Moreover, the problems of democracy and the weakness of the constitution made it easier for the Nazi party to get into the Reichstag. The main weakness in the new Constitution was the system of proportional representation which was intended to give all political groups representatives in parliament. Under this system the seats in the assembly which a party was given depended on the total number of votes cast for the party throughout the country. This system encouraged the growth of so many small parties that no one party was large enough to gain an overall majority, to give Germany a strong and secure government which would put its own policies into action. Because of the lack of a majority in the Reichstag the country had to be run by a series of coalition governments, but divisions among the parties were so great that it was difficult to construct a coalition which would last. This system of proportional representation made it easier for communists and the Nazis to get into the Reichstag and for them to be able to undermine it with every chance they got. Various political parties lacked the experience of running a democracy. This was not surprising as Germany did not become a democracy until 1919. Earlier the Kaiser and the Chancellor held most of the power and could control the Reichstag. In the Weimar Republic the Reichstag had full power to make the laws of the country. Very often, the various parties refused to compromise their views in order to co-operate with each other. On top of this lack of experience, there were a number of groups in Germany that simply did not accept the new democracy, such as the Army. The Army was very anti-democratic in attitude. The army was held in very high esteem in Germany and many Germans thought that it had been “stabbed in the back” by politicians who had agreed to the Versailles Treaty. Although the army pledged to defend the Republic, the army never really accepted the Treaty of Versailles or the Weimar Republic. Other groups such as teachers, judges, civil servants, industrialists and landowners longed for the days of the Empire. By promising to an end to such political weaknesses Hitler offered a brighter future.
Many historians believe that the economic factors are an enormous factor to the rise of Hitler. Germany was close to bankruptcy because of the enormous cost of the First World War which had lasted far longer than anyone had expected. The reparations debt aggravated Germany’s problems. The total reparation liability of 6000 million was to be paid in annual installments of 100 million together with yearly payments equivalent in value to 25% of all German exports. When Germany was defeated the only option open to the government to repay war bonds and to raise the additional sums for reparations was to increase taxation substantially. As this would have further depressed the economy and have led to large scale unemployment, the Government instead inflated the mark by simply printing more money. This meant that many citizens, especially, the middle classes, had their real income and savings eroded and there was soon confrontation with the Allies about reparations payments. The Germans managed the first installment of 50 million in the summer of 1921 but by 1922 they started to fall behind and asked for postponement of payments. The French refused. When in 1922 Germany could not pay the annual reparations installment the French were incensed – they believed the Germans were deliberately defaulting. In January 1923 French troops occupied the Ruhr in an attempt to seize coal and iron. The German Government responded by calling on the people to take part in “passive resistance” – the industrial heart of Germany came to a standstill. The invasion produced a widespread sense of unity and hatred of the French but the policy of “passive resistance” sounded the deathknell for the German market. From 1922-1923 Hyperinflation took over Germany because the cost of things was rising so fast money became worthless. The government in turn had no answer to these problems and Germany was faced with serious financial difficulties. This Hyperinflation badly hit the working and middle classes and many ending up swapping goods instead of being paid in money. In 1924 the Nazis gained 32 seats in the Reichstag and the communists gained 64seats. The economic situation improved in 1924 when, as a result of the Dawes plan, Germany received a loan of 40million and the repayment schedule for reparation was relaxed to allow Germany to pay what she could afford.
From 1924-1929 seemed to be the years of recovery for Germany. As a result of the Dawes Plan, a sliding scale of repayment would allow for a gradual increase in payments as the German economy revived. French troops were withdrawn from the Ruhr and a new currency was brought out. In 1925, trade restrictions imposed on Germany were lifted and trade revived. In 1929 the Young Plan was introduced which reduced the reparations debt to 2000 million to be paid in annual installment over 59years. Much of the recovery was due to the work of Gustav Stresemann, Foreign Minister 1923-1929, as it was he who persuaded the French to leave the Ruhr by agreeing to pay reparations, he replaced the old mark with the new Retenmark, persuaded the allies to reduce the reparations burden and after the Lacarno Pact he was able to secure Germany’s admission to the League of Nations. During this time of Stability the Nazis fell to 14 seats in the Reichstag in December 1924 and in 1928 dropped to just 12.
