Account for Hitler’s Rise to power and analyse the methods used to
maintain this power. (THIS ESSAY IS NOT MINE BUT IS ACTUALLY PERFECTION)
Adolf Hitler, who was the leader of
Germany between 1933 and 1945, used various means to rise to power and maintain
his power. He provided simple solutions to Germany’s many problems. His main
aims were to achieve autarky (self-sufficiency), increase Germany’s land and
create the Third Reich, and by doing so undo the Treaty of Versailles. By
carrying out these actions, he would restore Germany to its former glory and
create a huge power base for himself.
In
the early 1930s, when Hitler rose to power, Germany was in a bad state.
Economically, she was very weak. According to historians Martin Collier and
Philip Pedley, by February 1929 17.7% of the German population was unemployed.
By late 1929, the Reich Institution had to borrow 342 million Reichsmarks to pay
out unemployment benefits. In addition to this, the German people were still
upset about the disservice given to them by the Treaty of Versailles. At
Versailles, Germany lost territory in Europe as well as Africa. Her armaments
were restricted to 100,000 and Germany was made to pay £6,600 million in
reparations. Most embarrassingly, Germany was made to sign a War Guilt clause,
admitting her fault and full responsibility for the Second World War. The
Treaty of Versailles, as well as other outside forces contributed to Germany’s
economic problems. Despite outside efforts to aid the German economy such as
the Dawes plan of 1924 by which substantially lowered German reparations
payments. America also loaned money to Germany which she used to pay off
reparations. In 1929 another economic aid proposal called the Young Plan was
negotiated to further reduce reparations, however the following Wall Street
Crash of 1929 meant that the plan was not put into action. With the economic
depression that followed, the popularity of the Nazi party increased. The
depression also caused an increased anxiety among the wealthy; they had almost
lost their money once, and did not want it to happen again under socialism.
According to historian Norman Lowe, “It was the widespread unemployment and
social misery, together with the fear of communism and socialism, which gained
the Nazis mass support.” Hitler built up much of his support, both
monetary and physical, through the wealthy business and land owners. According
to Lowe, “although there were signs of economic improvement by the end of 1932,
it was perhaps inevitable, at that point, that the Weimar Republic would
collapse.”
In
order to achieve and maintain his power, Hitler carried out a set of policies
which first demerited his opposition, then legally made him the absolute
leader. Firstly, “Hitler possessed tremendous energy and will-power and a
remarkable gift for public speaking, which enabled him to put forward his ideas
with great emotional force. He used the latest modern communication techniques
– mass rallies, parades, radio and film” (Lowe). Hitler discredited his
opposition through the use of violence (“show[ing] no mercy to communists and
other ‘enemies of state’”). Then, in February 1933 the Reichstag (German
parliament) was set on fire. Although it is assumed that the fire was lit by
the Dutch anarchist Marinus van der Lubbe, according to Lowe “Hitler used the
fire to stir up fear of communism and as a pretext for the banning of the
party”. However, in the election in early March 1933, “in spite of all their
efforts, the Nazis still failed to win an overall majority” (Lowe). In response
to this, later in March 1933, Hitler passed the Enabling Act, the legal basis
for his absolute power. He assured that the parliament would vote for the bill
by surrounding the voting hall with his private armies; “MPs had to push their
way through solid ranks of SS troops to get into the building. The 81 communist
MPs were not allowed to pass” (Lowe). This Enabling Act allowed the government
to make laws without the approval of the Reichstag, effectively eliminating its
power. This meant that Hitler no longer needed the support of Franz von Papen
(Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and Vice-Chancellor under Hitler in 1933–1934),
Alfred Hugenberg (one of Hitler’s main advisors who helped him rise to power
and hoped to control him) or any other political figure. Next, through a
policy of Gleichshaltung (forcible co-ordination) Hitler turned Germany
into a totalitarian state. According to Lowe, “All parties except the National
Socialists were banned”, and separate state governments lost all power. After a
decree released in March 1933, “it became dangerous to oppose or criticize the
government in any way” (Lowe). Religion was brought under state control in 1933
when Hitler signed an agreement (known as the Concordat) in which he
promised not to interfere with German Catholics on the condition that they
dissolved the Catholic Centre Party.
After
achieving this absolute power, Hitler maintained it using both propaganda and
violence. In 1934 Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda under Hitler)
stated that, “Propaganda was our sharpest weapon in conquering the state, and
remains out sharpest weapon in maintaining and building up the state”. It was
used to, according to historians John Hite and Chris Hinton, “indoctrinate the
people with their Welandschauung (literally ‘view of the world’ or
philosophy), seeking to turn them into committed members of their Volksgemeinschaft
(peoples’ community)”. In April 1924, the associations which controlled radio
content was taken over by the Nazis, and according to Hite and Hinton, “the
Nazis established a unified radio system and purged it of hostile elements.
