'The Depression Was the Main Reason Why Hitler Was Able to Become Chancellor By 1933' Do you agree? Explain your answer

‘The Depression Was the Main Reason Why Hitler Was Able to Become Chancellor By 1933’

Do you agree? Explain your answer

The belief that the Great Depression was the main reason why Hitler was able to become Chancellor by 1933 is an extremely controversial suggestion as, there are many various propositions that may have had an impact on Hitlers success by 1933. Throughout this essay I will be exploring these factors in an attempt to define a justified answer in regards to Hitlers success by 1933, and if the depression was infact the main reason he was able to come into power. With the death of Gustav Stresemann on 3rd October 1929, Germany had lost its most able politician , and the Wall Street Crash that begun only days later on 29th October, put Germany in a terrible position. Hitler decided that it was time he stepped in and took advantage of the situation, but was it the great depression alone that gave him such an immense opportunity?

Before 1929, the German people had been promised the boom of 1924 would continue, meaning that Germany would grow to become more stable and powerful. Therefore, when the depression happened, the citizens realized that their expectations were not going to be met, and understandably, many citizens became angry, bitter, and resentful. This made the population politically unstable. When people are unhappy with their situation they seek an alternative, and politically, the only alternative was extremist parties…such as the Nazi Party. Revolutions happen in times of desperation, and with the economic depression causing 5.6 million people in Germany to be unemployed, one could fairly argue that the situation had indeed become desperate. The Nazis were able to focus massively on the issue of unemployment in their campaigns because unemployment was was a crucial problem to society that the Nazis could overcome, while the Weimar Republic had failed to. This made the Weimar Republic seem weak and incompetent, which gave the German citizens more reasons to trust and support Hitler and the Nazi Party. The Nazis offered employment to all, with a promise to create jobs for the still unemployed. People now looked upon Hitler and his Nazi Party as a tower of strength, whereas, prior to the economic depression, the people had no need to look towards the Nazis for help, as they felt secure with their lives. But now the citizens based their lives upon the way of Hitler and the Nazis. Therefore, one can believe fairly that the fact Hitler and his army of Nazis electoral support in 1930 rose to 18.9%, making them the second largest party in the Reichstag, suggests greatly that the economic depression greatly increased the support the general public showed towards Hitler.

There are however, other reasons to be considered as to why Hitler rose to power. Propaganda truly influenced people, as it gave them an insight to the matters of the ‘government’, and it was their only main way of knowing about the country’s happenings. Therefore by Hitler manipulating media and producing his own propaganda that obviously degraded the Weimar Republic, Hitler became very popular. Alongside Josef Gobells, Hitlers propaganda significantly influenced his publics outlook towards him. The use of propaganda enabled German citizens to become aware of Hitler’s Nazi party ideology. This impact on the public, forced them to ...

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Another idea as to why Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 is the way in which he handled the Treaty Of Versailles. He cleverly sensed that much anger from the Germans was directed at the harsh terms of the Treaty and began breaking the rules. Hitler restored Germanys military strength, and began making changes for the better. Hitler was very popular, thus received many votes, as his policies involved everyone. He had something that would benefit the majority of Germans, including women, who until this point had not played any part in public society. Hitler decided that he would keep women happy by enforcing family life and self-discipline. This engrossed women with the Nazi Party, as they felt they were benefiting from Hitlers new scheme. Also, the Nazi Party, which was anti-communist, appealed to many industries in the country, as they did not want communist governments to rule their business’. Hitlers anti-communist ways meant that he had won their support, and he was rewarded (one industrialist even went as far as making a donation of one million marks to the Nazi Party). Furthermore, Hitlers attitude towards others intrigued many Germans. They all needed someone to blame for their difficulties, and Hitler made it clear that they should look no further than the Jews, Weimar Republic , and communists. This relieved society, as they could blame others for their misfortune. Hitlers support increased tremendously as he made points suitable for all types of people. Having put an end to unemployment, providing a scapegoat, and using propaganda to his advantage, Hitler was becoming very popular.

The people of Germany were willing to give Hitler a try, because he had gotten them out of much chaos, which was something no-one had been able to do after Stressemann. Hitler outshone everyone from Herman Müller, who could not bring his coalition to order, to von Schleicher, who proved inadequate, unpopular and was fired. Hitler proved to be organized and powerful, this made all other leaders seem weak and ineffectual, by putting others down, Hitler seemed more higher up. This vastly influenced his success.

In addition, Hitler had qualities that enabled him to take advantage, and gain leadership. He was a very talented public speaker, and people often spoke of his “..Big gob” and decided they “…Could use him” in power. It was said that Hitlers eyes had a peculiar power over others, he could almost hypnotise them into believing in him. Hitler reeked of confidence, and his own self-belief influenced people to believe in him. Hitlers army of ‘storm troopers’ also attacked Jews, and all those who spoke against Hitler, therefore any Germans who did oppose Hitler kept quiet for fear of attack. This fear enabled Hitler to influence their lives enormously.

Therefore, from this information, one can conclude that although the great depression helped Hitler become Chancellor by 1933 considerably, it was not the main reason for Hitler becoming Chancellor. In my opinion, Hitler earned his power by manipulating the media, pleasing his people, and sorting out the countries economic affairs. Hitler took advantage of the chaotic situation that the depression caused, seizing it to begin his moments of fame, but it was not the depression that mainly influenced his success, for if Hitler had not proved worthy (such as his precedes) he would have lost all favour. Hitler did infact exploit the political crisi of Germany, by holding rallies, and touring Germany with his promises for the economy, but one is lead to believe that although Hitlers ‘storm troopers’ attacked stray opposers, surely if the entire country of Germany was unhappy with Hitlers points they could have removed him from power, as they did once before. For this reason, it becomes clear that the depression was not the main reason that Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Hitler was a very cunning but intelligent man, and at the time, society valued him and his promises. It was infact Hitlers personal qualities, and manipulation that allowed him to appeal to society, engage with them, and become their Chancellor in 1933.

BY: HENA MIR-10A1