonetheless Goebbels stepping up with his speeches help the Nazi Party to rise up.
Goebbels, through his speeches, develops a great passion for Hitler and plans are made for him to become the national face of the party while Hitler was banned from speaking. A strong personal relationship begins developing between the two.
As Nazi presence in the capital Berlin is weak, Goebbels is sent to Berlin to try and bolster influence and support. Goebbels manages to galvanise the Nazi arm there, but also organises street violence against Communists.
The Rise of the SS, next Election, Goring’s Return, and the needed Crisis
The rise of the SS was an instrumental play for power and recognition by Heinrich Himmler. He helped to build up the SS around racial Aryan supremacy, and made it strongly stand out from the SA as an elite Nazi force. The SS was purely dedicated to Hitler, and had the job of preventing Nazi fracturing and stopping the formation of rival factions.
In 1927 Hitler is allowed to speak nationally again, helping to bring more of the German populace to support the Party.
Goring also makes a return by taking advantage of then President Hindenburg’s birthday, where he accepts political amnesty. This frees up Goring and allows him to become a crucial Nazi link between the party and the more powerful German conservative establishment.
In the 1928 election the Nazi Party performs even more poorly than they did in the previous election, despite unification and mass campaigning. This was mostly due to the German populace experiencing a period of prosperity at the time, and so many did not fully buy into Nazi talking points.
In the election the Nazis received 12 of the 500 seats, including one for Goring and one for Goebbels.
For the Nazis they need a crisis to fit their talking points to win, and to their delight the 1929 stock market crash helps to bring such a crisis they needed. During the crisis American loans to Germany are recalled and the country sees an unemployment and bankruptcy crisis.
The crisis helps to turn Hitler into a prophet.
The Early Election
Although the Nazis performed poorly in the 1928 election, they still managed to get a small foothold in Parliament. The Nazis now aim to take advantage of the renewed economic crisis that the country is facing, with them now seeming like prophets as their talking points now align with what is happening in Germany at this time.
The crisis also leads to the collapse of the German coalition government and fresh elections are called in 1930. Goebbels became one of the party’s biggest assets during the campaign due to his propaganda and public speaking skills, and Himmler also played a role through beneficial organisational skills.
The Nazis also go bigger than ever for the election, holding meetings in almost every area of Germany, cities, towns, and villages. They also use new ways to get messages to the masses, such as driving around in vehicles, using loud speakers, distributing newspapers and pamphlets, and using just sheer relentless energy and passion in their bigger than ever campaign. 34,000 Nazi election meetings alone are held in the final 4-weeks.
When all is said and done, the vote for the Nazi Party is enormous, four times greater than the previous election. They receive 6.5 million votes, and seats in Parliament increase from a mere 12 to 107. Even Goebbels was amazed at how well they had actually done. The Nazi Party was now a national force, and the 2nd largest party in Parliament. Scary if you think about it.
Goring’s influence as a parliamentarian enables him to encourage support from among major figures in industry for the Nazis.
The SA and SS Rivalry
The SA, also called brown shirts, are still seen by Hitler as a major problem for him and the Nazi Party moving forward, due to their violent and revolutionary ways, and their ability to cause internal issues and rivalries.
Himmer’s SS therefore became an alternative, Himmler refused to let the SS turn into thugs like that of the SA, and kept them highly disciplined, highly politicised, and as a general highly elite force. This naturally leads to the SA coming into direct competition with the SS, causing major obstacles to the Party’s plans.
Himmler had remained in contact with Rohm after he had been ejected from the inner circle, as he still saw him as a viable alternative to Goring to lead the SA again. This leads to Himmler convincing Hitler to ask Rohm back to retake control of the SA, and try and bring it to order.
This in itself causes more internal issues within the inner circle itself. Goring feels marginalised as he feels scorn at not having been chosen to lead the SA again. And the relationship between Goebbels and Rohm breaks down, as Goebbels wants the SA to remain rowdy and keep beating and killing Communists.
Ultimately this leads to Goring and Goebbels having a common interest against Rohm, but are unable to do much while Rohm remains in the favour of Hitler. Goring continues to be an important socialite for Hitler, with Gorings wife Carin also an important figure in such a role. Carin later dies in 1931 from frail health, causing Goring massive grief.
