In the July elections of 1932 the Nazis got their best ever result with 37.3% of the vote (230 seats.) They were now by far the largest party. Hitler demanded to be appointed Chancellor. Hindenburg despised Hitler, but he could see the value of trying to use the Nazis for his own ends. Hindenburg appointed Franz von Papen as his Chancellor. Von Papen had no support in the Reichstag but he hoped he could create a right-wing coalition government with the support of the Nazis and the other right-wing parties in the Reichstag. Hitler refused to co-operate, so Hindenburg called another election.
This was a bad election for the Nazis. Apathy was settling in.
In Northeim the Nazis were in financial trouble and made a public appeal for party funds. In an attempt to regain support, the SA and leading Nazis went to church en masse and got a Protestant minister to speak for them. They placed advertisements in the local papers and mobilised all sections of the party to distribute leaflets and tickets to meetings. All this activity was in vain, however – the Nazis lost 267 votes in the town.
In Germany as a whole, the thuggery and intimidation by the SA had begun to lose the Nazis support. Their vote fell to 33.1% and they lost 34 seats.
They were still the largest party but there was a real sense of gloom among the Nazis. After continuous campaigning they were running low on money. The future looked dark and chances and hopes were falling!
In fact success was just around the corner. Hitler’s help came from a suprising source. General von Schleicher stopped supporting von Papen and decided he himself should become Chancellor. This triggered off a power struggle between von Schleicher and von Papen, which ended with them handing power over to Hitler. This is how it happened:
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3 December : Hindenburg (reluctantly) appoints von Schleicher Chancellor
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4 January: Von Papen can see von Schleicher is having difficulty keeping a Reichstag majority. He sees his chance to win back power. He privately agrees to work with Hitler. Hitler will be Chancellor. Von Papen will be in the Cabinet.
22 January: Von Papen asks Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor. Hindenburg refuses.
28 January: Von Schleicher finally has to admit defeat in raising support in the Reichstag. He has to resign.
30 January: Hindenburg wants von Papen back but is advised that re-appointing such an unpopular chancellor might trigger a movement against Hindenburg himself.
Von Papen persuades Hindenburg that as long as the number of Nazis in the Cabinet is limited, then even with Hitler as Chancellor the most extreme Nazi policies could be resisted. He also warns that the alternative is a Nazi revolt and civil war. Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor and von Papen as Vice Chancellor.
Hindenburg: Former army leader. Hated Hitler. His main advisers were rich, conservative industrialists and army leaders.
Franz von Papen: Rich Catholic nobleman. A favourite of Hindenburg. Distrusted Hitler.
General von Schleicher: Former army leader. The main adviser to Hindenburg. Supported von Papen to start with. Distrusted Hitler.