Even though after the Munich putsch the Nazi party was banned they carried on campaigning and entered the Reichstag elections in a different name. In the May elections of 1924 they earned 32 seats, even though this dropped to 14 in December of the same year they still remained in the government which was the foothold Hitler would use to gain total power. When Hitler was released from prison his main priorities where to gain more seats in the government. When the ban on his party was lifted and his party reinstated, Hitler wanted to appeal to the working class so held many public meetings. Even though his anti-Jewish views were popular Hitler felt he wasn’t making any headway. The country was going through an economic recovery so the people voted for the democrats. However the middle class people who suffered most during the hyperinflation of 1923 did support Hitler. Although Hitler’s party concentrated on this particular area of society, they didn’t have much impact on the public during the time of the economic recovery of Weimar and fell to only 12 seats. The Dawes plan along with the rest of Stresemann’s accomplishments seemed to be working and social democrats got more support.
Then in 1929 two things happened which greatly helped the efforts of the Nazi party. Gustav Stresemann a leading politician who played a huge part in, and was largely responsible for the recovery of Germany died. Not long after that in October the Wall Street crash happened. The stock market crashed and the world entered a depression. Germany suffered greatly by this because this meant they had to immediately pay back the loan of 800 million gold marks. Germany again fell into a depression, businesses and industries closed down and left millions unemployed causing another period of chaos and instability in Germany.
This left the Germans resenting their government and they started looking at the wing parties for support and political/economical stability. The working class who were mostly homeless, unemployed, poor and hungry had a choice whether to vote left wing (communists) or right wing (Nazis). The upper and middle classes had no choice. They feared the communist take over because communists said they would spread wealth equally and they didn’t want that. So to stop the communists they voted Nazis. Fear of communism was a factor used to the advantage of the Nazi party.
The Nazis seized this golden opportunity. They finally had proof that democracy didn’t work so in their campaigns they showed people the weakness of the Weimar government and how Germany needed a strong leader, such as Adolf Hitler. They compared the current time to the pre-war time of the Kaiser saying that things where much better when Germany was under the rule of 1 Fruher.
They promised jobs, food and clothing for the unemployed new recruits where given the uniform of the brown shirts. This gave the unemployed a feeling of greatness and gratitude they where given clothes to keep them warm and a weekly food allowance so they wouldn’t starve. They promised to put down the communist threat by using the SA. By organising public meetings and giving speeches the Nazis won 107 seats in the Reichstag in the July 1930 elections.
Propaganda became when of the Nazi party’s biggest weapons. There leaders where flown all over Germany to give speeches, parades, marches and even the radio is used to try and bring people to the Nazi party. Anti-communist posters or posters reminding people about the betrayal of the Weimar republic where circulated spreading fear and anger in the society. By 1932 the Nazi party have 230 seats and have become the largest single party in the Reichstag. Hitler’s attempts to become chancellor however are thwarted by Hindenburg the German president of the time who appoints Franz von Papen for the part. He gains little support from the government so Hindenburg puts another one of his advisors Von Schleicher in his place. He to gains little support so on 30th January 1933 after being advised to do so by Von Papen Hindenburg appoints Hitler as chancellor.
Just a month later on 27th February 1933 the Reichstag fire occurs and the police convict a young Communist for arson. Hitler took advantage of this and with Hindenburg’s permission he imprisoned 1000 communist leaders and prosecuted many more for treason. With the communists now disbanded and outlawed Hitler faces little opposition, so he turns his gaze to the possible threats in his own party.
In 1934 Hitler noticed the SA led by Ernst Rohm boasted 2.5 million members and was larger then the German army. Hitler knew they could become a problem because they disliked some members of his party. Deciding to act he called a meeting which was attended by about 200 SA leaders including Ernst Rohm and some other opponents of Hitler. They where all massacred. This became known as the “night of long knives”. With most of his opponents taken care of and others terrified to act Hitler was also appointed president of Germany after the death of Hindenburg on 2nd august 1934, and achieved total power and control of Germany with which to start his campaign to instate the Aryan race as a higher level of humans.