Goebbels meanwhile marries Magda, with Hitler as his best man. With Gorings wife gone, Goebbels saw potential in Magda as an ambitious hostess. Goebbels plans to also become a socialite himself alongside his wife to help the Nazi Party. They both become quite the sycophants of Hitler. Goring himself eventually gets over his grief and goes full on in to help Hitler and pursue his personal ambition.
Himmler meanwhile takes advantage of ongoing internal rivalries, taking the opportunity to quietly move up the ranks of the party, and becomes quite the schemer. The Great Depression serves to drive even greater numbers into SA and SS recruitment.
Both the SS and SA are becoming powerful, which Himmler begins to resent as he wants the SS to be the strongest and dominant force, and so for Himmler, Rohm now starts becoming an issue.
Himmler makes plans to set up an independent intelligence service within the SS, used for the purposes of spying on enemies of the party and people within the party, it becomes known as the Sicherheitsdienst, or more simply the Security Service – SD.
Reinhard Heydrich, The Coming Monster
With the creation of the SD, someone was needed to head it. This is where Reinhard Heydrich makes his introduction, whose strong Aryan looks make an immediate impression on Himmler, who is also impressed by Heydrich’s military background. Heydrich is also well educated.
Heydrich at the time had become desperate for employment as he had been kicked out of the Navy due to having an affair. Quite ridiculously, Heydrich uses knowledge he obtained from a detective fiction and other spy novels to impress Himmler on how an intelligence service works. He basically faked it, and quite amazingly, still made it, it was good enough for Himmler. Heydrich would go on to become one of the inner circles most evil and heinous members, as we shall discover in the future.
The Nazi Party Climbs to Power, and the Creation of the Gestapo
During the ongoing economic crisis Hitler continues to work on making the Nazi Party look more valid, and further early elections due to the crisis brings them more and more gains in Parliament until they effectively become the largest party by 1932.
But despite this coalitions and political alliances continue to conspire and keep the Nazis away from Government. The Nazis make plans to exploit the growing unemployment within the working class for the next upcoming election in November, and puts Goebbels in charge of the national campaign.
Goebbels comes up with the electoral campaign known as Hitler Over Germany, where Hitler flies from town to totwn, city to city, in an attempt to inspire the populace into seeing him as a real leader and viable option.
Despite the Nazis attempt, the political deadlock between the Nazis and Communists persists in a stalemate. So the Nazis change their strategy from winning electorally, into winning over the favour of the establishment.
But the issue with this was President Hindenburg, who harboured a great deal of distrust in Adolf Hitler, which would make establishment influence hard to obtain for the Nazis. But with Goring as President of the Reichstag, he uses his magic to persuade the German President to trust Hitler. This leads to Hindenburg appointing Hitler as German Chancellor, with the Nazi Party entering a ruling coalition.
Massive celebrations are organised by Goebbels, and inner circles rivalries intensify over obtaining positions of power now that the Nazis were in Government. With Goebbels not being popular in Berlin due to his aggressive campaigning and terror tactics, Hitler views him as a liability to his legitimacy, and does not give him a position in Government, Goebbels falls into depression following this.
Goring is awarded Minister of the Interior in Prussia, Germany’s largest state, which in effect gives him a vast voice in all internal domestic affairs of Germany, which he uses to achieve Nazi goals. Goring works to turn the Prussian police force into the Secret State Police, otherwise more infamously known as the Gestapo, which would become an embodiment of state terror.
The Gestapo were initially taked with gathering political intelligence, but wider powers of arrest and imprisonment within Prussia allowed them to tear up the rule of law, endorsing attacks on rival groups such as the Communists, and turning a blind eye to aggressive Nazi acitivites.
Goring’s bump up in power deepens internal rivalry, as Goebbels and Himmler become envious. Himmler more specifically sees himseld as the security, police, and intelligence person, not Goring.
Goring goes further by setting up a research office to investigate other party members and collects files on fellow top Nazis, with phone tapping becoming an important source of information.
