Following these events in Hitler’s life the rise of the First World War created some sort of hope for Hitler because due to the anxiousness of the army to get more men, they neglected Hitler’s un-fitness and beseeched him to join the army. Hitler fought bravely and went temporarily blind. He was awarded a prestigious iron cross medal. This event was a stepping stone to his rise to power as he was now recognised as a patriot and no longer just a beggar on the street
The major event that led to Hitler’s rise to power was the treaty of Versailles which was signed by the Germans under protest after the First World War. The main terms of the treaty were;
(1) the surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations mandates;
(2) the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France;
(3) cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania, the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia,
(4) Poznania, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland;
(5) Danzig to become a free city;
(6) plebiscites to be held in northern Schleswig to settle the Danish-German frontier;
(7) occupation and special status for the Saar under French control; (8) demilitarization and a fifteen-year occupation of the Rhineland;
(9) German reparations of £6,600 million;
(10) a ban on the union of Germany and Austria;
(11) an acceptance of Germany's guilt in causing the war;
(12) provision for the trial of the former Kaiser and other war leaders;
(13) limitation of Germany's army to 100,000 men with no conscription, no tanks, no heavy artillery, no poison-gas supplies, no aircraft and no airships;
(14) the limitation of the German Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons, with no submarines;
The most painful term was the acceptance of war quilt by the Germans but nevertheless, all these terms depressed the German people, and they blamed the Weimer government for being passive and signing to the terms of the treaty. The Weimer Government was itself weak. After the war in 1919-23, extremists on both the left (Spartacist revolt) and the right (Kapp putsch) tried to overthrow the government. And in 1923, the French invaded to try to force Germany to pay reparations. This led to hyperinflation and a number of rebellions particularly Hitler’s Munich Putsch.
There was insurgence all over Germany and the German people became weak and needed an assertive leader of any sort. Hitler on knowing this took advantage of their weaknesses. He first started by publicly announcing that Germany was not responsible for the war and has been wrongfully accused. This made the people interested in what he had to say because that was exactly what they wanted to hear. Hitler even spoke ill about the constitution openly and made an attempt on November the 8th 1923 to take over the government during the beer hall putsch. This proved void as he was stopped by the police and arrested,
The putsch wasn’t a complete failure as it contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. At his trial, Hitler gained enormous publicity, which made him well known. He spent only nine months in Landsberg jail where he learnt many lessons. He learnt that the only way to gain power is to stand in elections and destroy the system from within. He also realized that he did not have enough big friends and by 1932, he had won the support of the army and industrialists. Hitler also wrote Mein Kampf, which allowed him to work out his own beliefs. He became like a martyr for the party and Mein Kampf acted as a Bible.
However, the 'Beer Hall Putsch' was not all good. The Nazi party was banned and Hitler was not allowed to speak publicly (until 1928 in Prussia). The Nazi Party fell apart. The Munich Putsch was one of the least important reasons why he was able to rise into power. Before the Great Depression, Hitler gained very few votes (the Nazis had only 12 seats in 1928) and would have continued to do so without the Depression.
The great economic depression of 1929 was very beneficial in Hitler’s scheme to gain power, After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the US called in its loans to Germany, and the German economy collapsed. The Number of unemployed grew; people starved on the streets. In the crisis, people wanted someone to blame, and looked to extreme solutions – Hitler offered them both, and Nazi success in the elections grew.
Germans turned to Nazism because they were desperate. The number of Nazi seats in the Reichstag rose from 12 in 1928 to 230 in July 1932.
Other than the weakness of the German people at the time, Hitler’s personal qualities was a plus in his rise to power as he was a brilliant speaker and his eyes had a peculiar power over people. He was a good organiser and politician. He was a driven, unstable man, who believed that he had been called by God to become dictator of Germany and rule the world. This kept him going when other people might have given up. His self-belief persuaded people to believe in him.
When he was released from prison, he realized that the only way to seize power was through diplomatic ways. So he sought financial support from wealthy businessmen which he got and used this finance to run his propaganda and election campaigns. He promised everybody something if they voted for him. After the failure of the Nazi party to gain majority seats in the Reich, Hitler attempted suicide and was rescued by Hindenburg Hindenburg was one person who very much under estimated Hitler. He offered Hitler the post of vice chancellor but Hitler refused and demanded to be made Chancellor. So Von Papen and Hindenburg took a risk. On 30 January 1933 Hindenburg made Hitler Chancellor. He thought he could control Hitler – how wrong he was. In the end, Hitler did not TAKE power at all – he was given it. By 1933, there was no one bold enough to oppose Hitler, not even the constitution
Hitler’s personal quality along with the weakness German people and events that took place during Hitler’s time made him rise to power. The most certain event which made assured Hitler’s rise to power was the Wall Street crash which was not just caused by Germany but by other countries as well.
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