“The Nazi Party increased its vote from less than 1 million in 1928 to over 13.5 million in 1932.” This was accomplished by Hitler’s well-planned campaigns. He focused on a return of strong leadership, and picked on targets such as Social Democrats, Jews and Communists. Flags, uniforms, slogans, parades and powerful, charismatic speeches contributed greatly to Hitler’s popularity. “Promises to rearm and to contain the powers of trade unions appealed to industrialists and ensured that the Nazis received financial support, which enabled them to maintain their electoral momentum.” “Shrewd propaganda ensured that the violence caused by both sides was seen by many as evidence of the Nazis' commitment to law and order.”
In the election of September 1930, “the Nazis gained 107 seats, becoming the second largest party in the Reichstag.” Other parties couldn’t outvote the Nazis. After two more elections, and no majority, Hitler was invited to become chancellor in January 1933. Hitler was now in control of vital services and in a great position of influence. By trying to pass the Enabling Act, Hitler strived to achieve a one-party state. In 1933, Communists were outlawed and “central parties were persuaded that Hitler would restore civil liberties and preserve the autonomy of the Catholic Church.” By March of 1933, Hitler had assumed the powers of dictator.
In Alan Mendum’s journal, “Hitler's rise to power in Germany, 1920-34” talks about several key issues that led to Hitler’s rise to power. The first key issue was how the Nazi party was developed from 1920-29. The party was formed in 1920 but struggled to make a real impact. The Nazis developed their beliefs regarding “race, anti-Semitism, anti-communism, and Lebensraum.” In 1923, the Munich Putsch agreement was made, giving Hitler a platform to voice his ideas.
The second key issue that led to Hitler’s rise in power was the Depression experienced throughout Germany. The Weimer Republic was unable to fix the problem, thus weakening and dividing the government. The Nazi party, effectively using propaganda to convey their message, promised an end to the Depression. Leading to the Nazis becoming the largest party in the Reichstag in 1932, “receiving 13 million votes”. Then in 1933, Hitler was appointed as Chancellor.
The third key issue that contributed to Hitler becoming dictator was how he established a Nazi dictatorship in 1933-34. “Over the next 2 years he destroyed democracy in Germany and created a Nazi dictatorship with himself as Fuhrer.” The Reichstag Fire allowed Hitler to blame the Communists and turn people against them. Through the Enabling Act, Hitler was able to destroy the Weimar Republic. Hitler then removed opposition from his own party in the Night of the Long Knives. Hitler now had nearly complete control of Germany. He’d removed all opposition from his party. Then in August 1934, after Hindenburg’s death, Hitler declared himself president.
C. Evaluation of Sources
The origin of the first source is an article written by Jamie Burn on April 2007 in Hindsight 17.3 on page 5. The purpose of this article is to discuss how Hitler became a dictator through analyzing sources from Mein Kampf. This article has a large amount of value in that it’s packed with knowledge. It discusses the events that led to Hitler’s rise to power in a consecutive order. Reading this article, it is easy to follow as it starts with Hitler’s imprisonment and how Hitler began to rebuild the Nazi party once he was released from prison. The election in 1928 reveals the Nazi’s popularity once the voting was cast. The Wall Street crash and the Great Depression unveils the plummet of Germany’s economy and how Hitler jumped at the chance to gain authority in promising prosperity and an end to the Great Depression. This article then describes how the Nazis achieved power at the polls thoroughly planned campaigns, propaganda, “flags, uniforms, slogans and carefully choreographed parades” and charismatic speeches. The strong armed forces and prejudices contributed in the intimidation of voters. Lastly, the article discusses specifically how the Nazis got into power, through the downfall of the Weimar Republic and the success of the Nazi party. The article is limited, however, in that it doesn’t go into detail about the events leading the rise of Hitler, nor does it show the actual passages in Mein Kampf that were analyzed.
The origin of the second source is a journal article written by Alan Mendum for Hindsight 17.1 on September 2006, found on page 28. The purpose of this article was how to improve your grade in discussing Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. The value of this article is that it has short but sweet answers regarding Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. It discusses the key issues of Hitler’s rise to becoming a dictator. The first key issue describes how the Nazi party was developed from 1920 to 1929. The second issue reveals how the Great Depression helped bring Hitler to power. Thirdly and lastly, how Hitler established a dictatorship between 1933 and 1934. This article specifically focused on how Hitler came to powering less than two years from when he became Chancellor in January 1933 and by August 1934 had become dictator. This article is limited in that it doesn’t have a lot of depth or detail and while it talks about how Hitler came to power, there’s still a lot of stuff written about what to discuss to ensure a good grade concerning this topic, yet it only gives headings rather than detailed information.
