The next important question is WHY did the Nazis gain support instead of all of the other parties in Germany, especially over other right wing parties? This can be directly accounted for by the fact that Hitler had extraordinary rhetorical skill and had complete power over his audience and could captivate them. This is the other long-term cause. Hitler’s rhetorical skill allowed Hitler, in addition to his propaganda, to point out and exaggerate the weaknesses and problems of the government and to then exacerbate people’s emotions and to get them into hysteria. His rhetorical skill was also useful in gaining support over the other right wing nationalist parties because many of them had poor organisation and weak leadership. In addition, the third long-term factor was the Munich Putsch, which although was a failure, gave Hitler much publicity and set him up as the leader of all the nationalists after his trial. Therefore, a vote for the Nazis would be considered a vote for the nationalists. With all of these three long-term causes, the Nazis were given a good setting to seize power. However, as mentioned above, these long-term causes were all very good, but without a few short-term causes it would have been very hard for Hitler to rise to power and to dictatorship.
The economic depression was primarily a short-term cause, which contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. The other two short-term contributing factors were firstly the decision by Von Papen and Von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor and secondly the Enabling Law of 1933. The Depression caused much despair and poverty in Germany. However, some Germans saw that the Soviets were untouched by the depression and felt that Germany would do better under a communist regime. This frightened the working classes and the aristocrats who had the most to lose, and they were desperate to make sure that the communists did not gain control and power. After the communist Putsch people were even more afraid. This short-term cause then directly caused the decision of Von Papen and Von Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor. As well as this, the people did not want the communists to have power so they started to vote for the Nazis. This is shown by the sudden surge in the Nazis’ share of the vote which was doubled from 1930 to the year of 1932, from 107 to 230 votes. This was a direct result of the Depression and the people’s desire to improve their standard of living without letting in a communist regime.
Hitler’s rise to chancellorship contributed to his rise to power because it increased his publicity and gave him even more power. However, he still did not have a majority in the parliament. The Republic was on its last legs, and it was very weak and had no power. No party had any control, and any coalitions which were formed, quickly broke down in petty differences and quarrels. Furthermore, when allegedly the communist Van der Lubbe burned down the Reichstag, Von Papen and Hindenburg thought that there was a growing communist threat. Alongside the Social Democrats’ loss of control in the Reichstag, they thought that there could only be a desperate remedy to fix the situation. Subsequently, the Enabling act was passed in 1933, and Hitler had truly risen to power. The communists now had no way of taking control. Hitler had reached his dictatorship since the Enabling Act gave him complete control of the state without the need to pass policies through the Reichstag.
Therefore, the long-term cause of the Treaty of Versailles contributed to Hitler’s rise to power because he used it to embitter the German people and to play on their hate of the ‘war guilt clause’ and reparations (clauses 231 and 232). This gave Hitler greater popularity and votes because people believed that he stood for Germany, and would make it great again. The Munich Putsch in 1923 contributed to Hitler’s rise to power because it increased his notoriety and image as the German leader who would lift the country to ‘its rightful place in the world’ (Hitler) and gave him a stage to show of his rhetoric. This other long term cause was a contributing factor because it brought attention to Hitler and meant that he could successfully use the blunders of the government for his own gain. The Depression was both long-term and short-term cause, but most importantly it increased the despondency among the German people and exacerbated the fear of the communist party, which was also started by its increase in power. However, the only direct factors which contributed to Hitler’s rise to power, was his appointment as Chancellor and the Enabling Act. These last two meant that he was not just helped in getting to the top of the political ladder, but was placed there.