Hitlers promise of a better future for German people was the most important reason for the growth in support for the Nazis up to 1933. How accurate is this view?

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“Hitler’s promise of a better future for German people was the most important reason for the growth in support for the Nazi’s up to 1933.” How accurate is this view?

        In the 1928 election the Nazi’s gained 810,000 votes and 12seats in the Reichstag. At the end of 1928 Hitler was still a small time politician, little known outside of Southern Germany and even there he was regarded as part of the lunatic fringe of Bavarian politics. Astonishingly in 1932 the Nazi party gained 230 seats and became the largest party in the Reichstag, however, there was still no overall majority. By promising to rip up Versailles Hitler promised a better and stronger future for the German people. Hitler also gave the German people hope of political stability as many believed the Nazi’s would remove the communist threat, the economic crisis from 1929-32 allowed the Nazis to gain support as they said they had the answers to Germany’s problems and promised a prosperous future. In 1932 unemployment stood at a staggering 6million, Hitler promised to solve all these problems and many more. Furthermore, Hitler’s use of propaganda gave the Germans a sense of pride and belonging gaining further support for the man himself and his Nazi party.

        The weaknesses of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis are closely linked. Many of the reasons which brought the government to failure also help to explain the success of the Nazi party. The Weimar Republic was brought in being in January 1919 following the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Fredrich Ebert, leader of the largest party, the Social Democrats, became the first President. Germany’s democracy had a parliament and a democracy which on paper was regarded as the finest democracy of modern times. However, the Republic was far from popular. It was overwhelmed by economic problems from the begging and threats to its future from enemies. The Weimar government where associated with defeat from the very beginning as they had accepted the terms of Versailles. Germany was forced to accept the blame for starting the war, had to pay a sum of 6 600million in reparations, were forced to disarm and lost land due to the terms. For the German people the Treaty added up to humiliation – yet Ebert’s government had no alternative but to accept them. To have refused would have led to an allied resumption of war. Nevertheless, many Germans blamed the Government for the severe terms and referred to them as the “November Criminals.” As the historian Hannah Vogt says; “The men who were to pick up the reins of government faced a tremendous, thankless task.”  Therefore, from the birth of the new government, the republic was connected in the minds of many with defeat and dishonour. This feeling of distaste towards the Weimar Republic made the ideas and beliefs of Hitler and the Nazis more attractive. This new attraction to the Nazi party the Republic could not handle and was on the verge of collapse in 1932.

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        Moreover, the problems of democracy and the weakness of the constitution made it easier for the Nazi party to get into the Reichstag. The main weakness in the new Constitution was the system of proportional representation which was intended to give all political groups representatives in parliament. Under this system the seats in the assembly which a party was given depended on the total number of votes cast for the party throughout the country. This system encouraged the growth of so many small parties that no one party was large enough to gain an overall majority, to give Germany a ...

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