Assess the reasons why Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 essay plan Flashcards
What were the 2 main weaknesses of Weimar that led to Hitler coming to power?
Structure of the constitution:
-Article 48 (presidential authority to bypass the Reichstag)
presidential government
-lack of stable government->coalitions during a time of crisis
Failure to cope with the depression:
-poor solutions->increase taxes decrease benefits
-lack of planning->benefits only covered 800,000 unemployed not 6.1 million
-too reliant on US loans
How much did benefits cover for unemployment?
-800,000 unemployed not the 6.1 unemployed at the time
How did the structure of the constitution help Hitler come to power?
-meant that there were lots of loopholes that meant that Hitler could come to power
How did Weimar’s failure to cope with the depression help Hitler come to power?
-led to Hitler gaining power because people started to turn to extremist groups->Hitler targeted unemployed and people who were struggling
How important was the weaknesses of Weimar in Hitler’s rise in power?
-the decrease in popularity of the Weimar Republic would help Hitler gain popularity because he targeted people who felt most vulnerable and many of those people turned to extremist groups for support
How did the reorganisation of the Nazi Party increase their popularity?
-Nazi reorganisation->Gaue system->Gauleiter of Berlin was Goebbels (chief of propaganda)
What was a result of the Nazi party reorganisation?
-meant that Hitler had more widespread power and influence
How did propaganda increase Nazi popularity?
-Hitler Youth influence->100,000
-soup kitchens and charity drives targeted the unemployed
-targeted propaganda at farmers, youth and unemployed
What was a result of propaganda?
-he targeted the people who were the most vulnerable or naive->he gained support quickly
-however Nazi seats were declining by November 1932
How important was Nazi popularity in gaining power?
-Hitler targeted the vulnerable, providing soup kitchens and charity drives
-his propaganda made the Nazi Party grow in popularity
What is political intrigue?
-culture of secret deals
What was the impact of political intrigue (Von Papen) on Hitler’s rise to power?
-it meant that Hitler rose to power through connections
How did political intrigue increase Nazi power?
-Von Papen approached Hitler to make a coalition so he could come to power again
-Hindenburg was convinced and Hitler became Chancellor and Von Papen became vice Chancellor
How important was political intrigue in the Nazis gaining power?
-if Hitler didn’t gain the support of Von Papen he wouldn’t have the connections to fain power so quickly and become Chancellor
