There were many reasons why Hitler became chancellor in 1933.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There were many reasons why Hitler became chancellor in 1933. In many ways the Depression was the most important reason why Hitler came to power in 1933. The Depression derived from the Wall Street Crash, when people rushed to sell their shares because they realised the companies were doing badly. Thousands of businesses and people were ruined. This affected Germany because America withdrew its loans and the German economy collapsed. Millions were left unemployed. The new Weimar government broke down and people were ready to listen to groups like Hitler's Nazis, who promised a strong government and a better way of life. People who had never been interested in politics before found themselves listening to extremist groups because the government had collapsed. The Depression was a tremendous piece of good luck for the Nazis, because it enabled them to get the majority of the vote in Germany (43.9%). Hitler also became chancellor due to the actions of Franz Von Papen, the existing chancellor in 1932. Von Papen wanted to win the support of the Nazis because he saw them as potential supporters who he could use to strengthen his own position with backing from the Nazis, Von Papen believed he would have the majority of the support in the cabinet. Hitler did not co-operate with Von Papen because he was set on becoming chancellor In December 1932 President Hindenburg made general Schleicher chancellor of Germany. Von Papen wanted a return to power so he struck a deal with the Nazis. The deal was that Hitler would be chancellor and Papen would be vice-chancellor. After a lot of persuasion Hindenburg made Hitler chancellor. Von Papen reported, "We've hired him". This was an important reason but not as important as the Depression for Hitler coming to power because even though Hitler got the power he always craved, he would not have succeeded without the effects of the Depression. Another reason how Hitler achieved his aims was through his political tactics and Nazi propaganda. Nazi propaganda made Hitler as the only leader who could save Germany and said he was destined to become national leader. Many Germans liked the Nazis' anti-Communist views. Goebbels manipulated propaganda very well, he modified many effective posters with clever slogans such as, "Work, freedom and bread". He also organised mass parades and rallies so everyone in Germany would know the Nazis. Many Germans were impressed by the Nazis dedication and so they earned respect. The Nazis cleverly delivered the idea that if they came to power there would be something for everyone. For example farmers were promised higher prices for their goods and shopkeepers were offered protection against big businesses. The pledges were deliberately vague though. This was not a very important reason for Hitler becoming chancellor, for it did not give much support during the period before the Wall Street clash - although it did deliver the message of the Nazis very clearly. During the Depression the German public were not so concerned with the detailed aims of the Nazis when in power. They just wanted a new government and leader who could help Germany from the great Depression. Nonetheless no one reason can explain why Hitler gained power in Germany in 1933. Many of the reasons are inter-linked. The Depression led to high unemployment because factories had closed down, and farmers and many businessmen could not sell their goods. The Depression led to millions supporting parties that worked to end the Weimar republic. Many businessmen then looked to Hitler to defend them from the communists. The deal with Von Papen led to Hitler gaining office as chancellor and eventually becoming a dictator. Goebbels' intelligent propaganda then built on the anti-Communist and anti-Semitic views that already existed in Germany. This in turn further increased the popularity of the Nazis. Hitler's Rise to Power This essay discusses the long and short term causes that contributed to Hitler's popularity with the public and eventual asscension to become fuhrer of Germany. Hitler's Rise to Power(1) The Treaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles was one of the most important causes that led to Hitler's rise in Germany. From the German point of view the treaty was incredibly harsh and devastating for Germany. The leaders of the allies drew up this treaty to purposely revenge and weaken Germany. The treaty contained five major points that would be Germany's demise. The first part was to revenge and weaken Germany. Many rules were laid down to Germany, which they had to obey. The German territory to the west of the Rhine would be occupied by allied troops for 15 years. The Germans did not like this because they did not want enemy troops in their own country. Even though the war was over they still hated the allies. Germany was not allowed to put any defences or troops on the east bank of the Rhine. This made Germany feel weak and vulnerable to invasion. They also hated the thought of a foreign president telling them what to do. Germany had to agree never to combine with Austria again. They had to strictly respect the independence of
