Hitler's+journey+to+power

Hitler’s rise to Power  Hitler’s journey to power began with the failures of the Weimar republic and escalated by the German population willingness to change and Hitler’s own political skill. Hitler’s rise to power can be said to have started with the failures of the Weimar republic. The Weimar republic was a democratic government that was forced to undertake the challenges of the ongoing economic problems around the world, the hostility of German elites, and limited base of popular support. These challenges would be hard to overcome for any type of government but proved to be the end to the Weimar. The depression suffered around the world, hit Germany very hard. In 1932 5.6 million Germans were unemployed with 50,000 businesses collapsed including 5 of the major banks. The agriculture wages and incomes fell sharply as well [i]. Few families were able to escape the economic trouble. “This depression dragged down the middle classes. From the small shopkeepers to the well qualified professionals in law and in medicine, people struggled to survive in a world where there was little demand for their goods and services. For such people, the decline in their economic position and the onset of poverty were made more difficult by the loss of pride and respectability” [ii] Another economic crises plaguing Germany at this time was hyper-inflation. “The fundamental cause of the inflation was the huge increase in the amount of paper money in circulation, resulting in the government’s printing more and more notes to pay off the interest on its massive debts.” [iii] A great contributor the massive debt was the war losses suffered by Germany in WWI. The lack of intervention by the Weimar republic led more to oppose the Weimar republic. The second and final challenge by the Weimar was that “many key figures in German society and business rejected the interest of Weimar, hoping for a return to the good old days of Imperial Germany and the Kaiser.” [iv] Weimar had to also face the limited base of popular support. There was never “total acceptance of, and confidence in, its systems and its values. The Weimar democracy was associated with defeat and the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles and reparations.” [v] The combination of these factors made Germany in a state of political unrest and thus paving the way for Hitler. During this time of political unrest, Hitler was plotting a takeover. Motivated by Mussolini’s march on Rome, Hitler planned a march on Berlin which would be called the Beer Hall Putsch. This march was doomed for failure because Hitler “grossly overestimated the level of public support for a putsch-despite the problems faced by Weimar’s democratic government. He showed a lack of real planning. Most significantly, at the eleventh hour, Kahr (leader of the Bavarian State government) and Lossow (Leader of the Bavarian section of the German army), fearing failure, decided to hold back.” [vi] Hitler ignored these problems and led a group of 2000 SA men into the city of Munich with no military support. This march was easily crushed by the Bavarian police and led Hitler to be charged with treason and the NSADP to be banned. [vii] Despite this failure Hitler did manage to pull some political success. He “turned his trial into a great propaganda success both fir himself and for the Nazi cause. He played on his rhetorical skills and evoked admiration for his patriotism. For the first time he made himself a national figure. He won the respect of many other right wing nationalist for having had the courage to act. The lenient for his sentence-five years, the minimum stipulated by the Weimar Constitution and actually reduced to 10 months-seemed like an act of encouragement on the part of the judiciary. He used his months in prison to write and to reassess his political strategy” [viii] The failures of the Beer Hall Putsch also lead Hitler to believe that he can only obtain power by legal means and that revolutions will not allow him to be leader of the German nation. The Reichstag elections of July 1932 resulted in a 57% support of non democratic parties. This was a fare and free election that rejected democracy truly showing the discontent because there was no alternate solution. The results of the election showed that the Nazis had polled 13.7 million votes and won 230 seats making Hitler the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag. [ix] The success of the 1932 election can be credited to the Nazi message and the populations willingness to listen. Nazi ideology is centered on race. Hitler believed “humanity consisted of a hierarchy of races and that life was no more than ‘survival of the fittest’”. [x] This message made Jews the lowest on the pyramid leading to great anti-Semantic believes throughout Germany. Many followed this message because it provided a scapegoat for the economic hardships felt at this time. Nazis also taught anti-democracy and severe nationalist messages which through propaganda was accepted in German society. Having this new and more powerful influence over the Reichstag, Hitler set his eyes on being the chancellor. In January of 1933, secret contacts were being formed between Hitler and the current Chancellor, Franz von Papen. The plan was to make Hitler the new Chancellor and Papen would be vice-chancellor and after the approval by Hindenburg, Hitler was the new leader of the Nazi-Nationalist coalition. Although Hitler gained this title, his newly found power was not absolute which Hitler was determined to change. Hitler was determined to seize power for the Nazi party and enhance his own power as well in the Elections of 1933. “violence and terror dominated with meetings of the socialist and Communist being regularly broken up by the Nazis.” [xi] Another positive for Hitler was his increased financial situation. Hitler gave 3,000,000 Reich marks to secure parliamentary majority. [xii] “On election day there was an 88% turn out rate, which suggests influence or intimidation of the SA, corruption by officials and an increased government control of the radio.” [xiii] Even with the advantages that Hitler possessed the Nazis only increased there vote from 33.1 percent to 43.9 per cent, securing 288 seats in the Reichstag. [xiv] The results were disappointing to Hitler due to the law that required a two-thirds majority to change the Weimar Constitution. Hitler next and arguably the most effective move contributed to his rise of power was the enabling act in march of 1933. If passed, the bill would “effectively do away with parliamentary procedure and legislation and which would instead transfer full powers to the chancellor and his government for four years. In this way the dictatorship would be grounded in legality.” [xv] During his brief time as chancellor, Hitler legally and effectively managed to dismantle the Weimar Constitution and establish a single party totalitarian Nazi Germany. Hitler had one more barrier left in his way to absolute power. One of such barriers was the massive trade unions in Germany at this time. The Trade unions “(were) powerful because of its mass membership and its strong connections with socialism and Catholicism. (They) posed a threat to the stability of the Nazi state.” [xvi] To seize control of the union, Hitler called for a day of celebration deceiving the union to thinking that they had perhaps work with the Nazis. Upon their return SS and SA seized there factory and arrested many union leaders. From that point on the German unions had no power. Leaving only president Hindenburg in Hitler’s path. Hitler’s rise to power began before he was even in the political spotlight with the failures of the Weimar republic. Hitler’s passion and political skill led him to the top of the Nazi party and eventually chancellor of Germany. After the death of president Hindenburg Hitler crowned himself as Fuhrer thus becoming leader of Nazi Germany and arguably the most powerful man in the world.

[i]  Layton, Geoff. “The Decline of Weimar and the Rise of Nazism 1929-32.” //The Third Reich 1933-45//. London: Hodder Murray, 2005. 121-142. Print. [ii] Ibid. Pg 124 [iii]  - - -. “The Great Inflation .” //The Third Reich 1933-45//. London: Hodder Murray, 2005. 57-67. Print. [iv]  [v]  Ibid. Pg 57 [vi]  The Early Years of the Nazis 1919-29 [vii]  Ibid. Pg 107 [viii]  Ibid. pg 108 [ix]  The decline of Weimar and the Rise of Nazism pg 138 [x]  The Early Years of Nazis 109 [xi]  Layton, Geoff. “The Decline of Weimar and the Rise of Nazism 1929-32.” //The Third Reich 1933-45//. London: Hodder Murray, 2005. 121-142. Print.  [xii]  Ibid. Pg 10 [xiii]  Ibid. Pg 11 [xiv]  Ibid.pg 11 [xv] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Ibid.pg 11 [xvi] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Ibid. Pg 14