why did the Nazi party rise to power

Question 1

first challenge

Answer 1

1. political

Question 2

point #1

Answer 2

weaknesses of the Weimer Constitution/failure of democracy

Question 3

elaboration

Answer 3

• the Reichstag was formed based on a system of proportional representation where the percentage of seats won by the political parties was determined by the percentage of votes won in the election
• the coalition government was led by Friedbert Ebert from the Social Democratic Party (SDP). it was made up of several parties with diverse aims and very often could not agree on many issues
• this resulted in the collapse of the coalition
• President Hindenburg used his powers under Article 48 to appoint a new Chancellor, Heinrich Bruning but he also was unable to get support from the Reichstag to pass laws.

Question 4

explanation (feeling + outcome)

Answer 4

this helped Nazi Party to rise to power/made the Weimer government weak because
* though this was a fair and democratic system
* the proportional representation system in the Weimer Republic led to a multitude of competing parties with differing views
* as a result, it weakened the governement, causing fragmentation and disunity, resulting in slow decision-making and ineffective problem-solving, ultimately impacting the people’s lives (OUTCOME)
* the Germans lost confidence in the government which eventually led to the collapse of the coalition
* the Germans gave their support to the extremist parties like the Nazis who promised Germans a better life (FEELINGS)
* Article 48 allowed Hitler to use it as an opportunity to his advantage to rise to power later as he took the chance to make changes to the constitution using this loop hole, further eroding Germans’ confidence in democracy (FEELINGS)

Question 5

link

Answer 5

thus, weaknesses of the Weimer Constitution resulted in creating favourable conditions for the Nazi Party to rise to power

Question 6

point #2

Answer 6

unpopularity of the Weimer Government due to the Treaty of Versailles (TOV)

Question 7

elaboration

Answer 7

• Germans called the treaty a diktat or a dicatated peace forced upon the Germans and blamed the Weimer politicians and they were often called the “November Criminals”
• most Germans believed that the German army had been stabbed in the back by the Weimer Government who agreed to the armistice in Nov 1918

Question 8

explanation

Answer 8

this helped the Nazi Party to rise to power/made the Weimer Governement weak because :
* the treaty undermined the Weimer Republic and poisoned the attitudes of many Germans towards it
* thus, the unpopularity of the Weimar Government resulted in the loss of credibility which created a favourable circumstance for the Nazi Party to rise to power

Question 9

link

Answer 9

hence, the unpopularity of the Weimer Government due to the Treaty of Versailles became an advantage to the Nazi Party

Question 10

point #3

Answer 10

threats to the Republic

Question 11

elaboration

Answer 11

• Left-wing and Right-wing extremists made many attempts in the early 1920s to overthrow the Weimer Government
• even the military, civil service and businessmen did not support the Weimer Government too
• examples : Spartacist Rebellion in 1919, Kapp Putsch in 1920, Munich Putsch in 1923 (led by Hitler as leader of NSDAP
• Weimer Govt struggled to put down these revolts and often had to rely on the Freikrops to do it

Question 12

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 12

this led to the rise of Nazi Party/made Weimer govt weak because :
* dependence on the Freikrops made it look weak and incompetent in the eyes of the German people
* made many Germans lose faith for the Weimar govt and resulted in the loss of mass support from the public (FEELINGS)
* this greatly undermined the authority and credibility of the Weimar govt
* hence, this create favourable circumstances for opponents like the Nazis to capitalise on to gain power (OUTCOME)

Question 13

link

Answer 13

thus, the lack of mass support and the rise in popularity of the Nazis led to Hitler’s eventual rise to power

Question 14

point #4

Answer 14

rise of communism

Question 15

elaboration

Answer 15

• the politcal partie seemed to care more about their own positions and many were unable to gain majority in the parliament
• this resulted to many workers turned to the German Communism Party
• in the late 1920s, both the Nazis and the Communists gained popularity as the Germans were looking for alternative govts to replace the weak Weimar govt
• the Nazi Party cleverly exploited the fears that the middle class had in communism by painting a bleak picture of a communist dictatorship like the one in the Soviet Union
• rise of communism frightened rich industralists and businessmen as they were worried they might lose their wealth and property under communism

Question 16

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 16

this led to the rise of Nazi Party/made the Weimar govt weak because :
* many Germans had little trust in the Weimar govt ability to deal with the threat which communism seemed to pose
* as a result, many of them began to turn to the one party which seemed willing and able to take control of the situation and faced the Communist, the Nazi Party (OUTCOME)
* hence, the wealthy upper-class Germans financially supported the Nazis, sponsoring rallies and election campagins, allowing the party to gain more support (OUTCOME)
* the Nazis’ use of military force to confront the communists impressed the rich, convincing them that the Nazis could restore law and order in Germany (FEELINGS)
* this secured votes from those wary of the communists, contributing to the rise of the Nazis and Hitler

Question 17

link

Answer 17

thus, Hitler’s ability to exploit the people’s fear of communism led to his rise to political power

Question 18

second challenge

Answer 18

economic

Question 19

point #1

Answer 19

occupation of the Ruhr and Hyperinflation in 1923

Question 20

elaboration

Answer 20

• post-war Germany struggled with poverty, high unemployement and a fragile economy
• the need to pay hefty reparations was an unwelcome burden and highly unpopular with the German people as it further drained the depleted treasury
• the govt then resorted to printing of more money to keep up with the payments
• in 1923, when Germany failed to pay reparations in, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr in retaliation and began seizing mines, factories and railways, planning to take what was owed to them in kind
• the Weimar govt told the German miners to go on a sit-down strike so that there would be nothing for the French to take
• the govt responded to the crisis by printing even more money
• however, this caused the German currency to fall drastically and prices spiralled out of control, leading to hyperinflation

Question 21

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 21

this helped the rise of the Nazi Party/made the Weimar govt weak because :
* hyperinflation brought immense poverty, hardship and suffering to the people (OUTCOME)
* the middle adn wealthier classes felt bitter as their savings were wiped out overnight (FEELINGS)
* the govt’s weaknesses exposed by hyperinflation led to the loss of support from the middle and lower-middle classes, creating favourable conditions for opposition parties like the Nazis to gain support (OUTCOME)

Question 22

link

Answer 22

thus, the economic challenges gave the Nazis and Hitler the opportunity to make use of their unhappiness o gain support of itself, thus rising to power

Question 23

point #2

Answer 23

Impact of Great Depression

Question 24

elaboration

Answer 24

• the Great Depression, triggered by the 1929 New York Stock Exchange crash, caused a severe worldwide economic downturn, particularly affecting Germany
• reliance of US loans and investments led to a crippling economic crisis when the loans were suddenly recalled, resulting in numerous business closures and 6 million job losses for Germany, leaving about one-third of the working population unemployed by 1932
• many endured poverty and extreme hardships

Question 25

explanation

Answer 25

this helped the Nazi Party rise to power/made Weimar govt weak because :
* the economic crisis caused a political crisis as the ineffective Weimar govt fialed to lift Germans out of poverty, leading to desperation and loss of faith in the govt
* poeple sough decisive action and were more willing to support extremist parties like the Nazi Party, which promised effective solutions to Germany’s problems (OUTCOME)
* the Nazi Party had capitalised on the economic woes and suffering, critising the govt and offering promises of jobs and hope
* this swayed many Germans to support Hitler and the Nazi Party, leading to their highest percentage of votes during the Great Depression

Question 26

link

Answer 26

thus, the impact of the Great Depression created favourable circumstances for Hitler’s rise because the weaknesses of the Weimar govt made the people turn to parties like the Nazi Party