Hitler's Rise to Power

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Hitler's Rise to Power

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Hitler's hatred of the harsh and humiliating Treaty of Versailles, and the Weimar Government that was imposed by the Treaty, was what turned him towards politics in the first place. It was his hatred of the Treaty that took him to the top of the Nazi party and drove him to attempt the Munich Putsch. He believed the 'November Criminals', the politicians who signed the Treaty betrayed Germany and back-stabbed the German Army, who could have won the war. His hatred of the 'November Criminals' lead him to believe he should take Germany by force and reverse the terms of the Treaty. Hitler's hatred of the Treaty was also shown through the Nazi party manifestos, and the idea of smashing the Treaty and restoring Germany's military muscle appealed to many ex-soldiers and ex-civil servants who lost their jobs when Germany signed the Treaty. Hitler's amazing oratory skills and his charisma helped convince these disaffected individuals that Hitler was a man who could help them. Some ex-soldiers joined the SA (Sturm-Abteilung/Storm Troopers), helping the Nazis directly, rather than simply casting their vote in Hitler's favour. These men, motivated by hatred of the Treaty of Versailles and given purpose through Hitler's speeches an rallies broke up political meetings of rival parties and intimidated opponents, keeping Nazis loyal and the party strong. Later on, Hitler was able to use the SA and the SS to force through the Enabling law, by surrounding the Reichstag with his troops. The Nazis made it clear from the outset that they would 'use democracy to destroy democracy', and this appealed to many of the Germans that didn't believe in democracy, or were confused by the Weimar Government and wanted a return to the Imperial might of pre-war Germany. When the economic depression struck in the thirties Hitler was able to blame this on the Treaty, again appealing to voters who disliked the Treaty or simply wanted a scapegoat. As we can see, Hitler's hatred of the Treaty of Versailles was a crucial part of his political ideology and if the Treaty had not been signed, or if the conditions had been less harsh and imposed less strict restrictions on Germany, Hitler may never have entered politics.

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Two types of causes contributed to Hitler's rise to power: long-term causes and short-term causes. Both are necessary for events to occur and both were required for Hitler to rise to power in Germany. A good example interaction is that between the economic depression of the thirties and Hitler's oratory and leadership skills. When the Depression occurred, Hitler suddenly had millions of people who were willing to listen to him and his views. Before this, Hitler could have been the best speaker in the world, but his radical discontentment with the Weimar Government when things seemed to be going ...

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