Germany, it looked, was on the rise while Stresemann was Chancellor but the Nazis and their appealing polices were al too good for the people of Germany to refuse and so while the votes for the Social Democrats only increased ever so slightly the Nazi votes were plumiting and with every election they grew and grew. The Nazis were brilliant when it came to propaganda and public rallies and meetings. No other party focussed more on propaganda than the Nazis. The Nazis felt that flyers, leaflets, radio, rallies and meetings were the key to success. If a subject proved popular then they would repeat it.
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.
To what extent was the Great Depression responsible for the collapse of the Weimar Republic? While the Great Depression had a huge impact on Germany, it is too simplistic to say that the Depression alone led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic. The Depression had a great impact both economically, socially, politically and psychologically, but its main significance was the opportunity it provided radical politicians such as Hitler. The collapse of the Republic itself can almost be described as inevitable, having being built on unstable and weak foundations. As well as the Depression, the collapse of the Republic can be linked to a large number of factors, including the influence of the army, political instability and constitutional weaknesses.
Also, the weakness and exploitation of the Weimar Constitution played a similarly important role as proportional representation and article 48 both created a path for the Nazi Party to gain influence in the Reichstag. Overall, however, the rise of the Nazi Party must be considered as the main reason for the failure of the Weimar Republic, as the Nazi’s electoral success eventually led to the political intrigues which oversaw Hitler’s appointment as chancellor in 1933 which ultimately led to their success in the March 1933 election and the passing of the enabling act in 1933, which ultimately confirmed that the Weimar Republic had failed. During the period of 1924 – 27 the Nazi party was banned as result of the Beer Hall Putsch. The dramatic increase in votes from 0.8 million in 1928, to 17.3 million in 1933, highlights just how rapid the rise of the Nazi Party was after their emergence from the ‘quiet years’ in 1927. It can be argued that this was down to the popularity of Adolf Hitler and thus led to the failure of the Weimar Republic, as his popularity paved the way for his invitation into the chancellorship, from which he was able to manipulate his way to the presidency.
They are many factors on why did Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. World War one, treaty of Versailles, fear of communist and the great depression are the main reason on Hitler became Chancellor. The Germans sighted the treaty of Versailles 1919 after losing Great War, although they believed they treaty was harsh they had no choice either sign it or the country getting invaded. The Germans called the treaty Diktat as it was being forced on them and the Germans had no choice but to sign it. One thing the Germans were not happy in the treaty of Versailles is the War Guilt Clause, take blame for the war.
How far was the economic slump in Germany responsible for the remarkable rise in support for the Nazi party in the years 1928-32? Germany’s economic slump was a major factor in the Nazi’s good fortunes; however it was by no means the only factor which contributed to their rise in support. Linked with the poor economic climate, the political situation was in a dire condition, with no party apparently able to find a solution to Germany’ problems. A societal shift away from support for democracy also enhanced the NSDAP’s support as they seemed to offer a new hope to the public. The elite undermined Weimar as a result of their traditional values and hatred of democracy.
Hitler also thought that since the government was just developing it would have been a good time to seize power and take over the government. Finally, Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch also to gain support from the streets but this had failed him. I agree with the statement ‘the Reichstag Fire more important than the Enabling Act in allowing Hitler to consolidate power’ because of several reasons. Firstly, without the Reichstag Fire there wouldn’t have been an Enabling Act. The Reichstag Fire led to the Enabling Act because Hitler had managed to convince Hindenburg that it was a ‘communists uprising’.
To what extent did the Nazis remain in power due to support from popular policies? The Nazis ruled germany from 1933 to 1939 and were relatively unchallenged. This is a source of debate given that when they came to power although they were the most popular party they had never won the majority of public support in elections and Hitler had twice been beaten by Hindeburg in the Presidential election. Furthermore once in power the Nazi power was limited as Hitler only had 2 other nazis' in the government. The reason behind their remaining in power has been put down to genuine support gained from popular policies introduced by Hitler.
However, at the election, Nazis didn't win majority of the votes, therefore a coalition government was formed with the National Party. Hitler was disappointed as he needed two thirds of the seats in order to change the constitution. Although it seems as if the election hadn't really helped Hitler, I think it gave him the incentive to move on to his next step of passing the Enabling Bill, making it a key reason as to why he was able to form this dictatorship. The Enabling Bill was the next big step for Hitler as it allowed him to make laws without
FDR also reassured Americans with quotes such as “let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror”, during his inaugural speech. After having promised that his “New Deal” would make a difference, FDR faced the daunting pressure to take the “bold steps to solve the nation’s problems”. Roosevelt’s New Deal would be the largest, most expensive government program in the history of the American presidency (History.com). The New Deal legislation Roosevelt set in motion created many agencies to bring relief, recovery, and reform to our nation during the “Great Depression”. From 1933-1935 Franklin Roosevelt and congress worked together to put many programs into action to pull America out of depression.