To What Extent Did the German Economy of the 1920s and 1930s Play a Role in Hitler's Rise to Power as the Chancelor of Germany?
001218-053
To what extent did the German economy of the 1920s and 1930s play a role in Hitler’s rise to power as the Chancellor of Germany?
Liyana Fitzgerald
001218-053
Word Count: A: Plan of the investigation
This investigation aims to assess the role that the post-World War 1 German economy played in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power as the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. In order to achieve this the investigation explores the way that the German economy affected the attitude of the public towards the government and politicians as well as the manner in which Hitler successfully used this attitude to establish Jews, intellectuals, and artists as scapegoats at which public anger and resentment should be directed. Historical reference books and a seminar by British historian Malcolm Murfett are the main sources from which statistics and factual information are derived. Two sources, the books The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by Wiliiam L. Shirer and Weimar and the Rise of Hitler, are evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations. B: Summary of evidence
By the end of 1923, over four thousand printing presses were at work to print new German banknotes to pay off debts that Germany owed to the Allies as a result of World War 1 and only 29.3% of the total labor force was employed (Murfett). Money lost all value; 1 US dollar was equal in value to about 4,200,000,000,000 German Reich marks (Schoolhistory.org.uk). The Weimar Republic, the system of government that was ruling at the time, was despised by the German public for bringing their country to ruin; they were blamed for signing the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War 1, which resulted in a loss of German territories, military power and most importantly, German pride in their nation (Shirer 115). Also, the Weimar Republic borrowed huge amounts of money, mainly from American investors (Murfett). Between 1924
To what extent did the German economy of the 1920s and 1930s play a role in Hitler’s rise to power as the Chancellor of Germany?
Liyana Fitzgerald
001218-053
Word Count: A: Plan of the investigation
This investigation aims to assess the role that the post-World War 1 German economy played in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power as the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. In order to achieve this the investigation explores the way that the German economy affected the attitude of the public towards the government and politicians as well as the manner in which Hitler successfully used this attitude to establish Jews, intellectuals, and artists as scapegoats at which public anger and resentment should be directed. Historical reference books and a seminar by British historian Malcolm Murfett are the main sources from which statistics and factual information are derived. Two sources, the books The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by Wiliiam L. Shirer and Weimar and the Rise of Hitler, are evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations. B: Summary of evidence
By the end of 1923, over four thousand printing presses were at work to print new German banknotes to pay off debts that Germany owed to the Allies as a result of World War 1 and only 29.3% of the total labor force was employed (Murfett). Money lost all value; 1 US dollar was equal in value to about 4,200,000,000,000 German Reich marks (Schoolhistory.org.uk). The Weimar Republic, the system of government that was ruling at the time, was despised by the German public for bringing their country to ruin; they were blamed for signing the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War 1, which resulted in a loss of German territories, military power and most importantly, German pride in their nation (Shirer 115). Also, the Weimar Republic borrowed huge amounts of money, mainly from American investors (Murfett). Between 1924