Austria. This was hard for both countries to accept as they both thought of each other as the same people. They didn't like to be stopped from working together. As well as respecting Austria's independence, Germany had to respect Poland's. Along with this, land was given to Poland from Germany, which Germany could never take back. Germany also lost her rights for trading overseas with places like, China. Along with this, Germany lost all her military power. By March 31st 1920, the German army consisted of only 7 divisions of infantry and 3 of cavalry. This meant that the army ...
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Austria. This was hard for both countries to accept as they both thought of each other as the same people. They didn't like to be stopped from working together. As well as respecting Austria's independence, Germany had to respect Poland's. Along with this, land was given to Poland from Germany, which Germany could never take back. Germany also lost her rights for trading overseas with places like, China. Along with this, Germany lost all her military power. By March 31st 1920, the German army consisted of only 7 divisions of infantry and 3 of cavalry. This meant that the army was cut to just 100,000 men and the navy just 15, 000 men and 36 ships. There were to be absolutely no Airforce or submarines. All this humiliation made the country feel weak. The country also had a huge problem in dealing with the large population of unemployed soldiers. The country's economic status was about to become even worse as the Coalmines of Saar were given to France. The Saar Coalmines made a lot of money, and were very profitable to Germany. A big industry had been taken away from Germany. The rest of the Saar district was also taken away from Germany and was handed over to the League of Nations. At the end of 15 years it was to be decided by democracy, which government the people of Saar wanted to be placed under, France or Germany. The people of Saar disliked this settlement very much as most of them were Germans, who obviously didn't want to be ruled by the allies for 15 years. The most embarrassing part of the treaty for Germany was "The War Guilt Clause." This clause stated that Germany accepted all the blame for the war, including the starting of it. Germany felt this wasn't true. They felt that they hadn't started the war and that this clause was unnecessary. Even so, Germany had to accept this, or run the risk of starting the war all over again, which they would inevitably lose. The second part of the treaty was the matter of reparations. The total compensation of the damage caused by Germany in the war came to a staggering £6.6 billion. Germany felt this was far too much. It caused tremendous economic problems in Germany. The German people were starving and living in poverty. The other three parts of the treaty were irrelevant to Germany, and only gave rewards to the allies (land) and "self determination" to small countries in Europe. So how did all of this promote Hitler into becoming the Fuhrer of Germany? First of all, Hitler had very strong views on the treaty. Even though he was Austrian, he loved Germany more than anything. Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles and he often referred to the people who signed it as "November criminals" because the war had ended in November. He stirred up the German people by reminding them of parts of the treaty that they would not like and he promised that if he was elected he would refuse to abide by many terms in the treaty, such as the reparations, military restrictions, and the land which was "stolen" away from Germany. He knew that people in Germany felt bad from the depression, and so the majority of the population blamed their problems on the treaty, this caused many to turn towards Hitler, because he had been against the treaty right from the start. After becoming the leader of the Nazi party, he set his sights on overall power of Germany. He had very strong views on Germany being the Master race and thought that Germany was far superior to any other country. Hitler wanted Germany to stand up and be strong once more. He planned to do this by having a Third Reich. He said that Germany needed to reach out to all the German people in whatever country. He wanted to join up with Poland, the Sudetenland and Austria. If these three countries wouldn't agree to join with Hitler and Germany, Hitler would almost certainly invade and conquer them anyway. Hitler knew that this would be breaking the treaty, but he didn't care. He needed all the support he could get. During 1921 to 1923, the Nazi party grew as quite a lot of Germans agreed with Hitler's beliefs. Next on Hitler's list were the reparations that Germany were paying. This was causing massive economic problems in Germany. Unemployment was soaring, and money began to lose its value. Hitler promised that if he was elected he would get rid of unemployment in Germany. He said that Germany had to stop handing over money to enemy nations. By doing this he was breaking the treaty yet again. Another problem was the military restrictions. The German army was unable to protect itself due to its small size and small budget. After 1923 the Nazi party hardly grew for the next 6 years, yet the Treaty of Versailles was still in force. This was thanks to the Treaty of Locarno and the Kellog pact, which brought peace throughout Europe. There simply was no need for a Nazi party in Germany when problems were beginning to sort out themselves. Although, you could say that the Treaty of Versailles did not have a long term affect on German politics, it was essential in getting the Nazi party going. What else was important, was