Bamberg Conference

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The Bamberg Conference (1926) was held during the "wilderness years" of the Nazi party. Hitler's decision to call the meeting was something of a gamble. His aim was to restore some resemblance of party unity and agree a future programme. To achieve this he had to put pressure on his rival Gregor Strasser's delegates to come into line. What was meant to be a debate was quickly turned into a five-hour monologue, dominated by Hitler. Bamberg was chosen as it was situated on the way to the northern Gauleiter, but still on Bavarian soil. Hitler slowly began to regain support and by mid-1926 he was in control of the party once again. At this conference the young Joseph Goebbels, an associate of the Strasser brothers switched sides and joined Hitler. The conference was called shortly after Hitler's release from prison for attempting to take over the country (Munich Putsch) and by this time support for the Nazi party was in decline due to the relative prosperity the country was experiencing under Streseman and a socialist/nationalist split in the party would have been a problem which needed to be solved as soon as possible if the Nazi party was to succeed and for Hitler to become Chancellor.