Explaining the long-term context to the Nazi’s rise to power

Essentially, Hitler did come to power via the ballot box. Just as he said he would. But as you should know, context is always important in history. The context to the Nazi’s increased electoral support is clearly the issue of unemployment: as unemployment rises so does the Nazi vote. It’s as clear as daylight. So, the Great Depression was an important context to the Nazi’s rise to power.

But what about the longer term context? How does 1918, 1919 and 1923 link to 1932? The answer lies in the cumulative effect of disappointment after disappointment, humiliation after humiliation. From defeat, to the Treaty of Shame, to the occupation of German territory by the hated French, hyperinflation and unemployment. Enough is enough. Germans felt that their political leaders had failed them, had allowed them to be humiliated, and had saddled them with a constitution that didn’t work. Forget that for the most part, the alternatives their leaders faced were worse, or that they were hardly to blame for the things that they were dealing with. People don’t care, if they can’t have it fixed, they want somebody to blame and they have the liberals, the socialists and communists firmly in their sights. Besides, Hitler and the Nazis were offering a quick fix. They were not going to look to carefully at the details (just as well because they wouldn’t find any). In Hitler they had somebody who said that something could be done, that there was hope.

And so the experiences of 1918, 1919 and 1923 merged with those of 1930 to 1932. Hitler’s Main Kampf, My Struggle, was their struggle. They were in it together and together Hitler was telling them they could climb out of the mess they were in and together march to a better future. It was a powerful message.