The Nazi Party Pushes for Absolute Power
For the Nazis a coalition Government just is not enough for them to completely achieve their ultimate goals and ambitions, and they move to strive for absolute power. The Nazis claim the coalition is ineffective and call for a fresh election. The plan becomes an all out attack on main political rivals and Communists. Goebbels starts a mass propaganda campaign called Attack on Marxism to try and turn the tide against them.
The Nazis also want another crisis that they can exploit, specifically something against Communists. Initially many of their attempts failed to have much of an effect, but eventually the Nazis seem to be presented with a miracle. There is a devastating fire at the Reichstag.
Circumstantial evidence suggests that the fire was started by Nazis, although Hitler’s reaction to the fire suggests he did not know about it in advance. The Nazis choose to manipulate the situation anyway, a Dutch Communist is arrested at the scene of the fire, and the Nazis frame it as an attack by Communists, and Hitler convinces President Hindenburg to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree, under the pretense of protecting the public.
Civil liberties were suspended and the Nazis through the Decree were effectively handed legal authority to suppress any opposition. The Nazis argued that the Communists were about to stage a national uprising, and an unrestrained Nazi violence then breaks out nationwide, with Rohms SA, Gorings Gestapo, and Himmlers SS playing a major role in causing it.
The result is the opposition being systematically and violently supressed. The Gestapo use pre-prepared Leftist activist arrest lists, and the SA attacks and kidnaps Communists, subjecting them to violence, terror, and extortion. Marxism is effectively crushed in Germany, just like that.
This is welcomed by the German public due to the Nazi scaremongering and propaganda, and causes and even further boost to the Party’s popularity. And then, the 1933 elections make the Nazis the dominant force within the coalition.
With the Nazis the top party, they create a new Minsitry for Goring, and task him to secretly build and develop the worlds first modern Air Force, fitting his past experience. The new force would be independent of the Army and Navy with a substantial budget and new uniform.
A new ministry is also created for Goebbels, in-fact it is just fit for him, being the Ministry of Propaganda. He uses it to bring all of Germany’s writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, and artists into one organisation. It is the first big step towards the Nazis absolute control of the media.
The Nations police force also becomes centralised, and both Goring and Himmler vie to control it. Himmler approaches Hitler for the job and is handed control of the nations police forces, although Goring is allowed to maintain control of the Gestapo in Prussia.
Goring then decides to change tact and views Himmler as a good man to get on his side, and recruits him as deputy in Prussia. Gorings ulterior motive for this move is to combine the forces of his Gestapo and Himmlers SS and secret police in a bid to take down the threat of Rohm and his SA.
The Plot Against Rohm and his SA
The SA during this time was anywhere from 3-4 million strong, and it is likely this amount of power had gone to his head. Rohm had an ambition for the SA to become a people’s army, and the SA still fixated on the idea of a 2nd revolution.
Hitler on the other hands begins to see Rohm as a larger and larger embarrasment, and also disliked Rohms homosexuality, of which he did not really try to hide. Rohm became an exploitable issue for Goring and Himmler. It is to be remembered also that Himmler does not want his SS to be associated with crudeness, depravity, and thuggery of the SA, and to remain independent.
Himmler brings in Heydrich to help against Rohm and his SA by finding damning evidence on them using the SD, and turn Hitler against them. The first target was Rohms homosexuality, but Hitler is not receptive to this, and so plotters go a step further by claiming Rohm and SA leadership are indulging in homosexual orgies, something Hitler could not take. They also convince Hitler that this is corrupting the wider Nazi youth.
The Night of the Long Knives
Hitler eventually gives the green light to Goring and Himmler to go against Rohm and his SA. Heydrich is ordered to dig for further information, much of which is confected, including information that was used to convince Hitler in the first place.
Hitler begins planning a purge of the SA, cancels exercises and orders leave to disperse them into smaller groups. Rohm continues to remain ignorant and naive to what is taking place.
Goring, Himmler, and Heydrich manufacture information that Rohm is a traitor, saying that he receives millions of marks from the French government to try and overthrow Hitler on their behalf. The plotters convince Hitler to act, leading to the Night of the Long Knives.
