Hitler

1
Hitlers Rise to Power

• www.educationforum.co.uk

2
Section A Long Term Factors

• Long-term bitterness
• Deep anger about the First World War and the
  Treaty of Versailles created an underlying
  bitterness to which Hitlers viciousness and
  expansionism appealed, so they gave him support.

3
Ineffective Constitution

• Ineffective Constitution
• Weaknesses in the Constitution crippled the
  government.   In fact, there were many people in
  Germany who wanted a return to dictatorship.   Whe
  n the crisis came in 19291933 there was no one
  who was prepared or able to fight to stop Hitle

4
Money

• The financial support of wealthy businessmen gave
  Hitler the money to run his propaganda and
  election campaigns.
• Many industrials bankrolled the Nazis, including
  allegedly
•          Hjalmar Schacht, Head of the
  Reichsbank, organised fund-raising parties for
  Hitler.
•          Fritz von Thyssen, the German steel
  businessman
•          Alfred Krupp, the owner of Krupp steel
  firm
•          Emil Kirdorf, the coal businessman
•          IG Faben, the German chemicals firm,
  gave half the funds for the 1933 elections
•          The German car firm Opel (a subsidiary
  of General Motors)
•          Schroeder Bank  on Jan. 3, 1933,
  Reinhard Schroeder met Hitler and asked him to
  form a government.
•   
• And many foreign firms including
•          Henry Ford of Ford Motors.   Hitler
  borrowed passages from Ford's bookThe
  International Jew to use in Mein Kampf and had a
  picture of Ford on the wall of his office.
•          Union Banking Corporation, New York
  (George Bushs great-grandfather was president of
  the Corporation)
•          WA Harriman and Co., the American
  shipping and railway company (George Bushs
  grandfather was vice-president)
•          Irenee du Pont, head of the American
  firm General Motors he advocated the creation of
  a super-race by spinal injections to enhance
  children of pure blood.

5
Propaganda

• Nazi propaganda persuaded the German masses to
  believe that the Jews were to blame and that
  Hitler was their last hope
• Hitler promised everybody something, so they
  supported him.

6
Attacks on Opponents

• The Stormtroopers attacked Jews and people who
  opposed Hitler.   Many opponents kept quiet
  simply because they were scared of being murdered
  and, if they were, the judges simply let the
  Stormtroopers go free

7
Personal Qualities

• Hitler was a brilliant speaker, and his eyes had
  a peculiar power over people.   He was a good
  organiser and politician.   He was a driven,
  unstable man, who believed that he had been
  called by God to become dictator of Germany and
  rule the world.   This kept him going when other
  people might have given up.   His self-belief
  persuaded people to believe in him.

8
Section B Short Term Causes 1929 onwards

• Economic Depression
• After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the US
  called in its loans to Germany, and the German
  economy collapsed.   The Number of unemployed
  grew people starved on the streets.   In the
  crisis, people wanted someone to blame, and
  looked to extreme solutions Hitler offered them
  both, and Nazi success in the elections grew.  
•  Germans turned to Nazism because they were
  desperate.  The number of Nazi seats in the
  Reichstag rose from 12 in 1928 to 230 in July
  1932.

9
Recruitment by Hindenburg

• In November 1932 elections the Nazis again failed
  to get a majority of seats in the
  Reichstag.   Their share of the vote fell from
  230 seats to only 196.   Hitler contemplated
  suicide.  But then he was rescued by
  Hindenburg.  
•       Franz von Papen (a friend of Hindenburg)
  was Chancellor, but he could not get enough
  support in the Reichstag.  Hindenburg and von
  Papen were having to govern by emergency decree
  under Article 48 of the Constitution.   They
  offered Hitler the post of vice-Chancellor if he
  promised to support them.  
•       Hitler refused he demanded to be made
  Chancellor.   So Von Papen and Hindenburg took a
  risk.   On 30 January 1933 Hindenburg made Hitler
  Chancellor.   He thought he could control Hitler
  how wrong he was.  
•        In the end, Hitler did not TAKE power at
  all he was given it.

10
Summary

• Hitler's rise to power was based upon long-term
  factors - resentment in the German people, the
  weakness of the Weimar system - which he
  exploited through propaganda (paid for by his
  rich, Communist-fearing backers), the terror of
  his stormtroopers, and the brilliance of his
  speeches.
• During the 'roaring twenties' Germans ignored
  this vicious little man with his programme of
  hatred.   But when the Great Depression ruined
  their lives, they voted for him in increasing
  numbers.   Needing support, and thinking he could
  control Hitler, President Hindenburg made the
  mistake in January 1933 of giving Hitler the post
  of Chancellor.