Hitlers Rise to Power Essay

Question 1

Introduction

Background Sentences

Answer 1

Between 1923-29, the solutions that Stresemann came up with worked very well after the political and economic crisis that Germany faced, known as the ‘Golden age of the Weimar’. However, this soon failed after Stresemann’s idea of asking the US for money quickly caused another economic depression to hit Germany. The outcome of this resulted in Hitler being appointed as Chancellor, allowing for his rise to power.

Question 2

Introduction

Factors

Answer 2

The factors which will be discussed in this essay which show how Hitler and the Nazi party was able to gain power was the appeal and Hitler, the Wall Street Crash and the economic depression, as well as the role of other politicians.

Question 3

Introduction

Historiography

Answer 3

Some historians such as McDonough belived that the appeal of Hitler and the Nazis was the biggest reason as to how Hitler came to power in 1933. However, historians such as Geary disagree as he believes that the failures of other politicians as well as their role in the collapse of the Weimar Republic is the reason as to why Hitler became Chancellor in 1933.

Question 4

Introduction

Line of Argument

Answer 4

Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany, was to an extent due to the appeal of Hitler and the Nazis, however the economic depression that occured after the Wall Street Crash had the most important impact on Hitler’s rise to power.

Question 5

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

What was one of Hitler’s main aims?

Answer 5

Hitler was flexible and adaptable in his policies, however, at the core, Nazi philosophy had several big ideas, for example one of Hitler’s main aims was to destroy the Weimar Republic, which received lots of support from all groups in German society.

Question 6

Appeal of Hiter and the Nazis

Analysis +

Answer 6

However, the Nazi party didn’t appeal to all groups as although, their policies could be applied to benefit the Socialists, they still didn’t receive as much of their support over the years. In 1923, the Left still had control over the Reichstag as in the previous electoral year the Nazis had 37%, whereas the Left had 36%. However, the Left managed to build more support with 37% of the votes compared to the Nazis with 33%.

Question 7

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

How was propaganda helpful to Hitler?

Answer 7

Propaganda was another method used by the Nazis to show the party’s aims and their ideas for Germany in the future. In their propaganda, there was also evidence of a scapegoat, or in other words an enemy. The most common theme was showing Hitler to be the saviour of Germany and would present him in a positive light, emphasising the strength and unity of the Nazi party.

Question 8

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

Analysis

Answer 8

The German public are willing to turn a blind eye to many of the Nazi policies because there are more policies that will benefit the lives of Germans as a whole rather than focusing on one sub-factor to a group which has more issues within it. For example, trade unions only exist for people with jobs, however in Germany at the time there was an unemployment crisis which a policy on would be considered to be more important, therefore allowing the Nazis to get away with some of their policies which aren’t as well recieved as others.

Question 9

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

Historiography

Answer 9

McDonough argues that propaganda was essential in the Nazis campaign for power in Germany as through their effective propaganda, the number of the votes in the elections rose. This differs from Lee’s interpretation as he belives that due to the devastating impact the Wall Street Crash had on the economy, Hitler managed to gain more support as he focused on appealing to the public’s needs.

Question 10

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

Evaluation

Answer 10

Propaganda was an effective method which allowed Hitler to rise in power through this campaigning and initiatives that highlighted the needs of the public, however this wouldn’t have been successful if the Nazis didn’t target the unemployed after the economic depression from the Wall Street Crash.

Question 11

Wall Street Crash

What happened due to the WSC?

Answer 11

In 1929 as the Wall Street Crash led to a worldwide depression, especially for Germany as they relied on the US for loans to help pay off reparations, which caused Germany’s economy to collapse. Due to this, unemployment rates rose to over 6 million in 1932, leading many Germans to become desperate and begin seeking a new leader/government to which Hitler took advantage of.

Question 12

Wall Street Crash

What was the public’s opinion on the effect of the Wall Street Crash?

Answer 12

Since the public now resented the Weimar Republic for their decisions, the leading party didn’t receive the majority votes in the Reichstag election causing for a coalition to be created, which meant that laws would have to be passed through the President alone, instead of through the Weimar.

Question 13

Wall Street Crash

Analysis

Answer 13

As a result of a lack of action taking place to tackle the ongoing economic crisis, many Germans decided to seek out extreme measures and ideology in order for change in Germany as the Nazis were advocating that they could do this if they were in power, which they soon came to power in the 1932 election where they received the majority vote in the Reichstag.

