Hitler and the Nazi Party Rise to Power - Essay Example

Hitler and the Nazi Party Rise to Power Professor (Tutor) The Name of the School (University) The City and State Date Hitler and the Nazi Party Rise to Power The rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to power is one of the interesting and significant historical events in the 20th century. Before the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to power, German was a country faced with numerous challenges. Hitler would rally the Nazi Party into seizing this opportunity takeover political power of Germany between 1929 and 1934. The quick rise to power in just about five years is what makes this a significant historical event in the world. The events leading to Hitler’s rise to power are well documented through history. They offer an interesting perspective that highlights the main factors that facilitated Hitler and the Nazi Party to rise to political power in Germany. The following essay aims at analyzing and discussing the factors that led to Hitler’s and the Nazi Party’s rise to political power in Germany. The rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to power can be attributed to the end of the First Word War. The First World War can be considered as a main factor in the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party (McDonough, 2014, p. 20). Germany and its citizens held the belief that Germany was a superior nation. Nonetheless, this was not realized in the First World War after Germany surrendered to the allied forces in 1918 (Rachman, 2014, p. 44). The dramatic event of surrendering gave way for the second factor that contributed to rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to power. This is the formation of the Weimar Republic that emerged following a small revolution that led to the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918. According to Reckendrees, (2015, p. 38) the Weimar Republic is the name given to the German government that was created at Weimar, a town in eastern Germany in 1919. The government was formed rapidly through appointments as opposed to elections and the first major task they had to do was sign the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was aimed at bringing the international peace talks of WW1 to a close. Nonetheless, the terms of the treaty angered, humiliated, and ashamed the German people. The Treaty of Versailles is considered as a form of dictated peace agreement as Germany had no say or bargaining power in the terms of the treaty. In the treaty, Germany lost four of colonies including France, Poland, Denmark, and Czechoslovakia (McDonough, 2014, p. 33). Moreover, Germans military was reduced drastically in human resources and equipment. The country also had to pay fines for the war as well as take responsibility for starting the war under the dishonorable War Guilt Clause 231 (McDonough, 2014, p. 34). For a country that considered itself a world superpower, the treaty was a shock and shame for the German people. After the signing of the treaty, the New York Times reported that the immediate consequence of the treaty was a blaze of depression among Germans and anger within the German press. This also resulted in increased mob violence and frustrations. During all these events, Hitler himself had participated in WW1 and was shocked as he recovered in hospital on hearing of Germany’s surrender and signing of the treaty. The result of the defeat in WW1 was increased frustration and anger especially towards the Weimar government for shaming Germany through the signing of the treaty. The Weimar Republic adopted and implemented one of the most democratic constitutions in Europe at that time. Despite the constitution, the signing of the treaty was a major setback for the new government given that it was only starting to lead the country. This made the Weimar Republic a very weak government that succumbed to rising political pressures from the communist left-wing parties that were opposed to democracy (Freeman, 2011, p. 102). The level of political disability would escalate between 1918 and 1919 leading to a violent uprising by the communist parties (Whittock, 2011, p. 125). The uprising tried to occupy power using force in an attempt to control Germany’s capital Berlin. The violent wars and struggle was no match for the weakened Weimar Republic that could not rely on the German army to defend the country (Wilde, 2013, p. 183). Without hesitation, the Weimar republic under Chancellor Freidrich Ebert sought support from the right wing and center parties specifically the Nationalist Party movement known as the Freikorps. The Freikorps would easily end the communist uprising that led to the rise of right-wing party activities in Germany. The attempted control of Germany had highlighted the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic resulting in other parties seeking control of the government (Whittock, 2011, p. 128). The Freikorps staged an armed protest in Berlin under Dr. Wolfgang Kapp that resulted in a stand-off between the German army and the armed Freikorps (Brown, 2014, p. 381). The Germany soldiers refused to fire at the Freikorps because they were ex-military personnel who lost their jobs after Germany signed the Versailles Treaty. All these events had created an environment that helped the Nazi Party to rise in its early years. Moreover, the situation created after these events made it clear that the Weimar Republic had no possible way of saving