Hitler's Rise to Power

Authors Avatar

James Waterworth

Hitler’s Rise to Power

Question one

Several long and short term reasons contributed to Hitler’s rise to power.

The long term causes were:

  • The Munich Putsch (rebellion) which first brought Hitler to public attention.
  • The Treaty of Versailles which caused severe economic problems that Hitler exploited.

The short term causes were:

  • Von Papen and Hindenburg’s decision to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, which allowed him to call another election so that he could gain more power and also gave him a chance to ban Communist meetings and newspapers.
  • The Enabling Law (March 1933) which effectively made Hitler the dictator of Germany.

The Munich Putsch (November 1922) helped Hitler’s rise to power in several ways, but mainly by giving him publicity and propaganda.  The actual march created quite a bit of publicity and made him known throughout Germany, although at that time it was not for good reasons.  Hitler and the other main leader of the Putsch, who was a famous army general named Ludendorff, were arrested on charges of conspiracy.  Ludendorff was found not guilty, while Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison.  This was a pretty small penalty for the charge of conspiracy against the government, for which people were usually executed.  Hitler eventually served only nine months – being released early for good behaviour.

Hitler used the trial to get publicity and popularity for his ideas by making strong speeches in his trial, which people took special notice of because of his charismatic and extravagant style of speaking.  It also made him realise that he could get control over Germany better by trying to become a member of Government rather than by trying to forcefully take over the Government with a putsch.  This idea succeeded as we can see, by the fact that Hitler was made Chancellor ten years after the Putsch.  While he was in prison he also wrote what was to later become the Nazi’s bible – Mein Kampf (My Struggle).

Join now!

The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was an important long term cause to Hitler’s rise to power – but it was also an indirect one.  The Treaty helped create bad feelings towards the Weimar Republic – the government in Germany before Hitler (1919 to 1934).  It made Germany accept the war guilt clause, meaning that Germany was held fully responsible for World War.  It also made them pay £6,600,000,000 in reparations which Germany stood little chance of paying.  The German government could not pay the reparations so tried to print more money. This led to hyperinflation and the economic depression in ...

This is a preview of the whole essay