Hitler into power 1929 - 1934

• The impact of the great depression: Over the winter of 1929-30 the number of unemployed rose from 1.4 million to over 2 million. By the time Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 one in three Germans were unemployed, with the figure hitting 6.1 million.
• The impact of the great depression: Unemployment - The rise in unemployment significantly raised government expenditure on unemployment insurance and other benefits.
• The impact of the great depression: Unemployment - Germans began to lose faith in democracy and looked to extreme parties on the both the Left (the communists) and the Right (the Nazis) for quick and simple solutions.
• The impact of the great depression: Political failure - In July 1930 Chancellor Brüning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay. This added to the spiral of decline and unemployment continued to rise, as well as making those who had lost their jobs even poorer.
• The impact of the great depression: Political failure - Brüning could not get the Reichstag to agree to his actions, so President Hindenburg used Article 48 of the Weimar constitution, which gave the President the power to pass laws by decree, to govern. This undermined democracy and weakened the power of the Reichstag – arguably opening the way for Hitler’s later dictatorship.
• The impact of the great depression: The rise of extremism - When people are unemployed, hungry and desperate, as millions were in Germany between 1930 and 1933, they often turn to extreme political parties offering simple solutions to their problems. Between 1930 and 1933 support for the extreme right-wing Nazis and the extreme left-wing communists soared.
• The impact of the great depression: The rise of extremism - By 1932 parties committed to the destruction of the Weimar Republic held 319 seats out of a total of 608 in the Reichstag, with many workers turning to communism. However, the real beneficiaries were the Nazis.
• Growth of support for the Nazi party: In 1928, the Nazis had only 12 seats in the Reichstag; by July 1932 they had 230 seats and were the largest party.
• Growth of support for the Nazi party, the appeal of Hitler: Wealthy business men - Frightened by the increase in support for the communists, they began to finance Hitler and the Nazis.
• Growth of support for the Nazi party, the appeal of Hitler: Nationalists - They blamed the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles and reparations for causing the depression and so lent their support to the Nazis
• Growth of support for the Nazi party, the appeal of Hitler: Rural areas - Nazi support was particularly strong amongst both middle class shopkeepers and artisans, farmers and agricultural labourers.
• The effects of Propaganda: The Fuhrer cult - Hitler was always portrayed as Germany’s saviour – the man who would rescue the country from the grip of depression.
• The effects of Propaganda: Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) - This was the idea that the Nazis would create one German community that would make religion or social class less relevant to people.
• The effects of Propaganda: Scapegoating the jews (and others) for Germany's ills - Jews were often portrayed as sub-human, or as a threat to both the racial purity and economic future of the country.
• Reasons for the increased support for the Nazis: Hitler was a great speaker with an extraordinary power to win people over. Goebbels' propaganda campaign was very effective and brought huge support for the Nazis by targeting specific groups of society with different slogans and policies to win their support.
• The SA increased the Nazis support by: Intimidating the Nazis’ political opponents – especially the communists – by turning up at their meetings and attacking them
• The SA increased the Nazis support by: Providing opportunities for young, unemployed men to become involved in the party.
• The SA increased the Nazis support by: Protecting Hitler and other key Nazis when they organised meetings and made speeches.
• Attacking the treaty of Versailles: The Nazis had consistently attacked the Treaty, calling it a Diktat that had been imposed on the German people, not only by the victorious Allies, but also by the new Weimar government who had signed it. Hitler promised to discard the restrictions of the Treaty and restore Germany’s armed forces and its position of strength and pride in international affairs.
• Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: April 1932 - Presidential election. Hitler came second to Hindenburg, who won 53 per cent of the vote to Hitler’s 36.8 per cent.
• Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: May 1932 - Brüning resigned as Chancellor. Hindenburg appointed Franz Von Papen, a conservative, as his replacement.
• Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: July 1932 - Reichstag elections. The Nazis became the largest single party with 230 seats, but still did not have a majority. Hitler demanded to be made Chancellor but Papen remained.
• Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: November 1932 -Reichstag elections called by Von Papen to try to win a majority in parliament. Nazis lost 34 seats but remained the largest party with 196 seats.
• Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: December 1932 -  Von Papen resigned. Hindenburg appointed Kurt Von Schleicher, an army general, as Chancellor. Von Schleicher tried to split the Nazis by asking a leading Nazi called Gregor Strasser to be his Vice Chancellor. Hitler forced Strasser to decline.
• Hitler's appointment as Chancellor: January 1933 - Von Papen and Hindenburg turned to Hitler, appointing him as Chancellor with Von Papen as Vice Chancellor. They believed they could control Hitler and get him to do what they wanted.
• Dictatorship: In August 1934 Hitler had declared himself Führer - the sole leader of Germany. During this time Hitler eliminated all sources of opposition to himself, both within the Nazi Party and in Germany as a whole.
• Dictatorship: The Reichstag fire (1933) - In February the Reichstag building was set on fire. A Dutch communist, van der Lubbe, was caught red-handed in the burning building. Days later in the election 44 per cent of the population voted for the Nazis, who won 288 seats in the Reichstag – still not an overall majority.
• Dictatorship: The Reichstag fire (1933) - Hitler used the fire to persuade Hindenburg to pass an emergency law restricting personal liberty. This enabled him to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them campaigning during the election. 
• Dictatorship: The enabling act (1933) - with the communist deputies banned and the SA intimidating all the remaining non-Nazi deputies, the Reichstag voted by the required two-thirds majority to give Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag’s approval for four years.
• Dictatorship: The enabling act (1933) - It gave Hitler absolute power to make laws, which enabled him to destroy all opposition to his rule. This removed the Reichstag as a source of opposition.
• Dictatorship: Political parties (1933) - All other political parties were banned, only the Nazi party was allowed to exist.
• Dictatorship: Political parties (1933) - Banning political parties made Germany a one-party state and destroyed democracy in the country. This removed other parties as a source of opposition. 
• Dictatorship: The night of the long knives (1934) - Many members of the SA, including its leader Ernst Röhm, were demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda and that the SA take over the army. Hitler could not afford to annoy businessmen or the army, so the SS (Hitler's personal body guards) murdered around 400 members of the SA.
• Dictatorship: The night of the long knives (1934) - This destroyed all opposition to Hitler within the Nazi Party and gave power to the brutal SS. It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was. This removed any internal Nazi party opposition to Hitler. 
• Dictatorship: Hitler became Fuhrer (1934) - when Hindenburg died, Hitler declared himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army. Members of the armed forces had to swear a personal oath of allegiance not to Germany, but to Hitler.
• Dictatorship: Hitler became Fuhrer (1934) - This formally made Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany. This neutralised any sources of opposition to Hitler within the army. 
• Hitler extended his power: Local government -  reorganised, with Nazi Party officials put in charge of each area of Germany.
• Hitler extended his power: Trade unions - were abolished and their leaders arrested.
• Hitler extended his power: Concordat -  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.
• Hitler extended his power: People's courts - Hitler set up the Nazi people's courts where judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.