Did Hitler Secure His Control over Germany Because He Was Strong or Because His Enemies Were Weak?

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The most valuable asset that Hitler needed to come to power was support from the people. This would give him a strong political foothold, and therefore the authority to push on with his Nazi regime – to transform Germany into a force driven by his ideals, he would need its population on his side. What needs to be assessed is which factor was more influential in drawing support from the masses; Hitler’s brilliant rhetoric and ruthless oppression, or the failures and weakness of the Weimar government. Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in January 1933 was a huge breakthrough for the Nazi party, giving him a strong position from which to manoeuvre himself into control. In a political sense, it ‘got his foot in the door’, so to speak. It came about largely due to problems with Weimar democracy and weak decisions; there were serious miscalculations in the appointment of Hitler. Many of the elite, particularly Papen, became intrigued and willing to co-operate with Hitler (even settle for a Hitler government), as they wanted his huge support base to further their own power ambitions and counter the rise of communism. He had the support required to solve Germany’s parliamentary crisis, and crucially he had the reluctant backing of Hindenburg, a nationalistic president who also feared a Bolshevik revolution and believed the Nazis could protect Germany from this. Despite the efforts of many to encourage Hitler’s appointment, there was no intention of forming a permanent leadership with him; the elite groups around Hindenburg planned to use Hitler to gain his support base, then abandon him when he was no longer needed. This was a huge misjudgement, particularly on Vice-Chancellor Papen’s part: a month after Hitler’s appointment, he told a conservative friend “within 2 months we will have pushed Hitler so far into a corner that he’ll squeak.” Papen completely underestimated
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