Radio became one of the most powerful tools for indoctrination.” Hitler
subsidised the production of radios, in 1935 there were 7 million sets, and by
1943 there were 16 million. In 1933 alone, 50 of Hitler’s broadcasts were
transmitted, and the estimated audience of his speeches was 56 million (at a
time when the total German population was just under 70 million) (Hite and
Hinton). Propaganda in film was used with similar effect. According to Hite and
Hinton, “Some films glorified the Kampfzeit (struggle for power); others
tried to develop racist attitudes”. Probable the most famous of these films,
called Der Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) displayed Jews as a parasitic
race; rats were juxtaposed with Jews. However, this film was a failure at the
box office. According to Lowe, “education was also closely controlled so
that children could be indoctrinated with Nazi opinions”. In the subjects of
biology and history, school textbooks were rewritten to confirm Nazi theory.
“Teachers, lecturers, and professors were closely watched to make sure they did
not express opinions which strayed from the party line”. This system was
supplemented by Hitler’s two youth organisations; the Hitler Youth (for all
boys aged 14 and over) and the League of German Maidens for the girls. Through
these organisations children were taught to discard traditional values of
family, and instead be faithful to Hitler. In this way, Hitler created a loyal
support base.
While
propaganda was used to create unity among Germans, Hitler’s use of violence
created much fear among the population. Hitler was in command of two armies,
the SS (Hitler’s personal bodyguards) and the SA (“storm troopers” paramilitary organization of the German Nazi Party). Hitler was also in charge of the Gestapo, the
country’s secret police which, according to Collier and Pedley, “played a key
role in eliminating opposition through creating an elaborate terror machine”.
According to Lowe “’enemies of state’ rarely received a fair trial and the
concentration camps introduced by Hitler in 1933 were full… They contained
‘political’ prisoners - communists, Social Democrats, Catholic priests,
Protestant pastors.” This violence continued, and in June 1934 there was a
night in which Hitler ordered his private guards (the SS) to kill many members
of the Nazi army (SA) and prominent anti-Nazi people. “After the Night of Long
Knives in June 1934, the SS became the main police arm of the Nazi Party with
the aim of eliminating all opposition within the state” (Collier and Pedley).
Finally,
Hitler built and maintained his popularity through his various economic and
military successes. He built up the German military from 100,000 in 1933 to
600,000 in 1936, defying the Treaty of Versailles and gaining much popular
support. This army was then used to remilitarise the Rhineland (an area of land
along the German border with France) in March 1936, which was a defiance of the
Treaty of Versailles. He also had foreign policy successes such as the Anschluss
(joining) with Austria, which was voted in 1938, the invasion of the
Sudetenland (German speaking region) in Czechoslovakia later in 1938, and the
following invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia. Hitler was also behind a
successful intervention in Spanish Civil War on the side of Francisco Franco,
the eventual victor. He was also able to carry out his new military tactic; the
blitzkrieg (lightning war – the use of overwhelming force at high speed
to break through enemy lines). In addition to this, Hitler was also successful
economically, increasing employment and economic output. According to Lowe, “Hitler
was successful in eliminating unemployment… when he came to power the
unemployment figure stood at over 6 million, but as early as July 1935 it had
dropped to under 2 million”. He achieved this through the creation of
grand public works schemes, as well as office and administrative posts for the
rapidly expanding party bureaucracy. Re-armament also caused many of the
unemployed to become soldiers. Hitler was also successful in his policy towards
family. Wanting a larger population, he banned contraceptives and closed down
family planning centres. He set up reward schemes for women according to the
number of babies they had. Meanwhile, he discouraged more undesirable people
from having children; “over 300,000 people who were designated as ‘unfit’ (Jews,
Roma, and people deemed physically unfit) were forcibly sterilised”. The
combination of all of these policies ensured that Hitler remained a popular
leader.
The economic and political situation of
Germany during the early 1930s, including the high unemployment and political
dissatisfaction, helped Hitler to gain his power. He used clever politics, such
as his Enabling Act and the elimination of opposition to turn Germany in to a
totalitarian state. He then used propaganda, and violence along with various
military and economic successes to ensure the maintenance of his popularity,
and therefore power. According to historian Ian Kershaw “without the unique
conditions in which he came to power, Hitler would have been nothing … He
exploited the conditions brilliantly.”
I cant remember where I sourced this from but no copyright intended whatsoever, I fully appreciate this essay is not mine!
