In 1932 Hitler won 37.5 percent of the seats (230 seats) in the Reichstag making the Nazi party the largest in the Reichstag so Hitler should have been Chancellor. But it wouldn’t work like that. President Hindenburg, Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher all hated and distrusted Hitler so it was not going to be easy for Hitler to become Chancellor. Hindenburg could however see that Hitler and the Nazis could prove helpful so he appointed von Papen as Chancellor. Von Papen had no support in the Reichstag but he hoped that he could form a right-wing coalition with the Nazis and other right-wing parties.
In 1932 Hitler won 230 seats in the Reichstag, making the Nazi party the largest in the Reichstag automatically making Hitler Chancellor. But it wouldn’t work like that. President Hindenburg, Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher all hated and distrusted Hitler so it was not going to be easy for Hitler to become Chancellor. Hindenburg could however see that Hitler and the Nazis could prove helpful so he appointed von Papen as Chancellor. Von Papen had no support in the Reichstag but he hoped that he could ‘get in’ with the Nazis and other right-wing parties.
Some historians say it was the consent and willingness of the German people that took him to Fuhrer but there are other strong arguments such as the Enabling Law, the demolishment of other political parties and trade unions, his agreements with the church, media and industrialists and the Night of the Long Knives. One of the main reasons Hitler was able to come into power was the consent from the German people. Without their willingness to believe and back Hitler, he wouldn’t have been able to gain any real momentum. On the 5th of March in 1933 the Nazis increased their vote from 33.1% to 43.9%, securing them 288 seats. One of the ways Hitler got the backing of the German people was by telling them what they wanted to hear.
Thus, this essay will account for the consolidation of Nazi power between 1933 and 1934. The failure of 1923 Munich Beer Hall Putsch triggered for Hitler and the Nazis to alter their means of gaining power. Hitler instead of physical force, to attain political power, he turned to the democratic legal system, and had intended to gain votes into the Reichstag. After the Munich Putsch, Hitler was sent on trial and this gave Hitler and his movement national attention, causing for the increase of his following among right wing nationalists. While the Munich Putsch was not a success, as Hitler failed to seize power through force, his movement was however publicised, and made known to the German people.
On its own the Reichstag fire was a very significant event yielding important consequences for the succession to Hitler’s iron fist but in hindsight it was one event in a crowed year and the proceedings that followed only enforced further something that the fire could never have done on its own. On the 27th of February 1933 a blaze was seen towering over Berlin as the symbol of democracy was ironically sentenced to demise without trial. It was “supposedly” set a light by a communist ‘Van De Lubbe’ but was more widely believed to be a Nazi ploy. I believe that this was the most important event on the road to totalitarianism because after the great depression in 1929 Hitler and the NSDAP were not the only ones doing well. Communists or the KDP also saw the opportunity that Hitler saw but with the democracy on its way out there was only room for one government, and Hitler new this.
It is clear that Terror and intimidation were important factors in allowing the Nazis to consolidate power 1933, for the reason that violence still had an impact on political developments, for example, even negotiations between Hitler, von Papen and Hindenburg took place against the conditions of well publicised acts of SA (Storm troopers) violence. In May 1933 ¬, ¬SA members stormed trade union headquarters and disbanded it. This violence cuased many leaders of the SPD to flee abroad and in June its party was officially banned. The majority of the 3000 members of the party that remained were arrested and taken to the Dachau concentration camp where they were later tortured and killed. This ulitmately potrays the brutality of the Nazis, which effectively contributed to their consolidation of power.
Von papen arranged another election hoping to win more support from the reichstag, however, he fell short once more to the Nazis, obtaining an even fewer amount of seats. Von Papen out of desperate nature, asked Hindenburg to close down the Reichstag and rule by decree. Von Schleicer warned Hindenburg that Von papen government would lead to civil war and an increase of violence between Nazis and communists, so Von Schleicer instead, was appointed chancellor. This position didn't last even two months and Von Papen was furious, negotiating with Hitler to allow him position of Chancellor with Papen himself Vice Chancellor. Hindenburg refused a Nazi government once more.
The reality is there was no one individual cause for Hitler’s rise to power; it was combination of all of these situations which fit together like pieces in a puzzle to create a unique situation for Hitler’s emergence to dictatorship. While Hitler’s chance to take power in Germany did not occur until the 1930’s, factors that made this possible were already occurring in the early 1920’s when Adolf was still a mere street painted in Vienna. When the Germans heard about the Treaty of Versailles which ended War War One, they felt ‘pain and anger,’ and felt it was too harsh and unfair. The Weimar government it brought about was despised by many Germans, as it caused large government coalitions where decisions could not be made. Hitler’s While there was a brief “Golden Age” of economic upturn, the death of Gustav Stresemann and especially the Wall Street Crash put a quick end of this.
Stalin was able to eliminate all effective opposition through a series of purges. The Show Trials, which began in 1936, were designed to create an atmosphere of intimidation and paranoia. As the purges swept through the party, many highly prominent Bolsheviks were put on trial and accused of being part of a Trotsky counter-revolutionary bloc. During the first Show Trial, of 1936, Stalin eliminated Kamenev and Zinoviev, who forcibly confessed to being part of Trotsky’s conspiracy and were consequently executed. In 1937 Stalin began the purge of the military, accusing them of spying for Nazi Germany.
How important was the leadership of Adolf Hitler in the rise of the Nazis to power in Germany by 1933? The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) came to power under the leadership of Adolf Hitler in January 1933. This followed four years of economic and political instability in Germany as a result of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and ensuing world depression. There are many reasons for the Nazi rise to power such as charismatic personality of their leader, the widespread appeal of their policies, their effective use of propaganda and modern electioneering strategies, and the success of their parliamentary organisation. One also needs to take into account the weaknesses of their democratic government of the Weimar Republic and its failure to deal with the problems of the day.