History depth studies question B

bag was gone and the money had been left on the ground. This showed that during hyperinflation the bag would have been worth alot more. Overnight, the middle class standard of living was ruined and The Great Depression began, casting even the richest of citizens into poverty. Germany was in a state of desperation, this gave Hitler his chance. He could offer Germany the solution that they longed for. Another short term cause was President Hindenburg’s want for the respect of his people. His last choice for chancellor was very unpopular, he was called Franz Von Papen. Hindenburg disliked Hitler but could no longer ignore his popularity with the people. Therefore, he appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany in January of 1933. This was as long as he agreed to support the government. Once he was made chancellor Hitler established a Nazi dictatorship to enact the Enabling Act, which was officially called “Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich.” It allowed Hitler to gain as much power as possible without taking it. In addition to this the citizens of Germany hated the Weimar government and Hitler’s dreams of Germany being governed by one man, himself, was very appealing during Germany’s depression. As well as the short term causes there are also long term causes which contributed to Hitler’s rise to power that happened gradually, over a long period of time. One long term cause was the Treaty of Versailles. This was a peace treaty signed on the 28th of June, 1919 by two Germans who had to agree to whatever terms were decided. This was Germany’s punishment for starting the first world war. However, many Germans believed that their country wasn’t responsible. Even people from other countries outside the League of Nations thought that the treaty was harsh and unfair. Long after the Treaty had been signed the citizens of Germany still hated the Weimar government for giving up the war so easily, and agreeing to sign the Treaty. Hitler offered the people a chance to regain Germany’s honour by promising to abolish the terms of the treaty and make Germany a free country, without debts to other nations. He also believed that the Weimar government was a disgrace and he referred to them as the November Criminals,  since that was the month when the Treaty was signed. Another long term cause was what happened at Munich, in 1923 which later became known as the Munich Putsch, or the Munich Rebellion. Hitler had seen how unstable and corrupt the government had became and decided to try and seize power. He broke up a meeting between Bavarian state governors at a Beer-Hall  on November 8th and forced them to take part in a rebellion. However, once free they quickly changed their minds. Therefore, on the 9th of November 3000 Nazis were led by Hitler and General Ludendorff, a First World War army hero, and marched on Munich. Hitler believed the police and army would join his revolution but instead they open fired on the marchers and sixteen Nazis were killed. Hitler and Ludendorff were arrested for conspiracy. Hitler spent 5 years inside prison. What happened at Munich, and his arrest made him even more popular with the German Public because they believed he was willing to take a stand, and fight for Germany even at his own risk. In addition to this, during his trials Hitler was able to make long criticising speeches aimed at the government and voice his dreams for Germany’s future. This made him famous. This also made Hitler realised he could obtain power without using an armed uprising. During his years in prison Hitler worked on a book he later named ‘Mein Kampf’ which means ‘My Struggle’. Mein Kampf was about Hitler’s main beliefs, and it was published throughout Germany. The majority of the public agreed with his views. In conclusion there are both short and long term events that led up to Hitler gaining power over Germany. Eventually he managed to earn his power instead of stealing it, by gaining the overall support of Germany’s people. However, without both the short and long term events it may not have been as easy, or possible for Hitler to have done so.