Germany’s defeat in World War I came as a great shock. Like many German nationalists, Hitler believed that Germany had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by Jews, Communists and politicians.
Germany suffered greatly for it’s defeat, mainly through the treaty of Versailles, which they were forced to sign in 1919. The Versailles settlement put down a number of rules disabling the future build up of German forces. Germany was not allowed to unite with Austria, Germany was to give up some of it’s land, Germany must have only a very small army and navy, never to have conscription, it must give up all colonies and merchant ships and pay reparations of 6.6 billion to Allies.
All Germans, regardless of their political outlook, regarded the Treaty of Versailles as too hard on Germany. Some were bitter, against the Allies, and against the politicians who had signed the Settlement.
Germany’s recovery post World War I was complicated by the Treaty of Versailles, as the money owed to the allies was almost impossible to find. In order to find so much, German goods must be sold. But none of the Allies were keen to accept a huge amount of these.
The economic situation made matters worse. Because Germany could not meet reparations requirements, France invaded the Ruhr in 1923 to take over the coal mines. The resulting inflation wiped out savings, pensions, insurance, and other forms of fixed income, creating a social revolution that destroyed the most stable elements in Germany.
German money became worthless. Millions of Marks were worth nothing. The Weimar Republic lacked public support and so was weak. Rebellions, though mainly unsuccessful, were common.
One of these rebellions was lead by Adolf Hitler. In 1923 he organized an uprising in Munich and announced that the Nazis were the new German government. However, with little support in the rest of Germany, and from the army, he was sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of high treason.
Why didn’t this uprising work? There are things to consider: though weak, every year the economy was getting stronger. The Weimar Republic was still in its first half a decade of power, it could still work. Adolf Hitler tried to gain power through a political uprising; perhaps some Germans favored democracy.
With Hitler in prison, his popularity grew. He was seen as a hero, and due to public support was released eight months into his sentence. These eight months were spent writing his controversial biography- Mein Kamp- My Struggle to spread his ideas. He also decided, though a hater of democracy, to change the tactics of the Nazi party. From now on he would try to gain support by standing for election to the Reichstag like other parties.
In the period 1924-28 Germany settled down. Every year, due to the Dawes Plan its debt to foreign countries was getting smaller. A more stable economy was being built. Germany started to recover from World War I. And, in 1926, Germany was allowed to join the League of Nations.
But then the depression started. In October 1929 Wall Street, the international Stock Market crashed. This triggered a worldwide depression, hitting Germany badly. Unemployment rose considerably. Hitler saw his chance to gain power. He promised German people food and work if they elected the Nazis, and as unemployment in Germany rose so did Hitler’s seats in the Reichstag. Then in 1933 Hitler was elected as chancellor. After that he quickly made himself dictator.
Did all the German people support the Nazis? No, obviously not. But the people who did not object to him were the majority in 1933. The people chose Hitler, without the people Hitler would not have been able to gain power. Hitler compelled them, but he had little power to force them to listen to him when he was not in power. Most Germans saw Hitler as their salvation, someone that actually did things, someone who would bring Germany out of the economic depression and out of the embarrassment of the Versailles Settlement and their defeat in World War I.
Not all Germans would agree with his anti- Semitic policies but not many would disagree either. Jews were disliked in most European countries at that time, although not that much would wish for Jews to be exterminated entirely. For many middle –class people and land owners, the thing that prompted them to vote for Hitler in the end was the fear of communists. They could see the threat of the east and feared communism, which meant losing their wealth and land.
So why did Hitler gain power? He gained power because of the desperate situation of the time. He gained power because Germany was desperate, and needed a man who could be great, a man who could raise Germany up. A man who would defy the weak democracy and be their one leader, and who would not take away their wealth. He told Germans what they wanted to hear, and then made all support him.