Hitler's determination to make sure that his party never gave in. It was without doubt that if there was no anger to fuel Hitler, in this case the Treaty of Versailles, he would never have come to power. (2) And (3) Long and short-term causes which contributed to Hitler's rise, including the importance of each cause.Preceding Hitler's rise to power, were a number of long and short-term causes, which affected the path, he took into power. Hitler needed a certain amount of points in parliament to get into power. All of these factors gained Hitler public support in one way or another. There is no doubt that each of the causes were very important to Hitler's rise, but was one more important than the other? The answer is that they were all as important as each other. You could say that one cause was more significant than another like the enabling law for example, nut could you say that without one less significant cause, would Hitler been just as popular. Let me give you a clearer example. The Munich Putsch was a significant cause to Hitler's rise, but it is fair to say that if there was no Treaty of Versailles then there would never have been a rebellion. Another example is that if Papen and Hindenberg didn't put Hitler into power, there would never of been an enabling law. You could also say that if Hitler's oratory, personality and leadership skills weren't as good as they were Hitler wouldn't have got anywhere in life, nowhere near to becoming the leader of Germany. This is why each cause is as important as each other. Without even one of them, Hitler may not have gone down in history as he notoriously did. The Munich PutschAs the Nazi party grew, Hitler began to unite with other small political groups against the communists. This would get Hitler enough support to automatically put him into power. The stormtroopers he controlled were used to break up Trade Unions meetings and marches, but when he tried to do this on a large scale, on May day 1923, the police were too strong for him and forced him to back down. Hitler's plan was organised at the Munich Beer Hall with three members of the Bavarian regional government. Hitler tried to persuade them to help him in a revolution against the National Government. However they refused. Hitler, realising that this decision would depress his followers, told them all that the Bavarian government had agreed to help them. Hitler and 3000 of his supporters marched through the streets to the army headquarters. They were stopped by a small group of policemen who had blocked the road. After some shooting the Nazis ran away, even though the Nazi party outnumbered the police who opposed them. 19 Nazis were killed and Hitler was injured, trampled on by his own party. At the trial Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in prison. The sentence would have been longer, if it weren't for the judges, who shared Hitler's anti communist opinions. As it turned out, Hitler was released after only 9 months. Overall the Munich Putsch was a long-term contribution to Hitler's rise. It was very important to Hitler's political campaign. In 1924 the Nazis won 32 seats in parliament thanks to the publicity that the Munich Putsch received. For the next 4 years though the Nazi party dropped to just 13 seats. During this time Hitler had changed his party from socialist to fascist and had altered 25 points on which the party was based. These years were called "the years of stagnation". The Nazis decline in popularity was thanks to the Locarno treaty and the Kellog pact, which were bringing peace to Europe, and settling Germany as a whole. There simply wasn't any need for a Nazi party. The Munich Putsch taught Hitler to stick to elections, rather than revolutions. Although there seems to be little long term benefits for Hitler in the Munich Putsch, it was a good starting point on which Hitler and his Nazi party first got going, and that in itself, turned out to be a long term benefit.The Economic Depression.Hitler needed a serious boost from the mediocre years the Nazis had from 1924 to 1928. The boost that Hitler got was in the form of the depression. The depression started in America 1929, when the Wall Street Crash sent nearly all of America's businesses and industries into a cash crisis. Due to America's large trade industries, the depression quickly spread all over the world. This put Germany into a dire state as unemployment rocketed. The Kellog pact, which was holding Germany's economics together, had to be cancelled. Unemployment in Germany grew from 1 million in 1928 to 3 million in 1932. This turned out to be good news for the Nazis as votes increased from 1 million to 6 million in the same time. The party had increased their seats in parliament from 13 seats to a much healthier 107 seats. This made them the second largest party in the Reichstag. By 1932 the Nazi's gained even more votes from 6 million to an enormous 13.7 million votes. This easily made them the largest party in the Reichstag with an astonishing 230 seats. This was just the thing that Hitler needed to get him all the way into power. The depression caused extremism, as desperate people felt that ordinary politicians had failed them and they looked for a way out of their terrible financial problems. The depression was important as Hitler could prey on these people, and these people came, not in thousands, but millions. Hitler promised Germany that if he was elected he would get rid of unemployment