Rise of Nazi's In the aftermath of the 2nd world war, many historians questions how the Nazis came to power, despite Whimper creating a "perfect democracy'. The traditionalist viewpoint have said that Hitler was at the core that everything the party did, Allan Bullock stresses Hitter's charismatic abilities which gained the Nazi party so many votes. However Richard Evans argues that that it was not Just Hitler that collapsed Whimper. This is the structuralism viewpoint which claims that the foundations of Whimper were rotten and that it was destined to fail from its birth, as well as the WallStreet crash of 1929 contributing to Whimper's downfall. This essay will assess the viewpoints and examine the role played by Hitler, the economy, flaws within Whimper, legacy of the treaty of Versailles of political intrigue in the rise of the Nazis. Whimper was created after the Kaiser abdicated his throne.
A. J. P Taylor has argued that Germany had no strong democratic traditions and that the nation were used to strong leaders like Bismarck, as well as facing threats from the left and the right of Germany.Also historians claim that key groups within society had little faith in Whimper, this led to one historian claiming "Whimper was born with a hole in his heart. " However many point to the "Golden age" where Whimper flourished under the leadership Streaming, during the time between 1924-29 Streaming implanted foreign relations and stopped hyper-inflation while Germany enjoyed the highest standards of living in Europe. This success was short lived though, and this led historians to question whether Whimper had a chance of survival.
To many historians the Nazi's rise to power as a result of Germany's economic problems such as the Wall Street crash and the French occupation of the Our. When the French took control of the Our, a very important part of the German economy, that is when hyper inflation started. Streaming took loans from America to solve the problem, and so the Golden years of Whimper began. When the Wall Street crash happened though, America demanded their money back, because of this major cutbacks had to happen.Unemployment rose from 1 52'000 to over 3 million within a year, and then increasing to over 6 million by 1932, 4/10 Germans did not have a Job.
Richard Evans claims that this led to the rest of the employed population to live in fear of another sustained erred of hyper inflation, and they lost faith in the Whimper constitution. Ian Seekers argues that "the future (for Whimper) looked promising and without the crises of a world economic crisis in 1929 it might have remained so. " Both the Nazis and the communists gained from this shift in doubt over Whimper, with the Nazis seeming to gaining a lot more votes.When unemployment reached over 6 million, the Nazis gained 37.
3% of the vote and emerged as the single biggest part in Germany, a remarkable transformation from a party that previously gained 2. 6% in 1928. Internationalist historians argue that there is no escape from the central importance of Hitler, with Bullock and Fest emphasizing that Hitler was indispensable to Nazi people. Effectuating claims "the personality of the Fuehrer became a significant historical factor. He had a combination of demagogic gifts and political instinct.
Intentionality historians stress the importance of propaganda. With Gobbles a Nazi leader claiming "propaganda was our sharpest weapon in conquering the state. " Hitler used unconventional methods of getting across to his voters, like traveling across Germany by airplane on his tour. Richard Evans has shown that the Nazis gained most of their electoral success from first time voters: especially from the young, women and the northern regions of Germany.
This has led to historians questioning the role of propaganda in the Nazis success.Historians like Nooks highlighted that the Nazi party had major electoral success in areas, especially rural northern Germany where there was little party organizations or propaganda machinery. Therefore Nooks argues that propaganda was more successful in reinforcing existing sympathies and feelings than creating them. Evans has also argued that voters were really no looking for anything concrete from the Nazi party, instead they were protesting against Whimper. To some historians Whimper is seen as the "republic which died of democracy'.
Article 22 which allowed for small proportional representation meant that small extreme parties could be elected to the Reichstag and disrupt its running. As well as article 48 giving full emergency powers to however is president, in which Hindering used a lot and this eroded the status of democracy within Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was used carefully in favor of he Nazi party, and the French occupation of the Our was very much at the front of many Germans minds. Theater Hues, Germany's president after the Second World War claimed "Germany never conquered democracy for herself.Democracy came to Germany.
... In the wake of defeat.
" Many Germans resented the treaty of Versailles, and they responded well to Hitter's disgust of it also. Evans has described Germans resentment of the treat as a wound which refused to heal. Historians like Richard Evans stress that Hitler did not gain political power through electoral success. Indeed during the 2nd election 1933 Nazi votes dropped. Evans argues that the outcome of the crisis of Whimper remained in the balance until the last moment.
He argues that while it might have been difficult to save the republic, the coming of Hitler was not inevitable. A view supported by Ian Seekers when he stated "in bringing Hitler to pope, chance, and conservative miscalculation played a larger role that any action of the Nazi leader himself". To Seekers Hitter's appointment as a chancellor was the result of misguided politician intrigue by the traditional Whimper elite, and Seekers argues that Hitter's "path should have been blocked long before the final drama".The majority of the Whimper elite had no faith in Democracy and saw the Nazis as a counter balance to the influence of the left.
Evans highlights that by 1933 Hindering advisor (von Pane) thought that they could control and manipulate Hitler. Thinking that he would have been a figurehead/puppet for the ruling conservative elite. Von Pane claims "in 6 months we will have pushed Hitler so far into a corner he will be squealing" As Evans points the was a severe miscalculation on their part and within 6 months it was Hitler pushing him and Hindering into the corner.
