Part 2/14:
Hitler’s Early Political Strategy: Shifting Focus to the Working Class
In 1921, Hitler was an emerging figure within what would become the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Initially, the party had attracted limited support, mostly from revanchist nationalists and anti-Marxists. The failure of the Beer Hall Putsch taught Hitler and his mentor Dietrich Eckart that direct overthrow attempts via military coup were unsustainable against a united working-class resistance, exemplified by the general strike that thwarted the coup. Learning from this, Hitler shifted tactics—aiming to bring industrial workers and the broader proletariat into his nationalist fold by emphasizing ethnic unity (Volksgemeinschaft) over class struggle.