Hitler's Rise To Power In Germany

Words: 1039
Pages: 5

At the conclusion of the year 1938, Time magazine proclaimed Adolf Hitler as the most important figure of the year. This was not because he was being a magnanimous leader, but because he was instilling fear into the hearts of Europe. Throughout the 1930s, Hitler had completely broken the restrictions set upon Germany by Europe at the end of World War I. He had brought back the military power of Germany and used it to exert his will over Austria and Czechoslovakia. With the help of his Nazi party, he had managed to turn Germany into one of the most fearsome totalitarian states of the twentieth century. How did Hitler and his Nazi party manage such an impressive feat so quickly? That has been the debate of historians ever since the end of World …show more content…
Nowadays, the Nazi’s appeal is simply attributed to their harsh anti-Semitic ideals. However, the Nazi’s appeal towards ordinary Germans was in their message about a potential economic crisis and a return of Germany’s stature. The Nazi’s anti-Semitic core was not a major factor that contributed to the initial wave of public support that the Nazis got. Rather, the increased Nazi support helped to contribute to the increase in anti-Semitic activity. This is not to say that there was no anti-Semitic activity or beliefs before the Nazis became popular, but that it was an issue with relatively little prominence before the Nazis became popular. For example, anti-Semitism was a common part of German life as Jews were prohibited from joining the military and anti-Semitic ideas were commonly discussed at universities, especially in student fraternities. However, the Nazi transformed anti-Semitism to something of relatively high importance to the German public. After they cemented themselves as a major political party, the Nazis quickly went on an offensive against the Jews. By 1933, they had compiled a book of anti-Jewish activities; this was implemented using all branches of civil service in Germany from city councils to businesses. The attack on the Jewish population was used by ordinary Germans to enrich themselves. This enriching is why the Nazis broaden their popularity by attacking Jews, but this …show more content…
There are several reasons that the German public responded to the message of a better economy from the Nazis. The first reason was that the Nazis were trying to gain the publics’ support in the midst of the Great Depression. This was because the depression created widespread unemployment and an underutilization of the factories in Germany. The national government was the organization that had to fix the problems. Once in power, the Nazi’s solution was to create an armament boom. This solution had to satisfy both the business leaders who controlled the factories within Germany and the middle class who formed the core group of supporters for the Nazi