Why Did the Nazi’s Came to Power in Germany?

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#HISTORY assignment

Why did the Nazi's came into power in Germany?

To answer this question it is meaningful to give an overview of German history and related topics since the end of the First World War in 1918. This will bring forth the reasons why the Nazi Party came into power.

In 1918, under the strain of war, shortages, power cuts, inflation anti-war feelings and an influenza virus, Germany descended into chaos. After the armistice, coalition governments were to be a feature right through the period 1918-30. The newly formed Weimar Republic, named after the small town where the details of the new constitution were settled, provided Germans with a democratic framework for conducting politics. It survived some crises, like revolts, assassinations, and anti-government propaganda. The economy, already weakened by the war, was further damaged by demands for reparations from the Allies and by huge inflation. After defaults on the reparation payments, French and Belgium troops entered the Ruhr to take goods. Besides that, the Weimar governments were blamed for the punishing Treaty of Versailles which they had signed.

The Weimar Republic faced opposition from many groups in German society. The army, the police, the judiciary, the schools and universities were all staffed by people who disliked the democratic system and the uncertainty during the 1920s. Every single Weimar government was a coalition and the alliance did not always agree. This lack of strong government was the main critic of the opposition. Instead they looked back longingly to the days before 1914 when the kaiser was the unquestioned ruler and Germany was a strong empire. Even political parties that took part in the elections despised the democratic process. After renaming it one of these parties became known as the National Socialist Workers' Party, or Nazi Party for short and its new leader was Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler was one of the ex-soldiers, a young army corporal, who fought and survived the war and who was bitter about the defeat which saw his army career ruined by the Treaty of Versailles. Now that the war was over, what was he to do? Hitler made such a good impression, was a good speaker at meetings that he was chosen to launch the Party programme, which he partly wrote and edited. The Nazi Party attracted mainly lower middle class people, like shopkeepers and small businessmen; male-dominated, beer-swilling, authoritarian, anti-Semitic and anti-intellectual.

Hitler was convinced that using violence was the only way the Nazis would gain power and he established his own private army, the Sturmabteilung (SA). In 1923, in a period of weak economy and the government in Berlin looking feeble, Hitler was working towards a national uprising against the Berlin government to replace democracy with strong central government. After a march through the streets of Munich, which ended in bloodshed, Hither was arrested, found guilty of treason and sentenced to five years. He was released from prison after only nine months. While in prison he wrote his autobiography called 'Mein Kampf' (My Struggle).

In the period 1924-29, with Gustav Stresemann as Chancellor, the German economy seemed to revive. This was possible because of a huge loan from the United States, combined with a new currency to replace the one devalued by inflation. Germany was reintegrated into the family of European powers. German culture sparkled with creativity and Germany became the cultural centre of Europe. Hitler's policies seemed out of place and reckless. Voters were not interested in his programme, but the Party gradually became better organised and Hitler's personal grip on its members tightened. Hitler now followed the legal, democratic route to power. His intention was to take power by any democratic method he could use.

The years 1929-34 saw the death of the Weimar Republic and the establishment of Hitler's dictatorship. By 1928, the United States economy starting to falter. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 worsened the situation. Stocks and shares lost value, banks went bust as people drew out their money. The loans to Germany were called in quickly. Factories shut down and business collapsed. The Great Depression, which started in the United States, resulted in 6 million unemployed in Germany by 1933.

Because of the difficult economic and social circumstances many Germans were looking for someone to head a strong authoritarian government rather than unstable coalition governments. During this period the Nazi Party was very successful in elections and propaganda worked