Because of this majority, Hitler demanded the post from Papen. However Hindenburg, who disliked Hitler, vetoed the request on grounds that the Nazis were too militaristic to be granted power. Hindenburg privately feared Hitler as this point as he was aware Hitler was gaining more support from the public. Hindenburg requested that Papen continued as chancellor, but when an election in November 1952 won the centre party even fewer seats, Hindenburg forcibly replaced Papen with Schleicher.
Papen was strongly opposed to Schleichers’ policies and was jealous that he had been replaced by him. Papen set out to meet one of the only people who were in a position to move against Schleicher – Adolf Hitler. Papen negotiated with Hitler and persuaded him that with his backing and key members of the elite, such as Oskar Hindenburg, son of the president, Hitler had a strong chance of becoming chancellor. Papens’ only request was that he became Vice-Chancellor, which Hitler granted.
However, the opposition to Schlinder turned out to not be needed. On the 28th January 1933, Von Schleicher resigned. Papen used his influence with Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor. Papen also threatened him that that alternative to such a government would be civil war, and Hindenburg reluctantly accepted, privately thinking that at last he had Hitler in a position where he could be exploited. Papen also had similar ideas to Hindenburg, but Hitler was not aware of them at this point and Papen would later reconsider.
Without Von Papen, Hitler may never have had the opportunity or connections with Hindenburg to put himself in the Chancellors office and by extension, as ruler of Germany. Hitler could have been locked in a long feud with Hindenburg or battled against the Reichstags’ unworkable system for the rest of his political career. It could be concluded that Von Papen was one of the major influencing factors for not only Hitlers’ rise to power, but also World War 2 and the lives that were lost there.
