However the Depression was a key factor in highlighting the weak Republic as people were dissatisfied with the way the government handled the economic problems. Maybe it was inevitable that the Weimar Republic was weak as it was based upon weak foundations, such as the constitution, but it was its weaknesses that turned people towards the extreme alternatives. These weaknesses provided the Nazis the opportunity to gain power and without this opportunity it would have been hard for the Nazis to rise as far as they did. This is because people would like and trust the Weimar Republic and not want to return to the old autocratic system which the Nazis offered. Without the Weimar Republic’s failures people wouldn’t be turning to alternative parties even if they were strong and well led. The Nazis specifically wouldn’t have had much support as they only gained popularity through the Weimar Republic’s failures. In general people’s dissatisfaction with the Weimar Republic made them look for an alternative and this both made Hitler and the Nazis visible and gave them the opportunity they wanted.
The weakness of the Weimar Republic heightened the Nazi party appeal. Their policies were attractive to a broad section of society and their views were very appealing as they represented the views held by the masses. They gained votes by acting upon the unpopularity of the Weimar Republic such as their want to overthrow the Treaty of Versailles. This notion was very popular among the people and therefore the party gained mass support. The party was well organised with a strong leader and through their propaganda work they gained a lot of support Also as the Nazis were anti-Communist they provided a popular alternative to both Communism and the Weimar Republic and thus became increasingly popular as a result. However much of their ideology was based on external factors and without these the Nazi party wouldn’t be so appealing. If the Weimar Republic were strong, people wouldn’t have turned away from them following the Depression, and therefore wouldn’t be looking for an alternative party. Therefore the Nazis’ ideals were important in their rise but they wouldn’t have been as successful had it not been for external factors, which their policies were dependant on. Although the Nazis offered an appealing alternative it only achieved so much popularity at the expense of the Government’s.
Although the governments’ weaknesses turned people towards alternative parties, it was Hitler and the Nazis specifically that people looked to, not other extremist parties. This meant that Hitler and the Nazis had a large role in their rise as he must have been skilful and the Nazis, appealing. Hitler had a very strong character and always showed that he was in control of a situation. German people liked this as they needed a strong figurehead to get them out of their desperate situations caused by the Depression. Hitler was also very determined and ambitious which obviously helped him gain power, as if he hadn’t had high ambitions he would have accepted the coalition Government the Nazis were offered. And wouldn’t have become Chancellor. He had great public speaking skill and presented moving speeches across the country which attracted interest and support from those who heard him. He was also cunning as he could exploit and manoeuvre around the elite, such as Hindenberg. Without the external factors, however, such as the Depression and the weaknesses of the Republic, Hitler would have had no appeal or support. Therefore the Depression was an important factor, as it weakened the Republic, and it wasn’t solely due to Hitler and the Nazis that they gained such power. Also Hitler had little opposition and some historians feel that any dictator at the time could have risen to power. This is because Germany had seen that the new system (Weimar Republic) had failed, and they wanted an alternative or a return back to a dictator. Also other countries in Europe, e.g. Italy with Mussolini, were turning towards dictators and were doing well so Germany wanted to follow.
However, although Hitler had mass support, he was never actually elected into power. It was the role of the elite, specifically in this case of Hindenberg who chose Hitler to become Chancellor. Without Hitler being elected into power he may never have held any high positions because at the time votes and support for the Nazi party were declining. Another politician who helped Hitler to power was von Papen. He encouraged Hindenberg to appoint Hitler as he wanted revenge on the current Chancellor, Schleicher, who Papen was previously dismissed for. These two people were key factors in Hitler’s rise to power, however they are only the short-term reasons. If all the long-term factors, such as the Depression and the Weimar Republic’s weaknesses, were eliminated the elite would not be in a position to consider Hitler for Chancellor. Therefore this is an important factor but not as much so as the others.
In general all the above factors are important reasons to helping Hitler and the Nazi Party rise to power. However the Depression is not the most important factor as without it occurring there was still a big possibility that Hitler would have risen. Also, even though the Depression highlighted the Weimar Republic’s weaknesses, this was inevitable, and therefore decreases its importance again. Even if the Depression had still happened, and the Government had been stronger, then the Republic would be able to deal with the problems and it would not have provided the Nazis an opportunity or the need for people to turn to alternative parties.
