The historical circumstances Germany was experiencing including economic depression, existing repercussions of world war one, and a profound lack of solid constitution inevitably gave Hitler an advantage as the need for a stable government increased, as illustrated in sources 2 and 5. Opposing the suggestion that it was a plethora of weaknesses Germany possessed that created the demise of the Weimar republic source 1 indicates that it was in fact Hitler’s widespread appeal that enabled the Nazi one party state to expand. ‘National Socialism was inconceivable without Hitler.’
Hitler as an individual could be perceived as a confident party organiser, creator of Nazi ideology, good orator etc. Although Hitler displayed his ‘unique confidence’ and great power to the public, devising an era of ‘Hitlercentric’ followers, it could be argued that Hitler was quite the opposite. Depicting Hitler as a weak dictator may be highly controversial to historians yet as structuralist historian Brozat saw Hitler as a greedy power seeker who was a referee in bitter disputes between competing agencies of government. This is apparent as events such as the Reichstag fire, the night of the long knives, the passing of the enabling act, even the death of president Hindenburg convey hints of paranoia and reluctance to trust members of his own party that may interfere with future Nazi plans.
It would appear from the drastic measures taken by Hitler to remove those who may have stood in his path of becoming the central dictator of Germany that the opposition was indeed weak. This is highlighted further in source 3 as it proposes the fact that the conflicting parties such as socialist, communists, and labour were ‘extraordinarily fragmented’. This is a direct indication that without a collective group that were willing to work together in obstructing Hitler’s rise to power, the formation of the one party state was certain.
The failure of the Weimar republic, which had replaced the Kaiser had been unavoidable it was created by the working class, and as such never gained support from the upper and middle classes. During the 1920s the Weimar was blamed for not only the defeat in world war one, but for the hyperinflation that followed in 1923, causing many middle class families to lose their savings. Between 1929-1933 employment was very difficult to find, this too was blamed on the Weimar system. This was followed by a substantial increase in political violence; this was a major factor in the Weimar downfall.
Another reason why the Weimar republic failed to last was the vulnerability that Germany was enduring, a lasting effect from the depression of the 1920s, and post war factors such as reparations. In addition to this the middle class, upper class and aristocracy feared communism and were keen to support Hitler as he was assuring that if he took control then communism would not be an issue.
As a result from 1930 coalition could be formed, creating the impression of incompetent politicians disagreeing over insignificant differences whilst Germany was in a state of ultimate chaos. The need was strong for a leader who would be able to provide solutions and discipline the chaos in Germany. The inadequate expanse of the Weimar republic was blatant, each Weimar party was associated with a particular class or interest group, whilst the Nazis on the other hand were a national party forming alliances with classes throughout Germany.