completely. The people who voted for the Nazis were not just the unemployed. Many unemployed people voted communist. They wanted a government who could seize control of banks and businesses, to take their money and spread it between the poor. It is highly likely that many Nazi voters were middle class people who were scared of communism. The depression was important to Hitler and the Nazis. It strengthened their support, and increased the public fear of communism. It is reasonable to say that if there was no depression, Hitler would not have made it into power. It is also fair to say that the depression was a short-term cause as it did not last for a long period of time, and was cured quickly. The Decision By Papen and Hindenburg to Appoint Hitler Chancellor in 1933Including The Reichstag Fire.First we need to review the situation in parliament before Hitler was given power. We need to discover why the government gave Hitler the title of Chancellor, what happened once Hitler was made chancellor and what was the significance of Hitler being taken in to government.By 1932 it was almost impossible for the democratic system to work in Germany. This was because the Communists and the Nazi's controlled the majority of seats in parliament. They could both vote together against the government, this way, anything the government tried to pass, such as trading, laws, and general business could be stopped. This was extremely annoying for the government, as they needed to deal with the problems of the depression. It almost seemed as though the Communists and the Nazis were working together to control parliament, but each party had their reasons. The Communists wanted to see a total breakdown of the system, so that a revolution could take place and a new Communist government could take control. The Nazi's wanted to prove that no one could run the country without their support. This would eventually force the government to do a deal with them. In 1932 Hitler was offered to join a coalition, but refused as his demands to be in overall power, was turned down. By November 1932 unemployment had come down to 5 million. The Nazis lost 2.7 million votes and 34 seats in the Reichstag. Then, a politician called Gregor Strasser tried to split the party, but Hitler defeated his attempt. In January 1933 Hindenburg finally offered Hitler the chance to be Chancellor in a new coalition. Note that Hitler was not seizing power and so he was not breaking the law in any way. He was eventually made Chancellor by Papen and Hindenburg, the government's two leading politicians. They foolishly thought that they could control Hitler and that the Nazis would give them the extra strength needed to run parliament properly. After Hitler had been made Chancellor a new election was planned. This was bad news for the Nazis as they were losing votes due to the decline in unemployment. Once again, Hitler needed to rely on something big, to get people believing in him. On February 27th 1933, the Reichstag in Berlin was burned down. When Hitler got word of this, he immediately blamed the Communists. As it turned out, a mentally unbalanced man called Martinus Van Der Lubbe was caught at the scene of the crime. He was a 24-year Old Dutch Communist. That same night Hitler ordered the arrest of all leading Communist functionaries. Politicians were imprisoned as well as all other Communist supporters. Most were beaten up, others worse. From then on, the Communists were blamed for just about anything that went on. Still to this day it is not known who started the Reichstag fire. It has never been proved that it was a solitary act, a Communist plot or even Hitler's own doing. All that is known is that the Communists were blamed for all of it. Hitler knew that the fire would work to his advantage. After word had got out that all Communists had been captured, Communism practically ceased to exist in Germany. The public now feared the Communists and entrusted themselves in Hitler. They thought that the country was under attack by dangerous extremists. In such an emergency situation they would be more likely to support the government, and at the time, the Nazis were the government. Hitler now had the nation exactly where he wanted it. Thanks to the fire, the Nazis won the 1933 election with 17 million votes and 288 seats. As soon as Hitler became Chancellor, he appointed Herman Goering, another Nazi, as Minister of the Interior. Goering was now in charge of the police and the prisons. This way Hitler could use the police to round up his opponents once the fire had given him an excuse. So the end result was that by being chancellor he could take full advantage of the Reichstag Fire and the Nazis were able to win the election.This was a short-term cause for Hitler's rise to power. Obviously it was a stepping stone into his overall rise, but Papen and Hindenberg clearly underestimated Hitler. They thought that they could keep him happy by giving him the title of "Chancellor." They never dreamt that he would ever be so influential on the German government and that he would have the ability to do so much with Germany. At the moment though, Hitler is still insignificant, as he has no overall power yet. This is why this is a short term cause, as he quickly passes the "Enabling Law" which does give him overall power.Some people say that Hitler was very clever in the way that he handled the situation, others say he was very lucky. The answer is that he was clever and lucky. He