Hitler's rise to Power

Essay by ne1469High School, 11th grade March 2004

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From 1929 to 1933 Hitler used the events in Germany to gain power. The depression which occurred in 1929, the support which he gained from those who dreaded communism and the 1933 elections and Enabling Act which he soon passed allowed Hitler to gain power by constitutional methods.

When the New York stock market collapsed in 1929 Germany was devastated. Her economy had been dealt a severe blow after the war however, Gustav Stresemann managed to establish a more stable currency. He persuaded Britain, France and the U.S.A. to scale down the reparations which Germany had been forced to pay and huge loans were made available to her through the U.S.A.. These loans later became the cause of Germany's economic collapse. As the American economy was hard hit by the depression Germany was called on to repay the loans made available to her by America. As a result unemployment in Germany rocketed, wages were cut and hunger and poverty amongst the people spread rapidly.

It was under these circumstances that the National Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi Party rose to power. Hitler joined this party as he agreed with much of what they said and soon he joined the committee. He soon made his presence felt and began to hold mass meetings which many Germans attended. Support for the Nazis soon increased as Hitler astounded the people with his powers of oratory. Thus he had successfully built a strong base support on which he could develop his and the Nazi Party's popularity.

The property owning classes and middle class dreaded communism as a communist government would cause them to lose much of what they owned. As a result they saw the Nazis as the answer to the communist threat. The great industrialists gave the Nazis much of the financial...