The document is a source describing a conversation between Goering and his press officer shortly after the Reichstag Fire in 1933. In the conversation, Goering insists that the press officer's report blaming the fire on a single man with one sack of firelighter material is "sheer rubbish" and pushes him to say it was 100 sacks carried by 10-20 men as part of a Communist uprising, showing his eagerness to blame Communists for political gain. The source is very useful for historians studying Hitler's rise to power as it illustrates how Nazi leaders exploited the fire to strengthen their position by accusing Communists and restricting civil liberties.

1. How far does this source prove that the Munich Putsch was a disaster for the Nazi Party? Use the source and your knowledge to explain your answer. A photograph of Hitler and fellow Nazis in Landsberg prison after the Munich Putsch, 1924.

3. Success Disaster Use the source Use the source Use your knowledge Use your knowledge Hitler is in prison. He was given a 5 year prison sentence. He is in prison but it looks nice and comfortable with paintings and flowers. Hitler had visitors. The putsch failed because Hitler was not supported by people who had promised to support him such as Von Kahr, the Bavarian Prime Minister. The putsch was not supported by the army or police. In fact, the army crushed the putsch easily and many Nazis were killed and Hitler fled. The putsch was badly planned. Hitler was imprisoned and put on trial. He turned this around as he used the trial to make a huge nationalist speech which impressed many people. He gained national publicity. Whilst in prison, he wrote Mein Kampf and it gave him time to re-evaluate his tactics. He received a 5 year sentence but he only served 9 months.

4. A poster published in 1932. It says, ‘Our last hope: Hitler.’ Starter Study this poster. Explain why this poster was published in 1932. Use the source and your knowledge to explain your answer. 1932 – What was happening in Germany in 1932? What was it like? Use the date to unlock your knowledge.

5. A poster published in 1932. It says, ‘Our last hope: Hitler.’ Study this poster. Explain why this poster was published in 1932. Use the source and your knowledge to explain your answer. Key words 1932 – What was happening in Germany in 1932? What was it like? Use the date to unlock your knowledge.

6. Source Knowledge ‘Our last hope: Hitler.’ It was published to make people support Hitler The people look really down and miserable. They are without hope and the caption is stating that Hitler is the only hope left for them. Due to the Wall St Crash in 1929, Germany was going through a major economic depression. Many people had lost their jobs. In fact in 1932, there were 6 million unemployed. Many were starving and homeless. The poster is stating that the only chance of escaping poverty is to vote for Hitler. There were 2 elections in 1932.

7. I showed my report to Goering. ‘That’s sheer rubbish,’ he said. ‘One sack of firelighting material! No, we must say one hundred sacks.’ ‘ But that is impossible, Minister. No one can believe that a single man can have carried all that.’ ‘ Nothing is impossible. We must say there were ten or even twenty men. The whole thing was a signal for a Communist uprising. They must have come through the tunnel.’ Goering’s press officer describing his conversation with Goering shortly after the Reichstag Fire on 27 February 1933. Study this source. In what ways is this source useful to an historian studying Hitler’s rise to power? Use the source and your knowledge to explain your answer. Key words Look at the date. What happened immediately after the Reichstag Fire? Goering? Who was Goering? What is his attitude in the source?

9. I showed my report to Goering. ‘That’s sheer rubbish,’ he said. ‘One sack of firelighting material! No, we must say one hundred sacks.’ ‘ But that is impossible, Minister. No one can believe that a single man can have carried all that.’ ‘ Nothing is impossible. We must say there were ten or even twenty men. The whole thing was a signal for a Communist uprising. They must have come through the tunnel.’ Goering’s press officer describing his conversation with Goering shortly after the Reichstag Fire on 27 February 1933. Source Not useful? Useful? Knowledge The source is not useful because it does not tell you about how Hitler came into power. By this time, Hitler had done well in the elections and had been appointed Chancellor. The source is very useful as it shows how keen Goering was to put the blame of the fire on to the Communists. He is pushing the idea that the fire is the start of a Communist uprising. Goering wants people to believe that it was the Communists. This was a very good move by the Nazis because it gave them the excuse to arrest Communist leaders and get rid of the opposition and to pass an emergency law which banned freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Hitler drew up the Reichstag Fire Decree 28 th February. It allowed the police to ban meetings and arrest anyone they wanted. This is why they wanted to blame the Fire on the Communists.