was lucky because of the occurrence of the great depression and the Reichstag Fire. Surely without these two elements he wouldn't have got anywhere near to achieving the role of chancellor, that is why they were so important. Still, it was simply a case of good timing. However, we also cannot dispute the fact, that he handled these situations excellently. When the depression came along, he told the German people he would get them out of it and he did. It is possible to say that if he hadn't plagued and brainwashed the German people with his racist and destructive views, he would be one of the most memorable politicians in Germany's history. Then he had to deal with the Reichstag Fire. The answer he found was obvious. Blame the Communists, Hitler's opponents to the forthcoming election. That was all that was needed to win the election. As soon as Hitler told the German people that the Communists had started the fire, they fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. Germany and its people, were now Hitler's properties. He had total control. He was now the leader or Fuhrer of what was to be known as Nazi Germany.The Enabling LawAfter the Reichstag Fire the Nazis won the election, but this did not give Hitler total control over Germany. Although he had the biggest party, he did not have a true majority in parliament. He could only give himself a majority by teaming up with the nationalist party and banning the Communists. Therefore, if the Nationalists broke away he would no longer have a majority. If the Communists were allowed back in, he would no longer have a majority. If there were fresh elections he might lose his majority. There might even be a split in the Nazi party if some members did not agree with his way of ruling the country. Hitler solved all of these potential problems in one simple decision. He passed the "Enabling Law." Its significance was immense. This gave him the power to do whatever he wanted without needing to get parliament to approve it. Hitler used his brain and decided to act quickly while he still had a majority in the Reichstag. His "Enabling Law" was agreed quickly. This was not part of the Weimar constitution and it was this that was the real Nazi seizure of power. This too, was a short-term cause, as Hitler no longer needed it after he seized power, although this was the definitive link to Hitler's rise into power. As I have said, this law was important as it gave Hitler the power to do most of what he wanted. Hitler's Oratory, Personality and LeadershipOratory is the power to control people by speaking to them. Hitler was one of the first modern leaders to understand how to use propaganda to control people. He even had a government minister - Dr Goebells - in charge of propaganda. Here are Hitler's views on how to influence the masses of the people:"The receptive powers of the masses are very restricted, and their understanding is feeble. On the other hand they quickly forget. Such being the case all effective propaganda must be confined to a few bare essentials and these must be expressed as far as possible in stereotyped formulas. These slogans should be persistently repeated until the very last individual has come to grasp the idea. Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively but must present only that aspect of truth which is favourable to the party."Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles. He also had strong racial beliefs, such as, his hatred of Jews and his belief that the Germans were the master race. His individual skills were very important when trying to get his views across. Hitler was able to use his great skills of communication to convince his party members about his beliefs. Eventually, through time, his views were drilled into his fellow party men so much that they actually believed in his views as much as he did. This brainwashing technique was used on the whole nation during his campaigning. Hitler's leadership skills were also as good as his communication skills. He used events, which occurred to his advantage. It was as if he knew what was going to happen, and that he had a plan for everything. One of these occurrences was the Munich Putsch. After the Putsch he blamed the Communists. This made his opponents popularity fall and his own, rise. After the Putsch he had to rely on his personality to get him through "the years of stagnation." His party did not increase in popularity for 5 years, but Hitler never gave up. He got lucky when the depression came around, as he could use it to his advantage by saying he could get Germany out of it. Hitler was also a very cool character. He showed this when he refused to join a coalition unless they gave him the top job of chancellor. They eventually did. He had great political skill, as he was so sure that he would get the job eventually. Hitler had the enabling law passed to get rid of democracy in Germany and put all the powers he needed into his own hands. This was undoubtedly due to his individual personality. He wanted all power and total control over the government. Overall, Hitler's oratory, personality and leadership were vital to his rise in Germany. This was obviously aLong-term cause to his rise as he was born with these qualities. He would rely on them all the way through his life. It is fair to say that if Hitler did not have these qualities, he would not of been noticed in Germany. All of these natural born skills were extremely important in Hitler's rise.
