Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
View my library
0
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The NSDAP's 'lean years'

I can describe how the NSDAP changed between 1924 and 1929.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The NSDAP's 'lean years'

I can describe how the NSDAP changed between 1924 and 1929.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

View new resources

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Hitler's ideology, outlined in 'Mein Kampf', reshaped the Nazi Party and later impacted Germany as a whole.
  2. The 1926 Bamberg Conference helped Hitler eliminate socialist elements and solidify his absolute control over the party.
  3. The Nazis had limited electoral success as political and economic stability weakened extremism.
  4. The Nazis gained rural support by appealing to struggling farmers, and shifting focus from urban workers to landowners.
  5. By 1928, the Nazi Party had a national structure, disciplined ideology and tailored propaganda, but lacked mass support.

Keywords

  • Ideological - related to a system of beliefs or ideas, often political or philosophical

  • Führer - meaning ‘leader’; a concept used by Hitler to establish himself as the absolute authority of the Nazi Party, promoting total control by a single leader as a solution to political instability

Common misconception

The 'lean years' meant the Nazis were completely unsuccessful and struggling in every way.

The ‘lean years’ mainly refers to the Nazis’ limited electoral success. While they weren’t winning many votes, they were strengthening their organisation, refining propaganda and gaining rural support. These years were crucial for their later rise.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: The NSDAP's 'lean years', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pupils could create a visual map showing where the Nazis gained support in the 1920s. Include rural, urban and industrial areas, explaining why some groups were more receptive than others.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
How did General Erich Ludendorff’s support benefit the Nazi Party?
He convinced the Weimar government to support Hitler.
He provided financial support for the putsch.
Correct answer: His reputation as a former wartime commander gave the Nazis credibility.
Q2.
What happened when Hitler and his 2000 supporters marched toward the city centre, during the Munich Putsch?
The German army joined them.
They successfully overthrew the Weimar government.
Correct answer: They were confronted by armed police and defeated.
They were welcomed by cheering crowds.
Q3.
What were the short-term consequences of the Munich Putsch?
Hitler was exiled from Germany.
Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany.
The Nazis gained full control of Munich.
Correct answer: The Nazi Party was banned and Hitler was jailed.
Q4.
Match the following terms with their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:Bavarian,related to a state in southern Germany

related to a state in southern Germany

Correct Answer:fascist,a supporter of state control and banning political opposition

a supporter of state control and banning political opposition

Correct Answer:'My Struggle',a book written by Hitler

a book written by Hitler

Q5.
Complete the sentence with the correct missing word: Hitler hoped that by seizing control of Munich, he would have control of the government, and from there, overthrow the Weimar Republic.
Correct Answer: Bavarian
Q6.
How did Hitler’s trial after the Munich Putsch help him in the long-term?
Correct answer: It gave him national fame and a new strategy to gain power legally.
It led to the permanent end of the Nazi Party.
It made him governor after Kahr lost the position.

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What strategy did Hitler adopt after 1924 to gain power?
abandoning politics and focusing on 'Mein Kampf'
forming an alliance with the communists
Correct answer: pursuing a legal path to power through elections
Q2.
What was a key outcome of the 1926 Bamberg Conference?
Correct answer: Hitler eliminated socialist elements from the Nazi Party.
Hitler lost control of the party to Gregor Strasser.
The Nazi Party split into two separate groups.
Q3.
Which German word did Hitler use to emphasise his total control over the Nazi Party?
Correct Answer: Führer, Fuhrer, the Führer, the Fuhrer
Q4.
Starting with the earliest, sort these events into chronological order.
1 - The Munich Putsch failed.
2 - Hitler was released from prison.
3 - Hitler called the Bamberg Conference.
4 - The Nazi Party won 12 seats in the Reichstag.
Q5.
How did Gustav Stresemann help stabilise the German economy in the mid-1920s?
Correct answer: by addressing hyperinflation
by cutting government spending
Correct answer: by securing American loans through the Dawes Plan
by rejecting foreign financial aid
Q6.
What happened to Nazi support during Germany’s economic recovery in the mid-1920s?
Correct answer: It declined as economic stability reduced the appeal of extremism.
It grew rapidly among urban workers who benefited from the recovery.
It remained the same, with consistent electoral success.

Additional material

Download additional material