How did Hitler rise to power?

Question 1

How did Hitler rise to power?

Answer 1

• Franz von papen
• Schleicher
• Hitlers popularity + strong position
• Brunings failures
• political intrigue and backstairs intrigue
• wallstreet crash 1929 (economic crisis you can talk about great depression)

Question 2

Franz von papen

Answer 2

• Papen establishment of a ‘government of national concentration’, known as ‘cabinet of barons’, consisted of unelected figures from the landowning and industrial elite. Further key step away from Weimar democracy + nearer to authoritarian gov which hitler offering
• lifted ban on SA in June 1932 = further restriction on left-wing press, gave the nazis impetus to take on the communists in street run-up to July 1932 election
• Behind destruction of the SPD-led Prussian state government + declaring a state of emergency in July 1932. Made himself Reich Comissioner and further weakened Germany democracy and authortarian direction
• Schleicher replaced Papen in elections and led to plotting of making Hitler chancellor to remove Schleicher
• used his friendship to advantage with Hindenburg to make Hitler chancellor

Question 2

Schleicher

Answer 2

• bringing end of both bruning and papens chancellorship and disastrous time in office in Dec 1932 and Jan 1933
  = limited hindenburgs remaining options and made Hitler more likely

Question 3

Hitlers popularity + strong position

Answer 3

• from his own growing support of party
• his pledge to restore the economy and nullify the threat of communism made him increasingly palatable in the years before appointment

Question 4

Brunings failures

Answer 4

• known as ‘Hunger chancellor’ focused on deflationary policies to deal with depression, cutting expenditures and increasing taxes.
  These worsened employment, 6 million unemployed and more votes to nazis in response
• He had no reichstag majorities and had to rely on Article 48 to pass his finance bill in 1930, relied on Hindenburg and Schleicher but when article removed, brought hitler closer to power
• disastrous decision to persuade Hindenburg to call election in Sept 1930 in hope gaining more electoral support backfired as Nazis made key breakthrough and them becoming 2nd largest party in Germany

Question 5

Political intrigue and Backstairs intrigue

Answer 5

• Mullers gov 1928 grand coalition (re-emergence of reparations, one of most originally stable govs

Question 6

Wallstreet crash 1929

Answer 6

• badly affected by dependence on American loans from 1924 onwards
• Investment in business was reduced.
• wages fell by 39% from 1929 to 1932. People in full time employment fell from twenty million in 1929, to just over eleven million in 1933.
• The Depression associated economic failure and a decline in living standards with the Weimar democracy. When combined with the resulting political instability, it left people feeling disillusioned with the Weimar Republic’s democracy and looking for change.
  This enhanced the attractiveness of hitler propaganda