Why Did Hitler Become Chancellor In January 1933 Analysis Essay Example
The worldwide slide into the Great Depression began in October of 1929 after the Wall Street Crash. The effects were felt globally, however Germany suffered to a greater degree as the American banks requested the loans, which were the heart and engine for the German economy and industry. Thousands of businesses were forced to close and as world trade deteriorated, German exports fell in value and the demand collapsed, millions of people lost the jobs and, consequently, the lives to which they were accustomed.
The unemployment in Germany from 1925 decreased rapidly. There were several options for different people.For example they could receive normal state unemployment benefit, emergency relief from the government or they could receive support from their local council. Those on emergency relief from the government received a payment lower than t
...he normal unemployment, while the support from the local councils was an even lower allowance still. The Depression influenced several people in many ways: Businessmen were forced to stand aside and watch their businesses terminate. If they managed to keep their business afloat their income would fall as a result of the fact that less people had money to spend on food and clothes.
The number of poverty-stricken people who needed looking after was raising by the hundreds daily; As a result the governtment was forced to raise taxes. By 1932 40% of factory workers were also unemployed. It was around this time that the government cut the unemployment benefit to save money. Consequently this was a time of extreme poverty for those effected by this terrible reality.
In 1933 thousands of University graduates could not get a job, their skills were n
longer needed as a result of the depression and this meant more unemployment over the coming years. Community spirit did not suffer, however.Camps containing many tents were set up. They were numbered and constructed in neat rows. The camps contained a children's play area and a communal kitchen.
In addition, soup kitchens were also set up, providing food for all the unemployed Germans. The government had to keep food prices high to shield farmers from the worst of the depression. As the food prices were kept ridiculously high, innumerable amounts of unemployed people could not afford to eat. For fifty years the German population had judged the strength of their country by its economic success and prosperity.As a result, when the Depression struck, German citizens naturally thought that their county was doomed. The Weimar Republic appeared to have no apprehension of how to deal with the problems of unemployment and poverty that faced the economy.
The tried exceedingly hard to redeem Germany, however with little attainment. One option that was available to the Weimar was that of printing more money. However the government was aware of the problems that procedure caused in 1923 when the hyperinflation occurred. The Chancellor the decided to raise taxes, once again, cut wages and decrease the unemployment benefit.
Visibly, this did not impress the German people; nevertheless it was the only option available to the Weimar at that time. The policies that the Weimar upheld also lead to the collapse of the government as the Social Democrats withdrew from the coalition, making it even weaker. For his government to stay strong the Chancellor relied on Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution,
which gave the President special powers in an emergency. An effect of this action was that Germany was now ruled by Presidential decree. To many Germans it seemed that the Weimar was making a contemptible mess of the situation.The population was being bombarded with claims from the right and left extremist parties that stated they could solve the problems.
The communist parties claimed that the Depression displayed the weakness of the capitalist system and boasted that only the communist's methods had the answer. The Nazis, on the other hand, blamed the Weimar Republic, the Treaty of Versailles, the Marxists and the Jews. The repeatedly promised to get rid of the 'enemy within' and destroy the source that was destroying Germany. As the extremism increased, so did the friction between the Communists and the Nazis.They fought regularly in the streets during which over five hundred were killed or seriously wounded in a seven-week delirium of political fighting during the elections of 1932.
Several Town halls were bombed or set alight by angry farmers, rebelling against the actions being taken. The Depression had been utter hell for tens of thousands of unemployed German citizens. However it was a gift to Hitler and his fellow Nazis. For every problem caused by the depression, the Nazis had a justification or promise for the people.
The Weimar government became increasingly weak: Hitler promised to have strong leadership.The degree of unemployment in Germany was getting worse and worse: the Nazis would get people jobs-building roads and public works. The German people had strong worries about the communist parties: the Nazis believed robustly that they were the only ones who really knew
how to deal with them. When Hitler stood before an audience and gave a speech, he immediately impressed the listeners when he delivered his beliefs strongly and convincingly, which delineated strong, decisive leadership in the great German tradition.
Hitler's appearance was a complete contrast to that of the Weimar Republic.While the Weimar seemed to be panicking indecisively about the situation, Hitler's strong personality seemed to be just what Germany lacked. In the 1930 elections the Nazis made a huge leap from twelve to one hundred and seven seats in parliament. In the 1932 elections they made a further advance to two hundred and thirty seats and were the biggest party.
The Nazi Party was now the major force in German politics. The impact of the depression on Germany fuelled the success of the Nazi Party. Many parties claimed they had elucidations, however it was only the Nazis who managed to convince the Germans they could solve the country's problems.The organisation of the party was partly to blame for this. They were very well organised: many Nazis had been soldiers in the First World War and brought obedience, organisation and teamwork skills to the party. The local workers were well trained and motivated and all the leaders were skilled at every level.
