In November , Hitler even led a coup attempt. It was a complete failure. At the end of , Hitler was released after serving a relatively short sentence. However, his political career was not over. In prison he had written Mein Kampf, setting out his plans for Germany.
From then on, the Nazis were to stick to the law and try to gain power by means of elections. They benefited from the economic crisis that began by the end of the s. The Nazis used the crisis to condemn the government and the Versailles peace treaty.
Their strategy was effective. The party radiated strength and vitality. Moreover, the Nazi leaders were young, quite unlike the greying politicians of the established parties. In addition, Hitler's image as a strong leader appealed to people. He was all set to unite the population and put an end to political discord. The Nazis focused on voters from all walks of life, rather than on just one group, such as the workers or Catholics. They also attracted many people who had never voted before.
Still, in November the party seemed to be past its peak. The conservative parties did not manage to win enough votes. They pressured president Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler chancellor. The fact that they expected to use Hitler for their own agenda would turn out to be a fatal underestimation. The National Socialists celebrated their victory with a torchlight procession through Berlin.
From the balcony of the chancellery, Hitler looked on approvingly. In spite of the glory, he was still far from being all-powerful at that point. The new cabinet counted only two NSDAP members, but Hitler succeeded in getting them appointed to important positions. He was a minister without portfolio who got to control the police force of Prussia, the larger part of Germany.
For the Nazis, this was reason to celebrate their 'national revolution', but many Germans were indifferent to the news. They had seen many governments come and go and did not expect the new government to last any time at all. Before long, Hitler claimed more power. The fire in the Reichstag, the parliament building, was a key moment in this development. On 27 February , guards noticed the flames blazing through the roof.
They overpowered the suspected arsonist, a Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe. He was executed after a show trial in Evidence of any accomplices was never found. The Nazi leadership was quick to arrive at the scene.
Not a moment must be lost! Anyone who stands in our way will be cut down. It formed the basis for the dictatorship. It received only 2. But the worldwide economic depression and the rising power of labor unions and communists convinced increasing numbers of Germans to turn to the Nazi Party. The Nazis fed on bank failures and unemployment—proof, Hitler said, of the ineffectiveness of democratic government.
Hitler pledged to restore prosperity, create civil order by crushing industrial strikes and street demonstrations by communists and socialists , eliminate the influence of Jewish financiers, and make the fatherland once again a world power. As an adult, Janine Simone Hopkins was encouraged by her family to record her experiences and reflections of her life in Paris during the German occupation.
Attached to Canadian and British forces, the first Americans to see ground combat in Europe witnessed disaster at Dieppe.
This article examines how World War II marked an important moment in the political history of modern zoos. When the war in Europe ended in the spring of , Romani survivors were scattered, exhausted, and traumatized. How Did Hitler Happen? Adolf Hitler. Like this article? Read more in our online classroom. European Theater of Operations.
From the Collection to the Classroom. Article Type. How Soviet occupation policy in Austria took shape warrants more attention. A new leader, Franz von Salomon, was recruited. Rather than the violent free rein they had previously enjoyed, Salomon was stricter and gave the SA a more defined role. In , Hitler also established the Schutzstaffel , otherwise known as the SS.
The SS were a small sub-division of the SA with approximately members until In , Heinrich Himmler took over the organisation, and expanded it dramatically. By , the SS had 35, members. They terrorized and aimed to destroy any person or group that threatened this. The SA and the SS became symbols of terror. The Nazi Party used these two forces to terrify their opposition into subordination, slowly eliminate them entirely, or scare people into supporting them. Whilst the SA and the SS played their part, the Nazis primarily focused on increasing their membership through advertising the party legitimately.
They did this through simple and effective propaganda. The Nazis started advocating clear messages tailored to a broad range of people and their problems. Jews and Communists also featured heavily in the Nazi propaganda as enemies of the German people.
Joseph Goebbels was key to the Nazis use of propaganda to increase their appeal. Goebbels joined the Nazi Party in and became the Gauleiter for Berlin in Goebbels used a combination of modern media, such as films and radio, and traditional campaigning tools such as posters and newspapers to reach as many people as possible.
It was through this technique that he began to build an image of Hitler as a strong, stable leader that Germany needed to become a great power again. Goebbels success eventually led to him being appointed Reich Minister of Propaganda in Germany was particularly badly affected by the Wall Street Crash because of its dependence on American loans from onwards.
As the loans were recalled, the economy in Germany sunk into a deep depression. Investment in business was reduced. People in full time employment fell from twenty million in , to just over eleven million in In the same period, over 10, businesses closed every year. As a result of this, the amount of people in poverty increased sharply.
The Depression associated economic failure and a decline in living standards with the Weimar democracy. By , Germany had reached breaking point. The economic crisis, which in turn had led to widespread social and political unrest in Germany, meant that it could no longer afford to pay reparations. This concession helped to give the economy a small boost in confidence.
One example of this was the work creation schemes which began in the summer of These work creation schemes would later be expanded and reinvested in by the Nazis to combat unemployment. These small improvements, only truly evident with the benefit of hindsight , were still at the time completely overshadowed by the poverty and widespread discontent about the general economic situation. The political instability in the late s and early s played an important role in helping the Nazis rise to power.
Political parties seemed to be putting aside their differences and coming together for the good of Germany. But this was not how it worked out. As the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash hit Germany and unemployment spiralled, the government struggled to balance its budget. On top of its usual payments, the amount of people claiming unemployment benefits was increasing.
President Hindenburg was a right-wing conservative politician and therefore disliked having the left-wing SPD in power. This set a precedent of governing by presidential decree and moved the Republic away from parliamentary democracy. Extremism became more popular as people desperately sought a solution.
Von Papen agreed with the conservative elite that Germany needed an authoritarian leader to stabilise the country. He called for another election in November , hoping to strengthen the frontier against communism and socialism.
The Communist Party gained votes, winning eleven more seats in the Reichstag. Once again, no one party had a majority.
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