1. How was Hitler able to
become the leader of
Germany?

2. + 2
In a Nutshell
 Prior to Hitler’s appointment as the Chancellor of Germany, the
ruling Weimar Government was unpopular among the Germans.
 The Weimar Government was blamed for its inability to solve
many of the post-war problems Germany inherited from its defeat
in World War I.
 The Weimar Government was also blamed for its role in the
surrender in World War I and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
 Hitler was able to gain support by promising to overturn the Treaty
of Versailles and regain Germany’s pride.
 Hitler and his Nazi Party were able to gain total control of
Germany by 1933, turning it into a totalitarian Nazi state.

3. Events beyond
Hitler’s control:
Weakness of
Weimar govt,
economic
depression…
3

4. +
Opposed by the right
 The‘right’ comprised mainly of the German Army
which objected to the signing of the Treaty of
Versailles.
 Thisgroup claimed the army had been ‘stabbed in
the back’ and could have continued fighting.
 Deeplyresentful, they were determined to obstruct
the work of the Weimar Government.
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5. +
Opposed by the left
 The ‘left’ refers to the Communists.
 Oneof the Communist groups was known as the
Spartacists, a group which wanted to set up a
government similar to the one in the Soviet Union.
 Frequent
uprisings by the Spartacists occurred between
1918 and 1919.
 TheWeimar government and German public was thus
very fearful about the possibility of a Communist takeover.
 A strongleader and government could prevent such a
takeover.
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6. +
Economic
Depressionwas heavily in debt due to
The Weimar Government

the payment of war reparations.
 Germany’s problems were worsened by the hyper-
inflation caused by the overprinting of money which
the government used to pay off its debts.
 Many Germans lost their savings overnight and they
blamed the government.
 The middle class was the worst hit and they stopped
supporting the government, believing that the
government and its democratic system had failed.
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7. +
Economic
Depression relied on US
Germany’s economic recovery

loans.
 This made Germany vulnerable as it depended
on America’s ability to keep lending.
 When the Great Depression hit and America
was badly affected, the loans from America to
Germany dried up.
 Germany suffered as a result of this and was on
the verge of collapse.
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8. +
Political deals made with
German Leaders
 TheNazis won less than three per cent of the votes in the
1928 Elections.
 By1930, they had won 37.3 per cent, making them the
party with the most seats in the Reichstag.

9. +
Political deals made with
German Leaders
 In 1932, President von Hindenburg was pressurised
to agree to Hitler’s demand for chancellorship.
 He was persuaded by Franz von Papen who
thought that the conservatives could channel their
support for Hitler into support for the policies of the
cabinet.
 Furthermore, it was hoped that Hitler could help the
government to control the Communists. On 30
January 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
Within months, he ended Weimar Germany and
started the Third Reich.

10. Hitler’s abilities:
Leadership skills,
Nazi organisation…

11. +
Excellent speaker and
charismatic ability to capture people’s attention
Hitler had the natural leader
with his public speaking skills.
 He was able to inspire confidence and belief among
Germans that he could be the one to lead Germany out
of its problems.
 Under Hitler’s leadership, the National Socialist German
Worker’s Party (NSDAP) or Nazi Party grew
 For his role in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, he was
arrested.
 However, his stirring speech made the judges
sympathetic towards him and he received a light
sentence of a five-year jail sentence. He was released on
parole after only nine months.

12. +
Reorganised the Nazi Party
 The jail term proved to be a turning point.
 Itconvinced Hitler that legal means and not
force alone would help him gain power.
 Upon release, he concentrated his efforts on
reorganising the Nazi Party.
 Among the changes made was the setting up of
branches in different parts of Germany as well
as the creation of a youth movement.

13. +
Reorganised the Nazi Party
 Initially, the Nazi Party had very little support from the people.
 The working class supported either the Social Democratic Party or the
Communists.
 The years 1924–1929 saw general economic prosperity and political
stability. Thus, the people did not see the need to vote out the Weimar
Government.
 At the time, most Germans were not interested in Nazi calls to keep Jews
out of German political life nor in the Nazi plan to invade other countries.
The people also did not like the way the Nazis beat up their opponents to
intimidate them.
 After the Great Depression in 1929, many Germans suffered. The
Weimar Government’s popularity dipped even further.
 With improved organisation, Hitler was able to gain much popularity
and support.

14. +
Exploited fear of
Communism to win support
 The Nazi Party and the Communists became popular during the difficult
times after the Great Depression.
 Many Germans believed that the Weimar Government had failed them
and were open to trying out alternative forms of government.
 Hitler made use of propaganda to spread fear about the aims of
Communism.
 He convinced people that the Nazi Party was the only party capable of
providing order and stopping the Communists.
 Many rich industrialists supported the Nazis as they wanted an anti-
Communist government.
 With strong financial support, Hitler was able to build a sizeable private
army — the Sturmabteilung (SA) or Stormtroopers.