The leaders were very skilled with propaganda also. They used all sorts of methods to get their views across. They knew that their anti-Communist stance was very popular and their propaganda caused more fear and hatred of the Communists within the German community.They induced violence at election meetings so that the SA could crush it and be seen 'dealing with the Communist threat'. The
Nazi Party received financial backing from big businesses, which meant they could now redouble their propaganda. The Nazis used radio for the first time, as an additional means of communication to the German population.
Radio broadcasts, millions of election posters, rallies, parades and marches carried the Nazis message into every town and home in Germany. Every division of German society seemed to hear something it wanted to believe: the unemployed were promised jobs.Employers were promised restored lost profits; farmers were promised higher prices and shopkeepers were promised that they were protected against competition. Only one thing remained consistent throughout the barrage of electioneering, which was the unblinking focus on the strength of Hitler. Posters and Rallies built him into a superman.
Hitler developed his speech-making skills still further. He wore spectacles to read but refused to be seen wearing them in public and so his speeches were printed in large font. It was no longer important what he said but how he said it.Other parties were very weak in comparison to the Nazis and they repeatedly underestimated the power of the Nazis. The Social Democrats feared that they would attempt a putsch, however they contemplated that the Nazi's electioneering was so absurd that German citizens would see through it.
Their own support stayed constant so they were not eager to change. The fought among themselves rather than uniting to face the Nazi's challenge. The Nazi's were increasingly popular in more areas of Germany than others. They were more popular in rural areas than in industrial or urban areas.
Northern Germany favoured the Nazis promises much more than the people in Southern Germany. The Protestant population was
also more taken by the promises of the Nazi party than the Catholic population. The middle-class citizens of Germany also took much more of a liking to the views of the party than the working-class. A typical suppoter of the Nazi Party is a middle-class protestant who lived in the rural parts of Northern Germany.
The Nazis were the biggest party in Germany. Normally the leader of such a popular country would become Chancellor, however the other parties were not willing to work or cooperate with Hitler.The Constitution gave Hindenburg the right to appoint a new Chancellor, and he did not want Hitler as Chancellor. Month after month there were arguments as and deals as different politicians struggled to assemble a workable government. The weakness of the Reichstag would have been a problem even if things had been running smoothly in Germany. However when faced with chronic problems of the Depression it was disastrous.
In the 1932 elections the Nazis received their biggest amount of votes yet-37. 2%. As a result of this Hitler demanded to be appointed as Chancellor.Hindenburg despised Hitler but could see the value of trying to use the Nazis for his own reasons. Hindenburg made Franz Von Papen as his Chancellor.
The Reichstag did not support Von Papen at all, but he hoped he could form a coalition with the support of the Nazis and other right-wing parties in the Reichstag. However Von Papen's plans backfired when Hitler refused to cooperate, instead Hindenburg decided to call another election. This election was held in November 1932. It was a poor show for the Nazis as apathy had started to take action.
The Nazis
were in financial trouble and turned to the public and appealed for party funds. In an attempt to regain support, the SA and leading Nazis went to church en masse and got a Protestant minister to speak for them. They placed advertisements in local newspapers and distributed leaflets and tickets to Nazi meetings. However all this effort put into gaining support was done in vain.
The Nazis lost two hundred and sixty seven votes in the town. In Germany as a whole, the violence and intimidation by the SA had begun to lose the Nazis support. Their vote fell 33. 1%.They lost 34 seats. They were still the largest party but there was a great sense of obscurity among the Nazis.
After years of continuous campaigning they were running extremely short of money. Goebbels wrote in his diary: "the future looks dark and gloomy; all chances and hopes have quite disappeared. " Ironically success was around the corner. General Von Schleicher stopped supporting von Papen and decided he himself should be appointed as Chancellor. This triggered off a power struggle between von Papen and General von Schleicher, which ended in them handing the power over to Hitler.
From the evidence I have provided it is apparent that there were several major factors that influenced the path taken by the Nazi party. In my opinion, and my opinion alone, there were many vital steps taken by the party that were influenced by fate. For example the rapid change of opinion of General von Schleicher between von Papen and Adolf Hitler. These twists throughout the journey of the Nazi Party have influenced my opinion. The strength of the
party and the innate ability of the leaders to speak persuasively in public is also a factor that, I believe, helped to sway the opinions of the German population.This combined with their belief in their own ability for success is a lethal combination for the total domination of a country.
Without Hitler I do not believe the party would have had the success that they did. It was Hitler's strong and dominating charisma that shone through at every public occasion. Many statements began with: 'We demand..
. ' which evidently shows the Strength of the party. Although violence was turned to many-a-time throughout their campaign, it was effective in increasing the popularity of the party.The effective use of propaganda during the campaign was ultimately convincing of the German people.
Speeches, film, radio, newspapers, and leaflets were just some of the means that were used. Countless promises were made to the citizens of Germany including: jobs, good farm prices, business contracts, youth groups and the termination of the 'Jewish problem'. All of the components I have mentioned are what, I believe, were the most important elements that helped the Nazi party to rise to the top of Germany and gain ultimate power of the German economy.
