Was Hitler Able to Establish a Dictatorship Because He Banned Other Political Parties?

“Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship because he banned other political parties”. Do you agree? Explain your answer.
The rise of Hitler as a dictator was one involving many different factors. The political parties caused him a very challenging problem, and by banning them it undoubtedly helped him secure all-out rule. But was it the only reason why Hitler managed to establish himself as a dictator, and if not, is it the main one?
Hitler knew that the many opposition parties would pose him and his government a real threat. He instantly acted against them by getting Hindenburg to pass a decree stating they had to be informed 48 hours in advance if a political meeting was to be held. This let Hitler take control of his political surroundings as it meant he would know when and where to go to break up a political meeting. It gave the Nazis a strong foothold in the election that was approaching and a good starting point to establishing his dictatorship as he was already limiting what others could do and was getting his way. However, he only got 44% of the vote at the election. With other political parties still around to vote for Hitler could never have had a dictatorship as he did not have a mandate to rule. Therefore, eradicating the other parties would appear to be how he became a dictator. We must consider what it is to be a dictator, and with any sort of political opponent around a dictatorship is implausible to establish. First, all choice of opinion must be taken away. In this way, banning political parties has to be a good reason why Hitler managed to become Germany’s all out ruler.
On top of this clear idea that he could never have absolute power with political parties still around is the fact that the Enabling Act, which to an extent was the blockage of power for any other party, really sealed Hitler’s position as Germany’s next dictator. What he said now became law, and he could do whatever he wanted as long as it didn’t anger Hindenburg, the Industrialists or the Army too much. In this sense, it looks like when Hitler finally banned the formation of political parties on 14th July it was this that gave him the status as a dictator of Germany .He made the laws, and there was no other view to go against his.
However, we must look at the other reasons why Hitler secured this power. By no means was banning political parties the only reason why he became an all-out ruler. Even if he had banned the political parties, without the support of the other groups which got him into power he wouldn’t last long as Chancellor. The Night of the Long Knives is one of the main reasons why he became a dictator as it kept on side those who had the power to overthrow him. Röhm’s proposals to take over all German businesses did not sit well with the Industrialists as they would lose all their power, money and influence. He also wanted to merge the Army into the S.A., not a popular move with the Army generals. By choosing to arrest and kill Röhm Hitler made sure that he held onto power; without siding with these groups they could well have forced Hindenburg to sack him as Chancellor. But by choosing the Army and Industrialists over his own party he showed that, although there were no longer any political parties, Hitler was still not the dictator of Germany as he was being forced to make decisions based on what others wanted. He didn’t have any political enemies, but did still have outside factions to impress.
Therefore, it was also the death of Hindenburg and the oath by the Army which made Hitler the dictator of Germany. With no one above him to get rid of him, Hitler could then declare himself Führer and make the Army swear an oath to defend him. Now the outside groups had no one to complain to if they didn’t like what was going on. They were also now bound to follow him; the Army had to give their lives to him, which meant no threat of any military coup, and the Industrialists could not speak out against him as they could be arrested and sent to concentration camps. Yes, the banning of political parties gave Hitler the opportunity to declare himself ruler, but that opportunity could have been taken away if he hadn’t managed to keep them onside throughout. Hindenburg could still have been pressured into sacking Hitler as Chancellor (he had done this to others many times before in the previous years), thus stopping Hitler getting the chance to become supreme ruler all together.
As well as this, just banning political parties would never have been enough to become a dictator due to one very obvious blockage; the Reichstag. With it still in the country the country was still democratic as the parties had a say in how the country was run. Hitler could not ban any political parties without getting rid of the Reichstag first. It was this that the Enabling Act actually got rid of so that Hitler could start to rule the country on his own. It was not actually the banning of political parties in Germany that set in motion the wheels of dictatorship but the demolition of democracy and the Weimar constitution. But at the same time this could also be seen as a reason why the banning of political parties was the reason why Hitler established himself as Fϋhrer. In reality, the Reichstag is made up of political parties, so getting rid of it could be seen as getting rid of the parties. This could be both for and against the statement in the question, but I believe that the Reichstag has to be treated as a separate thing.
In conclusion, I think that although Germany’s political parties did pose a major problem to Hitler and that banning it did help him to become a dictator, by no means is it the sole reason why he became one. Really, the Night of the Long Knives is more important as it is the point when everything could have collapsed for the Nazis. The start of Hitler’s rule was all about pleasing those around him and trying to stay in power. Therefore, keeping the Army and Industrialists on side at this point was key to making sure he lasted out Hindenburg’s life. The Reichstag is a mixture of both sides of the argument, but it still backs up the point that banning political parties was not the only reason why Hitler became a dictator and isn’t the main reason why either.