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Introduction

History Coursework: Hitler's Rise to Power in Germany by 1933. Question 1: The Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was one of the most important causes which contributed to Hitler's rise in Germany. This treaty was drawn up by the leaders of the allies to punish Germany for the role they played in WW1. The Germans found the treaty very harsh but knew that they had to no choice but to obey the rules that were given. The treaty consisted of five major points. The first was to get revenge and weaken Germany. The German territory to west of the Rhine would be occupied by troops for fifteen years. The Germans weren't so keen on this since they didn't want their enemy troops in their own country. The Germans were also not allowed to put any troops on the east bank of the line. Since the Germans had no choice to disagree the treaty made them feel very weak to invasion. Germany had to pay reparations by paying 6600 million pounds. Another part of the treaty was to place tight restriction on Germany's armed forces. The German army was limited to 100,000 men which left Germany with a large population of unemployed soldiers. The allies didn't allow the Germans to have an air force, vehicles or submarines. Since the Germans weren't given what they wanted the size and number of naval ships were limited. Hitler started his promotion by sharing his strong views on the treaty. Hitler expressed his views by reminding the German people about the bad terms in the treaty which the Germans disliked. ...read more.

Middle

Had this not happened, the Nazis had still only had 12 seats by the next election in 1932. This long-term factor was an open ticket for Hitler and the Nazi party in the 'Popularity Phase'. Patriotic Germans had never forgotten their nation's treatment in Paris in that year. Question 3 The 'Web of Causation': There is no straightforward answer as to why Hitler succeeded in becoming chancellor in 1933. There are many essential factors which are vital to his rise into power. Each factor on its own would not have resulted in Hitler's appointment. Each aspect was an outcome of its previous occurrence. E.g. Reparations (Treaty of Versailles) > Depression > Hitler's chance to rise etc. The factors were all linked in a web of causation. If any of these factors were missing Hitler would not have been appointed as chancellor. All of these had a connection to his success in Germany. A very important factor in Hitler's time in being the Chancellor was the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War. Many of Hitler's policies were embittered over the non-negotiable terms of the Treaty, which helped win votes once after the Munich beer hall Putsch, it was clear that power would have to be obtained on the terms of the Weimar Constitution. Had the Versailles treaty been less harsh on Germany, the desire of people like Hitler to abolish it would probably not have got any public support. The Treaty was signed by Germany with the allies on 28 June 1919, forcing Germany to pay �6,600 million in reparations. ...read more.

Conclusion

Von Papen's hatred of Schleicher came when Schleicher forced Hindenburg to fire Von Papen as Chancellor because of his ineptitude to run the Reichstag without a majority. This allowed Von Papen to want revenge on the new chancellor, Schleicher. It forced him to come up with a plan which involved Hitler as chancellor. Von Papen forced his friend Hindenburg to allow this because his plan deployed himself as vice-Chancellor. This allowed Von Papen to think that somehow they could control Hitler. Von Papen recommended to Hindenburg that Hitler be chancellor, Intending to supplant him once the problems in Germany at the time had been solved by Hitler's extreme methods. Once Hitler became chancellor it brought a breath of belief to the party's supporters and showed them that Hitler and the Nazi party were the strongest party and that they were getting stronger. To conclude this Von Papen and Von Schleicher and the enmity between them was the reason why Hitler came to power in 1933. Hitler never would have succeeded and become chancellor however, if long-term factors like the weakness of the Weimar Constitution, the hyper-inflation of 1923, and the Great Depression had not occurred. His whole rise to power seemed to be a 'domino-effect' as one thing happened and a next thing occurred. Little did the German's know that their 'captivating' leader would turn into such a disillusioned tyrant. If the Treaty of Versailles had not been so harsh, and had been negotiated, and if the problems that faced Germany prior to 1933, it is possible that Hitler would never have pursued a life of politics and would never even have been heard of. ?? ?? ?? ?? 1 History Coursework The Rise of Hitler Miss Miller Oliver Sade ...read more.

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