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Assess the extent to which Hitler? s rise to power was a result of Weimar weakness. One seldom recognises the devil when he is putting his hand on your shoulder. -Albert Speer The weak Weimar government was a major factor in Hitler rise to power, however it was not the only reason. Hitler? s use of aggressive propaganda and his use of fear in terror in the people was also a tactic that strongly helped his cause. Weaknesses in the Weimar that particularly helped Hitler?
s rise were the weak foundations that the republic was built on. The roles of the conservative elite? s in German society were a strong influence on the downfall of the Weimar and the rise of the Nazis. The final and most influential factor was the great depression, this further added to the republic? s problems and the Nazis blamed all of Germany? s economic and social problems on the Weimar governments.
The Weimar was a rushed and often referred to as a? mistaken democracy? . Its been said? The dysfunctional nature of Weimar democracy aided in the rise of Nazism. The Weimar republic started in chaos, spent much of its short life in chaos, and dissolved without putting up much resistance. ? The treat of communism that had taken over large parts of Europe of the people were scared that it would happen in their hometown, so their solution was to sign the agreement of democracy.
The fact that Germany had never experienced a democracy was major reasons in its downfall, histories have often said, ? Germany is used to ruling itself, rather that being ruled by a democracy? . During the late 20? s and early 30? s the hostility of the German people were growing at an exponential rate. Living in a constant state of depression and poverty made these people search for an answer to these problems.
People linked all these problems with the Weimar government? They were tired of misery, tired of suffering, tired of weakness. These were desperate times and they were willing to listen to anyone, even Adolf Hitler. One historian said. Hitler promised these people the solutions they wanted. Once he gained he exploited all the flaws of the constitution such as Article 48 and proportional representation which helped him strive towards his ultimate goal, chancellor of Germany.
The role of the German Army played a crucial role in the way that Germany was being run and controlled. With the new constitution the army was not revolutionized and therefore many of the army members were anti-Weimar and this showed in the way that they served the country, they would selectively? choose? when to support the Weimar with violent situations.
They mostly only acted against the left wing communist and they would turn a blind eye to the right winged attacks. The reason for this was the signing of the Ebert-Gone pact, which stated the elimination of the communists. With this selective protection it allowed groups such as Hitler? s Nazis to grow and prosper without the influence of the army to stop them. In the end the Weimar governments allowed the old ruling class to retain the position of power and influence the new Germany.
Army leaders kept their independent positions, which was a fatal mistake as it allowed Hitler the opportunities to gain power without anyone there to stop him. Big business, Junket class, civil service and the judicial system are all examples of conservative elite? s, they were key figures in the biased way that the Weimar republic was run and controlled. As stated before these areas of society were never revolutionized with the new republic, so therefore their views on the Weimar republic and government were harsh. All these systems were constantly undermining the Weimar and its constitution.
An example of this was shown in the judicial system, the judges that ran the courts were anti-Weimar and it showed greatly in the sentences that were handed down to certain people. Hundreds of Weimar politicians were assassinated by right-winged protestors, but when these people came before the courts the sentences handed down compared to left wing crimes were astronomical. One of these right winged criminals was Adolf Hitler himself with his attempt to over throw the government with the Munich Putsch. He was given just nine months prison which he didn?
t even finish serving, where left winged people who committed the same crime could have been sentenced to death. This lenient system allowed Hitler to cheat the system and contributed to his rise, as his wrong doings were not seen. The Great Depression was the final downfall of the 14 -year existence of the Weimar republic and ultimately lead to the rise of the Nazi party. No government could stop the troubles that the depression had cause and it created further chaos in the Reichstag where people started turning on each other to try and settle the troubled times. The sudden popularity was shown in the elections held at these times. In the lead up to the depression the Nazis had 12 seats and just two years later in the peak of the economic crisis the Nazis had 107 seats.
This reflects the dissatisfaction that was shown in the present government and the fact that Hitler was the only person who promised the solutions that they people wanted. Many historians have stated that if Stress man had not died in 1929 then Germany may have recovered to its former strength and Hitler may never had the chance at gaining power. From 1930 onwards the country is being ruled by presidential decree through the use of Article 48, so therefore no party could gain a majority for the German economy to get back on its feet. Hitler took advantage of these times of hardship and promised these desperate people what they wanted, employment and a way out of these poverty times. Hitler was the only option left, and is desperate time people look for desperate politics to solve these problems.
However, the weak Weimar was not the only reason for Hitler? s rise to power. His use of aggressive propaganda, Kurt Ludecke, who personally knew Hitler, stated that Only one thing was managed marvelously from the beginning the propaganda, Hitlers personal hobby and perhaps his strongest point? . His use of fear and terror in the German population through groups such as SS, SA and Gestapo?
s all lead to the ultimate goal. Brainwashing of the German population. Albert Speer once said? It was the first dictatorship in the present period of modern technical development? Through technical devices like the radio eighty million people were deprived of independent thought. ?
He used attacks in his regular speeches towards the Weimar, blaming them for all the economic and social problems that Germany was facing in these times and for also accepting Versailles. Hitler? s heavy use of propaganda was lead by Goebbles, a key figure in gaining support for the party at rallies and through the media. The nazis promised to return Germany back to its former glory, this particularly was focused on the rural and agricultural sector of German society were eager to find someone to blame. As Geoff Spencer stated The Nazis adopted the slogan? Blood and Soil and offered the discontented rural community a scapegoat in the form of Jews.
It was a potent mixture for success? . The use of fear and terror was another factor that helped Hitler gain power over the majority of the population, groups such as SS, SA and the Gestapo? s kept people from opposing Hitler? s rise to chancellor, Hitler had also said? I will stop at nothing but chancellor of Germany? .
But with the ruthless violence and murder these groups carried out there was increased unrest in society and people started losing support for Hitler. He changed the direction of the party by drifting to the right to maintain the power of the party. So Hitler? s rise had a number of factors other than the weak Weimar, his ability to captures peoples support and keep it was another major factor leading to his rise and this support was show in the 1932 elections where the Nazis gained 107 seats in the Reichstag.
Papen then appointed Hitler Chancellor of Germany as he was seen as less of a threat than the Social Democrats, another critical mistake in the Weimar government. Hitler was single-minded in his actions and would accept nothing but the role of chancellor ant any cost. Hitler? s rise was helped along vastly by the weak Weimar government and the groups surrounded it such as the conservative elite? s.
But was not the only factor to his rise, his use of aggressive and persuasive propaganda with the backup of violence brainwashed many people into believing that Hitler was the only option for Germany to follow. By the end of the 1920 s, a series of events had steadily eroded away the German peoples tolerance of the ineffectual democracy. They were tired of hopeless struggle, and when the Great Depression hit and the Government did very little to aid the people, it was the last straw. A landslide of support went to the Nazis who were promising to return Germany to its former glory.
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