Hitler personally arrests Rohm. Nazis also arrest other SA men, some of whom they do find in bed together, which the Nazis used as further justification. Hundreds of senior SA officers are rounded up by the SS, many of whom are executed.
While all this is playing out, a tea party is held by Hitler for Cabinet ministers. Rohm is initially imprisoned and Hitler does want to spare his life, but Goring and Himmler convince him to do the opposite. Rohm was given the choice to kill himself, but refuses, and so he is executed by the SS in his jail cell.
After this the SA is reduced to a mere ceremonial organisation. And to top all off, the President of Germany eventually dies, and Hitler merges the Presidency with his own post, making himself the Supreme Leader, or the Fuhrer. Hitler and the Nazis now have ultimate power.
The Nazis Antisemitism Mounts
As we move into the next part of the Nazi terror we begin to head deeper down the dark path of Antisemitism perpetrated by the Nazis, which will eventually lead to the horror of the Holocaust.
Rudolph Hess, one of Hitler’s biggest sycophants, has been made Deputy Fuhrer in the new total Nazi administration. Himmler as head of the SS meanwhile is planning his takeover of the German police apparatus. And amongst all this, Goebbels begins his tirade of Antisemitic actions.
Goebbels himself strongly hated Jews and blamed them for a lot of his own issues as we have seen previously, some even believe that he hated Jews more than even Hitler did. Him and Hitler begin planning their first major step down the path of Antisemitism, beginning with an organised public boycott of Jewish-owned and operated business.
And as this goes on Goring, now a very prominent and esteemed member of Hitler’s inner circle, quietly distances himself as he is perhaps one of those least passionate about Antisemitism. More interestingly Goring had a Jewish godfather, someone who had allowed Goring to live a childhood of luxary.
But do not let this fool you, Goring was certainly still Antisemitic, but took a more pragmatic approach to it, compared to Goebbels and Hitler’s direct and coordinated actions. Goebbels exploits Goring’s distance to enable himself to get closer with Hitler. Goebbels also begins using his propaganda office to spread mass antisemitism amongst the populace.
SA stormtroopers are also placed outside of targeted Jewish businesses as part of the boycott plan, for the purposes of intimidation. Antisemitic graffiti, posters, and signs also begin popping up.
But despite these first efforts that attempted to spread Antisemitism and make it commonplace, the plan was not as successful as Goebbels would have liked, with many Germans reluctant to join the boycott. Many Germans walked past and defied SA stormtroopers to enter Jewish businesses, and the SA themselves were not clear on whether they could physically block people from entering or not.
Naturally, despite the general failure of the operation, Goebbels nonetheless uses his propaganda machine to spin it as a mass success. But after this initial more direct dabble, Goebbels decides to play the long game to get the German populace favourable to being antisemitic. And so for now, openly Antisemitic actions are drawn down.
A new Rivalry, the Propaganda Machine, and Himmler’s early Antisemitic Atrocities
Goebbels goes on to make plans to nationalise all German media for the effect of brainwashing the Germans, and to create his own personal media kingdom, and also wants their to be loud broadcasts in the streets.
But this plans cause tension between him and Goring. This was due to each German state controlling their own media, and Goring being the top man in Prussia did not want to lose control of his media empire there. Goebbels made fruitless attempts to convince Goring, but his passionate pleas for a single unified German state were met with refusal. Goebbels naturally becomes very frustrated with Goring after this, and a rivalry develops between the two.
Goebbels moves next ot try and convice Hitler that he needs control of all media, in an attempt to turn him against Goring. Goebbels also laucnhyes his own campaign of attacks against Goring’s character.
Hitler also makes a speech, influenced by Goebbels, attacking grandiosity in the party. Goebbels is ecstatic at this outcome, which was Hitler turning on Goring in all but name. Hitler then commands Goring to hand over Prussian radio to Goebbels, which of course he does, since you do not go against Hitler.
But that is not the end of this rivalry. Goring is nonetheless angered, and decides to use his Gestapo against Goebbels to try and catch him in any kind of slip up that he may then be able to use against him.
With Goebbels now having full control of the nation’s media, he begins having radios mass produced so that all families can have them, so that his propaganda can reach as many households as possible. Radio wardens are also employed to ensure that the public are listening in to the broadcasts.