In October 1929, America’s stalk market collapsed and stopped all loans to Germany and demanded repayments. This had a particularly damaging effect on Germany as the German economy had been rebuilt almost entirely on foreign loans and the crash brought the whole economic system in Germany tumbling down; Firms went bankrupt, factories closed, international trade collapsed, German exports suffered, industrial production was cut back as demand at home and abroad was reduced. Unemployment was at an astonishing rate as there were 6million unemployed in 1932. The German people were terrified of things getting worse as they had no one to help bail them out. Dawes would not save them this time; any savior would have to come from Germany. In July 1932 the Nazis had 230 seats in the Reichstag and became one of the largest parties in the Reichstag, there was still however to overall majority. In November 1932 there seemed to be a small turning point for the German economy and the Nazis lost 2,000,000 votes taken them down to 196 seats. Although they were still a large dominant party in the Reichstag, their support was declining. However, it was this depression that gave Hitler his opportunity. After a number of years of declining support, the return of misery and despair made people look for extreme solutions.
Many historians argue that it was political intrigues which brought Hitler and the Nazis into power as Fritz von Papen was anxious to put together a right-wing coalition government using the number of seats the Nazi party had. Von Papen persuaded the president that a new government had to be formed and that Hitler was to be given Chancellor as he thought Hitler would do what he was told. As Von Papen said himself; “We believed Hitler when he said that once he was in a position of power and responsibility, he would steer his movement into more ordered channels.” Rarely can a prophecy have proved so mistaken. Hitler assumed power that he did not relinquish until his death 12years later. Nevertheless, there was nothing unlawful in the course of events until 30th January. Due, to a large extent, to the mistakes of his opponents Hitler and the Nazis had gained power in a completely constitutional manner. As W. Shirer put it “The cardinal error of the Germans who opposed Hitler was their failure to unite against him.”
Furthermore, Hitler’s underlying belief in himself and his destiny and the ability he had to identify grievances and address them with political skills of intrigue allowed him to out maneuver his opponents in 1933- 1934. Hitler created the Nazi party from its humble beginnings, created its ideology, organised the campaign to gain power and controlled the tactics of the party and he guided the Nazi party through the most difficult of years 1924-1929. Hitler’s main philosophies were to have on strong leader of Germany, to create a German master race and eliminate the Jews from German society, for there to be one Empire and for more land for the German master race. Hitler knew what the German people wanted to hear. He had to ability to identify their grievances and offer “solutions” to their problems. As A. Bullock said; “Hitler was not prepared to limit membership of the party to any one class… Ambition, resentment, envy, avidity for power and wealth – in every class these were the powerful motive forces Hitler sought to harness. Hitler was prepared to be all things to all men, because to him all men represented one thing, a means to power.” Therefore, Hitler and Nazism had something to offer everyone in Germany. For workers he promised jobs and an end to unemployment within 4years and a share of the nation’s wealth, for farmers he promised fair prices for their produce and security of tenure on their land, for the businessman he promised the destruction of communism and the curbing of trade union power. For the middle class he promised restoration of prosperity, security and stability and for the Army he promised the destruction of the Treaty of Versailles and for Germany to re-arm.
Finally the use of Nazi propaganda and violence is seen as a key reason to the growth in support of Hitler and the Nazi party up ‘til 1933. Hitler was the first politician to make full use of the modern techniques of communication to spread his message. He used posters, flags, mass meetings, radio, searchlights and air flight. As Hitler himself said; “all propaganda must be confined to a few fare necessities and they must be expressed in a few stereotyped formula.” Hitler had the ability to turn failure to his own advantage. At his trial after the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler refused to remain on the defensive. Instead of denying the charge of treason, Hitler embraced the charge. His appeals to nationalist feeling won applause from the audience time and time again. Hitler also knew that the attraction of physical violence brought him support from many i\of the frustrated elements of German society. He was quite prepared to take full advantage of this. The elections of 1932 in particular were very violent affairs, with the death role running into hundreds. Hitler’s SA where the outright winners in the competition to disrupt the meetings of rivals and intimidate, maim or kill their supporters. In many of Hitler’s propaganda posters he used scapegoats such as the Jews and blamed them for the weakness of Germany. Also Hitler’s use of uniforms and flags for Nazism gained the support of many young people as they want to belong to something.
In conclusion, the view that “Hitler’s promise of a better future for German people was the most important reason for the growth in support for the Nazi’s up to 1933”, is quite accurate as many German people looked towards Hitler to abolish the treaty of Versailles, create jobs and to make Germany strong again. However there are other factors which led to Hitler coming into power such as his charismatic personality, the propaganda he used and the weakness of the Weimar Republic. Although all this would not of been plausible if it had not been for Fritz von Papen’s plan to make Hitler Chancellor. Von Papen’s ludicrous idea that Hitler would of acted as his “drummer boy” gained Hitler and the Nazis more power than they could of accomplished on their own. Von Papen also gave Hitler and the Nazis a rise to power in a completely constitutional manner.
