The Nazis used hate and fear to great effect in their elections, Hitler wanted to appeal to the German people so he blamed the prevailing poor economic conditions on the democratic government and the communists. He advanced the idea of his government uprising which could restore national pride and unity. Hitler always promised things but never committed himself fully to the details of a political and economic program. Creating dictatorship within 2 months was also help by the improved Nazi financial position, he was promised three million Reichmarks. Along with backing from Goebbels and his exploitation of the media, Nazis were confident in securing the majority of votes in the election.
It became an offence to belong to another Party than the Nazis party. ALL other parties were banned, and their leaders were put in prison. Therefore, from the very beginning of Hitler’s rise to power, he was able to control what people thought. ONLY the Nazis ideology was the right one to get Germany back on its feet, and if only you were German and publicly showed your opposition, you were seen as a factor that would retain German industrial growth. We can see through this how Hitler, from the very beginning of his arrival to power, managed to put his hand over the people’s minds.
However, this source is published by the Nazis in the lead up to the 1932 elections, most likely being bias. It’s also important to note that it’s a typical Nazi source, glorifying Hitler and depicting the average German family as struggling and brave, pleading to get out of the inherited disaster left by the Weimar Government. Not only did Hitler capitalise on the economic problems, he was successful in highlighting the faults of the treaty of Versailles. Source 11 introduces Hitler as a hypnotist by describing his words “like a whip”. Karl Ludecke stated that he was ready to attack any enemy, proving that Hitler’s words created a “hypnotic spell by the sheer force of his beliefs”.
The Nazis said they could solve these problems, and create many jobs in the army and building work. This meant that people began to support Hitler as he promised to solve their problems. The Weimar government was struggling to deal with the crisis, and did not want to cause another problem like hyperinflation. The people of Germany had no faith in The Weimar government and knew they had to turn to another party to solve the situation, Hitler promised to solve it so everyone began to support him. All of these pieces of evidence show that The Wall Street Crash was a main factor in The Nazis rising to power.
Even though Hindenburg was in Hitler’s way of gaining the Chancellorship, there were many other factors that lead to Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933 and not just because he was leader of the most popular Party in Germany. For example, the Weimar Republic was suffering from the political polarisation between nationalist and communist’s parties and the economic crisis caused by the Great Depression. These two issues put pressure on the governing coalition and it was beginning to break up. Furthermore political intrigue and the self interest of political parties, along with the inherent flaws of the Weimar constitution and the weakness of government by coalition, all played into Hitler’s hands. These factors caused the loss of public support for the grand coalition of the Weimar Republic and the German people subsequently looked for a new style of leadership.
Through the Enabling Act, he could then step out and truly begin transforming Germany into one big Nazi-controlled country that would obey his every word. Secondly, due to the Enabling Act as mentioned before, Hitler abolished all other parties in a law known as “The Law Against the Formation of Parties” in July 1933. This meant that it was illegal to join or form another political party, and ex-party leaders would be sent to concentration camps, which meant they were as good as dead. Other groups like trade unions were abolished. This contributed to the Nazi’s being so successful in controlling society as there was no one else that could help the people.
During a depression, political trends become extremist and so the Nazis flourished; Hitler offered both a scapegoat and himself as a strong leader to look up to. The depression gave Hitler the edge he needed to gain ninety-five[1] seats in the Reichstag and ultimately progress from the leader of a minority party to the Dictator of the Third Reich. The Depression also drew attention to the weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution; as poverty and unemployment increased, respect for the democratic system drastically decreased. The German population did not want to be governed by a democracy as it was such a governing body that signed the Treaty of Versailles. Hatred for this document was still rife in Germany and so Hitler, who openly detested the Treaty, became the obvious choice.
Did the fact that the Nazis ‘solved’ the economic problems of Germany help with their popularity? Did the fact that Hitler began dismantling the T of V help boost his popularity? How much support did the Nazis have and how far were they in control? Intro: Set the scene and signpost your argument: Nazis came to power by default perhaps i.e. high unemployment; only 37% of votes but by the mid 30’s he was in complete control of Germany and had created a one-party state.
Without Hitler’s massive personal popularity, the high level of ‘plebiscitary acclamation which the regime could repeatedly call upon’ (Kershaw), would have been unattainable. To ensure Hitler had enough popularity he enlisted the help of Joseph Goebbels, to promote the Fuhrer as the heroic leader of the German people. Using mass medium Goebbels projected Hitler as the leader chosen by fate to save the German people, he connected Hitler with the old key figures of Germany such as; Frederick the Great and Bismarck. With the defeat of World War I still looming and the instability and division that followed, the situation became perfect for a new strong leader to come and save the German people. Hitler became favoured by the German people, especially the strong nationalistic middle-class, who believed Hitler would finally unite the nation with his strong leadership.
And how did such an advanced society allow itself to be seduced and then destroyed by its own capacity for senseless barbarity? The Germans in the thirties were seduced by the glittering success of Hitler in creating jobs, generating a vibrant economy and restoring Germany's military might. William Shirer, who was on the scene in Germany during these critical years, candidly sums up the mood of the country at this juncture: "Not many Germans lost sleep over the arrests of a few thousand pastors and priests or over the quarreling of the various Protestant sects .." It was this apathy and moral indifference in Germany that empowered Hitler and fueled his military juggernaut that was poised to roll inexorably over Europe. Why did Hitler hate the Jews? Holocaust happened because Hitler and the Nazis were racist.