Hitler’S Rise To Power

After World War 1, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party and became its leader, renaming it the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Nazis campaigned vigorously and gained support, becoming the largest party in Germany by 1933. Despite Hindenburg's reluctance to appoint a "housepainter" like Hitler as Chancellor, political maneuvering by Papen, Schleicher and others led Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933 to try to curb Nazi influence, with Papen as Vice-Chancellor.