D. Analysis
The importance of this investigation regarding to historical context is that Hitler becoming dictator of Germany is crucial to what began the Second World War. The great nation, Nazi Germany, was a result of Hitler’s rise to power. Beginning with Hitler’s imprisonment in 1923 and ending with Hitler becoming president in 1934.
Hitler’s rise to power was based upon long-term factors- the resentment of Germans, the weakness of the Weimer Republic – which Hitler effectively exploited through propaganda, and intimidation he brought upon them and the of his speeches.
During these years, the people of Germany ignored this power-hungry man with his prejudices and thirst for control. But when the Great Depression shattered the lives of many, they voted for Hitler, increasing his popularity. Needing support, thinking that he would be able to control Hitler, President Hindenburg made the mistake of electing Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933. Once Hindenburg died, “Hitler declared himself the new president.”
Hitler was able to rise to power because Germans supported him. The Weimar Republic appeared to have no clue how to solve the Great Depression problem. Yet the Nazis promised a solution, promising most people what they wanted. Hitler used the Jews, and other sections of societies as scapegoats to blame problems on. Hitler made sense to Germans, and Hitler was able to unite them altogether and rise to power.
Once elected Chancellor, Hitler immediately got busy. He strongly believed in the necessity of a powerful leader, to push Germany to greatness. However, there were two problems that he faced in his rise to power. First, there was the position of President above his spot as Chancellor, held by Hindenburg. The second problem was Hitler's lack of support in the Reichstag. He didn’t have enough seats in the parliament to make laws as he hoped for. Hitler then called a further election in hopes of gaining more support towards his party. Right before the vote was to be held, it was burned to the ground. Hitler quickly blamed the fire his prime competitor for power, the Communist Party. It is believed that the Nazis had set the entire thing up and blamed the communists. This was done so that Hitler could then pass new laws giving him supreme power, and this was precisely what he did. Hitler right away demanded a new law that basically outlawed the Communist Party and, thus, his competition for the next election. As a result, Hitler won a victorious election, which allowed him to be able to pass new laws without the permission or the support of other parties. The next key new law was called the Enabling Act, which enabled Hitler to pass laws without asking parliament for permission. So basically, Hitler no longer needed to listen to parliament or anyone else, for that matter. Then, with the death of President Hindenburg, Hitler again passed another law declaring that he would assume titles of both President and Chancellor of Germany. Hitler’s final move in his rise to power as dictator was to pass a law banning every other party in Germany except for his own – the Nazi party. Thus, resulting in a successful rise to power, made by Adolf Hitler.
E. Conclusion
Throughout their history, Germans had favored strong and effective leadership. The Weimar Republic had suffered a series of disasters. Many Germans believed that a dictatorship would improve Germany's fortunes. The Depression affected the whole world. Germany, with its damages and loans, seemed incapable of adapting. As poverty and suffering increased, many Germans were receptive to a party that seemed sufficiently organized and determined to offer a real solution. The opposition against Hitler was feeble, divided and did not take the Nazi threat seriously until it was too late. National bodies, like churches, legal systems and armed forces, were concerned with themselves rather than the country at large. A considerable number of Germans voted for the Nazis thinking that it didn’t matter who was in power, as long as they were able to get out of the mess that Germany found itself in. For many, to give up personal freedoms seemed a fair price to pay. The Nazis' promise to restore German pride was particularly appealing to a nation that had suffered the humiliation of defeat. Thus, resulting in Hitler’s rise to power as dictator.
Word Count: 1999
F. List of Sources
Alan Mendum, “Hitler's rise to power in Germany, 1920-34,” Hindsight, 17.1,
(September, 2006), 28.
Jamie Burn, “How did Hitler become a dictator? (Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler),” Hindsight, 17.3, (April, 2007), 5.
Jamie Burn, “How did Hitler become a Dictator? (Mein Kampf),” Hindsight, 17.3, (April, 2007), 5.
Burn, “How did Hitler become a Dictator?”, 5.
Alan Mendum, “Hitler’s Rise to Power in Germany, 1920-34,” Hindsight, 17.1, (September, 2006), 28.
Burn, “How did Hitler become a Dictator?”, 4.
Mendum, “Hitler’s Rise to Power in Germany, 1920-34,” 28.