In August, 1919, Hitler was given the job of lecturing returning German prisoners of war on the dangers of Communism and pacifism, as well as democracy and disobedience. Hitler had discovered much to his delight that he could speak well in front of a strange audience, hold their attention, and sway them to his point of view. For his next assignment, he was ordered in September of 1919 to investigate a small group in Munich known as the German Workers' Party. The use of the term 'workers' attracted the attention of the German Army which was now involved in crushing Marxist uprisings. One day, Hitler received an unexpected postcard saying he had been accepted as a member into the party. He was asked to attend an executive committee meeting, which he did. At that meeting he was joyfully welcomed
as a new member although he was actually very undecided on whether to join. Although unimpressed by the present condition of the German Workers' Party, Hitler was drawn to the sentiment expressed by Drexler that this would somehow become a movement not just a political party. And in this disorganised party, Hitler saw opportunity. He joined the committee of the German Workers' Party and thus entered politics.
Hitler was scheduled to be the second speaker at one of the meatings. It was to be


his first time as a speaker, despite the misgivings of committee members who doubted Hitler's ability at this time. But when Hitler got up to speak, he astounded everyone with a highly emotional, at times near hysterical manner of speech making. For Hitler, it was an important moment in his young political career. He got a respect for that. The German Workers' Party now featured Hitler as the main attraction at its meetings. The German Workers' Party name was changed by Hitler to include the term National Socialist. By the end of 1920 it had about three thousand members. At the next gathering, July 29, 1921, Adolf Hitler was introduced as a leader of the Nazi Party, marking the first time that title was publicly used to address him. In April 1921 there was a huge inflation in Germany. The German mark fell to 18,000 to the dollar. By November 1923 it took 4 milion marks to get a dollar. Germans lost their life savings and they were paid in worthless money. Groceries cost billions. Hitler endorsed the fall of the Weimar Republic, and declared at a public rally on October 30, 1923 that he was prepared to march on Berlin to rid the government of the Communists and the Jews. On November 8, 1923, Hitler held a rally at a Munich beer hall and proclaimed a revolution.