This gave Hitler tremendous power within the organization as they knew they could not afford to lose him. The Party Gets a New Name In April, 1920, Hitler advocated that the party should change its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). Hitler had always been hostile to socialist ideas, especially those that involved racial or sexual equality. However, socialism was a popular political philosophy in Germany after the First World War. This was reflected in the growth in the German Social Democrat Party (SDP), the largest political party in
Franklin Delano Roosevelt used freedom symbols such as the bald eagle and used kind words such as "friend" or "my fellow..." to get people to support his ideas. Hitler and his Nazi party used the swastika and other militaristic symbols and used strong words in his speeches. Hitler and Roosevelt had a number of similarities and differences. Most notably, they came into power in the same month and solved the crisis of depression which was causing many social and political issues in both Germany and the USA. They also both hated Communism and Democracy, while Roosevelt was accused of founding a dictatorship.
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. One of the most consequential outcomes of the Depression was the opportunity that it provided Hitler. A majority of the citizens lost faith and belief in the current Social Democratic government, turning instead to the confident and dynamic leader of Hitler. As Evans asserts, ‘citizens began to see in the youthful dynamism of the Nazi Party as a way out of the situation’. What Evans means by this is that the desperation of the people led them to polarising their votes and seeing radical leaders like Hitler as a solution to the mess that Germany had become.
The Weimar Republic was created in 1918 after the Kaiser fell from power. The fact that he took over from the Kaiser angered the richer Germans who liked the Kaiser’s rule and wanted a monarchy back. Germany had never had a democracy before and people were used to being told what to do. Many were very suspicious and unsure about the new government. The Weimar Republic had signed the Treaty of Versailles, 1919, which increased their unpopularity.
The next factor that seemed to emphasize the cause of the war was German's dictator, Adolph Hitler, who led the Germans with the ideas of fascists. Since the Germans were going through the Great Depression, Hitler's idea seemed more efficient and they reluctantly joined him and his quest to conquer. He also began to sufficiently gaining popularity throughout Germany and increased their nation’s power. This situation began to worry all the neighboring countries and began fearing Germany. Nationalism was an extreme form of patriotism that swept across Europe during the 1800's.
Its was all going well as Germany was getting in a better state and they are paying their reparation until 1929. In October 1929 the Wall Street Crash was the beginning of a worldwide slide into the Great Depression. The effects were catastrophic, especially for Germany. American banks wanted their loans back as they needed the money themselves this caused the Germans businesses and banks to closedown and this caused unemployment. The number of people unemployed rose by five million from the start of the great depression1929 to when Hitler became chancellor in 1933.
“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.
To Germans at the time, Hitler made sense; he united everyone by providing explanations for Germany's problems. People in Germany were tired of their poor quality of life. Hitler promised to make Germany proud again - it was exactly what people wanted to hear. Hitler pledged something for every part of Germany society. To all Germans he promised to restore German honour by tearing up the hated Treaty of Versailles and by making Germany great again.
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.
Another similarity between Hitler’s and Stalin’s struggles to power is their method of gaining the people’s support. Both Hitler and Stalin promised their country improvements in the economy, government, and living conditions. Hitler used the failing economy, strong western influence, and weak Weimar Republic to offer the German people