Free Sample Essays > European History
Which reason is most important to why Hitler rose to power?
an impressive economic recovery began. However, the economy was dependent on foreign loans, and government expenditure was dangerously high, with businesses suffering from low profit margins. In 1925 Paul von Hindenburg was elected the second president of the republic.
A worldwide economic depression began in 1929, casting the republic into crisis. In March 1930 Chancellor Heinrich Brüning took over, supported by the emergency powers available to the president.
The Wall street crash rocked all democracies but this one had very little chance because it was brand new. There were also 2 flaws in the Weimar constitution, one article 48 that allowed emergency rule and two the voting system proportional representation, which allowed coalition governments. Hitler never has an out right majority but still came to power in a situation where no one could control the Reichstag. The perfect democracy plus the chaos caused by the crash gave him an opportunity and is therefore an important cause but it links with losing the war and the reparations bill if not for that the wall street crash would have not effected Germany so badly.
In Brovman’s book it says
“The weakness of the Weimar Republic was obvious. There were too many political parties and they were unable to form an enduring majority in the Reichstag that could back a stable government”
Hitler was very anti-communist and of this because the rich supported him.
T. Childers said, “The middle class supported Hitler. It was amongst there groups that the fear of economic security and hatred of communism was most common”
Communists in Germany in 1919were known as Spartacists. These people wanted a revolution the same as Russia and this worried Hitler because Russia was very close to Germany. The First World War left Germany in a political and economical mess and it seemed the communists would take control. January 1919 communist activates led by Karl Liebinednt and Rosa Luxembourg seized power in Berlin and the Baltic parts and in Bavaria, an independent socialist state was created under the leadership of Kurt Eisner
The Communists were soon stopped by the German army called ‘Friekorps’ the two leaders of the group were killed and if it wasn’t for the ‘Friekorps’ Germany could of become communist, as did the Weimar republic did not have the strength to stop them.
So the attempted revolution had been stopped for the time being, but the communists still proved a threat to the Government of Germany. Hitler gained his support from the Government which were mostly made up of the middle class, he was able to take advantage of people fears of communism and gain support for himself especially for the rich business men and middle classes
The SA beat up the communists and banned their meetings this making in impossible for them to campaign freely at the elections.