Hitler's Rise to Power

The Seizure of Power 


There were several critical factors that contributed to the success of the National Socialists in the German elections from 1929 - 1933. Among these were certainly politics and economics. According to Bullock, Nazism would not have thrived without the "disorder and insecurity" that Germany experienced after their WWI defeat in 1918 (p. 89).

Two of the major economic problems included the "occupation of the Ruhr and the collapse of the mark" (Bullock 89). France ruthlessly demanded that Germany pay its required reparations for the war, and when the German government said it could not honor the requirements of the hated Versailles treaty, the French invaded the Ruhr, the industrial "heart" of Germany, which brought "the economic life of the whole country to a standstill" (Bullock 90). The Germans united against the French in a bitter campaign of "passive resistance" using "strikes, sabotage and guerrilla warfare," and the French retaliated with "arrests, deportation, and economic blockade" (Bullock 90). The occupation of the Ruhr "gave the final touch to the deterioration of the mark" (Bullock 90). The collapse of German currency and rampant inflation meant the "savings of the middle classes and working classes were wiped out at a single blow" (Bullock 90). Remak describes it as a "depression of unprecedented severity" (p 23). According to this week's Lecture Notes, unemployment in Germany reached 33%, which is about three times higher than we are experiencing now in this U.S. recession (Hoerle). "As the unemployment rate rose, so did support for the Nazis" (Hoerle). "It was in this soil that the Nazi movement -- [aka] the National Socialist German Workers' Party - grew and prospered" (Remak 24).

It's clear from all the readings that the German people were dissatisfied with the government of Weimar Republic. However, according to Remak, it is possible that "no government could have coped with the problems that faced Germany in the twenties" (23). Hitler recognized the opportunity to gain power that this turmoil presented for him, but "it was more difficult to see how to take advantage of it and turn the situation to his own profit" (Bullock 90). "The National Socialists had not the strength to overthrow the Republic on their own" (Bullock 91). Hitler had to get busy, uniting all the nationalist and anti-republican groups in Bavaria, order to increase the representation of the Nazis in the German Parliament (the Reichstag) (Bullock 91). In order to accomplish that, Hitler had to "gain respectability, and not be seen as a 'lunatic fringe'" (Hoerle). In order to gain acceptance with the typical middle-class, educated German citizen (aka Bürger), Hitler formed an alliance with the Conservative Party (Hoerle). It is evident from all the readings that Hitler’s public speaking skills were critical in seducing people to the Nazi party. One German, Milton Mayer, is quoted in Remak as saying, "National Socialism was a revulsion by my friends against parliamentary politics ... the motif was 'Throw them all out'" (23). In little time, the Nazi’s went from having only 12 representatives in Parliament, to 107, which gave them a ruling majority (Hoerle). Hitler became impatient and challenged the German President, Paul von Hindenburg, in an election for the presidency. He lost, but it solidified him as a legitimate political figure (Hoerle). Hindenburg was given some very bad advice, and to the detriment of the entire world, he offered Hitler the Chancellorship in January of 1933 (Hoerle).


Bullock, Alan. “Hitler: A Study in Tyranny.” Harper & Row, New York 1962.
Hoerle, Professor W. Scott. Lecture Notes: Week 4 – “The Seizure of Power.” UML - Nazi Germany. Section 031-SU12R
Remak, Joachim. "The Nazi Years: A Documentary History." Long Grove, Ill. Waveland Press 1990.