Within the context of the years 1871 -1990, to what extent was Hitler the most authoritarian German leader?

Hitler was regarded as the most authoritarian German leader as he was the most influential, charismatic and persuasive leader. It was he who provided the party with its main ideas and who attracted the support of millions of German people.  was aware of the value of good propaganda and consequently appointed Josef Goebbels as the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Goebbels took propaganda to a new, perverse level. Through propaganda Hitler expressed his anti Semitism views and he emphasised his hatred for democracy. Hitler ensured more people learnt about his policies through posters, speeches, rallies as well as the media. Hitler used propaganda to persuade the German masses that the Jews were to blame for Germany’s downfalls and that Hitler was their last hope. Therefore in 1932 after the Great Depression, often propaganda produced portrayed Hitler as a saviour. Hitler produced posters that showed democracy was failing under the rule of the Kaiser and democracy so posters with messages such as “Hitler; our last hope” were published. This showed the order and discipline amongst the Nazis which Germany had lacked under the Kaiser and the Weimar Government, showing people that Germany could be a much stronger country under Hitler and the Nazis. It is almost another way of saying that they need to turn to Hitler as a last resort, it also showed Hitler as a messianic figure who people could turn to in times of turmoil unlike the Weimar republic and the Kaiser.  Many people were attracted to Hitler because he was extremely passionate in his beliefs and people could see that he was determined to improve the lives of the German people and subsequently improve Germany. The support for Hitler increased as the German people began to witness his gift of talking when he was seen speaking to the public. Especially at the Nuremburg rallies where there were masses of people engaged in Hitler’s speeches, Hitler managed to work the audience into a frenzy with his words full of passion, creating an eccentric atmosphere. “As the spirit moves him, he is promptly transformed into one of the greatest speakers of the century..... Suddenly, his words burst forth, like arrows they find their target. His words touch men of all types. They seem to tell men exactly what they want to hear”. (Otto Strasser, a Nazi who disliked Hitler) By playing on people’s desires and fears Hitler made himself look like a saviour who had been called by God to become dictator of Germany. The confidence and belief he had in himself made people support and believe in him as an authoritarian leader.

Hitler was the most authoritarian German leader because he created a dictatorship where he was the highest governing body in Germany and discarded the democratic institution of the Weimar constitution. Hitler saw his opportunity to gain power in the 1930s as he saw Democracy crumbling and the German people looking for an alternative government. Hitler realised that he would not gain power through violence, he turned to a new strategy; to gain power by being elected. Although in 1933 the Nazis still didn’t get a majority despite their best ever results of the most votes and MPS (37.3%/230 seats) however, still not enough to get an overall majority to pass laws. However, Hitler succeeded in getting a majority through the enabling Act as he used the SA army to intimidate the opposition such as the Social Democrats. Hitler achieved this in the 1930s by not allowing Communists to vote and by using the SA men to threaten MPs. The Reichstag was assembled under threatening circumstances where the SA men were swarming inside and outside the chamber to ensure communists did not disrupt Hitler’s speech. This is an example of where Hitler at an early stage exercises his authoritarian leadership even though he is not yet dictator which shows the confidence he had in his leadership. He used terror and intimidation to get the results that he wanted which in this case was to get rid of democracy once and for all in order to introduce the German people to a totalitarian state. Through the act Hitler had gained legislative powers to the government as a whole, for all intents exercised by Hitler himself as Goebbels states, “The authority of the Fuhrer has now been wholly established. Votes are no longer taken. The Führer decides.”