Germany from its fall. The events described above made it possible for Hitler to rise from his insignificant role to a strong leader within Germany’s political circles. According to Stolfi, (2011, p. 66) Hitler’s early life was full of frustrations and failures having failed in schools, failed to join the Vienna Art Academy, having to live homeless for two years following his mother’s demise (Rosenbaum, 2014, p. 22). It was during these trying times that Hitler developed anti-Semitism ideologies as well as nationalistic ideologies. Hitler would later join the German army and participate in WW1. After the end of the war, Hitler would rise in the German army as a teacher based on his anti-Jew ideologies as well as great oratory skills. As an intelligence officer, Hitler was assigned to investigate the German Workers Party, a nationalistic party formed following Germany’s surrender in WW1 in 1919 (Orlow, 2008, p. 145). On his assignment, Hitler adopted and supported many of the nationalistic, anti-communism, and anti-Semitic ideologies of the German Workers Party. While attending one of the party’s meetings, Hitler publicly argued against communist ideas where he showcased his great oratory skills. This attracted the top leadership of the party and invited Hitler to join the party. Hitler would later join the party and become its 555th member (Stachura, 1980, p. 261). According to Darby, (2010, p. 44) Hitler later became a respected leader in the party even changing its name to German Workers National Socialist Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) that was nicknamed Nazis. Hitler made numerous vitriolic speeches condemning rival politicians, Jews, the Weimar Republic, and Treaty of Versailles. In 1921, Hitler became the chairman of the Nazi Party. From the beginning it is clear that the situation in Germany created the right circumstances for the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party into a significant symbol in the country’s politics. It is clear that Hitler and the Nazi Party emerged from the depression following the creation of the Weimar Republic. The third major factor that contributed to Hitler’s and the Nazi Party’s rise to power is the Nazi appeal and propaganda (O'Shaughnessy, 2009, p 56). Hitler became a common figure among many Germans with his beer-hall speeches that touched on what most Germans were going through (Foley & Pegelow, 2000, p. 88). His speeches and the Nazi party appealed to the Germans on two levels. The first level appealed to Germans as a whole or the face of the country where Hitler and the party touched on issues that troubled everyone. Hitler and the Nazi Party declared their frustration and promise to end the Versailles Treaty and make Germany a powerful again (O'Shaughnessy, 2009, p 58). This was already being put in action as the Nazi Party gained increased popularity in Germany. One of the early Hitler and the Nazi Party follower was Ernst Rohm who was the leader of the German Army. Through him, the party employed ex-army soldiers under the name storm-troopers to offer security to Hitler and disrupt rival politicians and meetings (Mitchell, 2008, p. 17). Using his new force, Hitler blamed communist and other nationalist politicians and parties as well as Jews for Germany’s woes, which appealed to the all Germans. With increased support and use of propaganda, Hitler and the Nazi party had about 15000 followers (Gregor, 2007, p. 9). In 1923, Hitler attempted to take power by force by marching into a Bavarian Party meeting and declaring his intent to form a new government. The Bavarian Party leader, Gustav von Kahr agreed to help Hitler with a gun to his head (Mitchell, 2008, p. 20). However, Gustav would later that night change his mind and order for the arrest of Hitler. Hitler would later be arrested resulting in his increased fame and rise to become a popular figure among Germans. During his time in prison, Hitler wrote a book, the Mein Kampf or “My Struggle”. The book was widely bought all over Germany where Hitler highlighted his ideas and beliefs on anti-Semitisms, politics, and the future of Germany. The book is also a major factor that contributed to the rise of Hitler as a powerful political figure before his rise to political power. In his book, Hitler indicated numerous beliefs that were well received by the Germans including the need for one leader with total power, Germans view of being the master race, anticommunism, anti-Semitic, Treaty of Versailles, and freedom to expand its colony (Hitler, A, & Manheim, R 1999, p. 125). All these events were significant contributing factors in the journey towards Hitler and the Nazi Party rising to political power. The last but not least major factor that enabled Hitler and his party to rise to power is the Great Depression and Wall Street collapse. The economic status of Germany was crippled after the end of WW1. After signing the Versailles Treaty, Germany was required to pay about 6 billion pounds to France. Germany could only make payment for the first year resulting in France troops occupying its industrial area in Ruhr. The occupation led to German workers striking resulting in lack of employment. Nonetheless, the Weimar government in a desperate move printed money to pay the workers causing a massive devaluation of the German currency. The result was increased hyper-inflation and a collapse of the country’s socio-economy. According to Edwards, (2012, p. 61), the economic depression in Germany can be