DEPTH STUDY GERMANY: HITLER BECOMING CHANCELLOR BY 1933

1. DEPTH STUDY
NAZI GERMANY
HITLER DOMINATING
GERMANY BY 1934
HITLER BECOMING
CHANCELLOR BY 1933
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2. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
THE NAZIS AND WORLD ECONOMIC
DEPRESSION
• The world depression transformed the prospects of the Nazi
Party.
• In Germany there were wage cuts, short-time working,
unemployment, homelessness, and poverty on a scale never
seen before.
• The established parties that made up the Weimar coalitions,
such as Social Democrats, took the blame.
• Voters changed support to the parties that had been the most
critical of the Weimar coalitions, the Communists and the
Nazis.
• The breakthrough point for the Nazis came in the general
election of September 1930.

3. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
THE EFFECTS OF THE WALL STREET
CRASH ON GERMANY
• By 1929 Hitler and the Nazi Party were placed to benefit
from any disaster .
• Between 1929 and 1932 the Depression hit Germany very
hard.
INDICATOR 1929 1932
Unemployment (millions) 1.4 5.6
Wages (1913=100) 169 113
Government income (1928-1929) 9 6.6
Government expenditure on welfare
services
102 106

4. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
THE NAZIS AND WORLD ECONOMIC
DEPRESSION
• No one could afford to buy goods.
• Unemployment rose but unemployment pay was cut.
• This caused major disagreement and the fall of the
government.
• Although government expenditure on welfare services
increased a little bit, its income fell by one-third.
• By 1933 Germany appeared bankrupt.

5. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
INCREASING NUMBER OF VOTES
• Unemployment stood at more than 2 million and the
Nazis polled over 6 million votes, making them the second
largest party in the Reichstag next to the Social Democrats.
• The Communists, with more than 4.5 million votes were
the third largest party.
• Between the elections of May 1928 and July 1932, the
percentage of votes cast for the Nazi Party in the
Reichstag elections leapt from 2.6% to 37.4%.

6. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS 1930-1932
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1930 September 1932 July 1932 November
Percentage of the Nazis and Communists
Nazis Communists

7. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
THE WEAKNESS OF THE GOVERNMENT
• Between March 1930 and January 1931, none of the three
governments of BRUNING, VON PAPEN AND SCHLEICHER
was able to rule with a majority in the Reichstag.
• President Hindenburg had to use his powers under the
Weimar Republic Constitution to rule by decree.
• This was because parties did not agree about whether to
tax workers or employers to pay the unemployed.
• Others argued that unemployment benefits should be cut.
• In 1930 Chancellor Bruning called an election.
• There were big gains for the Nazis and the Communists.
The Reichstag was even more unmanageable.

8. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
PRESIDENT HINDENBURG CHOICES
• President Hindenburg acted constitutionally, but it is clear
that he preferred to rule by decree, rather than allowing
the Communists or the Nazis into power.
• He refused Hitler’s demand to be made Chancellor.

9. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
HITLER’S TACTICS
• Hitler gained the support of the industrialists.
• Sturm Abteilung was founded.
• Hitler himself was important for the Nazi success.
• The use of propaganda was massive.

10. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
GAINING SUPPORT FROM THE
INDUSTRIALISTS
• Hitler gained the support of the industrialists.
• People like Alfred Hugenberg and Fritz
Thyssen liked Hitler’s ideas because they
have reacted against the Young Plan.
• This provided money and media coverage.
• Most financial support still came from
ordinary people’s contributions at meetings.

11. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
THE STURM ABTEILUNG WAS FOUNDED
• The SA gave
invaluable
support.
• They provided
over 100
“martyrs” to the
cause and
focused
attention against
the Communists.
• Their disciplined
militarism

12. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
HITLER WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE NAZI
SUCCESS
• He refused to cooperate with any
other party unless he was given the
Chancellorship and power to rule
without the Reichstag.
• Support for the Nazis rose in each
election.
• He used the latest technology, such as
loudspeakers, slide shows, films and
the first aerial political campaign
“Fuhrer over Germany” (Hitler uber
Deutschland), in the 1932 campaign.

13. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
NAZIS AND PROPAGANDA
• Over the next 18 months, the economy continued to
deteriorate and the Nazis used any opportunity to attack
the coalition.
• The propaganda machine, led by Josef Goebbels, was
working at full capacity as the Party message was spread
by thousands of posters, pamphlets.
• Those already faithful to the Party were invited to attend
torch-lit parades and mass rallies.
• The Nazis were the masters of spectacle and technology.

14. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
NAZIS AND PROPAGANDA
• During the 1932 presidential election, when Hitler stood
against Hindenburg, the Nazi leader was flown by
aeroplane from one speaking venue to the next one,
visiting 5 cities per day.
• The depression also boosted the fortunes of the
Communists, who argued that the root of the problem is
the capitalist system.
• Nazis portrayed themselves as the defender of the actual
system, calling the Communist as “scheming
revolutionaries” together with the Jews.
• Wealthy industrialists began contributing to the Nazi Party

15. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
POLITICAL MANOEUVERINGS 1932-1933
• During the general elections of July 1932, the
unemployment reached 6 million.
• Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag with 13
million votes.
• Normally, the leader of the largest party was expected to
become a chancellor, but president Hindenburg had no
intentions of appointing a man he had privately described
as “the vulgar little corporal”.
• Instead, Franz von Papen (from Centre Party) was invited
to form a government.
• Without Nazi cooperation, von Papen was unable to

16. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
Franz von Papen Kurt von Schleicher

17. CAMBRIDGE IGCSE – DEPTH STUDY: GERMANY
1932-1933
• The Nazis lost 2 million votes and 34 seats in this election,
they remained the largest party in the Reichstag.
• Von Papen couldn’t form the government and Von
Schleicher (former general) tried to form the next
government.
• Towards the end of January, von Papen (who was von
Schleicher’s rival) persuaded Hindenburg to appoint Hitler
as chancellor and himself as vice-chancellor.
• Hitler was to be offered 3 positions in a total of 12
ministers.