To what extent was the rise of the Nazi Party to power a consequence of Germany's economic and political crisis?.
This investigation seeks to evaluate the path that the Nazi party followed in its way to power, focusing the appointment of Hitler as chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg. The main body of this investigation outlines the factors that made Hitler Hindenburg's choice for chancellor, describing how the democratic Republic disappeared and how the Nazi Party gained support and was increasingly popular. The external factors that made the Republic weak as well as Hitler characteristics as a leader are then analyzed to determine why Hitler was appointed even though Hindenburg had been suspicious about Hitler all along. Two of the sources used in this essay, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Hitler and Nazi Germany are then evaluated in detail in terms of their origins, purpose, value and limitations.
B Summary of Evidence.
The Weimar Republic had become a flawed structure, which contained a destabilized and increasingly volatile population. The country had been struck by economic crises, a more devastating crisis after the 1929 great depression. Coalition government made the democracy very vulnerable carrying to a great potential of internal disagreement. For example the Great Coalition was brought down by the disagreement between the Social Democratic Party and the Centre over proposals to cut unemployment benefits. Substantial numbers of the parties eventually abandoned their normal party because of the impact of the economic crisis and the inability of the party coalitions to deal with it. This was an ideal situation for the Nazi Party, they fully exploited these flaws as well as the disillusionment from the people because of the treaty of Versailles and because of the surrendering of the German Army to the allies without the Armies consent. The intention of the Nazis was to gain power by constitutional means but to (in the long term) manage to have revolutionary change.
