How Far Was the Nazis Popularity Responsible for Hitler’s Appointment as Chancellor?

How far was the Nazis popularity responsible for Hitler’s appointment as chancellor?

In January 1933, following several failed attempts, Hitler was finally appointed as chancellor of Germany. There were many reasons to why Hitler was appointed as chancellor. For example, the Great Depression of 1929, electoral success and weakness of the Weimar republic. In this essay, I wish to go through each notable reason and come to a final conclusion.

The Depression was a definite reason to Hitler’s appointment as German chancellor. The Wall Street Crash marked the beginning of the Great Depression which had many negative implications on countries especially Germany as the US banks recalled loans which were the lifeblood og German industry especially after the Dawes Plan of 1925. Different people in Germany were suffering. Businessmen lost their businesses as no one had enough money to spend, even on essentials like food and clothing. Young people leaving university were faced with unemployment and farmers fell into debt. Furthermore, Factory workers were faced with unemployment and to make matters worse, the government reduced unemployment benefit to save money. The Depression gave the Nazis a chance to infuse their policies effectively on the German public. The Nazi message hadn’t changed however more people were receptive of that message because of the economic crisis. Without this crisis, the Nazi support would never have materialised.

Weakness of the Weimar Republic also played a part in the appointment of Hitler as chancellor. The Weimar Republic, who from the outset had many underlying weaknesses as they were associated with the treaty of Versailles which the German people absolutely detested. The Nazi party policy included the abolishment of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. These terms included the German territory which was forcefully taken without a choice or even a comment. The Depression also affected the Weimar Republic negatively.

Hitler himself was a very charismatic speaker. As head of the Nazi party, he held rallies in which he would spread the idea of the Nazi’s. Furthermore, it was in these rallies that he would express his great desire to abolish the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and bring back German speakers. Hitler gave his speeches and gave the German people truth and hope. He had confidence.
He was very astute in his ideas (not all of them). He had intellect. He started and ran the Nazi party by himself. He had leadership. Within the space of one rally, he had the skill and authority to make Germans support the Nazi Party. This is where he excelled compared to other party leaders. His skills were manipulated during the depression where the Nazi party seemed as an ideal government for Germany.

Political intrigue between Von Papen and Von Schleicher was also related to Hitler’s appointment.