The Wall Street Crash was the beginning of the Great Depression. Germany was hit badly as it meant that America had to recall the loans which supported German industry. German exports slumped and millions of people lost their jobs. The Weimar government did not know how to deal with the unemployment and poverty. So they raised taxes, cut wages and reduced unemployment benefits, this was unpopular with the German people.
As the Weimar government was not able to deal with the problems, the Germans looked for people who could. These people were the two extremes, the communists and the Nazis, who both offered solutions.
The Nazis were still not gaining electoral success as although they got 44% of the vote, they could still not get a majority.
The Nazis were well organised, they had obedience, organisation and teamwork skills which many of them used in the First World War. The local workers were well trained and motivated and they had skilled leaders. The members of the Nazi party were very dedicated and would use violence and intimidation to get what they wanted. The Nazi party promised things to all kinds of people, they promised workers jobs; employers restored profits; farmers higher prices and shopkeepers protection against competition. Hitler’s speeches were very impressive, his personality and skills meant that it did not matter what he said, just the way he said it. The Nazis used effective propaganda, building on the peoples’ fear of the communists to gain support. They used posters as well as radio to get their message across.
Hitler was depicted as the strong leader who Germany wanted and needed. He developed his speech-making skills even more and, making his speeches very impressive. He would repeat the main ideas in most speeches making them effective and getting the message across. Hitler was seen as a saviour who would help the German people and make Germany great again. He was also able to exploit the people’s fear of ‘foreigners’ like Jews, communists and the French.
In conclusion, the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic made the Nazis stronger. Once Hitler became chancellor he started to undermine democracy. The Reichstag fire gave Hitler power through the enabling act. This was important in the rise of Nazis as it meant that Hitler could ban opposition parties and send his opponents to concentration camps.
