Economists view the economic conditions as the major reason for the downfall of the Weimar republic and the rise of the Nazis but political scientists like to point out the constitutional structure of the Weimar constitution. According to some it is one of the great ironies of history that Hitler came to power through legal means. One way Hitler managed his dictatorship was through the appointment as Chancellor in 1933. This helped establish a dictatorship because it helped Hitler and the Nazis gain support. I know from my background knowledge that once Hitler was named Chancellor big bankers and industrialists, including Krupp and I. G. Farben, had lobbied Hindenburg and schemed behind the scenes on behalf of Hitler because they were convinced he would be good for business.
Hitler’s “political genius” also help him also in his rise of power. At that time, there are a lot of propagandas which are persuasive, Nazi propaganda rose his publicity and persuaded the German masses to believe that the Jews were to blame and that Hitler was their last hope. He made and a lot promises and offers to his party member and supporter which actually increase their trust on him. He promised a prouder future for Germans than the old generals could, which is what exactly the desperate German people needed. Thirdly, Hitler was befriended
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. Therefore it was these reasons, rather than just being the leader of the most popular Party in Germany, that allowed Hitler to become Chancellor. The Nazi Party underwent a huge reorganisation which was overseen by their leader Adolf Hitler, in December 1924. The reorganisation aimed to get the Nazi Party more influence in different aspects of German society and by doing so, gain the Party more voters. Hitler began the reorganization of the Nazi Party by constructing a network of local Party organizations such
This alone shows how the Putch failed because obviosly if the putch was a success then they would not be in prison. The plan was to overthow the wiemar republic by force and so in 1923 Hitler and general ludenndorf believing the party was on the verge of collapse and that the police would join his rebellion marched on munich. This of course went horribly wong and hitler was imprisoned. Although the munic putch was a complete dissaster, hitler during his imprisonmet realised that maybe trying to take over by force was not a good idea and learnt that he should try to get the general publics votes instead. Imprision ment worked, in some ways ,in hitlers favour because during his trials he gave long speeches about his ideas and critizing the government.
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.
The elite undermined Weimar as a result of their traditional values and hatred of democracy. In addition, Hitler’s radical new approach to politics utilised the weaknesses in Weimar – he was charismatic and through propaganda convinced the public that he could be their saviour. During the years 1918-28 the Nazis had little impact on the political scene – apart from the failed Beer Hall Putsch, which did earn them admiration from some nationalists. However, during these years, some sections of the public were becoming increasingly disillusioned with Weimar. This was due to events like the devastating 1923 hyperinflation, and of course the Treaty of Versailles, which had tainted Weimar’s reputation from its inception.
The treaty was not the only reason for the failure of the Weimar Republic, issues such as the period time and the great depression contributed to this also. To state the treaty of Versailles was the only significant factor is difficult, as no single factor contributed to the rise of the Nazi party and eventual fall of Germany. The Treaty of Versailles stated that Germany was to loose essential territory to various victors of World War One. The most significant being loosing Alsace and Lorraine to France. The treaty added to Germany losing six million inhabitants and essential resources that contributed to their exports and in turn the economy.
3) Account for the successes and failures of democracy in Germany in the period 1918/1933 The Weimer Republic was doomed to failure from the outset. The quote from historian and journalist Sefton Delmar “Germany democracy was born with a hole in its heart”, has immense accuracy when post-war Germany is evaluated. The creation of a completely new and foreign form of government aggravated Germany’s post war position. Struggling with political, economic and social strife by the end of WWI, did not allow for a powerful government to be formed. The crucial weakness of the Weimer republic lay not in the strength of its enemies but in the striking absence of its friends.
H/w Explain why the Nazis had not got into power by 1928 The Nazis grew out of a small right-wing party which Hitler took over in 1919. The party appealed to a wide range of people but mainly to the middle classes but in 1928 support for the Nazi party fell. Firstly this was because the Nazis didn’t have the support of the working class because many of them voted for the Social Democrats who had 3 times as many votes as the Nazis. The workers who wanted change in Germany voted for the Communist party instead of the Nazis. Hitler’s attempt to win them over had so far failed.
“Assess the view that the collapse of the Weimar Republic was primarily due to the appeal of Hitler and his Nazi party” The Weimar Republic government was riddled with weakness and incompetence in a variety of crucial social, economic and political areas. This caused the influence of the Nazi Party, which through its charismatic and nationalistic leader, Adolf Hitler, it gained a large amount of support. However it was due to the Weimar Republic’s own failings that the Nazi Party became appealing and as a result the Weimar Republic was brought to its inevitable demise in 1933 with Hitler ready to take the reigns. When the Treaty of the Versailles was signed in 1919, the government was making a very unpopular decision amongst the citizens, as it a result lead to the downfall of the Weimar Republic. The Treaty caused humiliation and shock amongst the citizens of the country, much of the political backlash was due to the fact that the Allies were dictating to Germany the harsh terms of the war reparations, which was seen as absurd by many citizens as they did not feel as if they were responsible for starting the war nor did they feel as though they had lost.