The Wall Street Crash left the Germany people distraught and desperate; this was especially present in agricultural areas as farming had never really recovered from the war. Hitler and the Nazis used this to their advantage as a way of gaining public support. The Nazis were extremely
effective when it came to the use of propaganda and would target particular groups with an appropriate message to gain their support. The Nazis radiated a youthful and dynamic image while keeping what appeared to be traditional German values of order and organisation. Goebbels and his Ministry for Propaganda gave the Nazi party a military image with the use of uniform, rallies and flags. To many people in Germany at the time Hitler seemed to be the answer to all their problems. It is perhaps due the previous years of suffering and financial insecurity that the German people began to turn to extremes like fascism and this also suggests that they had lost their faith in democracy. The Nazis were a reminder of the old Imperial Germany and it is possible that many people wanted to return back to a more authoritarian method of rule. In their propaganda the Nazis placed great influence on the weakness of the Weimar Republic. With slogans like "Bread not reparations" they effectively exacerbated the German people's dislike for Republic and concentrated greatly on the "stab-in-the-back" myth.
The Nazi Party tried as hard as possible to make itself a "catch all party"; that is that they wanted to appeal to those from all different areas and walks of life. The use of propaganda was crucial to this and tended to be extremely successful. However, there were still areas of the public which were more committed to the Nazis than others. The Nazis were extremely popular in rural areas, with Protestants and also with ex-servicemen and young army officers. This popularity was reflected in election results. The election results also suggest that there is strong link between Nazi support and the rise in unemployment. In 1928 before the Wall Street crash the NSDAP had only 12 seats in the Reichstag but then by September of 1930 this had risen to 107 seat which was nearly 20% of all voters. At a time when the NSDAP promised jobs for all unemployment was steadily rising making the National Socialists more and more appealing to the general public. People were beginning to turn to extremes due to the depression and thisshown also by the fact that the support for the Communist party had also rapidly increased at this time. However, while the fear of the "red threat" meant that the extreme left was under constant suspicion and attack Hitler himself seemed to significantly overlooked. He had gained respect from by having the support of other right-wing parties while he also tried to align himself with the forces of old Germany who were people respected and thought that they could trust.
However, it is crucial to remember that Hitler could not become Chancellor of Germany through popular support alone; the only way in which Hitler could become Chancellor was if he was appointed by the President, Hindenburg. Hitler was disliked greatly by Hindenburg, yet his popular support meant that he could no longer be ignored. A major factor in Hitler's appointment as Chancellor was that in since the Wall Street crash and Stresemann's death each coalition government had not last longer than about a year before collapsing. What Germany needed was a Chancellor who would get the people's support behind the government, for this Hitler was an obvious choice especially when in July 1932 the NSDAP become the largest party in the Reichstag with a third of all votes. Initially however a plan thought up by Schleicher who was Chancellor at the end on 1932 was that they could weaken the Nazi party and bring support back to government by attracting Strasse away from the NSDAP. Strasse was a key figure in the more left wing side of the Nazi Party and it was thought that if he were to leave the party he would bring a significant portion of it with him. However Schleicher's plan failed as Hitler retained the support and loyalty of the party and instead Strasse was left isolated. It is perhaps likely that if indeed Schleicher's plan had worked Hitler would never have been appointed Chancellor in 1933. Papen, who had been Chancellor early in 1932 and had a lot of influence over Hindenburg, felt like many other prominent politicians that Hitler could be manipulated. He knew that Hitler would only form government if he was Chancellor and felt that Hindenburg should appoint him has Chancellor so that they could use him for his popular support. Therefore, it was this underestimation of Hitler which was essential to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor. If Papen had not believed that Hitler could be controlled then it is unlikely that he would ever have been appointed as Chancellor
Although the fact that in 1933 Hitler had immense public support and led a party which was the largest in the Reichstag was vital in his appointment of Chancellor this could never have happened without the consent of Hindenburg. Therefore the most important factor in Hitler's appointment of Chancellor and the main reason for him being given such a prestigious position was that those with the power to appoint him as Chancellor underestimated his bid for power and felt that they would be able to benefit from his appointment.
