8 Reasons why Adolf Hitler came to power

On this day in History, Charles the first was beheaded, Gandhi was assassinated and everyone’s favourite internet argument reference point came to power. There are many myths behind the Nazi rise to power and just as many reasons, whilst some are reasons that have been misinterpreted and misrepresented to suit a particular argument. The latter can usually be attributed to the Hitler Channel (the channel formally known as the History Channel). The question of his rise (or conversely why did Weimar Germany fail) is always a stock question whether doing history at GCSE, A-Level or a degree, so here are a few ideas to mull over:-

1) Hitler was handed power just as his popularity appeared to be waning after an election where his share of the vote had dipped. The incumbent politicians like Hindenburg and von Papen mistakenly believed they could control him. Without such a miscalculation Hitler may have been an obscure footnote in German history.

2) In the years before his appointment Hindenburg ruled by presidential decree and appointed Schleicher, an unelected Chancellor, whom he over ruled by using article 48. This fatally undermined democracy in the eyes of the electorate.

3) The electorate was unused to democracy, the Wilhelmine parliament was described by Karl Liebknecht as “the fig leaf covering the nakedness of absolutism”. Subsequently when faced with democracy they behaved like peasants in a palace, unsure on how to behave. Given the nature of the electoral system this allowed for a proliferation of parties.

4) The failure of right and the left to unify in opposition to the Nazis as they were too suspicious of each other to worry about the NSADP. Hitler never won a majority in a free election, if the main parties had set aside their differences then he may have been stopped at source.

5) The Wall Street Crash. The depression brought about the polarisation of politics in Weimar Germany, ‘Only the Great Depression put the wind into Hitler’s sails’ (AJP Taylor)

6) The weakness of Weimar, hyper inflation, Ruhr occupation, Stabbed in the back foundation myth, lack of support from traditional institutions, failure to crush coups and rebellions early on without assistance, over dependance upon foreign investment left it at the mercy of foreign markets.

7) The death of Stresemann robbed Weimar of its one strong, dominant politician. His death left a personality vacuum that was unfilled until Adolf Hitler came along representing himself as a young, dynamic leader, who campaigned using modern methods and was a charismatic speaker.

8) The party machine behind him, in particular Goebbels propaganda, was a modern day professional outfit that left no stone unturned using all available methods to garner support. From the formation of the SA enticing disenfranchised youths and ex military men to the subliminal propaganda of the swastika flag design, red white and black were the colours of the old Imperial flag suggesting the Nazi party were linked or heirs to a better time before Weimar.