Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power

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Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power: 1930-1933 After losing World War 1 in 1918 and being forced to sign the Versailles Treaty in 1918, Germany was a severely weakened and vulnerable society. The Weimar Republic, which was established in 1919, was ultimately unsuccessful in helping Germany recover, and in 1930 the Great Depression hit Germany hard, creating massive economic hardship and political tension[1]. It is in this atmosphere that Adolf Hitler, a previously insignificant political figure, was able to take control of the government after becoming Chancellor in 1933. Historians often wonder why Hitler was able to to come to power in 1933. There is no single reason for Hitler's rapid success in the short years leading up to that point; however, the main reasons he was able to come to power were the ruthless use of political manipulation and propaganda and, more importantly, the economic problems of Germany caused by the Great Depression. Both of these were crucially important and the combination of the these two factors created a unique situation that enabled Hitler to rise to power. Firstly, Hitler's use of manipulation and propaganda were very effective in helping him gain power. He showed that he was willing to use whatever means at his disposal to achieve his goals. Early on, he created the Sturm Abteilung (S.A.) as private army of former soldiers and unemployed workers who protected him and threatened other parties.[2] The S.A. constantly terrorized other parties and raided their meeting places, and used all means to stop opponents.[3] Once he became Chancellor, he killed off the leaders of the storm troopers in order to win over the support of the army. Hitler then used the burning of the Reichstag on February 27, 1933 to persuade President Hindenburg to establish a permanent state of emergency,[4] which gave the Nazis the power to suspend democratic rights
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