Goebbels then targets the newspapers by having an editors law passed which shifted editor powers from publishers to the state, allowing even more propaganda to more easily reach the masses.
Goebbels propaganda machine starts off by showing the public what they want to see, that the economy is doing well and that the jobs market is booming and promises even better times to come, basically they are making the populace believe the Nazis are doing well in power. The propaganda also makes sure to emphasize Hitler as the leading figure.
Volksgemeinschaft is also launched, ‘the People’s Community’. A social engineering project to cement the spirit of unity and put aside class divisions, and become a united harmonious community. All with the aim of laying the vision of the Germanic master race.
But although the propaganda is large and grand in scale, much of populace still knowns that the economy is in-fact still not really going so well. Although unemployment is decreased, wages have remained low. Spies planted amongst the German populace, with the job of reporting on public opinion, report that people are still losing faith.
Goebbels decides to exploit this by deflecting blame on to who he considers outsiders, most notably of course, the Jews. Using them as scapegoats to distract from the issues at hand. This unfortunately begins leading to a wave of street violence against Jews.
Although Goebbels is happy he finally got a degree of Antisemitism to rise, those behind the scenes, including Hitler, oppose these actions taken by Goebbels, as the mob attacks serve to increased public unease and cause further damage to the economy, leaving their support at risk. Hitler, reluctantly, clamps down on the violence.
Heinrich Himmler was another of the inner circles biggest monsters, especially when it came to the Jews. Himmler’s style favoured discretion and misleading of the public when it came to antisemitism. Himmler does establish some early concentration camps. Violence and death took place within, as well as inhumane conditions, all of which was kept covered up from the German public.
Antisemitism moves to Top of Nazi Agenda
Goebbels continues to try and find new ways to stoke Antisemitism in the populace. He sets his eyes in the annual Nuremberg rally, a huge Nazi feature and event used for party propaganda. The 1935 rally planned to focus on the battle against Communism.
But Goebbels wanted their to be a seismic move against the Jewish race. Goebbels puts himself at great risk in his attempt to convince Hitler, he uses the Nuremberg rally and his orator skills to make a speech against the Jews, declaring them enemies of the state. Goebbels wanted Jews to be entirely out of all aspects of German life.
By making this speech, and pretty much going against official party plans for the rally, Goebbels risked political suicide. But luckily for Goebbels, and quite unluckily for Jews, the rally shows mass support for his speech. The reaction of the crowd causes Hitler to appease them, as they demanded immediate action against Jews. And just like that, Antisemitism moves to the top of the Nazi agenda.
The Nuremberg Race Laws are drafted, stripping Jews of citizenship and outlawing marraige between Jews and other Germans, and strips other rights including the right to employment and the right to education.
But the legislation remains vague on who actually qualifies as a Jew, which causes much debate among Hitler’s inner circle. Goebbels naturally wants the law to be as extreme as possible against anyone he viewed as a Jew. In the end a compromise is reached where anyone with three grandparents who were Jewish were themselves by definition also Jewish themselves.
The Goring-Goebbels Rivalry Continues
Goring had been busy building up an Air Force while the drafting of the antisemitic legislation had taken place, and felt left out that he had not been consulted on it. This prompts Goring to go on the attack against Goebbels by exposing his private life.
The scandal involved Goebbels and his media empire that had recently expanded into the film industry, but that Goebbels had been exploiting it for his own personal perks. One such scandal was that he was being unfaithful to his wife by having numerous affairs with leading actresses, which has been discovered by Goring’s spies, and his usage of wiretapping against Goebbels.
Goebbels closest attachment was to a Czech actress called Lida Baarova. Goring chooses this affair to spotlight, creating and passing a dossier about the affair to Hitler.
As Hitler was the Best Man at Goebbels wedding and was fond of Goebbels wife, Magda, Hitler feels the affair puts himself in a compromising position. Magda herself eventually discovers the affairs, and her relationship with Goebbels begins to break down.
This causes Magda to go and confide in Hitler for advice on her and Goebbels marraige, which plays into Gorings plan. As Hitler and Magda were good friends, Hitler finds Goebbels actions to be intolerable. Hitler gives an ultimatum to Goebbels to either sort out his marraige or resign.
