Germany became a republic in Many Germans were dissatisfied with the new situation. They longed for a return to the Empire. Many people also believed that the ruling social democrats were to blame for losing the war. Nevertheless, things started to look up from the mids onwards. And then in , the global economic crisis hit. Germany could no longer pay the war debts stipulated in the Versailles Peace Treaty. Millions of Germans lost their jobs. The country was in a political crisis as well.
Cabinets were falling, and new elections were held all the time. It seemed impossible to form a majority government. When it was founded in , it was only a small party. But Hitler used his oratory talent to attract more and more members. The party was characterised by extreme nationalism and antisemitism. In November , Hitler even led a coup attempt. It was a complete failure.
At the end of , Hitler was released after serving a relatively short sentence. However, his political career was not over. In prison he had written Mein Kampf, setting out his plans for Germany. From then on, the Nazis were to stick to the law and try to gain power by means of elections. They benefited from the economic crisis that began by the end of the s.
The Nazis used the crisis to condemn the government and the Versailles peace treaty. Their strategy was effective. The party radiated strength and vitality. Moreover, the Nazi leaders were young, quite unlike the greying politicians of the established parties. In addition, Hitler's image as a strong leader appealed to people.
He was all set to unite the population and put an end to political discord. The Nazis focused on voters from all walks of life, rather than on just one group, such as the workers or Catholics. They also attracted many people who had never voted before. Still, in November the party seemed to be past its peak.
The conservative parties did not manage to win enough votes. They pressured president Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler chancellor. The fact that they expected to use Hitler for their own agenda would turn out to be a fatal underestimation.
The National Socialists celebrated their victory with a torchlight procession through Berlin. From the balcony of the chancellery, Hitler looked on approvingly.
In spite of the glory, he was still far from being all-powerful at that point. It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was. This removed any internal Nazi Party opposition to Hitler. Members of the armed forces had to swear a personal oath of allegiance not to Germany, but to Hitler. This formally made Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany. This neutralised any sources of opposition to Hitler within the army.
Hitler also extended his power in other ways: Local government was reorganised — with Nazi Party officials put in charge of each area of Germany. Trade unions were abolished and their leaders arrested.
A Concordat agreement was signed with the Pope, which allowed Hitler to increase his power in Germany without opposition from the Catholic Church, as long as he left the Church alone. People's courts: Hitler set up the Nazi people's courts where judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.
Reichstag Fire and Reichstag election: on 27 February the Reichstag building was set on fire. Nazi officials were put in charge of all local government.
Trade unions were banned. A known communist — Marianus van der Lubbe — was caught near the Reichstag building immediately after the fire had started. Those that arrested him — Nazi officials — claimed that Lubbe confessed to them that the fire was a signal to other communists to start the revolution to overthrow democracy in the country.
Matches were allegedly found on van der Lubbe and those who arrested him claimed that he smelt of petrol. Using the constitution, Hindenburg agreed to pass the Law for the Protection of the People and the State. This law gave Hitler what he wanted — a ban on the Communists and Socialists taking part in an election campaign.
The leaders from both parties were arrested and their newspapers were shut down. The election took place in March — though Hitler was convinced it would be the last. That 12 million people voted for what were effectively two outlawed parties is remarkable when the intimidation of voters is taken into account. After the burning down of the Reichstag, politicians had nowhere to meet. The Kroll Opera House in Berlin was chosen. This was a relatively small round building — perfect for meetings.
As politicians neared the building, they found it surrounded by SS and SA thugs who tried to ensure that only Nazi or Nationalist politicians got into the building.
The vote for this law was crucial as it gave Hitler a vast amount of power. With only Nazis and other right wing politicians inside the Kroll Opera House, the bill was quickly passed into law.
The act gave Hitler what he wanted — dictatorial power. What he wanted would become law in Germany within 24 hours of his signature being put on paper. On 7th April , Nazi officials were put in charge of all local government in the provinces. On May 2nd , trades unions were abolished, their funds taken and their leaders put in prison.
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