Hitler believed Jews were behind the treaty and he blamed them for Germany’s problems. As well as being anti-semitic he was also very anti-communist. Infact they were his number one enemy. He noticed that most communist leaders were Jewish and he thought they were out to cause trouble. Because he was so anticommunist, Hitler was admired by many businessmen and bankers, who feared that communism was going to take over Germany.
One of the more well known members of the S.A was Ernst Rohm who encouraged brutality. Goering and Himler were two men who were very inspired by Hitler’s beliefs and became very influential members of the Nazi party. In 1923 Hitler and his S.A organized the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’ in Munich. This was an attempt by Hitler to overthrow the government and he expected more support but instead the rebellion was a disaster. Hitler was arrested and tried alongside other leaders. The trial was a media sensation and entrance to the court was by ticket-only. The judge was very lenient towards Hitler and even wrote to the appeal court to make sure Hitler received a minimum sentence of nine months in prison. While in prison Hitler wrote the now infamous book ‘Mein Kampf’, in which he illustrated his main ideas and beliefs. In the book he mentioned nationalism and said that he wanted, “all German-speaking people united in a new Reich”. He also believed in the ‘master race’. He believed that the ‘Aryan Race’ were superior to everybody else and that Negroes, slavs, gypsies and Jews were inferior. He also wanted ‘Lebensraum’, which was more living space for Germans. He said that democracy had failed and that Germany needed strong, single leadership. He also wanted an end to communism, which he linked with the Jews, and ‘Totalitarianism’. He said that the interest of the state must come before the interest of the individual. He decided that the best way to achieve power would be to use the political system and not to try another rebellion.
In 1924 Hitler was determined to move on with his plans to gain more power for the Nazis. However the Nazis were still a very small party and Hitler needed more support. He took over other right-wing parties and formed the S.S. the S.S were Hitler’s bodyguards and the men in it were more intelligent and better educated than those in the S.A. Hitler Youth also began. This was Hitler’s way of brainwashing young children and training them to become members of the Nazis when they were old enough. In the mid-1920s things were looking much better for Germany. They were now receiving loans from the U.S.A which reduced inflation considerably. In 1928 there was a general election, and although Hitler was confident, the Nazis only received 2.6% of the vote. This was a massive disappointment to Hitler and the Nazis. They had no noticeable influence and were referred to as a, “small fringe party”.
1929 was a very bad year for Germany. Stressman, who had helped solved many of Germany’s economical problems, died. It was also the year of the ‘Wall Street Crash’. U.S.A loans stopped, industry collapsed and there was mass unemployment. Germany was even worse off than before. There was an economic slump and unemployment reached over 5.5 million people, it was the worst hit nation in the world. Five major banks collapsed and over 20,000 businesses collapsed. There was great hunger as well and the poor and middle class became very angry with the situation. People were desperate and once again they blamed the government. Voters were now rushing to the extremists, either the Nazis or the communists. Hitler’s message had not changed; he was still anti-semitic, anti-communist and still believed that Germany needed dictatorship as democracy was not working, however, his vote increased. Even those who had never heard or seen Hitler voted for the Nazi party. There was now fierce rivalry between the Nazis and the communists. They would fight each other in the streets as Germany descended into further chaos.
Hitler definitely took advantage of the situation. He began to use propaganda at every opportunity. He wanted Germany to believe that he was the only one who could save them. He put up posters everywhere emphasizing this message and constantly emphasized Germany’s need for strong, single leadership. Hitler portrayed the image that he was the strong man who could solve Germany’s problems. In his speeches he was able to make an immediate impact on people. Germans began to see him as their salvation and solution to all their problems. He promised to restore order and bring discipline back to Germany and he also had a unique personality which people admired. People were now voting for parties who would overthrow democracy, as they saw the Weimer Republic as a failure. Hitler said in one of his speeches, “We are intolerant”. His goal was to “Sweep away 30 parties”. Many people believed that this was the perfect solution. However Hitler did not have to be heard or seen to get votes. In Neidenburg he received 25.8% of the vote even though he had never visited there and there were no Nazis there.
In the 1930 election the Nazis received 107 seats which was 20% of the vote, making them the second biggest party. It was a vast improvement on the 1928 election (only 2% of the vote). But Hitler was still not satisfied. In 1932 he ran for president. He traveled everywhere by airplane, delivering speeches in an effort to convey himself as someone very powerful. However he did not win the election. He received 13 million votes but lost out to Hindenburg who received 19 million votes. In 1932 there was a general election. This time the Nazis proved to be even more popular receiving 230 seats. They were now the largest party in government although they never received over 50% of the vote. Hitler was now demanding to become chancellor but the president Hindenburg would not allow it. The president despised Hitler and referred to him as the “Little Austrian corporal”. Hindenburg was also against giving government power to only one party. However many disagreed with Hindenburg and he came under pressure from certain influential groups.
A group of businessmen and bankers wrote a letter to the president saying how he must give Hitler chancellorship for the good of Germany. They were afraid of communists becoming more powerful and agreed with Hitler’s anti-communist beliefs. Army leaders also wanted Hitler to be granted chancellorship. Their argument was that they were not strong enough to fight against national socialists and communists and protect Germany’s borders as well. The army consisted of only 100,000 because of the Versailles treaty. The Traditional Right-Wing Conservatives also wanted Hitler to become chancellor. Von Papen suggested that he should be vice0chancellor and that only two other Nazis could have an important role. He thought that Hitler could be tamed and controlled this way…..but of course this was a serious miscalculation. In January 1933 Hitler was made chancellor in a coalition government.
Hitler did not achieve this position by deceitful methods, infact he was always honest and made his beliefs clear from the beginning. People were always aware of his hatred for Jews and communists and his want for a dictatorship. He even wrote a book outlining these ideas. People were made aware of his obsession with “survival of the fittest” and “creating a master race”. But perhaps they were not aware of the lengths he would go to in order to achieve this ‘master race’. Hitler was lucky to achieve his position as chancellor of Germany. I think that if people had not been so desperate they would not have voted for an extremist such as Hitler. Had the government been more stable maybe people would not have had such a strong desire to put an end to democracy. Hitler did not achieve power on his own; he was helped into power by economic circumstances and the support and miscalculation of others.
