Hitlers Rise to Power Essay Flashcards
Introduction
Background Sentences
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.
Introduction
Factors
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.
Introduction
Historiography
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.
Introduction
Line of Argument
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.
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
What was one of Hitler’s main aims?
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.
Appeal of Hiter and the Nazis
Analysis +
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%.
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
How was propaganda helpful to Hitler?
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.
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
Analysis
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.
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
Historiography
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.
Appeal of Hitler and the Nazis
Evaluation
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.
Wall Street Crash
What happened due to the WSC?
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.
Wall Street Crash
What was the public’s opinion on the effect of the Wall Street Crash?
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.
Wall Street Crash
Analysis
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.
Wall Street Crash
Analysis +
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.
Wall Street Crash
Evaluation
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.