Goebbels ends his affairs, including with Lida Baarova, which leads to the ending of her career. But this has left a visible taint on Geobbels within the party and he now feels casted down, which Goring takes as a victory.
Kristallnacht – the Night of Broken Glass
With Goebbels temporary fall within the party, Himmler uses the opportunity to take advantage of this by taking carry of the Nazi torch against Jews. When Austria is absorbed into Germany, Himmler and his SS establishes control over the region, and makes moves against the Jews there, with Himmler wanting Austria to be a testing ground for Antisemitic policies.
Both Himmler and Heydrich work together to remove Jews from Austria, and making them leave their wealth behind. Jewish business and properties are bought out and many Jews were taken to camps. These actions allowed Himmler and Heydrich to rise up further within the inner circle at the expense of Goebbels.
Goebbels eventually gets the opportunity to try and improve his reputation again, not through any good means of course, but by finding another way to go down even harder against the Jews. A Nazi diplomat called Ernst Vom Rath is shot and critically injured by a Polish-German Jew called Herschel Grynszpan.
Himmler views the event as the possible beginning of an all out Jew assault, and in secret he prepares his SS ready to fight. Himmler proclaims that no German is safe against Jewish aggression. Himmler wants Jews to be driven out with increasing ruthlessness and violence, and says that soon there would be no where left in the world for Jews.
The attempted assassination leads to Nazi antisemitic agenda to enter into more deeper and radical territory. Rath also eventually dies from his wounds, causing even greater fury amongst the Nazis. Hitler upon finding out the news enters into a furious tirade at a Nazi anniversary dinner, where it is reported that he said police would be held back to let Jews feel the anger of the German people.
Goebbels uses the incident to push further antisemitic propaganda forward and raise his profile back among rivals within the inner circle. Goebbels declares war against the Jews and takes a louder approach against them than Himmler and his SS. Goebbels goes on to openly whip up public hostility towards the Jews, causing street violence to once again erupt.
Himmler is not a fan of this loud approach, as it goes against his more secretive terror apparatus approach to the Nazi antisemitism agenda, and he did not believe in the effectiveness of open street violence. But the momentum among the Nazis is such that Himmler is all but powerless to oppose the open public hostility, and encourages his police not to interfere.
But Himmler and Heydrich do attempt to limit any damages by issuing strict instructions to the SA and security police over the rules of engagement, including no looting or destroying of German property, and anything seized from the Jews cannot just be stolen and must be handed over to the proper authorities. They also want Jewish property to be preserved rather than destroyed. Himmler also distances the SS from the riots, instructing them not to wear uniforms if they did participate.
With Goring out of the picture and Himmler outmanuvered, Goebbels savage violence against the Jews goes on without checks, and becomes known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass.
The rules of engagement failed to reach SA stormtroopers, leading to absolute carnage. Many are beaten to death and vastly more are taken and put in concentration camps. At least 7,500 Jewish businesses are destroyed.
Goring becomes livid at Goebbels due to the level of damages caused by the riots, and also annoyed for being kept out of the loop once again and horrified at the looting and destruction of valuable property. Himmler, furious himself that things got so out of hand, that he lobbies hard for Goebbels to be sacked.
But ultimately Hitler chooses the side of Goebbels. Nonetheless, Goring still plans to make Goebbels pay for the damages caused as their rivalry heats up again. Goebbels is therefore forced to come up with a way to pay for the damages, and who can guess what he comes up with? He wants the Jews to pay for it of course.
Goebbels succesfully convinces the inner circle to levy a one billion Reichmark fine on the Jews, saving his career.
Following the Night of Broken Glass, the Nazi Antisemitic agenda accelerates but returns to being a lot more discreet, and Himmler takes the mantle on this approach.
The Violent Control Freak – Martin Bormann
As was previously mentioned Rudolf Hess was now Deputy Fuhror, a position that from the outside seemed powerful and prostigious, but from the inside really was more symbolic than powerful.
During this time unemployment was falling, and GDP was rising. It seemed to many, including Nazi detractors, that Hitler and the Nazi Party were not so bad. The Nazis made sure to boost this sentiment further through propaganda on radio, and also through the fairly new technology of television.