characterized by people carrying cash in wheelbarrows to purchase anything that was worth the money. Hyperinflation was so severe that one U.S dollar was valued at 4.2 German marks in 1914 and at 4,200 billion German marks in 1923. The economy would alter recover in 1924 after borrowing money from America under the leadership of Stresemann. Stresemann had always stated that the German economy was fragile even after help from America. This would come to reality in 1929 when the American stock market crashed in the infamous 1929 Wall Street Crash (Jebson, 1999, p. 22). The result of the crush was a destruction of Germany’s economic recovery. By this time Germany was plundered in a depression with unemployment rates soaring high sky. This resulted in increased political crisis as parties sought to take power and turn around the fate of Germany. Following his release from prison in 1924, Hitler had already begun to rebuild the Nazi party, and by 1929 or during Germany’s depression, he launched a country-wide campaign (Mendum, 2006, p. 33). Hitler further relied on his oratory skills to create increased propaganda of employment opportunities and economic recovery to his supporters. The political crisis that Germany faced in 1929 can be expressed by the fact that 3 general elections took place between 1930 and 1932 (ZNAMENSKI, 2015, p. 540). At this point, Hitler’s Nazi Party had failed in the two elections, but won the last election by 230 seats in the Reichstag parliament. This made the Nazi Party the ultimate ruling party while Hitler demanded he be appointed the German Chancellor and eventually was appointed as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933 (Epstein, 2015, p. 66). The succeeding events were in terms of policy where Hitler developed and passed the Enabling Act making him the sole ruler of Germany under the Nazi Party (Pearson, 2008, P. 225). This represents the ultimate rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to political power. Additional factors that enabled Hitler to rise to power include financial support from wealthy business men such as Alfred Hugenberg who owned about 500 cinemas and newspaper in Germany (Pool, 1997, p. 55). He supported the Nazi Party by offering enormous publicity in his cinemas and newspapers (Pool, 1997, p. 55). Moreover, the Catholic Church also played a significant role in the Nazi Party winning the last election (Paul, 2003, p. 30). Hitler approached the center party of the Catholic Church with a deal not to interfere in its affairs during his rule in exchange for their votes (Paul, 2003, p. 30). Moreover, violence also played a key role in the rise to power. Hitler used violence to crush any opposition by executing and imprisoning any politicians suspected of opposing his rule. Legislation was also used to the advantage of Hitler and the Nazi Party by declaring formation of new parties’ illegal and holding any citizens who opposed the Nazi rule in concentration camps legal. In conclusion, the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party to power can be attributed to numerous factors. This includes the defeat and surrender of Germany in WW1, the formation of the Weimar Republic and its signing of the Versailles Treaty. These events presented the beginning of a fragile Germany that had no direction or future. The depression, shame, and frustration felt after these events made Germany vulnerable to increased political pressures as well as provided the right conditions for Hitler and the Nazi Party to rise from an insignificant role to a significant role in Germany. Moreover, another major factor attributed to Hitler’s rise is weaknesses of the Weimar government. With increased political pressure and crisis among political parties such as armed uprising highlighted the Weimar government as weak. All these events were encouraging new parties to rise to claim power over Germany based on the increased challenges and frustrations after WW1. The Nazi Party had the right conditions to develop into a strong party through the leadership of Hitler. Hitler as an individual influenced his rise to power through his great oratory and speech making skills. The second major factor was the shared ideology of the Nazi Party that was appealing for most Germans. The Nazi believed in three main ideologies including nationalism, anti-semitism, and anti-communism (Fraenkel, 2000, p. 18). Through Hitler, the Nazi party appealed to Germans in these ideologies that were mutually shared nation-wide. It is in these conditions that the Nazi Party rose in terms of followership and shared ideologies. The result was an attempt to take power using force. This leads the emergence of economic depression and Wall Street Crash as major factors in the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. With a depressed population, shared ideologies, and severe political crisis, Hitler and the Nazi Party would rely on propaganda, violence, under the table deals, and any means possible to rise to political power in Germany. In the end, Hitler and the Nazi Party would gain ultimate power by passing legislation that made Hitler the undisputed leader of Germany and the Nazi Party the only ruling party. References Brown, B 2014, 'How did Hitler happen?', Junior Scholastic/Current Events, no. 1, p. 14. Kjøstvedt, AG 2013, 'The Dynamics of Mobilisation: The Nazi Movement in Weimar Berlin', Politics, Religion & Ideology, vol. 14, no. 3, p. 338. 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