Question 13

Wall Street Crash

Analysis +

Answer 13

However, it could be argued that the German people felt as through they were left to deal with the impact of the economic depression on their own as Bruining put wage cuts and spending restrictions in place in an attempt to lower prices. This showed to the public that the Weimar Republic was incompetent and unable to help support Germany in a time of need.

Question 14

Wall Street Crash

Evaluation

Answer 14

The Nazi party gained lots of support from the German public through their policies and aims which targeted people afffected by the Wall Street Crash, despite the incompetence of the Weimar, the public were determined to find a new government to which the Nazis and Hitler became the majority’s first choice.

Question 15

Role of other politicians

The President

Answer 15

As President, Hindenburg was responsible for appointing the country’s Chancellor, and dissolving the Reichstag. As such, Hindenburg was at the centre of all political intrigue, whether being influenced or ultimately making the key decisions.

Question 16

Role of other politicians

Schleicher

Answer 16

Schleicher orginally persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Bruining as Chancellor. Schleicher eventually turned against Bruining, asking to remove him, which in turn allowed for Schleicher to become Chancellor succeeding Von Papen.

Question 16

Role of other politicians

Analysis

Answer 16

Von Papen wished for revenge on Von Schleicher, so he plotted with Hitler which presented Hitler for the position of Chancellor with Von Papen as vice and with a cabinet of several non-Nazis, replacing von Schleicher as Chancellor, allowing for Hitler to gain power in 1933.

Question 17

Role of other politicians

Analysis +

Answer 17

However, Hindenburg didn’t see Hitler as a candidate for the role of Chancellor until he was recommended by the former Chancellor von Papen. This shows that Hitler himself didn’t have the political presence or power to be considered Chancellor, as Hindenburg and other politicians didn’t trust Hitler and refused to offer him positions in power.

Question 18

Role of other politicians

Historiography

Answer 18

Geary argues that although Nazi propaganda was helpful in Hitler’s success in the Nazi elections by creating appeal around Hitler, it was down to the incompetence and constant disagreements between other politicians which allowed for Hitler to gain power.

Question 19

Role of other politicians

Evaluation`

Answer 19

The role of other politicians was helpful in Hitler’s rise to power as von Papen helped Hitler get his name into the conservation about the new government and who should be involved within it. However, this wouldn’t have been able to happen if it wasn’t for Hitler and the Nazis campaigning to the public by using the Wall Street Crash in order to gain support by focussing on the issues which were caused by the Wall Street Crash that heavily affect the people, for example unemployment.

Question 20

Conclusion

Line of Argument

Answer 20

Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany, was to an extent due to the economic depression that occurred after the Wall Street Crash, however the appeal of hitler and the Nazis had the most important role in Hitler’s rise to power.

Question 21

Conclusion

Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis

Answer 21

The Nazis were able to still gain the support of the public with aims that weren’t subjective to specific groups within Germany as they focussed on the overall issue which gained them more support in the future elections. However, even though the Nazis created aims which targeted all groups within Germany, the Nazis still struggled to gain the full support from those who were supportive of the Left. This shows that although the Socialists weren’t as supportive of the Nazis, the party was still able to succeed and allow Hitler to rise into power as they focussed more on the needs of the public and appealed to what the citizens were anting the happen in Germany, for example ending the Weimar Republic.

Question 22

Conclusion

The role of other politicians

Answer 22

Hitler’s rise to power was due to the revenge which von Papen had set out to achieve over von Schleicher who conspired against von Papen when he was Chancellor before Schleicher was elected. However, before von Papen was removed as Chancellor, there was never any discussion about Hitler and whether he should be considered for the position. This shows that Hitler wouldn’t have been able to become Chancellor if it wasn’t for the efforts he and the Nazi party put into their aims which appealed to the public in order for them to gain recognition and make other politicians back Hitler and make the Nazis well-known.

Question 23

Conclusion

Wall Street Crash and economic depression

Answer 23

Due to the wall street crash, many Germans decided that democracy and the Weimar Republic was no longer the best governance option for Germany and sought out new leadership which had no ties to the past of Germany’s government. However, the German public were more angered at the government inability to solve the crisis than the economic crisis itself. This shows that Hitler’s competence to take action and have ideas on how he plans to take action to solve the economic depression, which led many citizens to support the Nazis and help their rise to power.