Hitler had given charge to Hess of turning his mountain retreat in Obersalzberg into the 2nd seat of Government. But Hess is not very well up to the task, although he is a Hitler fanatic that is mostly all he is, he does not fair well against inner party rivalry and was far more of a thinker than a doer.
Hess finds himself inexperienced to the task of managing a building project, and so instead he puts his own deputy in charge of its organisation and completion, his name, Martin Bormann.
But in doing this Hess is opening up his own influence to Bormann, accidentally allowing him the opportunity to rise above Hess, as Bormann is another one of those types that cares more about their own personal ambition than others, a violent and power hungry individual, and a control freak, as you shall see.
From the outset Bormann begins as a little known figure, uncharismatic and quiet, he is not a politician or a skilled orator, but he is a good organiser. Within, Bormann has his own agenda to get to the real center of power, whatever it takes, he is not afriad to get his hands dirty. In this, he shall become another of Hitler’s biggest psychophants.
Bormann knows that the job he has been given has the potential to place him in constant and direct contact with Hitler. While managing the building project, Bormann uses brutality towards neighbours to give up their land, either selling it up or moving out, so that he had more space to work with on the project.
And Bormann was brutal and mischevious. One such hotel that would not sell up had its owner thrown into the Dachau concentration camp by Bormann. He also tricked people into selling for less than the agreed upon amount. And as a taskmaster, he was also brutal, and make life for the foreman miserable.
Albert Speer – Hitler’s favourite architect
Hess, not realizing his mistake with Bormann, makes a similar mistake with the introduction of Albert Speer, an architect who was working on various projects within Hess’ ministry. Speer had designed a giant eagle as a backdrop for Nazi Party rallies, and Hess did not want to take credit himself, and so sent Speer directly to Hitler.
Hitler quickly takes a liking to Speer, and he ends up becoming Hitler’s official architect, therefore bringing him into the inner circle. One of Speer’s first major ideas are to bring in new lights that beam up into the sky for the next Nuremberg rally. He asks the Luftwaffe for searchlights that he can use.
But this request angers Goring who believes using the searchlights at the rally could endanger national security. Goring is also jealous of how quickly Speer has risen up into the inner circle, and a rivalry quickly develops between them.
In his quest to get the searchlights which Goring refused, Speer goes directly to Hitler, who goes ahead and overrules Goring. From then on the searchlights become a prominent feature of Nazi rallies. But also after this, Goring views Speer as an enemy.
Speer would come up with plans to redevelop the heart of the German capital, which Hitler really loved, and also around this time Hitler wanted to rename Berlin to Germania.
Speer became one of the few who could bypass Bormann and meet Hitler directly, which naturally made Bormann view Speer as a rival.
Occupying the Rhineland
Hitler has since become very impressed of Bormann’s handling of what is called the Berghof project. Hess on the other hand has a little too late now begun to realize his mistakes, and he begins to notice that he is being sidelined to an even higher degree, such as not being consulted on the reoccupation of the Rhineland.
Goring on the other hand becomes concerned over Hitler’s expansionist plans. He fears that the Allies may retaliate if Hitler moves troops into the Rhineland and thinks that it is unnecessary. Goring wanted to avoid another great war and failed to understand Hitler’s ambitions, and as such started finding himself being sidelined by Hitler as well.
Goebbels uses the Rhineland as an opportunity to pump out major propaganda, which impresses Hitler as it leads to creating a national euphoria.
Berghof Completion
Bormann manages to complete the Berghof project on schedule and to the highest possible standard, and for that finds himself in a much stronger position. For the high level Nazis and those of high esteem invited by them, the Berghof becomes a place of pilgrimage.
High political figures such as Mussolini and King Edward VIII and his wife visit Hitler there.
Bormann is also has further plans for the site where the Berghof sits, such as a Nazi stronghold underground. The Allies later believed that it could have been used as a place for Hitler to make a much more effective last stand, although instead he decided to remain in his bunker within Berlin.
