Hitler - Weimar and Rise to Power
Discuss the reasons, which led to the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany and Hitler's rise to power (1920 - 1934)German history is seen as a 'painful issue for thousands of Germans and other Europeans' . However it has interested many historians over the years into inquiring how and why Hitler came to power and how much of this was to do with the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany. To fully ascertain to what extent these events have in common and what reasons led to the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazis, each have to be looked at individually. Also it seems beneficial, to be able evaluate these in the relevant context, to look at the situation in Germany was in prior to 1920. In 1919, the treaty of Versailles was signed marking the end of World War One. Soon after, the Weimar republic was established. It was hoped that this democratic constitution would mark a turning point for Germany. Turning the people of Germany away from the authoritarian style of government they were used to, towards a more stable democracy. Since the German nation was used to being ruled, rather than ruling itself, it was a hard transition to accomplish. Democracy was a new concept within Germany and many people
In 1930 the nazi party gained 107 seats and in 1932, 230 seats. Hitler's aim to use the weaknesses of Weimar to his advantage had paid off. The economic problems, which surrounded Germany since the First World War, contributed a lot towards the downfall of Weimar and the rise of Hitler. Political intrigues of the time (as outlined above) meant there were more calls for elections. The Centre party was crucial for Weimar to resist extremist parties. Article 48, was intended to be used only in times when security and public order were seriously disrupted or imperilled gave the President far reaching powers verging on 'dictatorial powers' . Nor did Weimar satisfy the questions of why Germany had surrender even though allied troops had never entered Germany. Also towards the end of the Weimar Republic there were many presidents in quick succession. This would allow all parties to be represented, including extremist parties such as the NSDAP (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or Nazis) and the KPD (communists). It would also produce weak coalition government. The Nazi party did not have enough votes for a majority in the Reichstag, however Hindenburg realised the threat that Hitler posed and decided that if he was to be appointed chancellor then there was a chance that he could be contained and controlled. Some believe that the structure of Weimar was the main reason for its failure. Article 48 was a major downfall in the constitution because it handed dictatorial powers easily to Hitler. The politicians also exploited this clause in the constitution in the Republic. The first thing to look at is how the constitution was established.
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