At the Berghof, Hitler would sleep in late and go to bed late, making any guests he had there suffer through him for hours, as it would be seen as disloyal to simply just leave. Such typical events would include dinner, the watching of a Hollywood movie, and then hours of ranting monologue from Hitler into the early hours of the morning. The Berghof became the place where some of the Nazis most depraved ideologies were crafted.
The Berghof also became a frontline of sorts for inner circle rivalry, as the people within it fawned over Hitler to get his attention, and those most close to Hitler would be the ones who’d get to go to the Berghof. Goring, who has already had rivalries with Goebbels, Rohm, and now Speer, also found himself hating Bormann, due to the favour he was gaining with Hitler.
Bormann even purchased a children’s home above the Berghof so that he could make his own place there, all for the soul reason of becoming Hitler’s biggest gatekeeper, no one would be seeing Hitler without Bormann knowing about it. Quietly using this to tighten his grip around rivals, and moulding himself as Hitler’s enforcer. He even took charge of Hitler’s personal finances and coffers of the Nazi Party.
Hess’ Fall Begins and Hitler’s Partner Eva Braun
As Hess slips further down the pecking order, he finds himself turning into a hyperchondriact, and starts perceiving himself having ailments, and turns to various alternative treatments. He even sent such nonsense alternative treatments to Goring for his neuralgia, but all it did was have Goring see Hess in a less serious manner.
Although Hess did have the opportunity to take the leading charge into Austria, it was Goring who did so instead using diplomacy-of-sorts and overwhelming military strength. Hess did lay a lot of the groundwork for the joining of Austria with Germany, but was no where to be seen when it came to fruition.
Hitler for the past 6-years has had a mistress called Eva Braun, they had met from her being an assistant in Hitler’s official photography. Braun though did not act like the typical woman would, especially during those days, she would take part in activities considered more manly.
But Braun would act differently around Hitler as he disliked the things that she liked. Braun came to resent this as she could not really be herself around Hitler, and found herself hidden away as Hitler did not want to make his relationship with her public as he thought it would be bad PR.
Despite this Braun did still have a degree of direct influence over Hitler, something Bormann hated, the wives of the other inner circle members also disliked Braun’s influence over Hitler, but were unable to do anything about it without going directly against Hitler.
One of those who had resented Braun most was Goring’s wife Emmy who liked to see herself as First Lady of the Reich and due to this she despised Braun and saw her as unworthy of Hitler.
Goebbels in trying to bring greater favour with Hitler makes a fluke when he decides to gift Braun a necklace for the effect of making Hitler happy, but it instead backfires as Hitler dislikes pearls and refuses to let Braun wear it in his presence. A bit of an ouchy for Goebbels there.
Eyes on Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland
Goebbels uses his propaganda machine to create a pretext to invade the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. He protrays Germans living within that area as symbols of Czech oppression, and sold an invasion as a humanitarian intervention.
Goring himself is once again cautious of any moves against the Sudetenland, but once again is ignored by Hitler. This causes Goring to feel like he is losing power within the inner circle, and that paired with pain from dental issues causes him to return to his old morphine addiction.
This would start a stain for Goring, who begun being viewed in the war years as a person who overeats, overdrinks, takes drugs, and lays about neglecting the Luftwaffe and blighting his career.
The Inner Circle Continues to Compete
As to be expected now, those in the inner circle, most of those there at least, are merely just psychophants trying their best to impress and gain favour with Hitler over the other members.
These can be especially seen in some extravagant gestures organised by the different members. Goebbels for example organises one of the largest military parades seen since the Third Reich had come to power.
Goring organises an impressive fly past of his Luftwaffe.
Speer presents Hitler an enormous model of a victory arch he wants to build in Hitler’s honour.
But one of the biggest winners in this little battle is of course Bormann, who trumps everyone by building Hitler a mountaintop tea house above the Berghof, which becomes known to the Allies as the Eagle’s Nest.
Hess himself comes up with a radical but very desperate and absolutely bizarre idea in an attempt to win his own favour back with Hitler, which would become one of the strangest moments of World War 2.
Well that’s the end to part 1 and all of the main points I learned and picked up from Hitler’s Circle of Evil on Netflix. Which really is a must watch as it also includes commentary and comments from those in academia and great visuals and acting throughout, and includes much more information.
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